Former India football captain and leading striker Sunil Chhetri said on Wednesday that the current state of “uncertainty” in Indian football is very concerning and the sport’s ecosystem is “worried, hurt and scared” that the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL) is being put on hold indefinitely.

Chhetri, who appears for Bengaluru FC in the league, said he has been flooded with phone calls and messages expressing fears about the future of football in the country. “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 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,” Chhetri, 40, posted on X.

The ISL put the 2025-26 season “on hold” due to uncertainty on the renewal of Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the event organisers and the All India Football Federation.

The league normally runs from September to April, but the MRA between Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the organisers of the event, and the AIFF is scheduled to expire on December 8. This came after a Supreme Court directive to AIFF, asking it not to negotiate new terms of the MRA with FSDL until a final judgment is delivered in the AIFF draft constitution case.

While FSDL is also the commercial partner of AIFF, the two signed a 15-year MRA in 2010. According to the MRA, FSDL pays Rs 50 crore annually to the AIFF and gets the rights to broadcast, manage and commercialise Indian football, which also includes the national team.

Chhetri said he was on vacation when he first learnt about the league being put on hold. “…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. 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.

Chhetri, who has come out of international retirement to provide strength to the Indian team which has been on a downslide, urged for patience.

“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, is to 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,” he signed off.

The AIFF has said it is “conscious” of ISL’s importance to the football ecosystem, but had to respect the law of the land by following the Supreme Court directive.