As the All India Football Federation (AIFF), along with Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League clubs, moves towards a proposed long-term 20–21 year roadmap for Indian football, the absence of any clear, binding focus on improving the quality of football, competitiveness, and fan engagement remains deeply concerning.
Governance structures and ownership models may change, but without addressing the core sporting product, sustainability will remain an illusion rather than a reality.
The proposed roadmap has emerged in the aftermath of the expiry of the Master Rights Agreement and the commercial vacuum that followed. It attempts to outline how Indian football will be governed, who controls decision-making, and how financial responsibility will be shared between the federation and clubs. On paper, it appears comprehensive. In practice, it largely sidesteps the most critical question: how does Indian football become better to watch, more competitive to play, and more meaningful for fans to follow?
A sustainable football ecosystem is not built solely on committees, equity structures, and voting rights. It is built on the value of the football being played. Leagues across the world survive because fans care about what happens on the pitch. The current roadmap, however, spends far more time outlining administrative architecture than explaining how standards on the field will improve.
The 2025–26 season itself serves as a warning sign. The truncated format, with clubs playing each other only once, drastically reduces the competitive integrity of the league. A 13-match season introduces excessive randomness, where fixture sequencing and venue allocation play an outsized role in determining outcomes. Such a structure does little to reward consistency or development and risks reducing the league table to a statistical anomaly rather than a reflection of true quality.
This structural compromise has already had tangible consequences. Indian clubs have lost direct entry into Asian competitions due to not meeting minimum match requirements. Continental exposure is not merely a prestige factor; it is essential for improving playing standards, attracting better players, and raising the tactical level of domestic football. Any long-term model that allows this regression undermines its own stated ambitions.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
Equally worrying is the lack of enforceable mechanisms for youth development. While references are made to supporting youth leagues, there is no binding requirement for clubs to invest a defined percentage of their revenues into academies, coaching, or grassroots competitions. Without such mandates, youth development becomes discretionary, and in periods of financial stress, it is often the first area to be cut. History shows that voluntary development frameworks rarely deliver systemic change.
Coaching standards and infrastructure face similar neglect. Pitch quality, which directly impacts the tempo and technical quality of matches, has been a persistent issue in Indian football. Yet the roadmap offers no centralised solution or strict compliance framework. Leaving infrastructure entirely to individual clubs, many of whom are already financially stretched, almost guarantees uneven standards and further deterioration.
Competitiveness, another pillar of sustainability, is closely tied to consequences within the league structure. Promotion and relegation create urgency, accountability, and long-term planning. The repeated postponement or dilution of relegation, even if justified as a short-term necessity, risks entrenching complacency. Clubs with little to play for in a shortened season have reduced incentive to invest, compete aggressively, or develop young players. Over time, this erodes the league’s credibility.
Fan engagement, meanwhile, appears to be treated as a by-product rather than a strategic priority. Genuine engagement comes from narrative, identity, accessibility, and trust. It is built through community programmes, supporter representation, consistent scheduling, and quality broadcasting. Instead, the vacuum created by the absence of strong commercial partners risks being filled by short-term, superficial solutions that do little to grow a loyal fan base.
Read Articles Without Ads On Your IndiaSportsHub App. Download Now And Stay Updated
The shift of financial responsibility almost entirely onto clubs further complicates matters. Participation fees and reduced central revenue sharing place disproportionate pressure on smaller clubs, increasing the risk of insolvency or withdrawal. A model that relies on owners continually absorbing losses without clear pathways to sporting or commercial growth is not sustainable; it is deferment of crisis.
Ultimately, the concern is not that Indian football is planning long-term, but that it is planning narrowly. Governance reform without sporting reform only reshuffles authority; it does not elevate the product. Without clearly defined responsibilities tied to football quality, competitive balance, and fan experience, the proposed 20-year model risks becoming another cycle of repetition rather than renewal.
If Indian football is to move forward, responsibility must be embedded where it matters most: on the pitch and in the stands. That requires enforceable standards, measurable outcomes, and the courage to prioritise footballing substance over administrative form.
Without that shift, the roadmap may endure on paper, but the game itself will continue to stagnate.
