Indian Football at ‘Critical Crossroads’: Arvind Kejriwal on Players Seeking FIFA Help

AAP leader and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said Indian football was at a “critical crossroads,” warning that years of mismanagement and neglect had pushed the sport into crisis.

His remarks came after top Indian footballers made an unprecedented appeal to FIFA to intervene as the Indian Super League (ISL) remains suspended indefinitely."Indian football stands at a critical crossroads. When players are forced to appeal to FIFA and the Government to save the game, it reflects years of mismanagement and neglect. Sports needs transparent governance, accountability, and respect for athletes, not politics and power struggles. India deserves better for its footballers and its fans," Kejriwal wrote on X. Kejriwal’s comments followed a joint video statement by senior national team players, including Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandhesh Jhingan, along with several foreign players featuring in the ISL. The players urged FIFA to step in, warning that Indian football is sliding towards “permanent paralysis” as the 2025–26 season has yet to begin.

“It’s January and we should be on your screens as part of a competitive football game in the Indian Super League,” Gurpreet said. “Instead, here we are driven by fear and desperation to say aloud something which we all know,” Jhingan added.The players said the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is no longer in a position to fulfil its responsibilities. Calling their message a “last-ditch effort,” they stressed the appeal was not political but driven by necessity. “We are facing a humanitarian, sporting and economic crisis. We just want to play football,” they said.The ISL was put on hold in July amid uncertainty over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and former league organisers Football Sports Development Limited. The agreement expired on December 8, creating a contractual deadlock that required Supreme Court intervention. A tender floated for the league’s commercial rights under court supervision failed to attract bidders.Amid the impasse, 13 of the 14 ISL clubs told the AIFF they may be willing to participate in a delayed season if there is no participation fee and if the federation bears the operational costs. The prolonged delay has also jeopardised clubs’ eligibility for continental competitions, prompting calls for one-time relaxations.Earlier this week, the AIFF had asked the clubs to confirm their participation in the delayed season of the ISL and the proposed format within a day so that it can inform the continental body the exact number of matches to be played in the competition.With the League yet to start, it is certain that the clubs will not be able to play the mandatory 24 matches in the season, including top division league and domestic cup, to be eligible to feature in the AFC Champions League 2.In that regard, the ISL clubs had urged the AIFF to request the Asian Football Confederation for a one-time relaxation in the minimum requirement of 24 matches so that they can play in the ACL 2.