Panaji: The Indian Super League (ISL) has confirmed the appointment of Karan Yadav as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as India’s premier football league experiments with a new club-led model, starting this season, for the next four years.Started in 2014, ISL was previously managed by FSDL, the commercial partners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). When the agreement ended after a 15-year partnership, the federation ran the league last season. Now, under the new model, the clubs will collectively operate the league.Yadav becomes the first CEO of the ISL under its new club-led structure, taking charge at a pivotal point in the league’s evolution“The ISL is entering an important new chapter, and I am excited by the opportunity to help shape what comes next,” Yadav said on Monday. “The club-led model gives us a strong foundation to work with the clubs and the managing committee of ISL, with a shared ambition for the league and for Indian football. Our focus will be on building a strong and effective league office, strengthening the league’s commercial and broadcast proposition, deepening its connection with fans and creating an environment where clubs can grow sustainably. Ultimately, we want to build a league that is stronger, more connected and capable of taking Indian football forward.”The AIFF is understood to have received over 150 applications for the CEO’s position, many of those who applied being foreigners. Yadav got the nod due to his close to two decades of experience across sports, media, marketing, commercial strategy and operations.Yadav’s career has spanned commercial strategy, sales and marketing, sports rights management, athlete management, and operations. Prior to taking up the ISL position, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at JSW Sports, where he shaped the commercial strategy for Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra.
