Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri appears poised to extend his iconic association with Bengaluru FC, as the club dropped a teaser video hinting at a new deal for the 41-year-old.
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
Indian club football appeared to be in complete crisis as Chennaiyin FC on Wednesday suspended their operations in view of the uncertainty surrounding the Indian Super League (ISL), days after Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC decided to stop paying salaries to their first-team players and staff.
2018-19 ISL champions Bengaluru FC said they had taken the decision "in view of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Indian Super League season."
India's distressed football players issued a joint statement on Tuesday pleading with the administrators to get the currently paused Indian Super League (ISL) season underway.
ISL clubs warn AIFF of possibility of their shutting down entirely if current impasse not resolved
East Bengal FC ignited their semifinal hopes with a commanding 4-0 win over Chennaiyin FC in Group A of the AIFF Super Cup, in Bambolim, on Tuesday.
A 19-year-old student from Vellore Institute of Technology said he sent the prank mail posing as Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, applying for the head coach position of the Indian football team.
Inter Kashi become I-League champions after CAS rejects AIFF Appeal Committee decision
The early strike set the tone for the remainder of the half as the Indian side dictated the tempo. Bam Khatoon's Sara Didar and Fatemeh Geraeli made some long-range efforts with no luck.
FIFA on Saturday launched its first talent academy for youngsters in India in collaboration with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), aiming to provide advanced training to talented footballers in the country.
Three shortlisted for Indian football team's coach role; Constantine, Jamil in the mix
Despite suffering their first defeat in the qualifiers, India are still in contention. The meet group leaders Iran in a do-or-die match on Sunday. Victory in that match will secure India's passage to the AFC Asian Cup for the 10th time in history.
This is India's first technology-driven residential football training centre exclusively for girls, the company has claimed.
Suspicions of match-fixing came to light in a Delhi league match on Monday when Ahbab FC, who were winning 4-0, conceded two dubious-looking own goals late in the match against Rangers FC.
Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola's applications were not genuine: AIFF
Concerned about Indian football's "decline for many years", East Bengal, one of the country's oldest clubs, on Thursday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's urgent intervention to address the "unprecedented crisis"
India face hosts Tajikistan on August 29 followed by matches against Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4.
The injury to the 32-year-old stalwart is a big blow to India as they take on a strong Afghanistan side in their third and final Group B match on Thursday.
Xavi, it is learnt, "sent an email from his own account" to apply for the post.
The AIFF said Jamil has signed the contract after parting ways with ISL team Jamshedpur FC.
East Bengal, FC Goa, Mumbai City FC and Punjab FC are the semifinalists.
The group winners will qualify for the 12-team final tournament in China next year.
'Khalid will have to begin with consistency and with new players and good strikers from U-23 because he has to build for the future.'
India now have two points from three matches after a 0-0 draw against Bangladesh and 0-1 loss to Hong Kong in their earlier match.
With both NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC dropping points, neither side can now catch up with the Gaurs, who have booked their last-four berth with a game to spare.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has sacked its secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran due to "trust deficit", a top official said on Wednesday.
The technical committee of the AIFF, headed by former captain IM Vijayan, will meet on Wednesday to shortlist the candidates for the appointment of the head coach of the senior men's national team after the federation received 170 applications for the vacant post.
India football head coach Manolo Marquez stepped down on Wednesday after reaching a 'mutual agreement' with the All Indian Football Federation.
Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is not scheduled to play serious football on the 'G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025'.
'We will be starting with the U17 league first, followed by the U15 and U13. There will be spotters in most of the games of U13 leagues, to identify talents.'
East Bengal FC produced a disciplined defensive performance to hold arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant to a goalless draw and qualify for the semifinals of the Super Cup.
Sunil Chhetri said the current state of uncertainty in Indian football is very concerning and the sport's ecosystem is 'worried, hurt, and scared' by the top-tier ISL being put on hold indefinitely.
AIFF chief Chaubey accuses Bhutia of running football schools for "vested interest"
The India U17 men's national team sealed their spot in the semi-finals of the SAFF U17 Championship 2025
The Indian senior women's football team suffered a 1-2 defeat against Nepal in their second match of the Tri-Nation International Friendlies at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Monday.
In accordance with the decision, the committee has rescinded the red card shown to Akhtar, and downgraded it to a caution (yellow card) "for reckless play nature as suggested concerning the technical report".
In a bold push to expand India's talent pool, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey has revealed that the federation is actively pursuing the inclusion of Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) in the national football team.
Fourteen players, including Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri, are not immediately joining the preparatory camp for next month's Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore as three clubs have delayed the release of their players, which will be a cause of concern for head coach Khalid Jamil.
Talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri has been left out of the 35 probables named by newly-appointed Indian football team head coach Khalid Jamil for the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
