All posts tagged: indian super league

GCDA denies media entry, blocks Kerala Blasters’ pre-match press meet

GCDA denies media entry, blocks Kerala Blasters’ pre-match press meet

Published by Webster

Kerala Blasters’ Indian Super League (ISL) home fixture against Mumbai City FC has been thrown into uncertainty after the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) on Saturday blocked the club’s pre-match press conference at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, citing a pending stadium agreement and unresolved financial issues. Members of the media were asked not to enter the press conference hall despite the Blasters’ head coach and players arriving at the venue for the scheduled interaction. With no access to the facility, the club was forced to shift the press conference online while journalists waited outside the stadium complex. After the online press conference, the stadium security locked down the entire main entrance. The dramatic development comes in the wake of a widening dispute between the civic body and the franchise over stadium rent and renovation costs. Major rent revision triggers standoff According to multiple media reports on Friday, the GCDA has taken a sharp U-turn on its earlier decision to charge the club a one-time rent of ₹2 lakh per match, a significant reduction from the …

Mumbai City FC edge past Chennaiyin in its season opener

Mumbai City FC edge past Chennaiyin in its season opener

Published by Webster

Mumbai City FC began their Indian Super League 2025-26 season on a winning note, edging past Chennaiyin FC 1-0 in Match 7, which was played here at the Mumbai Football Arena. A tightly-contested encounter was decided by an own goal in the 48th minute by Pritam Kotal as the Islanders secured all three points in their season opener. Neither team could create much flow in the match as they cancelled each other out in midfield. Chances were a premium in the first half as the attackers found it difficult to break the opposition’s defence. Jorge Pereyra Díaz forced a fine save out of Mohammad Nawaz after he was played through by Jorge Ortiz. Minutes later, Brandon Fernandes, who looked in sublime form for the Islanders, found Lallianzuala Chhangte at the far post. The forward laid the ball on the path of Ortiz with a great touch, but the Spaniard’s effort only found the goalkeeper. Chennaiyin relied on long balls with Irfan Yadwad and new signing Iñigo Martín as the target men, but they were well …

League stripped to bare bones but fans, players find solace in end of uncertainty

League stripped to bare bones but fans, players find solace in end of uncertainty

Published by Webster

3 min readNew DelhiFeb 13, 2026 10:53 PM IST The Indian Super League (ISL) makes its much-delayed return on Saturday. In the five months since its usual start-time of September, uncertainty swirled to the extent that murmurs persisted that it would never return. But stripped down to bare bones — in some cases not even that —  the league makes a subdued start as defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giants take on Kerala Blasters in Kolkata. It will be one of two matches to be played on the opening day, the other being FC Goa against the newly promoted Inter Kashi at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. In the days leading up to this, the ISL went into a coma that was brought about by failures in various boardrooms. At the same time, though, a sizeable section of those involved — fans, players, coaches — are just happy that something is happening. “I know there were a lot of problems. It was a very difficult time for Indian football,” said Mohun Bagan coach Sergio Lobera. …

Truncated league all set to commence – Preview, When, Where to Watch?

Truncated league all set to commence – Preview, When, Where to Watch?

Published by Webster

After months of uncertainty, which threatened to ruin the Indian footballing ecosystem inside out, a truncated Indian Super League 2025-26 season is all set to commence on Saturday. The league will have only 91 matches and will run until mid-May. The season opener will see Kerala Blasters, who are in search of their first title, go up against the reigning champions Mohun Bagan Super Giants at the Salt Lake Stadium on valentines day. Churchill Brothers, despite their best efforts, were denied promotion to the ISL just two days before its commencement, meaning the league will be a 14-team affair. Inter Kashi, who got the I-League title, after a battle at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), will feature in the league with the promotion. Sporting Club Delhi will also compete in the Indian Super League for the first time, with Hyderabad FC rebranding and relocating to the national capital. Teams Bengaluru FC Chennaiyin FC SC Delhi East Bengal FC FC Goa Inter Kashi FC Jamshedpur FC Kerala Blasters FC Mohammedan SC Mohun Bagan Super …

ISL 2025/26 fixtures announced: Mohun Bagan SG face Kerala Blasters in opening match on February 14, Kolkata derby on May 3 | Football News

ISL 2025/26 fixtures announced: Mohun Bagan SG face Kerala Blasters in opening match on February 14, Kolkata derby on May 3 | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Feb 7, 2026 11:30 PM IST With just under seven days to go for the opening match of the season, the All India Football Federation on Saturday announced the full list of fixtures for the much-delayed 2025/26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL). The announcement marks yet another step in finally bringing to an end the uncertainty that had gripped the league this season due to entirely off-field issues and brought it to the brink of collapse. Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who had last season become the first team to win both the ISL Shield and the Cup, face Kerala Blasters at home at the Salt Lake Stadium in the first match of the season on February 14. Later in the day, FC Goa host the newly-promoted Inter Kashi at the Fatorda Stadium. The first match of the day will start at 5pm IST and the second at 7.30pm IST. The scheduled first match on double-header days will start at 5pm while on days when there will only be …

Indian Super League 2025/26: Drop of 95 percent in per-match valuation as FanCode gets exclusive media rights for upcoming season | Football News

