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AIFF opens media rights bids; Genius Sports puts Rs 2129 crore bid | Football News

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Two bidders are in contention to acquire the combined commercial rights of the Indian Super League (ISL) and Federation Cup with one of them offering more than Rs 2100 crore for a 20-year period after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) opened the bids on Friday.


FanCode and Genius Sports submitted bids for the commercial rights relating to the ISL and the Federation Cup (or the Super Cup), while Capri Sports placed bids for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League first division and the Indian Women’s League 2.


It is learnt that Genius Sports, the official data feed provider for the English Premier League, the Championship, and the Scottish league, made a bid of Rs 2129 crore over 20 years.

 

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FanCode’s bid amount was approximately Rs 1190 crore, nearly half that of the London-headquartered Genius Sports.


Capri Sports is the lone bidder for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League first division and the Indian Women’s League 2. They have made a bid of Rs 150 crore over 20 years, it is learnt.


“The AIFF opened the bids for the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Commercial Rights Relating to Competitions and Properties Owned by AIFF. Rights for the Indian Super League (ISL), Federation Cup (formerly Super Cup), the Indian Women’s League (IWL), and the IWL 2 were bid on,” the AIFF said in a statement.


“Bids were received from three organisations. FanCode and Genius Sports submitted bids for the commercial rights relating to the Indian Super League and the Federation Cup (or the Super Cup). Meanwhile, Capri Sports placed bids for the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League and the Indian Women’s League 2.

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“The bids have been submitted for a 15-year term with a provision for an additional five-year extension, with the bidder having the right of first refusal. The proposal also includes a five per cent increase in value every year over the duration of the agreement.” 
The bid evaluation report will be placed before the AIFF Executive Committee, which will meet on Sunday. A decision is expected on the same day.


AIFF Deputy General Secretary M. Satyanarayan rubbished reports of Genius Sports being connected with betting and bookmaking.


“Genius Sport is not a betting company. They are a data and statistics provider. They work with FIFA, AFC and over 100 clubs,” Satyanarayan told PTI.


On March 2, the AIFF invited bids for the commercial rights of both men’s and women’s club competitions for a period of 15 years minimum starting with the 2026-2027 season.

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The AIFF has offered two packages for bidding pertaining to men’s and women’s club competitions.


Package A consists of Indian Super League (or seniormost men’s league) and Federation Cup (or seniormost cup competition). Package B comprises Indian Women’s League (IWL) and IWL 2, and at the bidder’s option, Women’s Federation Cup — which is likely to be introduced later on.


The bids for the commercial rights of the recently rechristened Indian Football League (earlier I-League) were not included in the latest Request for Proposal (RFP).


However, unlike in the past, the RFP was not made publicly available. Instead, interested parties will have to purchase the document for Rs 2.5 lakh from the AIFF.

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The latest tender process came against the backdrop of prolonged uncertainty surrounding the start of the ongoing ISL season which began on February 14 in a truncated format.


The start of 2025-2026 ISL was delayed by around five months after crisis hit the country’s football after the national federation and its previous commercial partner FSDL failed to renew the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) beyond December 8 last year.


A tender was floated by the AIFF for the selection of a new commercial partner under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, but it found no takers.


But, after the intervention of the sports minister and following some tough negotiations, all the 14 clubs confirmed participation in the truncated ISL with 91 matches set to be played on home and away basis.

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The ISL clubs would share 60 per cent of the financial cost (around Rs 1 crore per club) for the 2025-26 season of the league, while the AIFF’s contribution would be around Rs 9 crore. The total cost for the 2025-25 season has been pegged at around Rs 24 crore.


On January 18, the AIFF issued the Request for Proposal (RFP) document for broadcast rights relating to the truncated ISL.


The AIFF, on February 2, awarded the exclusive global broadcast rights of the truncated ISL 2025-26 to FanCode for Rs 8.62 crore.


Kaleidoscope Production and Services (KPS Studios) was awarded the production rights of the league — global as well as domestic.

