The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday said it will not force clubs in the Indian Super League (ISL) and Indian Football League (IFL) to field Indian strikers for the entire match, after a special general meeting on June 20.
“We are leaving it to the clubs,” AIFF general secretary M Satyanarayana said at a press conference where the AIFF announced an agreement to hand over the commercial rights of the ISL to the 14 clubs that play in the league.
“The stronger the league, the better the Indian team. Clubs also know that one of our Achilles’ heels is not having good strikers. Hopefully they will help with that.”
“But it’s not something we can implement. We can’t ask (the club) to play No. 9 because ultimately, it’s up to the coach (to decide). In every match, the coach’s strategy can be different; in some (the striker) can stay for the whole match, in some he can’t. So it’s very difficult for us to implement it. We know that Bhai can’t focus on some. A good striker, so we’ll work on that,” he added.
The managing committee of AIFF and ISL today outlined a club-led business model for the Indian Super League.
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– Indian Football (@IndianFootball) 8 July 2026
This marked a sharp contrast with the definitive tone of the directive given by the AIFF in its June 20 statement. “Furthermore, to ensure adequate match exposure and development opportunities for Indian forwards, an Indian striker must be on the field for the entire 90 minutes of a match,” AIFF said in its statement.
Finding a reliable striker has long been India’s biggest weakness, with coach Sunil Chhetri struggling to identify a successor.
OCI Clarity
Satyanarayana also clarified that players holding Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards will be counted as foreigners at least for the upcoming 2026/27 season. The federation had earlier said in the same statement on June 20 that clubs in the ISL and the second tier IFL, formerly known as the I-League, “may field a starting eleven consisting of three foreign players and one OCI player”.
“As of now, we are telling the clubs that we encourage you, if you wish, to please list OCI card holders to play in the league. Apart from that, there is no change in the way they get players. The AIFF does not interfere and tell the clubs what to do (with their squads). We have only set a broad outline,” he said.
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It is understood that the club was particularly concerned about the striker rule and the OCI clarification. He also questioned whether “three foreigners and one OCI player” effectively changed the foreign-player limit.
Clubs feared that mandatory Indian strikers would increase player values and harm the league’s sustainability.
FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur said the sustainability of the league was the main focus of the agreement between the club and the AIFF. The contract runs for four years, with an opt-out clause after two.
“However, the way things are progressing, that might not happen,” Satyanarayana said later. The start date of 4 September 2026 was earlier fixed for the 2026/27 season of the ISL, aiming for a full-fledged season.
Puskur was one of three club representatives present at the announcement along with Northeast United CEO Mandar Tamhane and Sporting Delhi CEO Dhruv Sood. “What we want you to take away is that the league is sustainable in terms of financial viability,” he said.
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“Now that we have the rights, we need to go and monetize them. We intend to put out an RFP to get potential broadcasters on board as soon as possible. We don’t want to make a decision regarding broadcasting fixtures without consulting both broadcasters and AIFF. That will be the first priority.”
The clubs will set up a holding company to manage the commercial aspects of the league. A side relegated from the ISL within a four-year period will be replaced by a club promoted to the company.
Additionally, Satyanarayana has said that clubs have been asked to give adequate notice if they intend to exit the contract after two seasons. He added that the four-year deal will expire only after the full season, as opposed to the master rights agreement between the AIFF and its former commercial partner FSDL, which expired in December last year.