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Twelve Indian Super League (ISL) clubs on Thursday urged the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to resolve the crisis in the domestic game without any further delay, saying that the current situation risks rendering their "ongoing operations untenable". The Marketing Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) -- which organises ISL -- ends on December 8, and after that the top-tier league will be left without a commercial framework or operational certainty going forward. "While majority of the clubs have continued to honour salaries and contractual dues to players and staff in good faith, the current position is not merely challenging it is approaching commercial impossibility and risks rendering ongoing operations untenable," the clubs said in a letter to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey. The 12 ISL clubs are FC Goa, Sporting Club Delhi, NorthEast United FC, Jamshedpur FC, Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, ...
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday reiterated its decision to create a 'Benevolence Fund' to provide a one-time grant for medical purposes to ex-players, coaches, referees, match officials and support staff. A dedicated committee will be formed to evaluate applications on a case-to-case basis. AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, who pledged Rs 1,00,000 to the fund, emphasised that the initiative was a humanitarian gesture, recognising the lifelong contributions of those who have served Indian football, a release from the national federation said. "AIFF will contribute an amount of Rs 5,00,000 to the fund. The terms and conditions of the grant will be set by relevant committees," the release said. The AIFF also said it will proactively explore avenues to enhance the fund over time, including the organisation of charity matches and mobilising support from other potential sources of revenue and partnerships. In addition to the Benevolence Fund, Chaubey also proposed the .
The technical committee of the AIFF, headed by former captain IM Vijayan, will meet on Wednesday to shortlist the candidates for the appointment of the head coach of the senior men's national team after the federation received 170 applications for the vacant post. After Spaniard Manolo Marquez and the All India Football Federation mutually agreed to part ways earlier this month following the team's downward spiral, the national body invited applications for the top job with July 13 as deadline. "The technical committee will meet on July 23, review the applications and prepare a shortlist to be given to the AIFF executive committee. The AIFF EC will then take the final call (on the appointment)," a source privy to the development told PTI. It is learnt that the AIFF is in favour of making the appointment quickly as there is a FIFA international match window in September and India play their AFC Asian Cup qualifying round games on October 9 and 14 -- against Singapore home and away.
Players of Indian origin living abroad will be encouraged to play for the country, according to the newly-unveiled National Sports Policy, also referred to as the Khelo Bharat Niti, signalling a departure from the government's earlier stance that only Indian passport holders can represent the country. The ban on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders from representing the country in 2008 has affected India's growth in sports such as football and tennis. However, the 20-page Khelo Bharat Niti document stated that India will seek Peace & International Cooperation Activities through Sports so that "Sports can serve as a powerful tool for international diplomacy and cooperation." "Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level," it states. "Together, these efforts can transform sport into a dynamic tool of cultural diplomacy and nation-building, strengthening the global
In a major reprieve for Delhi FC and Sporting Club Bengaluru, the All India Football Federation's Appeal Committee has stayed their relegation from I-League until a final decision is reached on their submissions challenging the AIFF's disciplinary panel ruling. The two interim orders, dated May 24 and currently in possession with PTI, revealed that both the clubs had appealed against the AIFF Disciplinary Committee's decisions that would have demoted them from the 202425 I-League season after they finished among the bottom two of the 12-team competition. Chaired by Justice (Retd.) Rajesh Tandon, with Ashok K Tripathi and Priyanka Mishra as members, the Appeal Committee noted that the circumstances warranted keeping any relegation-related action "in abeyance" until the final hearing. "On behalf of AIFF, time has been sought for 2 days to file the objections however, the circumstances of the case warrant that any order passed for relegation shall remain in abeyance and shall not be ..