Investors interested in becoming the Indian Super League’s commercial partner shied away for a lack of representation in the league’s governing council, according to feedback received by KPMG, the firm managing the bidding process.
It is learnt that there were five companies or conglomerates that showed interest and put up scores of queries to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to understand the bidding process.
The commercial partner, if and when selected, would be associated with the league for 15 years.
But none of them — including Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which ran the league between 2014 and 2025 — eventually placed a bid, with the window slamming shut at 5 p.m. on Friday.
Sources indicate that the commercial partner is offered just one slot of the six in ISL’s governing council — a weightage of approximately 17%, one that did not sit well with potential investors.
The composition of the council was done in accordance with the new AIFF constitution approved by the Supreme Court.
In light of this development, AIFF’s Bid Evaluation Committee, led by (Retd.) Justice L. Nageswara Rao, met on Sunday, with the final report set to be submitted to the apex court as the next step.
Published – November 10, 2025 08:15 pm IST
