The global football players union, FIFPro has condemned in the strongest terms a number of Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, who have decided to suspend contracts of players and staff in a move, which is largely perceived to be of a illegal nature.
Suspension Of Salaries
With the uncertainty of finances and the uncertainty of the rural season of 2025/26, clubs like Bengaluru FC, Odisha and Chennaiyin FC have suspended salaries, stating issues with contracts. Odisha and Chennaiyin have gone as far as citing force majeur in discontinuing the terms of employments altogether including many players being stranded at the mercy of economics in uncertainty with no financial stability in sight.
What did the letter say?
Through a formal letter addressed to FIFA, FIFPro said it was worried that players are suffering the brunt of administrative and legal stalemate. No easy path forward has been outlined yet and a lack of financial solidity, the uncertainty, has put players under a world of distress, the letter said. FIFPro challenged FIFA to take immediate action in defending the rights of the players because failure to do so would mean ignoring half of the world population of footballers.
Why is this happening?
The crux of the problem is the Master Rights Agreement between Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) which will expire in December 2025. Its renewal is currently stalled in negotiations and the Supreme Court has not come up with a verdict relating to the constitution of the AIFF, further adding to the confusion.
To force the issue, 11 ISL clubs have beseiged AIFF to approach the Supreme Court with a threat of independent litigation desparately needed. This is paralytic to a statutory and administrative way of thinking that threatens the structure of Indian domestic football itself. In a world where training has been stood down, finance is on hold and the future of everyone is in limbo, players and staff are left to do what they can to safely find a way through the difficult circumstances that they are in without having any guarantees that they will even have a season to play.
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