Panaji: It’s the worst kept secret in Indian football.A majority of the clubs in top tier Indian Super League (ISL) are known to be way above the salary cap of Rs 16.5 crore. Besides a standard player contract, clubs sign bonus letters, image rights agreement and have other arrangements, which includes employment in parent companies, to stay within the salary cap.Yet, all these years, no club has been pulled up for flouting the salary cap. There’s been rules in place “action/sanction by the league which includes fine and/or deduction of points,” but clubs don’t care, simply because nobody has bothered with the implementation.Now, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has made it mandatory for all clubs to upload side letters and allied contractual documents, alongside player employment contracts, on the Centralised Registration System (CRS). The mandatory uploading of all accompanying documents and side letters will strictly apply to all transactions registered during the ongoing transfer window from June 1 to August 31, 2026.“Any failure, suppression, concealment or omission by a club to upload complete contractual documents and side letters on the CRS shall be deemed a violation of the AIFF regulations and procedural norms, rendering the concerned entity subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings and sanctions,” AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan wrote to all state associations on Sunday.Satyanarayan said the circular is being issued pursuant to a recent decision of the AIFF players’ status committee in the matter of Sahil Tavora vs Jindal Football Pvt Ltd, who took over Hyderabad FC and later renamed it to Sporting Club Delhi.According to the PSC, it was discovered upon verification that Tavora’s FC Goa Employment Agreement was uploaded on the CRS, whereas the corresponding FC Goa Image Rights Agreement — – worth Rs 65 lakh for two years – had not been uploaded.Tavora also did not make any mention of the separate image rights agreement while pursuing his dues from Hyderabad FC. His lawyer contended that the FC Goa Image Rights Agreement should not be considered for the purpose of mitigation, as the payments do not fall within the definition of “remuneration” under Article 20.“The committee is unable to accept this submission,” PSC chairperson Justice Ravindra Singh noted in his order last week. “The committee notes that the Side Letter, Player Bonus Agreement(s) executed between Hyderabad FC and the player were taken into account as part of the player’s contractual remuneration for determining his claim. Accordingly, the player cannot selectively contend that one contractual benefit should be considered for determining his entitlement, while another contractual benefit should be excluded when assessing his mitigation.”Significantly, PSC rejected and dismissed the claim instituted by Tavora.Salary cap is the maximum expenditure a club is permitted to spend on player signings. It includes individual performance bonus (exclusive of team bonus), agent/intermediary fees and separate arrangements with players.According to the League rules, salary cap is “needed to maintain a healthy competitive balance.”