Tthe video, sharp and reserved, suddenly dropped. On January 2, senior members of the Indian national football team, including Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan and Brandon Fernandes, did something desperate – they directly appealed to FIFA, football’s global governing body, to arrange for the postponed Indian Super League (ISL) tournament to be held. One line from the video stood out: “We just want to play football. Uncertainty kills careers.” Sandhu said: “We should be playing competitive football in the ISL. Instead we are driven by fear and desperation.” They had good reason because the ISL, India’s premier football competition, is that rare tournament that pays well.
