New ISL rules: Mandatory Indian assistant coaches for all clubs, concussion subs to be allowed

A mandatory Indian assistant coach for all clubs, permission of concussion substitutes and appeal against "wrongful" red card decisions are some of the new rule changes that were announced by the Indian Super League on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming 11th season beginning on September 13. As per the new rules, "all the teams must have an Indian assistant coach, holding the AFC Pro License (or equivalent)".

"If the head coach is relieved from his position or suspended for certain matches, the Indian assistant coach will take over all head coach duties as the Interim head coach," the new rule stated.

A perfect case in point will be regarding FC Goa where Gourmangi Singh will take over the coaching role when Manolo Marquez, who is the current India head coach, is not available.


A player or club can also contest a dismissal if they believe a player was wrongly sent off due to an obvious referee error. Such a provision has been introduced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and incorporated in the League Rules for ISL 2024-25.

But such an application will be rejected and the fee forfeited if the dismissal was for receiving a second caution or using offensive language.

To file an appeal, the player/club must notify the match commissioner within two hours of the match ending and submit it in writing with evidence and the fee to AIFF within 24 hours.

AIFF will then obtain a technical report from the Referee's Department.

The AIFF Disciplinary Committee will review the appeal before the start of any automatic suspension.

If the claim is accepted, the suspension will be "withdrawn and the fee refunded", it stated.

Concussion substitute

Additionally, each club can make one concussion substitution per match, regardless of other substitutions.

The opposing team will get an additional substitution opportunity, which can be used concurrently or later.

The substitution can be made immediately after a concussion or suspected concussion, following an assessment.

The team doctor will decide if the player is fit to continue and inform the referee using the substitution card.

The substituted player must undergo a detailed assessment by a neurologist and can only return to training or play with a medical fitness certificate.

A minimum "no-contact, no training, no matches" period of 48-72 hours will apply for players substituted due to concussion, it added.