Indian football currently finds itself at an impasse.The All India Football Federation (AIFF), Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), and all the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs are waiting for a resolution on the future of the country’s premier domestic football competition — the ISL.With the Master Rights Agreement yet to be agreed upon, the future of the ISL hangs in the balance. From an initial 14-day delay in pre-season, as shared by Sunil Chhetri, to a Supreme Court order and uncertainty on whether the league will even be played this year, the storm Indian football finds itself in has to be weathered. for better or worse.Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia expressed his views on the impending fate of the country’s top domestic football league.“It’s (Indian football) got a major structural issue, and I’ve been saying this for a very long time. FSDL, AIFF, and every stakeholder shouldn’t rush into it and get a bad deal for everybody,” Bhutia told TimesofIndia.com in a free-wheeling interaction.The MRA, which governs the operations and commercial framework of the ISL, expires on December 8, 2025. With no new deal signed, it will leave the league in uncertainty almost halfway into the season, if it starts as per schedule in September.
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Pointing to the unfortunate mismatch in the timing of the Supreme Court order, Bhutia said, “If this Constitution and the election were declared just after the (U-17) Women’s World Cup, then I think it would not have been much of a problem.”Referring to FIFA suspending the AIFF ahead of the 2022 Women’s World Cup, the 48-year-old said that the priority at the time was to set up an ad-hoc body and hold elections only for the same.Despite more than a decade of the ISL, Bhutia highlighted that the biggest stakeholders are still left to lament the shortcomings and lack of returns from their investments.“Nobody has gained out of it. FSDL are saying they have lost a huge amount of money. ISL clubs are saying they have invested so much into it and not got anything out of it,” shared Bhutia.From grassroots level to the national team, Indian football is finding it difficult on all fronts. “At grassroots level, the next generation of players who are making a sensation is nothing. Our under-17s, our under-20s are struggling to even qualify for the Asia Cup. And the senior team obviously is struggling for something which we had qualified regularly for the last decade or so.”Bhutia lamented that the ISL, which was elevated to the top of India’s domestic football structure over the I-League in 2019, has yet to produce any results.“I did not play in the ISL. We still qualified for the Asia Cup when it only had 14 teams. Today, the Asia Cup has got 24 teams that are allowed to play and we are still struggling.”With difficult problems come difficult decisions. While the situation is certainly precarious, Bhutia feels a complete overhaul is needed in the immediate future to save Indian football from drowning.“There has to be a new body come in, the Supreme Court’s Constitution and the new elections should happen.“It’s not about players’ salaries or FSDL getting a contract signed soon or AIFF getting some amount of money from FSDL,” stated Bhutia.The veteran, who retired around one and a half decades ago, said he has not seen any progress in the Indian football team since he hung up his boots.“Fifteen years after my retirement, we are still looking for a striker after Sunil Chhetri. I retired when Sunil was with me, in 2010/11,” he said.India’s FIFA ranking has dropped significantly over the past decade or so, with Bhutia highlighting the sharp decline post his retirement. “Look at where football has come in terms of ranking. When I retired, we were in the top 100. Now it’s 133.”“FSDL is crying about losing ₹500 crores. ISL clubs are crying about losing huge investments. And today, look at Indian fans crying because of where our football has gone,” observed Bhutia in a blunt assessment of the current situation.While the situation looks bleak, Bhutia found hope in a structure that sees every stakeholder benefit.With the ISL already on pause and a tournament delay difficult to overlook, Bhutia said, “Even if there is a delay of a few months, that’s fine. But I am sure there is a way to get the right structure and everybody is in a win-win situation — where Indian football is the final winner.”
