New Delhi: The crisis around the Indian Super League has deepened with the Chennaiyin FC becoming the latest football club to suspend its operations. This comes in after Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC decided to stop paying salaries to their first-team players and staff in continued uncertainty over the ISL, which remains on hold.
Chennaiyin’s decision comes a day ahead of the important meeting between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) top brass and eight ISL clubs. The club is unlikely to be part of the representation in the meeting as it does not feature among the signatories calling for such a move. On Wednesday, the Chennai-based club took to their social media handle to announce the decision.
Hope this is short-lived
‘In the light of the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of the ISL, Chennaiyin FC has taken the extremely difficult decision to temporarily pause club operations,’ the Chennai-based club said.
The statement added that the decisions of such sort are never easy to make and they have taken it after much consideration and careful deliberation. The club further said that the challenges of being a stakeholder in the Indian football are recognised, hoping that the pause would not live longer and they can return to doing what they all love after assuming clarity for all the clubs.
🗒️ pic.twitter.com/uMDJhtiJTK
— Chennaiyin F.C. (@ChennaiyinFC) August 6, 2025
The league is facing the issue because of unresolved contractual issues between the organisers Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the governing body of the sport in the country.
Amid the growing uncertainty, as many as eight ISL clubs have written to the football governing body regarding their concern about the future. The AIFF’s top brass is scheduled to meet the CEOs of the eight clubs on Thursday to discuss the situation.
(With PTI inputs)