Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet raise voice, foreigners join in appeal to FIFA to 'save Indian football'

India legend Sunil Chhetri and star players Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan led the way as footballers raised their voice to save Indian football amidst the uncertainty over the Indian Super League. 

The ISL was put on hold in July due to the uncertainty over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the event organisers.

The impasse continues with AIFF having no commercial partner. Indian and foreign footballers have raised concerns yet again, and they have demanded the FIFA to intervene and save the Indian football.

The address began with goalkeeper Gurpreet highlighting that the ISL continues to be on hold. "It’s January, and we should be on your screens as a part of a competitive football game in the Indian Super League," Gurpreet said. 

"Instead, here we are driven by fear and desperation to say aloud something which we all know," Jhingan added. "Players, staff, owners and the fans deserve clarity, protection and more importantly, a future," Chhetri said.

"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. So we are calling on 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 that we are



facing a humanitarian, sporting and economic crisis. And of course, we need rescuing at the earliest. We just want to play football, please help us do it," other players said in the statement.

As per the latest development, 13 of the 14 ISL clubs told the AIFF that they "may be ready and willing" to take part in the delayed 2025-26 season if there is no participation fee and that the national body takes financial responsibility for the organisational and operational costs of running the truncated competition.

Along with this, the clubs also requested the national federation to furnish "a clear, time-bound roadmap for execution of the long-term plan, including defined timelines for appointment of a commercial partner and/or broadcaster, finalisation of the league’s revenue, governance, and risk-sharing framework, and transition to a financially self-sustaining competition model consistent with statutory governance norms".

The ISL clubs also urged the AIFF to actively seek commercial or institutional support from the Government of India to minimise costs and help make the 2025-26 season sustainable.

"Upon receipt of the above confirmations, the undersigned clubs shall be in a position to formally confirm participation and cooperate fully with the AIFF to ensure the orderly, compliant, and successful conduct of the 2025–26 season," a letter from the 13 clubs to the AIFF said.

This letter came in response to AIFF's missive a day earlier, when it asked the clubs to confirm their participation in the delayed ISL and the proposed format within a day.