ISL players jointly appeal to FIFA as future of Indian top-division league remain uncertain

Not so “Happy” New Year for the Indian football fraternity as the future of ISL stares into oblivion.

It is the advent of a new calendar year, 2026, but the future of the Indian top division league, the Indian Super League (ISL), remains uncertain. A football-fanatic country like India, where the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi, recently visited, is going through unprecedented times, which has put the livelihood of thousands at stake.

After the expiration of the Master’s Right Agreement and AIFF’s failed attempt to find bids for the ISL tender, there is still no clarity whether ISL will happen or not. This uncertainty has taken a huge toll on Indian football and has adversely affected the footballing fraternity of this nation.

Many foreign players have chosen to terminate their contracts with ISL clubs, and giants like City Football Group have exited ownership of Mumbai City FC. As a result, the livelihoods of players, masseurs, physios, coaches, and numerous other people associated with Indian football are at stake.

Amidst such catastrophic times, former Indian captain and the Great Wall of India, Gupreet Singh Sandhu, shared an Instagram post, where players from different ISL teams jointly made a video appeal to FIFA to intervene and save Indian football and ISL.

What is the players’ appeal to FIFA?

In the video, players from various ISL teams jointly came together to deliver a strong message and make a strong appeal to FIFA. The players called this catastrophe a humanitarian sporting aid and economic crisis.

Indian veterans, including the likes of Captain Jhinghan, Sunil Chettri, and Gupreet Singh Sandhu, were also seen appealing to FIFA. Many other foreign players, like North East United FC captain Michael Zabaco and Odisha FC midfielder Hugo Boumou, also featured in the video.

The video said, “It is January, and we should be on your screens as part of a competitive football game in the Indian Super League. Instead, we are here driven by fear and desperation to say aloud something which we all know. But more importantly, we are here to make a plea. The Indian football government is no longer able to fulfil its responsibilities. We are now staring at permanent paralysis. This is the last-ditch effort to save what we can.”

They further continued, “So we are calling FIFA to step in and do what it takes to save Indian football. We hope this message gets to the powers that are in Zurich. This call is not political. It is not driven by confrontation but by necessity. It might sound like a big word, but the truth is we are facing a humanitarian, sporting aid and economic crisis. We need rescuing at the earliest. Players, staff, owners and the fans deserve clarity, protection and more importantly, a future. We just want to play football, please help us do it.”

How badly has this affected Indian football?

ISL clubs are on the verge of shut down their operations, and also the second division leagues like the I-League and I-League 2 are also on pause. This puts a big question mark on the dreams and ambitions of millions of young budding footballers, who dared to dream and chose football as their profession.

Many ISL clubs skipped the Durand Cup 2025, and with almost no game time for ISL players, Indian outfit FC Goa failed to clinch even a single point in the AFC Champions League 2, despite getting the better of Omani outfit Al Seeb in the qualifiers.

City Football Group has exited from the ownership of Mumbai City FC. Foreign players like Javi Hernandez, Diego Mauricio and Javi Siverio have left India amidst such uncertain times. Most importantly, the empty stands wail and cry for football and fans to return to the stadium.

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