Former Indian captain and lead striker Sunil Chhetri said the current state of Indian football is very concerning, and the sports ecosystem is scared as the Indian Super League (ISL) is being put on hold indefinitely.
Chettri, who represents Bengaluru FC in the ISL, said he has been overwhelmed with phone calls and messages that express unpleasant feelings about the future of the sport in India.
“It began with worrying about how I am on borrowed time with what I have left in the tank. But speaking with players from across clubs, I`ve realised that my selfish problem isn`t as important,” the 40-year-old Chhetri posted on X.
“The current situation that Indian football finds itself in, is very concerning. I`ve received a flurry of texts from players, staff members, physios, masseurs – not just from my club, but from other clubs as well,” he said.
“Everybody in the Indian football ecosystem is worried, hurt, scared about the uncertainty we are faced with,” he added.
The 2025-26 edition of ISL has been put on hold due to uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the league organisers and the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
He also revealed that since learning about the temporary suspension of the league, he has not been eating clean food as he usually does.
“…I must admit it made me smile. And that`s because I was on vacation, hadn`t moved as much as I would have liked to, and hadn`t been eating as clean as I usually do. I had more time than I had bargained to get in shape,” said the Secunderabad-born footballer.
“That `fortnight` has now changed to `indefinitely` and that smile`s been wiped out. I know that the think tank and all those involved in running the sport are working to get the football season up and running, and I`m hopeful that there is a solid fix sooner rather than later,” he said.
The stalwart of Indian football has further asked fans and the backend team to stay calm and has expressed confidence in the resumption of the sport in the country.
“I may not have all the answers, but my message to all those involved with Indian football, and more importantly the ones whose livelihood depends on it, the players, staff, kitmen, masseurs, medical teams, production crews, operations staff, please stay calm. We`ll ride this storm together. Stick together and look out for each other. Keep training and getting better. Football has to resume soon. It will,” concluded Sunil Chhetri.
(With PTI Inputs)
