With ₹19.89 crore bank balance; AIFF & Indian football standing on edge of financial collapse?

We are already in December, and Indian football is effectively paralysed.

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26, officially the top tier of Indian football, has not started yet, and the most alarming part is this: even AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey does not know when it will begin. The uncertainty extends to the I-League as well, with clubs, players and staff left waiting without a roadmap.

The Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2025-26 season has somehow kicked off, but in conditions that raise serious questions. Matches are scheduled to kick-off at 9 AM, live streams are riddled with buffering issues, and fans are struggling to watch the country’s premier women’s competition properly. This does not feel like progress; it feels like damage control.

On the international front, the situation is no better

The Indian senior men’s team failed to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which means no competitive football until at least November 2027. That is nearly three years without meaningful matches, something no serious footballing nation can afford.

Yes, all three Indian women’s national teams have qualified for their respective Asian Cups, and that deserves credit. But qualification is only the first step. Preparation requires money, planning, exposure and stability, all of which look uncertain when AIFF’s latest budget is examined.

And all of this chaos is unfolding while AIFF claims it wants to run the ISL and I-League on its own.

Which brings us to the unavoidable question.

With just ₹19.89 crore in actual bank balance, is the All India Football Federation standing on the edge of financial collapse?

The biggest illusion: “AIFF has ₹50 crore”

The latest proposed budget presented at the AIFF AGM, held on 20 December, accessed by Khel Now, shows that AIFF has ₹50.57 crore in funds.

In reality, that number is misleading.

Here is the truth:

• ₹19.89 crore is the actual bank balance
• ₹21.63 crore is locked in fixed deposits and bonds
• ₹9.05 crore belongs to FIFA projects and cannot be freely used

FIFA money comes with strict conditions. It cannot be diverted to run leagues, pay broadcasters, or manage daily operations.

So no, AIFF does not have ₹50 crore to run Indian football.

It has ₹19.89 crore, and even that is under pressure.

Spending more than they can afford

Between January and May 2026, AIFF plan to spend ₹50.48 crore, almost the same amount it claims to have in total reserves.

Even after carrying forward a surplus of ₹9.44 crore, the federation still projects a ₹23.11 crore deficit by May 31, 2026.

Once unpaid bills and liabilities are added, the final figure becomes even more worrying:

👉 ₹25.88 crore deficit

This is not speculation. This is AIFF’s own budget.

Administration keeps running, football keeps waiting

AIFF’s administrative and governance costs for five months stand at ₹7.79 crore.

This includes:

• Manpower & Salaries: ₹2.91 cr
• Statutory/Admin costs: ₹1.15 cr
• President & SG Secretariat: ₹0.21 cr
• Legal & Compliance (total): ₹1.55 cr
  • Legal fees: ₹0.80 cr
  • Judicial committee fees: ₹0.60 cr
  • Retainership: ₹0.15 cr
• Finance & Audit: ₹0.40 cr
• Technology & IT: ₹0.30 cr
• AGM/Committees: ₹0.63 cr

Observation

• Administration alone = ~15% of total spend
• Legal + judicial committees = ₹1.55 cr in 5 months
• AGM & committees nearly equal tech spending

🟥 Red flag: High governance cost during financial distress.

At a time when leagues are uncertain and national teams are inactive, legal fees and committee expenses remain fully funded.

Football can wait. Bills cannot.

Competitions exist, stability does not

AIFF will spend ₹15.94 crore on competitions but no mention of ISL in the proposed budget.

Key allocations include:

• I-League, 2nd Division League and 3rd Division League: ₹3.50 crore
• Indian Women’s League, IWL 2nd division: ₹3.50 crore
• Youth Leagues Boys (U13, U15, U17): ₹4.05 crore
• Santosh Trophy (final + qualifiers): ₹0.80 crore
• Super Cup: ₹0.45 crore
• NFC Junior Levels:  ₹1.24 Crore
• NFC Senior Women’s: ₹0.45 Crore
• AFC U-17 Asian Cup: ₹1.10 crore
• International friendlies & qualifiers: ₹0.65 crore

But some competitions disappear completely:

• Intercontinental Cup: ₹0
• Beach Soccer NFC: ₹0

More importantly, there is no clarity on how these competitions will be shown to fans.

National teams: funding without certainty

AIFF’s allocation for national teams is ₹14.21 crore.

