 "Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri, who represents Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, is among the top players who had posted an impassioned plea on social media urging the AIFF to get the football season underway. Reuters")
Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and several other top Indian footballers posted a desperate plea on social media on Tuesday amid uncertainty over the 12th season of the Indian Super League. The development comes at a time when the All India Football Federation’s inability to attract a single bid in their hunt for a new commercial partner for India’s top-flight competition has worsened the crisis that Indian football finds itself in currently .
Chhetri and other top footballers also revealed in the heartfelt open letter that their “anger, frustration and distress” had turned into desperation after the turbulent months, which also saw the Blue Tigers fail to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup after defeats against lower-ranked teams.
Top players urge AIFF to restart Indian football season no matter what
They also urged the Kalyan Chaubey-led AIFF to do “whatever it takes” to get the football season up and running once again, with the livelihoods of players and several others at stake.
“We, professional footballers who play in the Indian Super League, are coming together to make a plea, and more importantly to send the message that we stand united in our efforts to get the Indian Super League season underway. To put it simply, we want to play, and now,” read the statement that was also shared by Sandesh Jhingan, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Akash Mishra and more.
“Our anger, frustration and distress has now been replaced by desperation. Desperation to play the game we love, in front of people who mean everything to us our families, our fans,” the joint statement read.
“This is a plea to all those involved in running our sport in the country, to do whatever it takes to get the football season underway. India needs its competitive football now more than ever,” the statement added.
‘We could do with a little light’
The crisis in Indian football comes at a time when the 15-year Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and the Football Sports Development Limited – the organisation created to run the ISL in 2010 – is set to expire on 8 December.
The FSDL would then waive their contractual Right of First Negotiation and Right to Match granted to them under the existing MRA after refusing to accept the Indian football federation’s new terms, with the Supreme Court later getting involved in their dispute.
Also Read | AIFF turns to Supreme Court after no bids for commercial rights of ISL: ‘Next step in the process’
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the 2025-26 season in Indian football, Chhetri and Co maintained that they remain committed in the hour of crisis and are ready to put on their boots and step into the pitch at a moment’s notice.
“As for us, we remain committed, professional and ready to walk out of that tunnel and onto the pitch the moment we’re told we can. All we ask of those running our beautiful game, to match our desperation with honest intent. We’ve found ourselves in a very dark tunnel for long. We could do with a little light,” the statement concluded.