Sports minister to meet stakeholders of Indian football on December 3

NEW DELHI: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will meet representatives of all stakeholders in Indian football, including the sport's national federation, its former commercial partner and clubs on December 3, to try and find a way out of the current crisis.

The latest crisis emerged after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) could not find a new commercial partner for the conduct of domestic leagues, including the top-tier Indian Super League.

"The Supreme Court has directed that the ministry step in to figure a solution and this is being done in compliance with that directive. This will be a day long series of meetings with representatives of Indian football. They can raise their concerns and the minister will give his suggestions accordingly," a ministry source told media on Monday.

Indian domestic football first plunged into chaos after Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the entity the owned and organised the ISL, informed the AIFF in July that it was keeping the country's top-tier league on hold due to a lack of clarity over the renewal of the 15-year Master Rights Agreement (MRA) that ends on December 8.

The sport has since then grappled with multiple issues but one of the rare bright spots during this time was the Supreme Court approval for the new AIFF constitution prepared by former apex court judge L Nageswara Rao.

Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the SC had taken cognisance of some important points raised by Rao in his report to the top court, which wants the government to help the stakeholders in finding a solution to the deadlock by ensuring that the global practices, as dictated by FIFA Statutes, are followed.

"The presence of all relevant stakeholders - ISL Clubs, Prospective Commercial Partners, FSDL, Broadcasters, I-League, Lower Division Clubs, etc. will be crucial for effective deliberation in the matter," the ministry said in a letter to the AIFF.

"... AIFF is requested to intimate the concerned stakeholders about the scheduled meeting and to make necessary arrangements to ensure their participation as per the schedule attached.

"It is also requested that representatives of Transaction Advisor, viz. KPMG India Services LLP may also be asked to attend all the meetings to provide required clarifications during the proposed meeting," the ministry added.

As many as six meetings have been scheduled at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Wednesday, including separate discussions with the ISL clubs, I-League clubs and FSDL.