Dispute between governing body and commercial partner has forced top-flight clubs to suspend player salaries
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rystal Palace may be disappointed the court of arbitration for sport ruled against them on Monday but at least they now know their fate. Imagine if all Premier League clubs were waiting for a court decision that would, in effect, determine whether the season would go ahead at all. That is the situation the 14 Indian Super League (ISL) teams find themselves in. The whole of football there has been waiting for a ruling from the supreme court. It was expected in mid-July but has still not arrived. The season is due to start in September. Or at least, it was.
The ISL, formed in 2013, has grown from eight teams to 14, becoming the top tier along the way. Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL) runs the competition but put the 2025-26 season on hold on 11 July. At the time, despite the shock, most stakeholders felt it would go ahead but confidence, trust and bank balances have taken a turn for the worse.
Sunil Chhetri, the biggest name in the Indian game and the third-highest active international men’s goalscorer, summed it up. “When my phone went off a few weeks ago informing us of a delay in pre-season by a fortnight, I must admit it made me smile,” the 41-year-old wrote on social media. “And that’s because I was on vacation … I had more time than I had bargained to get in shape.
