The Supreme Court Order is a silver lining for Indian Football

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The Supreme Court has finally delivered its judgment on the way forward for Indian football. May I say it is a welcome order. It has allowed the AIFF to initiate the tender process to find a commercial partner and with FSDL giving up its first right of refusal, the process is expected to be entirely transparent and efficient. Also, with the appointment of Justice Nageshwara Rao as the one to oversee the functioning of the committee, there is someone who has worked on the constitution and has prior experience of working with FIFA and AFC. It was Justice Rao who was the bridge between FIFA and AFC and the SC on all constitutional matters between 2023-2025.

There is an important paragraph in the order, which states, “We have also recorded the agreement of FSDL as indicated at point no. 7 of the note extracted hereinabove in paragraph 4 of this order. We have no hesitation in recording that their collaborative effort is a significant step in the evolution of Indian football. This shared commitment will go a long way in institutionalising domestic, national and international events.”

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This is a key paragraph that highlights the spirit of camaraderie that defined the coming together of AIFF and FSDL for the sake of Indian football. May I say that FSDL has been much criticised in recent times and a lot of things said. But it has to be remembered that Indian Football is no IPL. The ISL is not a profit making proposition.

Rather, over the last decade FSDL has lost thousands of crores in trying to do the ISL and make it stand out as a league. Despite that to give up their first right of refusal is a serious step and points towards a spirit of cooperation driving the process, something the SC has decided to highlight.

So what’s the way ahead? Will the football season start on time and will things finally fall in place? My assumption is the order has set the stage for things to gradually get back to normal. The season will or should start with the Super Cup and the tender process should start as soon as possible. If it does get completed by October 15, as has been claimed in the joint resolution, there is no reason why the ISL will not start in December. However, how many interested bidders come forward, what value they are willing to pay and will the value be more than what was paid earlier, will determine how the ISL is governed. Will it be organised with the same glitz and glamour as earlier or will it be somewhat muted in the future?

In sum, the order is a welcome development. And as we wait for the final order on the constitution, it will be in everyone’s interest if the AIFF starts to work on the tender process with Justice Rao and starts to take things forward. In sport it is all about timing and time here is at a premium if the season has to start in earnest from October. If you are an Indian footballer, you would have slept well last night. At last there is a silver lining. That’s what the order is for many.