Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri said that Jamshedpur FC’s decision to shut down operations and withdraw from the Indian Super League (ISL) is a ‘punch to the gut,’ and appealed to the owners to ‘pick heart over head’ and reconsider the move.
The Tata Group-owned club announced on Friday that it will cease operations after the ongoing Durand Cup campaign, citing strategic shifts. Chhetri, who continues to lead Bengaluru FC, hailed the Tata Group’s immense contribution to Indian football over the decades, warning that their exit from the country’s top flight would leave an irreplaceable void.
“It takes a lot to be a stakeholder in Indian football. It has been like that for some time now. But when everything around looks like it will crumble, you bank on family to hold on to each other. And more often than not, it is the elders in the house that you turn to, for assurance.
“All of you at the TATA Group, through TFA first, and then @JamshedpurFC, have been one of our pillars. To know that Jamshedpur has folded first team operations is a punch to the gut,” Chhetri wrote on his ‘X’ account on Sunday.
He also said losing such a stalwart corporate backer is a massive setback for the Indian football ecosystem. “The players and staff will be without clubs, and they might find one by the end of it all. The League will have a team less, but the season will go on. However, not having the TATA group involved in the top tier of Indian football – that would be a disaster with no alternative.”
Urging the club’s management to step back into the fold for the greater good of the sport, Chhetri added, “I understand that some tough decisions in sport are down to what makes sense in the board room. But I can only request and hope that the think tank at TATA picks their heart over head and reconsiders this call. It might be a poor business decision, but it will be the one Indian football needs the most at this hour.”
