Field Vision

The I-League once again finds itself as the hot topic of of discussion amidst the never ending chaos of Indian Football. In what should’ve been a routine point of discussion regarding production and broadcasting had turned into a fiesty battle between the I-League clubs and the Governing body of Indian Football – AIFF.

It all started with Shrachi Sports winning the production rights of I-League and the suspense over TV telecast of the league. The Shrachi owned outfit were all set to stream the upcoming season of I-League on their newly launched OTT app SSEN.

Though, the AIFF did not make an official announcement on the broadcast rights, the app had the schedule and live telecast windows.  

The I-League Club’s Association called a press conference on 16th November and protested against the decision. The clubs felt ‘betrayed’ after the I-League clubs got Sony Sports as their TV broadcasting partner. They believed TV broadcast is essential for the league’s survival    

Read our exclusive with SLFC head coach: Coach José Hevia’s return to Shillong Lajong FC: A Tale of Passion, Progress, and Purpose 

What is the background story? 

The series of events started when the I-League clubs association met with the AIFF on 15th September. They had requested the closure of the I-League broadcast issue. As per the discussion of the meeting, the approximate cost of producing all the 132 games is 5.5 crore rupees.

During the meeting, the AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and Deputy General Secretary Sathyanarayan had earlier affirmed their willingness to pay 2 crore rupees from the AIFF corpus.

The 12 I-League clubs had initially agreed to pay ₹5 lakh each from their own pockets. The total amount makes upto 2.60 crore rupees as production cost of 50 percent of all the games. 

The I-League clubs requested to open a tender for 50/75/100 percent to cover production cost. They also asked whether they can confirm Sony as the broadcaster during the meeting. 

Read Our Exclusive with the NEUFC head coach: From Morocco to NorthEast: Coach Juan Pedro Benali on Transforming Northeast United FC and Unleashing India’s Football Potential

How has AIFF responded to the I-League clubs Association’s protest ? 

Cut to the present, The AIFF secretary General responded to all the I-League clubs on 18th November, Monday via a letter. He instructed them to confirm their willingness to bear 50 percent of the production cost.

This cost would be 30 lakhs per club according to the federation’s estimate. The clubs were asked to send a written confirmation to AIFF to bear these charges by 12 noon today (19th November) .

How much did the I-Leagues clubs agree to pay? 

The I-League clubs received the letter and they rushed to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey in the evening of 18th November. After many deliberations, consultations, and calls, they finally made a decision.

The clubs will pay 10 lakhs rupees each instead of 30 lakhs, as suggested by AIFF in the letter on 18th November. They also confirmed Sony Sports as a broadcast partner. 

A source closer to the development informed Fieldvision, “The I-League clubs spoke with AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and all the parties agreed that each I-League club will raise 10 lakhs each for the production cost in addition to the 2 crore set to be by AIFF. “ 

What is the current financial equation? 

The current equation is ₹2 crore will be paid by AIFF. 1.2 crore would be raised by I-League clubs and the remaining funds are to be raised .

Follow Fieldvision on Youtube ,Twitter , Facebook Instagram and Whatsapp Channel for more updates.