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Dave Allen names ‘surprising’ heavyweight who ‘definitely’ hit him hardest: “Pure power”

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Fan-favourite heavyweight Dave Allen has sparred some of boxing’s best, but ‘The White Rhino’ admits that the man who hit him the hardest came as a ‘surprise’ to him.

This era of the heavyweight division has been governed for the most part by Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder, with Wilder hoping that he can return into heavyweight title contention with a victory over Derek Chisora on Saturday.

Of those names, Allen has sparred all apart from ‘The Bronze Bomber’, as well as a host of other top contenders in the division.

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However, on his YouTube channel, when it came to naming the man who hit him the hardest, Allen claimed that Chisora was the biggest puncher that he has faced, much to his surprise.

“I sparred Derek Chisora before the Lucas Browne fight, so probably seven years ago to the week actually. He weren’t in the best shape, I don’t think, and I was fit and I sparred really well.

“But, he hit really hard. I thought he was the powerful puncher that I have ever been in with, just for pure power. Luckily, I could see him coming, because they were wide shots and they were coming from pretty far back and I could brace for them and take a bit off of them.

“In terms of power, he was definitely the biggest puncher that I ever sparred with, really, really heavy-handed. It surprised me because I didn’t think he was a big puncher. I had been watching him and, technically, I thought he didn’t look like he would be a big puncher.”

Chisora will hope to find some of that devastating power when he faces Wilder at the O2 Arena tonight. The Brit says he will retire win, lose or draw, but his 50-fight campaign would be remembered much more favourably if he called time after stopping one of his generation’s biggest names.

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Allen returns to action on home soil in Doncaster against Filip Hrgovic on Saturday, May 16.

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Taylor Fritz & girlfriend Morgan Riddle have broken up, tennis insider makes wild relationship claim

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Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle have been a tennis power couple for over half a decade. The two had begun dating in June 2020, but if latest reports are to be believed, they have parted ways after a nearly six-year long relationship.

Tennis insider Craig Shapiro, who hosts an eponymous podcast, on Sunday took to social media to share the news. As per the post on X, he said “reliable sources” had confirmed the break-up to him.

“Reliable sources telling me Fritz and Moorgs are no mas,” The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast wrote on X.

Fans reacting to the post took note of Riddle’s absence from some of the more recent matches featuring Fritz. The social media influencer was otherwise a regular feature in the player’s box, cheering her boyfriend on at major events throughout the tennis season.

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Even though, Riddle and Fritz began dating back in 2020, they did not go public with their relationship until a couple of years later. They have since been spotted at multiple events together even outside of tennis, featured on magazine covers and are frequently seen on each others’ social media handles.


Morgan Riddle credited boyfriend Taylor Fritz for getting her into fashion

Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)
Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)

Morgan Riddle had in an interview with Vogue magazine opened up about her relationship with Taylor Fritz. The social media influencer revealed that she was in fact a very person th first couple of years that she was with the Ameican tennis star.

Before taking on the role of a social media influencer, she worked for non-profit organizations. She even credited Fritz with pushing her into fashion, which has become a big part of her brand today.

“I was very private for the first two years of our relationship,” Morgan Riddle told Vogue in 2025. Work played a large role in her decision. “I was working in nonprofits for children in hospitals.”

“When I met him, I literally did not know one designer. He was like, ‘We’ve got to get you drip,’” she continued.

Riddle also spoke about some of the challenges that come with having a social media presence, especially for those clubbed under the tennis “groupie” label. She said she likes to keep a distance from negativity, has matured over the years and can handle it a lot better now.

“I have friends who have been on YouTube since they were 15 years old. It was kind of nice to have an introduction to it once I was mature and felt like I had a better head on my shoulders,” Morgan Riddle said.

“There’s still a lot of negativity around it, and I know that because I see misogynist comments—always from idiot men,” Morgan Riddle said. “I do think there’s more visibility on what girls are doing outside of just attending their partners’ matches.”

Fritz last played at the Sunshine Double on home soil. He has chosen to delay his start to the clay season, skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters. He will next feature at the clay event in Munich a fortnight later.

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