"Staring at permanent paralysis" – Footballers call for FIFA intervention amid ISL crisis
As many as 11 footballers including Gurpreet Sandhu, Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan combined to call the situation a "humanitarian, sporting, and economic crisis."
Sunil Chhetri (Photo credit: FSDL)
The top Indian Super League (ISL) footballers, including Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and Sandesh Jhingan made a desperate plea for FIFA intervention as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) continues to struggle to restart the country's premier footballing league on Friday.
In a 1 minute 28 seconds video posted on social media, as many as 11 players chipped in as they highlighted the plight of the footballing ecosystem in India.
"Its January and we should be on your screens as a part of a competitive football game in the Indian Super League. Instead here we are driven by fear and desperation to say out loud something, which we all know," Sandhu and Jhingan said.
"But more importantly, we are here to make a plea. Indian football government is no longer able to fulfill its responsibilities.
"We are now staring at a permanent paralysis. This is the last-ditch effort to save what we can.
"So we are calling the FIFA to step in and do what it takes to save Indian football. We hope this message gets to the power that are in Zurich," the others added.
The players maintained that their stance isn't political and that they are facing a humanitarian and economic crisis.
"This call is not political. It is not driven by confrontation, but by necessity," they said.
"It might sound like a big word, but the truth is that we are facing a humanitarian, sporting, and economic crisis.
"And of course we need rescuing at the earliest. Players, staff, owners, and fans deserve clarity, protection and more importantly a future.
"We just want to play football. Please help us do it," they added.
Apart from the top Indian trio, the video also featured Lallianzuala Chhangte, Carlos Delgado, Amrinder Singh, Hugo Boumous, Rahul Bheke, Pritam Kotal, Suresh Wangjam, and Michel Zabaco.
The 2025-26 Indian Super League, which was supposed to kickstart last year, never got underway as AIFF failed to renew the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) for the league with FSDL.
India has been without a top-tier league since.
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