Chennai
The All India Football Federation has decided to present detailed bid structures for the commercial rights of its men’s competitions, including the Indian Super League, to participating clubs later this week, as the process to finalise a long-term partner gathers pace.
The AIFF Executive Committee, in its meeting, agreed that clubs must be involved in evaluating the bids before any final decision is taken. This comes after ISL clubs sought additional time to assess the proposals submitted by two contenders — Genius Sports and FanCode.
Genius Sports has proposed an annual investment of approximately ₹63 crore with a five per cent escalation each year over a 20-year period. In comparison, FanCode, which is currently streaming and broadcasting the ongoing ISL season, has offered around ₹36 crore annually for the same duration. Both bids cover media rights, sponsorships, data, and other commercial assets linked to the league and the Federation Cup.
AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said clubs would closely examine the structure and commercial viability of each bid. “The clubs will want to understand how the league will be produced commercially and how sustainable the proposals are. The final decision will be taken collectively,” he noted.
To ensure transparency and accountability, the federation will also involve KPMG to conduct a comparative analysis of the bids. The evaluation process, followed by potential negotiations based on feedback from clubs, is expected to take around a month.
Earlier this month, the AIFF had floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) divided into two packages — one covering men’s competitions and another focusing on the Indian Women’s League. Meanwhile, Capri Sports is understood to be the sole bidder for the women’s league rights.
In a related development, the committee also discussed the implementation of the proposed National Sports Governance Act. State and district associations will be given 90 days to study the new framework and align their statutes with the evolving governance requirements.