Chaos engulfs Indian football ahead of inaugural FIFA Asean Cup and historic Brazil friendly

When the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on 30 July that India would face Brazil in a historic FIFA friendly, excitement surged among fans, players and the wider football community. For the first time since Argentina played Venezuela in Kolkata in 2011, the country will once again witness a top-10-ranked nation play on Indian soil.

After what happened during Lionel Messi's visit to Kolkata last December, the news of hosting five-time champions Brazil spread pure joy nationwide. The celebration, however, was short-lived. A day later, one of the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, Jamshedpur FC, shut down its first-team operations, thus sending shockwaves across the country.

It is a huge blow to not just the players, support staff and the fans, but also the league as a whole. Owned by the Tata Group, Jamshedpur FC have been one of the pillars of Indian football since 2017, and have produced several gems who have gone on to play for the national team.

Although Jamshedpur FC's shutdown has nothing to do with Tata Group's financial position, as the company’s vice-president and the club’s chairman, Sundara Ramam, told The Guardian, it has more to do with the ISL losing a major corporate backer.

Certainly, Jamshedpur FC's withdrawal doesn't paint a great picture of Indian football, just a couple of months before the highly anticipated India vs Brazil clash, at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on 3 October.

ISL 2027 likely to start in second week of October

By now, the ISL clubs usually start their pre-season training. But since Reliance's subsidiary, FSDL, reached the end of its commercial agreement with the AIFF in 2025, things have been tough. Instead of starting in September 2025, the 2025-26 season of ISL kicked off on 14 February 2026 due to a contractual stalemate and administrative deadlock between the AIFF and FSDL.

Although the AIFF announced on 21 June that ISL 2026-27 would begin on 4 September, sources close to the developments say otherwise. “We have heard that the ISL is likely to start in the second week of October,” a footballer, playing in one of the top sides in ISL, told Livemint on Wednesday, on condition of anonymity.

Normally, ISL clubs start their pre-season in July, thus giving them two months to try combinations and get some game time before a gruelling ISL season. Some clubs even go overseas for pre-season training. While the likes of Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal, and NorthEast United are currently competing in the Durand Cup 2026, others are yet to start.

Livemint has learnt that Kerala Blasters, Odisha FC, Inter Kashi and Diamond FC are currently in a non-functional state. In fact, owners of Kerala Blasters, Magnum Sports, are in search of an investor for a complete stake sale. Inter Kashi CEO Prithiijit Das says they are waiting for the broadcaster deal to be confirmed.

Sources in the know have confirmed to this website that the tender for the media rights has been floated. “We are waiting for the broadcaster to be confirmed and then for the broadcaster to confirm the start date and then plan our pre-season,” said Das. It may be noted that, unlike the previous seasons, commercial rights for the league were transferred to the clubs last month, leaving them responsible for negotiating the next media deal.

Will the players get proper game time?

Unfortunately, it leaves the players with no proper game time before the India vs Brazil game and the inaugural FIFA Asean Cup, which starts on 24 September. India are placed in Group A of the Premier Division in the FIFA Asean Cup, along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Assuming India qualify for the final on 3 October, the AIFF will face a major headache to field two teams (the other in India vs Brazil). However, AIFF Deputy Secretary General Satyanarayan Muthyalu asserted India has a pool of 40-50 players capable enough to represent the national team.

In case India do not qualify for the Asean Cup final, it will give the Indian players three games to fine-tune before the Brazil encounter. But the real question is, will that be enough?

According to former India international Mehrajuddin Wadoo, the uncertainty surrounding the ISL is not ideal ahead of such an important FIFA window. “There is no clarity on the ISL too. Indian football is in a bad state. What are we doing by bringing Brazil to India?” Wadoo, president of Football Players Association of India (FPAI) asked Livemint.

"We have to first bring stability in Indian football and then bring Brazil, Argentina or anyone. Think what will happen if the league doesn't start before 3 October. Where will the players get game time? If the players are going to play against Brazil, if they don't get game time, what will be the performance of the national team? Another humiliation? Players won't be fit.

“How many teams are playing in the Durand Cup right now? Only two or three teams from ISL,” stated Wadoo.