Contract crisis hits ISL as futures of nearly 150 players hang in the balance

Nearly 150 players of the Indian Super League, including more than 20 in the national team currently or in the recent past, have expired their contracts with the various clubs, and their future thrown into uncertainty due to the mess in the top tier of the country’s domestic structure.

The contracts of these players ended on Sunday and there has been uncertainty all around as the tussle between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the clubs continue over the future of the ISL next season.

The 2025-26 season was delayed and curtailed with each of the 14 teams playing a round-robin league instead of the home and away format, after the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between AIFF and its former commercial partners FSDL expired in December last.

The players are now free agents and can be signed by any team. The AIFF has set the starting date for registration of players by different clubs as June 12 and till August 31.

Among the players whose contract expired on Sunday are India captain Sandesh Jhingan (FC Goa) and his national team defensive colleague Rahul Bheke (Bengaluru FC).

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who finished runners-up in the recently-concluded season, are set to ask the AIFF about the next ISL season, whether it will be a full-fledged one or a curtailed league like 2025-26. They will take a call on the budget for the new season and sign players accordingly.

“We will ask the AIFF how they will conduct ISL and make our budget accordingly,” a club source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

MBSG are set to release foreign players Tom Aldred, Dimitri Petratos and Jason Cummings.

A former official said the players will be the worst sufferers, though the clubs will also be affected financially.

“It’s a grim situation in the ISL and Indian football as a whole. The players will be the worst sufferers. Since they are free agents, their negotiating power is less and clubs are likely to quote less fee for them when they sign contracts. In normal circumstances, players would have bargaining power but may not be in this current situation,” the official said.

“The players are in a disadvantage and there is chance of their exploitation. The clubs will also not get transfer fees in case of many players, so they will be poorer financially.”

The official said many of the players from the northeastern part of the country, especially from Manipur and Mizoram, will suffer due to the uncertainty in the ISL.

“There are a lot of players from the northeast in the ISL clubs. These players have come out of their states to play in big clubs and in the ISL and to earn money to support their families back home. So, the uncertainty on getting a club to play will hit them hard.”

Regarding a new commercial partner of the ISL, Genius Sports had emerged as the highest bidder in March, promising Rs 2,129 crore annually for the next 15+5 years.

But the ISL clubs have proposed a different model. They want the highest bidders (Genius Sports) to stay only as the league’s data and technology partner only.

The clubs want to keep 90 per cent of the “economic interest in the league structure”, and AIFF the rest.

A meeting between the ISL clubs and the AIFF top brass in Kolkata last month had failed to break the impasse.

During the Special General Body Meeting of the AIFF in Kolkata last month, it was decided that the Executive Committee will have the power to discuss and deliberate upon the new MRA.

Thus, a final decision on the new commercial partner will have to be taken by the AIFF General Body later.

– Ends