FIFPro, the global representative organisation for football players, has said that it is “deeply concerned” by the growing uncertainty around the men’s game in India. The upcoming season and the larger future of the Indian Super League, the top flight of men’s football, is up in the air after it was suspended indefinitely by the Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the marketing partner of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the chief organiser of the league.
“The lack of clarity for players over the 2025-26 ISL season, arising from a dispute over the league’s organisation and governance that has led to its indefinite suspension, is having a significant impact on their livelihoods, careers, and wellbeing,” FIFPRO said in a statement. “Players have been subjected to unilateral and unlawful suspensions of their employment contracts until further notice. These actions represent a direct breach of the players’ labour rights and are causing significant distress.”
At the root of the matter is the FSDL and AIFF being unable to agree upon a new Master Rights Agreement (MRA) for running the league, with the current one, which was signed in 2010, ending in December this year. Some ISL clubs have either suspended first team operations altogether or paused salaries of players and staff in the first team amid the uncertainty.
FIFPro called on the clubs clubs to continue to meet all contractual obligations to players. It said that it has been working closely with the Football Players’ Association of India (FPAI) to address the players’ concerns and has raised the matter with global governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation. The union of professional footballers further urged the AIFF, FSDL and club owners to collaborate with the FPAI to confirm the ISL schedule and provide a clear road map for the season to commence.
The AIFF has said that despite FIFPro’s public statement, it can only follow whatever the Supreme Court says in a case related to its constitution. The Court had reserved its final order in April this year but said on Monday that it may have to bring the recently-passed National Sports Governance Bill into consideration. A hearing has now been scheduled on Friday.
The AIFF had been earlier told by the Supreme Court to not take any major decision until its new constitution has been finalised which has resulted in its talks negotiations with the FSDL over the MRA coming to a halt. “We have stopped the talks about the MRA because the Court asked us to. Otherwise by now we would’ve got something or we would’ve got a new MRA partner,” an official told The Indian Express on Tuesday.
“Right from the players, the clubs, the AIFF, everybody wants the league to start. But without an MRA FSDL will not allow us to do anything now. And if we don’t do anything till December we won’t be able to complete the league. The judges have been kind enough to say that they will hear the case on Friday.”
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Clubs on the edge
Last week, 11 ISL clubs had warned the AIFF that they “face the real possibility of shutting down entirely” if the ongoing impasse regarding the future of the top-tier domestic competition is not resolved soon. In a letter addressed to AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, the clubs said the crisis arising out of the non-renewal of the MRA between the national federation and the ISL organisers has “paralysed professional football in India”.
The negotiations between the FSDL and AIFF has been paused due to a verbal order to the latter to not make any major decision until the Supreme Court announces its final order in a case concerning the federation’s constitution. The ISL clubs had urged the AIFF to mention their plight and ask for a swift resolution. While the federation confidently maintained for a better part of the week leading up to the hearing that it has agreed to do so, it did a u-turn late in the night on the eve of the hearing, saying in a etter to the clubs that it won’t be mentioning the matter.
The federation said in a statement a day later that it had done so on the basis of legal advice it received. “Based on advice received that the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 had passed both the houses of Parliament, the AIFF’s Senior Counsel advised during a briefing meeting on Sunday late evening that this is the first aspect that needs to be brought to the attention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” the federation said in its statement.
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