Fourteen ISL clubs on Friday wrote a letter to the sports ministry requesting that relegation be put on hold for three to five years, including ISL 2025-26.
The seven-page letter addressed to the joint secretary of the sports ministry said: “This note is intended to assist the ministry in presenting a complete and accurate
factual position before the Honourable Supreme Court through the learned Solicitor General.”
On November 21, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the apex court that sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya was fully aware of the crisis in Indian club football and had remarked that ISL must be held. On January 6, Mandaviya announced that 14 teams would play in the ISL this season, and it will start from February 14.
The clubs claimed that the league in its present state requires stabilisation for a period of three to five years. So relegation would put them at further risk.
The letter took reference from the Justice (Retd.) L. Nageswara Rao’s report to the Supreme Court in November last year. The report had
some recommendations, but did not mention promotion/relegation.
Friday’s letter also stated that the current season is a truncated one with “compressed timelines,” and more attuned to force majeure.
Clubs requested the ministry to help them access government-owned stadiums at a concessional rate. They also want to cut down on the number of support staff, like a strength and conditioning expert and a goalkeeping coach.
The clubs also want a temporary relaxation of the licensing process, expressed their inability to participate in the AIFF-organised grassroots tournament and sought the ministry’s help to request public sector undertakings to financially support the clubs.