Women’s teams receive more funding than men’s teams, reflecting recent results. But the concern is not intent, it is sustainability.

With leagues in limbo, shrinking reserves, and no clear revenue stream, how will Asia Cup-qualified women’s teams get proper preparation?

Budgets on paper do not win matches.

Breakdown:

• Senior Women’s team: ₹3.00 crore
• U-17 Women’s team: ₹2.5 crore
• U-20 Women’s team: ₹2 crore
• Senior Men’s team: ₹0.50 crore
• U-23 Men: ₹0.60 crore
• U-17 Men: ₹3.00 crore
• Futsal (men & women): ₹1.00 crore
• Coaches & support staff: ₹1.61 crore

State Associations

• Financial assistance to Member Associations: ₹3.40 cr

👉 Roughly ₹6–7 lakh per state association (average estimate).

Technical, Grassroots & Coach Education 

Total: ₹6.35 crore

Breakdown:

• Course organisation: ₹1.78 cr
• Grassroots development: ₹1.33 cr
• Scouting: ₹0.21 cr
• Player development projects: ₹0.12 cr
• Technical workshops: ₹0.07 cr
• Beach Soccer & Futsal: ₹0.21 cr
• FIFA-AIFF Academy (Bhubaneswar): ₹1.56 cr
• FIFA TDS: ₹1.08 cr

Observation

• FIFA-supported projects form a significant chunk
• Non-FIFA grassroots & scouting remain underfunded

Referee Development (Section E)

• Total allocation: ₹0.79 cr

Only:

• Education & training (State referees): ₹0.79 cr
• Elite referee development program: ₹0

The most uncomfortable truth: zero money for broadcasting

This is where AIFF’s claim completely collapses.

Despite saying it wants to run ISL and I-League on its own, the budget allocates:

• ₹0 for broadcasting
• ₹0 for production

So how exactly does AIFF plan to run India’s top leagues?

No broadcast means:

• No sponsors
• No visibility
• No revenue

And no revenue means faster collapse.

Liabilities that refuse to disappear

AIFF also carries unpaid obligations:

• Accounts payable (vendors): ₹4.84 cr
• Receivable from clubs: ₹3.32 cr
• Net payable: ₹1.52 cr
• Unimax Engineers (NCE): ₹1.25 cr payable

These are not optional expenses. They will have to be paid.

The ₹50 crore mistake that changed everything

This financial crisis did not happen overnight.

Under the current AIFF regime, the federation allowed the ₹50 crore-per-year deal with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) to lapse. This was guaranteed annual income, the financial backbone of AIFF operations.

Instead of renewing the agreement in time, negotiations were delayed. Disagreements were allowed to fester. And before a resolution could be reached, the situation worsened.

Then came the Supreme Court case, which made the renewal process even more complicated. Governance uncertainty froze decision-making, and the possibility of a clean, timely renewal vanished.

The consequences are now clear:

• AIFF lost a ₹50 crore assured annual income
• ISL’s future slipped into uncertainty
• The federation was forced to survive on reserves instead of revenue

This budget is the direct result of that failure. Had the FSDL deal been renewed on time, AIFF would not be presenting a budget with:

• A projected ₹25.88 crore deficit
• Zero broadcasting allocation
• No confirmed ISL roadmap

A warning Indian football cannot ignore

This budget does not reflect confidence or control. It reflects a federation burning through reserves while hoping circumstances change.

No ISL tender.

No broadcaster.

No guaranteed revenue.

And yet, AIFF wants to run everything on its own.

If this continues, AIFF will soon be forced into decisions no governing body should face, cut competitions, delay payments, or lose control altogether.

The question is no longer about ambition. It is about survival.

And with ₹19.89 crore in the bank and a ₹25.88 crore hole ahead, Indian football is running out of time.

AIFF Budget 2026 (Jan–May): Key Highlights at a Glance

• Actual bank balance: ₹19.89 crore
• Total funds shown (including FD & FIFA money): ₹50.57 crore
• Usable operational cash: Only ₹19.89 crore
• Total planned expenditure (5 months): ₹50.48 crore
• Projected deficit by 31 May 2026: ₹23.11 crore
• Final deficit after liabilities: ₹25.88 crore

Big picture

• ₹50 crore-per-year FSDL revenue lapsed
• No confirmed ISL broadcaster or commercial partner
• Heavy dependence on reserves and FIFA funds
• Financial planning based on spending, not income

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