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Some ISL clubs have either suspended first team operations altogether or paused salaries of players and staff in the first team amid the uncertainty. (Photo Credit: ISL)
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.”
FIFPRO said it has been working closely with the Football Players’ Association of India (FPAI) to address the players’ concerns and has raised the matter with soccer’s 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.
Clubs on the edge
Additionally, it called on clubs to continue to meet all contractual obligations to players. 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”.
At the root of the matter is the FSDL and AIFF not being able 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. Its expiry date would’ve come around the midway point of a regular league season. Some ISL clubs have either suspended first team operations altogether or paused salaries of players and staff in the first team amid the uncertainty.
AIFF’s Supreme Court U-turn
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.
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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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