Panaji: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been left with a deficit of Rs 25.9 crore till June this year and may have to cut down on a quarter of its activities till it finds a new commercial partner.The AIFF ran most of its activities with the Rs 50 crore that its marketing partners, Reliance-subsidiary FSDL, paid annually in return for commercial rights of all leagues and the national team. The 15-year contract ended Dec 8 last year, leaving the federation high and dry.AIFF’s revenue from the master rights agreement (MRA) came in four equal installments of Rs 12.5 crore each.“Never in Indian football has the season, and the contract, concluded midseason on Dec 8,” said a senior AIFF official. “We have no other revenue, and this season till June, we have a deficit of two installments (Jan-March and April-June), besides we got paid only till the first week of Dec (with no money for the rest of the month).”According to the balance sheet presented at the general body last month, AIFF’s bank balance is Rs 19.9 crore with fixed deposits and bonds worth Rs 21.6 crore. Funds from FIFA, the governing body for world football, accounts for Rs 9 crore but can only be used for specific projects.“The entire money for this year has already been booked for spending. Now we have a Rs 25.9 crore (revenue) deficit. We will have to shut down a quarter of our activities to ensure that the deficit gets adjusted. We simply don’t have the money to own and operate the (top-tier) league. Even for the I-League, we are looking for similar long-term agreement where clubs will own the league. This year too we will do something similar since the leagues were previously run from MRA revenue,” said the official.Should the AIFF choose to dig into its fixed deposits to run the leagues, it will need approval from its finance committee, executive committee and then the general body.AIFF’s new constitution states that the top league should be owned and operated by the federation. This season, though, the standoff with clubs continues with the two parties unable to agree on the format or financial model. Except for Jamshedpur FC, the remaining 13 clubs said on Thursday they “may be ready and willing to participate in the 2025–26 season” subject to clarity on financial responsibility, cost allocation, time-bound and accountable long-term roadmap, and government support to minimise costs.According to the clubs, in the absence of a commercial partner and broadcaster, and until such time as commercial rights are formally transferred or monetised, “the AIFF, being the rights holder and operator of the league, should assume financial responsibility” for league-level organisational and operational costs for the 2025–26 season.“The AIFF needs to be honest with the clubs,” a club CEO told TOI on Thursday. “It needs to put on record what it can contribute financially towards the league. If the federation cannot contribute, it needs to be made known to the clubs and we will plan accordingly.”
