Kolkata: At this time of the year, the city’s famed Maidan comes alive with its rain, rainbow and football’s pre-season rituals. The Calcutta Football League — Asia’s oldest football league — is set to commence on Wednesday and the city’s representatives in the Indian Super League, Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC and Mohammedan SC, have already hit the ground running with their reserve teams, while others in the fray are aspiring to give the Big Three a run for their money in this traditional curtain-raiser. In the past, the CFL has served as a breeding ground for young talents to stake claims to the big league across the country. Like previous years, Bengal’s Santosh Trophy-winning coach Sanjoy Sen will be watching the players with his notebook. Scouts for big teams will also be on the alert, hoping to catch some of them young and unleash them in a bigger and better stage. There’s a catch, though. The sight of the big league seems as clear as mud. “We are also supposed to get going with our pre-season by this time, no?” asked an India player, “Is it happening?”
Is the ISL happening? That’s the question hanging over Indian football as a pregnant pause this season. And the scenes in Kolkata could serve as a microcosm of the confusion and doubts plaguing Indian football stakeholders across the country. Despite there being no clarity over a fresh Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the AIFF and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) which runs the ISL, the federation has obtained permission from the sports ministry to conduct the league from “second week of Sept 2025 to last week of April 2026.” Equally crucially, the subject pertaining to restructuring of the AIFF’s internal governance through a revised constitution is waiting for a Supreme Court go-ahead.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? Given this uncertainty, the clubs have not taken any decision about when the senior team players and coaches will arrive. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are yet to sign the agreement to take part in Durand Cup (July 22 onwards) while Mohammedan SC are keeping the option open of participating in it with their CFL side. Several players — former and current — that TOI caught up with expressed concerns about this unprecedented state of play, the financial implications foremost on most minds. “If there’s no ISL, it will no doubt impact the players financially. If players can’t take care of themselves and their families, it is bound to affect their performance,” said former India player Alvito D’Cunha. “I only hope all stakeholders come together and get this problem resolved amicably,” he added. Bengal coach Sen too agreed that a swift end to this impasse was imperative. “Nowadays, most clubs enter into long-term deals with players. But for those youngsters, who aspire to be in the big league, it can be a difficult time,” pointed out Sen. Sen would know, having guided Mohun Bagan to an I-League trophy and once serving as an assistant coach with now-defunct ATK in the ISL. The FSDL is understood to have verbally informed the ISL club owners that the next edition of the league will not start until there is clarity on the MRA. However, players believe that the league will continue. “What is happening is unfortunate. After all, future of so many players, that too in the country’s premier league, is at stake,” said a former India player, associated with an ISL team but wishing to remain anonymous, “Like others I also expect this uncertainty to be over soon.” Mohammedan SC could be a case study in what all can go wrong with a football club. Not only did they finish last in their debut ISL season but were also hit by a player revolt over unpaid salaries following a standoff between investors over transfer of shares. The current ISL impasse could further compound their problems. Yet former player Dipendu Biswas, in the dual role of football secretary and senior team manager, is optimistic. “Our team will be back on its feet soon, so will the ISL,” he said.
