The City Football Group is withdrawing from a club – raising questions about an entire league.
It is the provisional peak of the crisis in Indian football. The holding company City Football Group (CFG) has ended its cooperation with Mumbai City FC and sold all its shares. This is evident from statements made by the club and its former partner.
CFG owns, among other things, 100 percent of the shares in Manchester City and is the majority owner of FC Girona. In November 2019, the company finally acquired 65 percent of the shares in Mumbai City.
Mumbai City FC celebrates the ISL title 2023/24
ISL: Season starts already months behind schedule
The Indian club developed into one of the most successful in the Indian Super League in the following years, crowning itself champion in 2020/21 and 2023/24. Now the cooperation is ending due to the continued uncertain future of the league.
To date, the season, originally scheduled for September, has not started after negotiations between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league’s commercial partner for the past ten years, failed.
The search for a new partner who would enable the start of play has so far been unsuccessful. A proposal from the clubs to take over operational control themselves was initially rejected by the AIFF. Instead, it was announced that the matter would be reviewed by a committee. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether the upcoming season will even begin.
CFG “proud of the achievements”
In a CFG statement, it says the decision to divest shares was made “after a comprehensive economic review and given the ongoing uncertainty about the future of the Indian Super League (ISL).” Nevertheless, they remain “proud of the achievements and deeply grateful for the commitment.”
Looking ahead, CFG also stated its intention to “continue its relationships and partnerships in India in the coming years.” Mumbai City also argued that the cooperation had “strengthened the club’s football operations and made a significant contribution to the growth of the sport in India.”
Complex league system in Indian football
The crisis of the Indian Super League is closely linked to the entire league system of the country. The ISL was founded only in 2013 to make football more attractive in India. Instead of a system with promotion and relegation, clubs operate as sports franchises.
With the founding of the ISL, the I-League, which has existed since 2007, de facto became the second-highest league. Unlike the ISL, however, the I-League has promotion and relegation to I-League 2.
Whether the ISL has a financially viable future perspective in this structure is highly questionable and likely contributed significantly to CFG’s withdrawal.