Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya has told the stakeholders of Indian football that the country’s No. 1 league will happen in the 2025-26 season, it has been learnt.

Mandaviya attended a meeting where he spoke to around 50 football officials on Wednesday. All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey, representatives of ISL and clubs, Reliance-owned Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), prospective bidders for the No. 1 league and KPMG, who were hired by the federation to draft the bid document, put forth their views.

“Minister (Mandaviya) has told us that football will happen and the No. 1 league will start soon,” a club representative from the city told The Telegraph on Wednesday. “We are bullish,” he added.

“Mandaviya asked the stakeholders why football had stalled and the representatives said it was not their fault,” another official, who attended the meeting, said.

In the last week of April, the Supreme Court barred the AIFF from any dialogue with its marketing partner FSDL on the renewal of the Master Right Agreement. Later, certain clauses in the court-amended constitution of the AIFF were deemed to be restrictive by bidders. A prospective bidder during Tuesday's meeting flagged the four clauses, which do not allow any power to the investor.

The apex court, in its September 19 verdict, said that the league would be owned and organised by the AIFF. The court also supervised the bidding process to monetise the marketing rights of the No. 1 league under Retd Justice L Nageswara Rao, who, in its report to the court, recommended striking a balance between the federation's control and the bidder's financial interest.

There was a proposal for a unified league — with ISL and I-League clubs — but one prospective bidder said it would be difficult at this point. In its defence, it gave Mohammedan Sporting as an example. Mohammedan Sporting, in their debut season in ISL, were slapped with a Fifa transfer ban after they failed to pay the players’ and coaching staff’s salaries for months.

AIFF president Chaubey, it has been learnt, said AIFF was ready to forego ₹37.5 crore annual guaranteed money, to be paid by the selected bidder as mentioned in the RFP, but highlighted that lack of funds would hamper the growth of the game.

The AIFF organised around 1700 games last season and the number of matches is expected to shoot up this season. “If someone agrees to fund those matches, then AIFF can easily remove the annual guaranteed money from the RFP. That’s what he (Chaubey) said,” a club official revealed.

Tuesday’s meeting was called by Mandaviya after the apex court on November 21 asked the sports ministry to step in to end the uncertainty in Indian football. Now, all eyes will be on the ministry.