FOOTBALL PLAYERS SEND OUT SOS

Prominent Indian footballers urge FIFA to intervene as ISL remains suspended indefinitely

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(From left to right) Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

India’s leading footballers, including Sunil Chhetri, along with several foreign players featuring in the Indian Super League (ISL), on Friday made a collective appeal to FIFA, urging the world governing body to intervene as the country's top-tier league remains suspended indefinitely.

With the 2025-26 ISL season yet to start, senior national team players such as Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandhesh Jhingan voiced concern over the prolonged uncertainty, warning that Indian football is slipping into a state of “permanent paralysis”.

“It’s January and we should be on your screens as apart of a competitive football game in the Indian Super League,” Gurpreet said in a joint video statement posted on social media. “Instead, here we are driven by fear and desperation to say aloud something which we all know,” Jhingan added.