⚽️ HT Kick Off: A pivotal moment

Football in India will be looking to the judiciary and legislature for direction, says Dhiman in this issue.

Jul 18, 2025

The new constitution and the sports bill could change a lot of things in Football House. *Source: AIFF*

With the national sports governance bill to be tabled in the Monsoon session of the Parliament and the Supreme Court’s order on the constitution also likely soon, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will be looking to the judiciary and legislature for direction.

Eight weeks to eight years

The AIFF constitution has been eight years in the making when the initial deadline to complete the task was eight weeks. For perspective, consider this: the Constituent Assembly needed two years and 11 months to frame the Indian Constitution.

What began in 2017 as a task entrusted by the Supreme Court to SY Quraishi and Bhaskar Ganguly was given its final shape by Justice L Nageswara Rao in 2023 for consideration of India’s apex legal body. The draft by Justice Rao has also been shared with FIFA. The closing arguments were heard by Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi in April and with the Supreme Court resuming full Court working days from Monday (partial Court working days were from May 26 to July 13), the order is expected anytime.

Adopting the new constitution could mean fresh elections –those opposed to Kalyan Chaubey are certainly hoping for that. It could also mean no major decisions for another two-three months. And that would include the biggest decision of them all: the master rights agreement with AIFF’s commercial partners.

The Rs 50 crore AIFF gets annually from Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) keeps the wheels of Indian football rolling. That runs out on December 8, 2025, and FSDL is unwilling to commit to the next ISL season till there is clarity. The letter from FSDL was sent to clubs on Friday evening. AIFF responded next day saying it had to defer to the court’s wishes.

Could this have been avoided? Did AIFF inform the court that the MRA was ending this year and in its absence, ISL in particular and football in general could stop? Did AIFF and FSDL speak in once voice on this and seek directions from the court?

Why the delay?

The questions do not end there. AIFF says it began negotiations last November. Ideally, that is when the negotiations should have ended. Why did AIFF wait for that long when the last day of the agreement was known from 2010? Informally, AIFF and FSDL had met in 2023, a federation official said. But it was not followed through. The ownership of India’s top league was sub-judice then as well but communication channels had been opened. Had they been worked, AIFF and FSDL could have worked together to propose a solution for 2025-26 at least and who knows what the court would have said to that? Would that not have avoided a delayed start to the top league, as is likely now?

Equally, why did FSDL inform clubs on July 11 when AIFF’s counter-proposal (keep paying at least ₹50 crore being the crux of it as HT had reported) came on April 21? Shouldn’t the clubs have been “allowed to plan for any potential contingencies” from then instead of now when they are active in the transfer window? Going by what NorthEast United CEO Mandar Tamhane said, the majority of ISL clubs are not alarmed that the season will not happen.

Will success with ISL and I-League clubs be enough for Khalid Jamil to get the India job? *Source: HT File photo*

Jamil in fray

The silver lining, for AIFF at least, here is that the uncertainty has got Khalid Jamil to apply for the men’s team head coach’s post. Given that some AIFF officials had recommended an Indian coach, at least in the short-term, the Jamshedpur FC head coach could even be the first Indian in the position in nearly 20 years. And if the league starts late, maybe Jamil could even do a Manolo Marquez and coach club and country. But, having approved a budget till December, AIFF has to figure out the tenure of the head coach. Will the applicant with the best credentials be interested in a five-month gig?

The season begins with the Durand Cup later this month but there is likely to be more action off the pitch than on it.

Play of the week

In other news

2026 World Cup tickets: Applications for tickets for the 2026 World Cup open on September 10, FIFA said, reports AP. The next edition of the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, kicks off at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 11. FIFA said that due to anticipated high demand tickets would be released in phases. It did not say if it would use dynamic pricing, as was the case for the Club World Cup.

