There is hardly anything good to write about Indian football in 2025. Barring, of course, the women’s teams qualifying for three continental tournaments (senior, under-20 and under-17), despite the odds stacked heavily against them and Emami East Bengal winning the Indian Women’s League and the Saff Club Cup Championship.

It’s not that previous years had been very good for Indian football, but 2025 will be remembered as the worst year for the game since Independence.

ISL deadlock

The cloud of uncertainty that hovered over club football for the last six months has not yet cleared. The Supreme Court-amended new constitution was adopted by the AIFF, even though legal hurdles continue to crop up.

The Super Cup did happen, albeit in a staggered way. That was it. It is back to square one as clubs and the AIFF continue to spar over the formats, organisational cost, AFC slots... It seems the stakeholders are more interested in clogging the email boxes of each other as letters and replies have become the norm.

Nobody seems to be interested in finding a solution and how the present state has affected the families of those who are directly or indirectly dependent on the league.

Will action resume in the New Year? Hope springs eternal.

Face loss

Lack of game time in club football has affected the national team so badly that India failed to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup from a group they were expected to rule.

Three coaches — Igor Stimac, Manolo Marquez and now Khalid Jamil — in 14 months have not helped the cause either. Sunil Chhetri came out of international retirement after being prodded by the AIFF and coach Manolo Marquez. That was not enough as India were out by October, losing to Singapore at home.

To rub more salt into the wound, Khalid’s men were beaten by Bangladesh in Dhaka in an inconsequential qualifer. It was India’s first loss in 22 years. Humiliating.

Club vs Country

The clubs, mainly Mohun Bagan Super Giant, refused to release their players outside the Fifa international window. It made life difficult for Khalid. Bagan, who send maximum players to the national team, accused the AIFF of mishandling Subhasish Bose’s injury. The AIFF did not buy that, and for the Bangladesh match, Khalid did not call-up any player from the green and maroon camp.

Bagan ban

Mohun Bagan, who won the ISL League Shield and ISL Cup in 2024-25, earned a direct berth to the AFC Champions League 2. For the second consecutive season, they refused to travel to Iran for a group-stage match.

Bagan cited security reasons even when there was no advisory from the Ministry of External Affairs regarding travelling to Iran.

The disciplinary committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) slapped a one-year ban, remaining effective up to 2027-28, and fines of $50,000 and $50,729.

There has been a transfer ban on Mohammedan Sporting, who after their promotion to the ISL, ran into financial trouble. Salaries were not paid, foreign recruits moved Fifa and Mohammedan Sporting went from bad to worse.

Messy affair

Lionel Messi’s whirlwind India visit generated much hype. But the mayhem that followed after Messi was at the Salt Lake Stadium for just 22 minutes was beamed
across the world. Calcutta, called the hub of Indian football, got bad publicity.

Fans threw bottles, broke bucket seats, climbed over the fence and stomped on the field. VIP culture was blamed for the mess, chief minister Mamata Banerjee apologised, Messi’s tour promoter Satadru Dutta was arrested and sports minister Aroop Biswas resigned.

With time, everything will be forgotten, but Calcutta’s image has been tarnished badly.