Football: Player salaries placed on hold as Indian Super League future remains uncertain
Bengaluru FC suspend first-team staff salaries
In the second week of July, the Indian Super League made a massive call, officially announcing that the 2025-26 top-flight season had been “placed on hold” owing to issues relating to the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between league organisers and the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Generally, the ISL season runs between September and April, but the current MRA between the league organisers, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), and the AIFF only expires in early December, three months later than the domestic league should kick off.
No date has been confirmed for the 2025-26 ISL season to commence, and the uncertainty surrounding its future has begun to affect clubs’ operations, with reports on Monday revealing that Bengaluru FC had informed their players and first-team staff that salaries will be suspended until further notice. In a statement, the club said:
“Running and sustaining a football club in India has always been an uphill climb, one that we have put everything aside and made, season after season. However, the lack of clarity on the League’s future leaves us with no choice but to take this step.”
Unfortunately, the bad news does not end there, as less than 48 hours after Bengaluru’s announcement, reports are now circulating that Chennaiyin FC are set to suspend all first-team operations until further notice.
It is understood that the Abhishek Bachan-owned side has not made salary payments to their staff for July due to a lack of cash inflow. The Marina Machans had already halted their youth team operations a couple of weeks after the ISL was confirmed as halted.
AIFF to enter discussions with ISL clubs this week
Given the current state of Indian football and the growing concerns around the future of the Indian top flight, the AIFF has scheduled a crucial meeting with the CEOs of eight ISL clubs on Thursday, August 7, in the nation’s capital.
This meeting comes after clubs submitted official correspondence to the AIFF, complaining of a lack of communication from both the federation and FSDL and adding that the absence of clarity regarding the league’s future has affected the backbone of their institutions.
The correspondence was signed by Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United FC, Odisha FC and Punjab FC, all of whom have been invited to this week’s meeting by the AIFF.
Notably, Kalyan Chaubey, the President of the AIFF, had previously confirmed that the 2025-26 Indian Super League season would still go ahead, though he did not provide a definitive start date.
