Indian football is in the middle of one of its most uncertain phases in recent years. India are nowhere close to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. There appears to be no clear roadmap for the betterment of the sport in the country. After a truncated Indian Super League season, even the schedule and structure of the upcoming edition remain unresolved.
Despite all the questions, criticism and uncertainty surrounding Indian football, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) did move forward with one key proposal on Saturday, June 20 – changing its name.
During the Special General Body Meeting in New Delhi, the AIFF accepted a proposal to rename itself as the Football Federation of Bharat (FFB), a move that will now require approval from the sports ministry and later from FIFA.
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said the process had only begun and that several approvals would be needed before any official change.
“This proposal (to change) will be sent to the sports ministry. It’s a process and the process began today,” Chaubey said.
“If the ministry does not approve, or if they have any other opinion, then there is no question. If the ministry approves, then we will bring to the general body. Then we will send to FIFA. That is the second part of this process.
“We need several approvals, FIFA’s approval, the ministry’s approval, but then you have to start from somewhere. So it is a start.”
Chaubey cited examples of countries such as Turkiye and Czechia, whose football associations adopted updated national identities.
The timing of the move, however, is bound to raise eyebrows.
The federation is yet to arrive at a final decision on the structure of the ISL – the country’s most important football competition.
ISL TO START ON SEPTEMBER 4
While the AIFF general body approved the start date of the 2026–27 Indian Super League season from September 4 and passed the annual calendar, it once again left the league’s long-term structure unresolved.
The matter will now be decided by a managing committee comprising five representatives from the clubs, three officials from the federation and three from the commercial partners.
“The proposal has come from the clubs. And it’s a proposal which has to be discussed across the table. The clubs will have to be party to the discussion. So, the AIFF will discuss with the clubs.
“The managing committee will have the right to take it forward. After that, it will go to the executive committee for the ratification,” Chaubey said.
The upcoming ISL season is expected to run for seven months with home-and-away fixtures across 14 teams.
But beyond scheduling, bigger questions remain unanswered.
WHO WILL BROADCAST ISL?
Earlier this month, the AIFF agreed “in principle” to a club-led model for operating the ISL for the next two years after discussions with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
That proposal came after London-headquartered Genius Sports emerged as the highest bidder for the commercial rights of the league and a cup competition for the next 15+5 years.
The bid proposed Rs 2,129 crore overall, including annual increases and a revenue-sharing structure that would have given the AIFF Rs 12.4 crore in the first year.
However, clubs resisted the proposal.
Instead, they proposed acquiring the commercial rights themselves for the two-year period while paying the AIFF Rs 15.4 crore annually to cover regulatory functions including refereeing, legal oversight, integrity operations and anti-doping support.
The clubs maintained that the AIFF’s position as the governing body would remain untouched and that sporting regulations, transfers, compliance and governance would continue to stay with the federation.
For now, the federation appears to have moved one thing forward with certainty – not the structure of Indian football, but the possibility of changing what the governing body is called.
– Ends
