India spent Rs 120 crore to host Lionel Messi for just a few days, a celebration of the legend’s greatness. But while this was happening, nearly 300 Indian footballers were waiting for their contracts, unsure if their season would even begin.
We wear Real Madrid and Manchester United jerseys. We stay up for the Premier League and Champions League. Meanwhile, Indian players wait. The 2025–26 ISL season is delayed due to the AIFF’s failure to secure a league backer.
Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and Sandesh Jhingan, India’s biggest footballers, are calling on FIFA to step in, highlighting a humanitarian, sporting, and economic crisis.
“It’s January, and we should be on your screens as part of a competitive football season in the Indian Super League. Instead, here we are, driven by fear and desperation, saying aloud something we all already know,” they said in a joint video.
“We are now staring at permanent paralysis. This is a 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,” other players said. When our heroes speak, it is a call we cannot ignore.
The AIFF has finally announced the delayed ISL season. It is a start, but the real work remains. Clubs are shutting down, careers are on hold, and the national team is at its lowest FIFA ranking in over a decade.
Here is the truth. Loving sportstars is not enough. If we want Indian footballers to shine on the world stage tomorrow, we must protect the ecosystem today. We must celebrate the game, not just the icons.
Indian football needs structure, investment, governance, and pressure from the public. It needs fans, brands, sponsors, and citizens to show up. Speak. Support. Demand better. Because action today decides what India celebrates tomorrow.