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AIFF Targets January Start for ISL as Players, Clubs Seek Supreme Court Direction

Court guidance by late November is the timeline AIFF says would unlock a compressed January–May season despite the failed ₹37.5 crore tender.

Overview

  • AIFF told club CEOs the top flight will be staged, with a possible January–May 2026 window if the Supreme Court provides direction by late November.
  • The previous commercial deal expired and a new ₹37.5 crore-per-year tender drew no bidders, leaving the league without a commercial partner for now.
  • Kalyan Chaubey outlined a contingency of roughly 180 matches in about 150 days, potentially using multi-city scheduling with multiple games in a day.
  • Players including Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, along with ISL club CEOs, plan separate petitions to the Supreme Court, and clubs discussed a stopgap option of running the league themselves subject to legal guidance.
  • Most ISL clubs joined AIFF’s online meetings, with Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal absent, while eight I-League clubs asked for a start by January 5, 2026 and for their competition to be managed by whoever runs the ISL.