We have all wished each other a very happy 2026. But if you are an Indian footballer or a stakeholder in the ecosystem, it isn’t a happy 2026. Indian football is in dire need of inspiration. The league is nowhere in sight, and until last night, there had been no breakthrough. Clubs have pushed the issue back to the AIFF, saying they need the federation to cover at least part of the costs. They have also said it is unfair for the governing body to expect clubs to foot the entire bill for the league.
The AIFF, on its part, is cash-strapped, and the real loser in all this is the sport. Players – and I have spoken to more than 15 of them across teams in the last two days – are staring at a dark future.
Ask the AIFF, and you will be told the matter is sub judice and that they can only do so much. Ask the clubs, and they say they are waiting for the governing body to rope in a commercial partner. Ask FSDL, and they are clear: no one—yes, no one—has approached them yet. In all this, the players and everyone else – coaches, ground staff, medical staff, et cetera – continue to suffer.
The AIFF says that with the ₹50 crore from FSDL having dried up, they don’t have the funds to run the league. As a result, many of its other activities could also be impacted. The question is: did they not know the contract was coming to an end on December 8, 2025? What was Plan B if FSDL wasn’t interested? Was there a Plan B at all? Did the AIFF assume that, come what may, FSDL would step in to bail them out?
Speak to the players and you can sense the despondency and the growing frustration. Carlos Delgado, speaking to us from Spain, sounded dejected, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Amrinder Singh, a national team star, echoed the same sentiment.
The truth is that nothing will happen to the administrators. They will remain in their positions for another year and then, with elections taking place, move on. But what about the players and the sport itself? Who takes accountability for the damage that has been done? Will the administrators take responsibility? Will the so-called crusaders – who have done more harm than good and now run away – own up to their mistakes? Will someone step forward to bail out the sport and its players?
All eyes will now be on the government and FSDL. Will the AIFF approach FSDL to help with a truncated league while a long-term contract is worked out based on terms previously suggested by the commercial partner? Will the Sports Ministry step in to help the AIFF secure a commercial partner?
To think that we have no football in the country when it is the second-most-popular sport is acutely frustrating, and even more so to see no one taking responsibility for this mess. All one can do is hope. But the truth is that miracles rarely happen. God help Indian football at the start of 2026.
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