Queiroz for Oman: Oman have hired Carlos Queiroz as their national-team coach ahead of autumn games that will determine if the country advance to the World Cup for the first time, reports AP. The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and will take over with immediate effect. Oman and five other countries — Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar — have reached the fourth round of qualifying. From groups of three, the two winners will qualify for the finals. The matches are in October. After those, there's one additional round — the second-place finishers square off in November for a spot in a playoff tournament. Queiroz replaces Rashid Jaber, who led Oman to a fourth-place finish in the third round to keep qualification hopes alive.

Modric joins Milan: At age 39, Luka Modric is going to try and help restore seven-time European champions AC Milan to glory after one of the most disappointing “Rossoneri” seasons in recent memory. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has signed a one-year contract with Milan after saying goodbye to Real Madrid following 13 successful seasons. The deal includes an option for another season. Modric grew up supporting Milan because his idol and fellow Croat, Zvonimir Boban, played for the club in the 1990s.

Can Luka Modric help AC Milan relive their glorious past? *Source: AC Milan*

Suspension for hair loss treatment: Athletic Bilbao’s Yeray Álvarez says he has been provisionally suspended after failing a banned substance test due to taking a medicine to prevent hair loss caused by cancer treatment, reports AP. The Spanish defender said in a social media post that he had been informed “some weeks ago” that he had failed a drug test after Athletic lost to Manchester United in the Europa League semi-final in May. Álvarez, 30, had to step away from football in 2017 for several months to treat testicular cancer. He says that following his return to playing he has since been taking medication to fight alopecia and that the cause of his positive result on the doping test was because he “involuntarily took a medicine to prevent hair loss that contained a banned substance.”

Arsenal’s world record signing: Arsenal signed Canada forward Olivia Smith from Liverpool in a deal worth a reported women's world record fee of £1 million ($1.3 million) on Thursday, reports AFP. Smith, 20, has joined the Champions League holders on a lucrative four-year contract. Her transfer surpassed the previous women's record set when Chelsea signed Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave for £900,000 in January. "It's my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I'm excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal," Smith said.

Yamal faces legal action: Lamine Yamal was given the No. 10 shirt, once worn by Lionel Messi, by Barcelona for next season. But his joy would be tempered by a Spanish disability rights group vowing legal action over the reported hiring of people with dwarfism as entertainment at Lamine Yamal's recent 18th birthday party, condemning the practice as discriminatory, says Reuters. The Association for People with Achondroplasia and Other Skeletal Dysplasias (ADEE) said in a statement that the use of people with dwarfism as spectacle at Yamal's party perpetuated stereotypes, fuelled discrimination and undermined the dignity and rights of people with disabilities.

AIFF plan: AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey has held discussions with his colleagues to chart a roadmap for the national women's team's preparation for next year's AFC Asian Cup in Australia, reports PTI. It was decided to organise the 2025-26 Indian Women's League season, featuring eight teams playing 14 matches each, from September 2025 to January 2026. The Indian U20 women's team, which beat Uzbekistan 4-1 on Wednesday, will also participate in IWL. The AIFF said the earlier than usual scheduling would allow for ample preparation time in the lead-up to the Women's Asian Cup, scheduled from March 1 to 21. In addition, the Blue Tigresses will undergo 83 days of preparatory camps, conducted in three phases. This will include 10-12 international friendlies and five to seven matches with domestic teams. With this plan, the AIFF said each player is projected to play at least 30 matches between August and February, combining both club and international commitments.

The moment India sealed a passage to Australia.Source: AIFF

Jota never forgotten: Liverpool have retired the No. 20 shirt worn by Diogo Jota following his death in a car crash, reports AP. Liverpool have said his number would be retired across all levels of the club, including the women's team and academy. “It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process — and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club's number 20,” the Premier League club said in a statement.

Iconic moment

So long, Aditi Chauhan

India goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan announced her retirement after a career spanning 17 years. “This game gave me more than a career; it gave me an identity,” she said in a social media post. Chauhan was not part of the India team that sealed an AFC Women’s Asian Cup finals berth but played the IWL for Kolkata’s Sreebhumi FC who ended third.