Indian Super League 2025/26: Drop of 95 percent in per-match valuation as FanCode gets exclusive media rights for upcoming season | Football News

Published by Webster

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Feb 3, 2026 12:31 AM IST The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday announced FanCode as the exclusive media rights holder for the truncated 2025/26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL), which is set to start on February 14. While it’s another positive development towards ending the impasse that has disrupted this club football in India, a closer look at the numbers tells a sobering story of a nearly 95 percent crash in the value of each match in India’s top men’s football league. FanCode, a digital streaming platform owned by Dream Sports – the parent company of the erstwhile fantasy sports app Dream11 – acquired the broadcasting rights for Rs 8.62 crore. Kaleidoscope Production and Services (KPS) Studios was awarded the production rights of the league – global as well as domestic. They had earlier handled production of I-League, Durand Cup and Bengal Super League matches and will be paid Rs 5.22 crore by the federation for providing their services for the ISL. FanCode’s winning bid is only …

Indian Super League clubs write to government, request public sector funds to ease financial pressure and demand stay on relegation | Football News

Indian Super League clubs write to government, request public sector funds to ease financial pressure and demand stay on relegation | Football News

Published by Webster

3 min readMumbaiJan 31, 2026 08:45 PM IST The 14 Indian Super League (ISL) clubs have jointly written to the Sports Ministry, seeking immediate operational relief and medium-term stability measures to safeguard the current season. At the heart of their proposals are interim commercial support through Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and a temporary stay on relegation for three to five seasons, designed to ease financial pressures and provide the league a stabilisation period to rebuild confidence. The clubs argued that even limited PSU ‘sponsorship, branding, or advertising would provide immediate relief, lend institutional credibility, and create breathing space to restore private investment over time’. Describing the upcoming campaign, starting February 14, as a ‘virtual force majeure’ season with compressed timelines and unequal conditions, they warned that imposing relegation could undermine sporting integrity and deter investors. A temporary freeze, they said, would allow clubs to ‘plan long-term, continue investing in development, and give the revised structure time to achieve economic predictability’. The letter dated January 30, addressed to the Joint Secretary, follows discussions with the All …

I-League rebranded as Indian Football League, 2025-26 season to begin on February 21

I-League rebranded as Indian Football League, 2025-26 season to begin on February 21

Published by Webster

The I-League will officially begin its 2025-26 season on February 21 under a revised identity and competition structure, following a meeting between club representatives and officials of the All India Football Federation in New Delhi on Wednesday. As part of the overhaul, the I-League will now be referred to as the Indian Football League, while continuing to function as the second tier of the Indian football pyramid below the Indian Super League. Clubs have proposed the creation of a Governing Council and a Managing Committee, with representation from participating teams, the AIFF and a future commercial partner. The proposal has been forwarded to the AIFF Executive Committee for approval. According to the plan submitted by the clubs, the upcoming season will follow a two-stage format. In the opening phase, teams will compete in a single-leg home-and-away round-robin. Based on standings after Stage 1, the league will then split into two groups. The top half will enter a home-and-away championship round, while the remaining teams will contest a centralised relegation round. Points earned in the first …

AIFF moves to operationalise ISL 2025–26, sets deadline for club confirmations

AIFF moves to operationalise ISL 2025–26, sets deadline for club confirmations

Published by Webster

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has formally written to Indian Super League clubs seeking confirmation of participation in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025–26 season, outlining the proposed format, budget structure and immediate next steps required to operationalise the truncated campaign. In a letter dated 10th January 2026 and signed by AIFF deputy general secretary M Satyanarayan, the federation thanked clubs for attending the January 6 meeting and for agreeing “in principle” to participate in the upcoming season, while reiterating that the league will be organised with the cooperation of all participating teams. According to the letter, the 2025–26 ISL season has been proposed with a total budget of ₹24.26 crore, of which ₹9.77 crore will be contributed by AIFF, while each participating club will contribute ₹1 crore. The season is expected to feature 14 clubs, with the detailed proposal and an alternate plan attached as annexures to the communication. AIFF also assured clubs that it has begun parallel efforts to ensure the league is conducted “in letter and spirit”, including coordination with local …

‘The free market doesn’t work’

‘The free market doesn’t work’

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Parth Jindal recalls a quip from his father, the industrialist Sajjan Jindal. “He asks why I spend Rs 30 crore here when I can invest it in the Inspire Institute of Sport and create another Neeraj Chopra,” the owner of domestic giants Bengaluru FC says with a chuckle. “But if we walk away, I don’t know what happens next.” Then again, few in Indian football know what will happen next. On Tuesday, after months of haggling, it was decided that the Indian Super League, which was supposed to begin in September, would finally start on February 14. But that’s a truncated season, hurriedly planned to ensure the league at least takes place. What happens after the season ends, nobody knows. In an interview with The Indian Express, Jindal, whose JSW Sports owns teams in the Indian Premier League, Pro Kabaddi League and Hockey India League besides the ISL, proposes a Major League Soccer (MLS) model for India and insists that the free market policy for signing players, which adds to the franchise’s costs, must be …