Twelve Indian Super League captains, including Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan and Lallianzuala Chhangte have signed a petition that will be submitted to the Supreme Court next week, according to sources close to the development.
The move follows an online meeting held earlier this week, where captains discussed the growing uncertainty surrounding the paused ISL season.
"They have signed the petition and it's likely to be submitted next week," a source privy to the development told PTI.
The players’ frustration has been brewing for weeks. On November 11, India’s footballers issued a powerful joint statement urging administrators to urgently resolve the crisis. The prolonged pause, they said, has pushed them from "anger and frustration" into "desperation".
Their concerns stem from the All India Football Federation’s announcement last week that it received no bids' for the league’s commercial rights after opening its Request for Proposal on October 16. The RFP sought bidders for a 15-year contract to monetise the ISL’s media and commercial assets — but the response was silent.
That silence has left players, coaches, staff, and fans in limbo.
“Where we are right now is not a delay anymore, it's a standstill for the coaches, fans, staff members, and players. We have worked too hard, sacrificed too much to let our season vanish in silence,” Jhingan said in a video shared on social media.
Several teammates, including Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, echoed the emotions in a joint text statement.
“We, professional footballers who play in the Indian Super League are coming together to make a plea and more importantly to send the message that we stand united in our efforts to get the Indian Super League season underway. To put it simply, we want to play, and now.
"Our anger, frustration and distress has now been replaced by desperation. Desperation to play the game we love, in front of people who mean everything to us - our families, our fans,” the statement read.
Chhetri reinforced the sentiments on Instagram: “We are all standing shoulder to shoulder, willing to do whatever it takes to resurrect the sport we love.”
The players have urged the football administrators to urgently break the deadlock that has already led top clubs, including Mohun Bagan, to halt training.
With the league’s commercial future under scrutiny and the federation struggling to monetise India’s flagship football property after its long-standing partnership with Football Sports Development Limited ended, the petition signals a rare and united stand from the nation’s footballers