The Indian Super League clubs on Saturday urged the All India Football Federation (AIFF) not to take any “binding decision” on the new long-term commercial rights holder during Sunday’s executive committee meeting, citing a lack of meaningful opportunity to evaluate the bidders.
The ISL clubs have been embroiled in a conflict with the AIFF, with recent developments focusing on the commercial rights tender.
Two bidders are in contention to acquire the combined commercial rights of the ISL and Federation Cup, with one of them offering more than Rs 2100 crore for a 20-year period after the AIFF opened the bids on Friday, and the national federation is expected to get its new commercial partner by Sunday, when it meets for an executive committee meeting.
The clubs, though, said in a joint statement they “cannot be expected to arrive at a considered view” on the competing bidders without being “afforded a more meaningful opportunity” to assess them in substance while also pointing out that they were not part of the drafting process.
“As you are aware, the clubs were not part of the drafting process of the RFQ (Request for Quotation) and were only provided access to the relevant documents less than 12 hours prior to the bids being opened.
“In those circumstances, any expectation that the clubs should now immediately indicate a preference between the bidders would, with respect, be both premature and inconsistent with the seriousness of the decision at hand,” the ISL clubs said in the statement.
FanCode and Genius Sports submitted bids for the commercial rights relating to the ISL and the Federation Cup (or the Super Cup), while Capri Sports placed bids for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League first division and the Indian Women’s League 2.
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“This is not a routine commercial appointment. The party selected through this process will have a material bearing on the structure, commercial direction and long-term future of Indian football.
“A decision of this nature must be informed not merely by the fact of a bid having been submitted, but by a proper understanding of the respective bidders’ business plans, revenue generation models, cost structures, operational capabilities, strategic assumptions and overall vision for the property.” It is learnt that Genius Sports, the official data feed provider for the English Premier League, the Championship, and the Scottish league, made a bid of Rs 2129 crore over 20 years.
FanCode’s bid amount was approximately Rs 1190 crore, nearly half that of the London-headquartered Genius Sports.
The clubs further wrote in the letter, “We would therefore request that the AIFF facilitate separate presentations and discussions for the clubs with each of the two bidders, namely Genius Sports and FanCode, so that the clubs may hear directly from them and properly evaluate their respective approaches.
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“Following that, the clubs should be given reasonable time to deliberate internally, including with our respective owners and key stakeholders, so that any view expressed is informed, responsible and, ideally, reflective of a collective position on the RFQ process and the bidders.”.
The clubs added, “We are also aware that an Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. In that regard, we would strongly urge that no binding decision be taken at that meeting..
“Doing so, before the clubs have had a proper opportunity to understand the bidders and deliberate amongst themselves, would not be in keeping with the spirit of inclusiveness and collective decision-making that we have all repeatedly spoken about and sought to uphold.
“This request is not being made to delay matters unnecessarily, nor to create difficulty, but simply to ensure that a decision of such long-term significance is taken in a manner that is fair, inclusive and worthy of the game’s future.
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“We trust the AIFF will appreciate the importance of allowing this process the time and consideration it properly requires, and we would be grateful if the necessary interactions with both bidders could be arranged at the earliest.”.
On March 2, the AIFF invited bids for the commercial rights of both men’s and women’s club competitions for a period of 15 years minimum starting with the 2026-2027 season.
