New Delhi, Nov 21 : The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that it will intervene to ensure that the country’s top-tier football competition — the Indian Super League (ISL) — is held and players are not put to any disadvantage.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF), on November 7, said it has not received any bid for the commercial rights of the ISL, marking another setback for Indian football as the submission deadline closed.
In a report to the apex court after an unsuccessful tender process to monetise the ISL, the court-appointed committee led by Justice L Nageswara Rao (retired) has recommended striking a balance between preserving the AIFF’s authority and keeping in mind prospective bidders’ commercial interests.
The committee submitted a report to the top court after the invitation for bids on the tender floated for the ISL’s commercial rights found no takers, which left the sport’s national federation in a fix.
The matter came up for hearing on Friday before a bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that he had a word with the minister concerned, who was fully aware of this issue and had remarked that ISL must be held.
“How it is to be held, what sponsors, who will finance, etc, can be left to the government. The government would intervene to ensure that the ISL is held and our players are not put to any disadvantage,” he said.
The bench observed that it should not give the impression that the government is interfering.
“Absolutely. Otherwise, we have no role,” Mehta said.
He informed the court that the minister concerned has said the government will do everything, bearing one factor in mind that “anything being done should be in conformity with FIFA regulation so that we may not fall foul of that”.
Mehta said the ultimate beneficiary is the players, who should not be put to any disadvantage either because of a lack of sponsors or owners for existing clubs.
The bench referred to Justice Rao’s recommendations and said those could be “very good guiding principles”, and the stakeholders could sit down to discuss those. It said the court would reassemble after two weeks to hear the matter.
The AIFF recently convened a Special General Body Meeting on November 24 to vote for a clause of its constitution which prohibits its office bearers from holding dual posts in the national body and state units.
The top court, in its October 15 order, asked the AIFF to adopt within three weeks Article 25.3 (c) and (d), which prohibit executive committee members of the national football body from holding office in a state association.
It had, however, permitted the current executive committee of the AIFF to continue till the end of its term in September next year.
On September 19, the top court approved the draft constitution of the AIFF with certain changes, as it asked for its adoption by the federation within four weeks. (PTI)
