Now Reading: Emami exits East Bengal as fourth ISL corporate pullout
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Emami exits East Bengal as fourth ISL corporate pullout
Emami has stepped away from its investment and management role at East Bengal, making it the fourth major corporate to reduce involvement in Indian football. The withdrawal came two days after East…
Emami has stepped away from its investment and management role at East Bengal, making it the fourth major corporate to reduce involvement in Indian football. The withdrawal came two days after East Bengal won the Durand Cup, its first major trophy in 22 years. Emami will continue as a sponsor but will no longer be the lead investor.
The exit follows Reliance ending its ownership of the Indian Super League after the MoU between its unit FSDL and the AIFF expired. City Football Group pulled out of Mumbai City FC after six years, and the Tata Group shut Jamshedpur FC's ISL operations earlier this month. The new ISL season is tentatively set to start in October 2026.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The corporate retreat signals a deeper structural problem for Indian football: the business model has not generated returns. Under the AIFF-FSDL agreement that ran for over a decade, Reliance bore most league costs, but clubs still operated at a loss. With no single big sponsor replacing that backing, the ISL faces a funding gap before its next season. The AIFF must now decide whether to restructure the league, find new investors, or downsize the number of clubs. The October 2026 season opener will show whether the league can absorb these exits without shrinking.
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Source: sportstar.thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
