The Indian Super League crisis continues to worsen as clubs have started to lose staff, player salaries are being halted, first team operations are being shuttered for now, as the football ecosystem in India continues to reel from the fallout of the All-India Football Federation’s inability to find a backer to run the country’s top footballing league.
Since the adoption of the Supreme Court mandated Constitution, the AIFF has struggled to find bidders under the current Request for Qualification(RFQ) document that asked for Rs 37.5 crores or 5% gross revenue to win the commercial rights of the Indian Super League.
The lack of interest in the bid document has caused widespread panic in the football ecosystem. It is during this period of uncertainty over the ISL that Bengaluru FC announced on Friday that its head coach Gerard Zaragoza would be leaving the club, along with his staff. Several clubs such as Kerala Blasters and Mohun Bagan Super Giant have suspended first team operations and players are apprehensive that salaries could be withheld with clubs invoking force majeure.
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“The absence of a commercial partner for the upcoming season is not merely a logistical or financial challenge; it is a symbolic reflection of the fractured state of our football ecosystem,” said Abhik Chatterjee, Kerala Blasters CEO last week on X.
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One ISL club told The Indian Express that while senior team operations were on halt, age group football related activities were still going on and that as of now, players and staff from the senior team hadn’t asked for a release in lieu of clarity whether an ISL season would happen or not.
“We cannot start first team operations until we know what date the ISL will begin. There is sport science and training involved which needs 5-6 weeks atleast before the league begins,” said the official to The Indian Express, adding that the AIFF had no choice but to present the bid document in line with the Supreme Court mandated Constitution.
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Retd. Justice Nageswara Rao is set to inform the Supreme Court on November 18 on the football Federation’s inability to land a commercial partner and post that, the federation hopes to attain a hearing with the apex body and propose amendments to its own constitution that may possibly open the doors for bids once again.
But in the meantime, the damage to clubs and players is already underway. Earlier this week the Indian Super League players were all sharing a common message on their Instagram, asking for the league to begin immediately.
“Where we are right now is not a delay anymore, it’s a standstill for the coaches, fans, staff members, and players. We have worked too hard, sacrificed too much to let our season vanish in silence,” said FC Goa’s Sandesh Jhingan on his social media.
The clear sign of intent from players immediately caught on and FIFPro Asia/Oceania, the continental player union body accused the AIFF of not carrying out any meaningful action to end the stalemate.
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“Despite the severe impact on players’ livelihoods, the AIFF has neither taken meaningful action to address the issue nor consulted with players, in a clear breach of their labour rights,” FIFPro Asia/Oceania said in a statement on Thursday.
The AIFF’s response to the crisis has been unsatisfactory and now reports suggest that players and clubs are headed to the Supreme Court to make sure their voices are heard.
The delay in organising the Indian Super League has also led to delays in confirming the calendars for the I-League, India’s second tier football league and the Indian Women’s League (IWL) which has led to a lack of sponsors for either. The trickle down effect is particularly egregious on the IWL.
The Indian senior women’s team qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup by beating Thailand in the AFC qualifiers – a team that has qualified for the Fifa Women’s World Cup twice. There was a quiet optimism that the women’s team could have the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, a campaign which the AIFF said it would back. The AIFF had earlier said that the IWL would take place earlier than usual in September and held over two phases in order for the women’s team to be completely in season when the Asian Cup came about in March.
