Star Indian striker Sunil Chhetri has urged the Tata Group to reconsider Jamshedpur FC’s decision to pull out of the Indian Super League (ISL), saying the conglomerate’s exit from the country’s top-flight league would be a major blow to Indian football. In an emotional post on X, Chhetri described the development as a “punch to the gut” and appealed to the Tata leadership to “pick heart over head.”
Jamshedpur FC, owned by the Tata Group, announced on Friday that it will not participate in the ISL from the 2026-27 season and will shut down its first-team operations after the ongoing Durand Cup. The announcement came hours after the club missed the extended deadline to pay the participation fee for the upcoming season.
The decision, which ends Jamshedpur FC’s nine-year run in India’s top flight, left the players shocked and confused as they continue to compete in the Durand Cup. In a video posted by defender Pratik Chaudhari on his X account, members of the squad appealed to the Tata Group to reconsider the decision and keep the club in the ISL. Chaudhari said the announcement came as a shock to everyone within the squad.
The club said it would continue supporting Indian football through other initiatives, including grassroots development. However, its withdrawal leaves the ISL with one fewer team and raises fresh concerns over the state of club football in the country.
Reacting to the decision, Chhetri said the Tata Group had played a defining role in Indian football through the Tata Football Academy and later Jamshedpur FC.
“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 Jamshedpur FC, have been one of our pillars,” Chhetri wrote.
The Bengaluru FC striker acknowledged that business considerations often shape decisions in professional sport. But he said this was a moment when Indian football needed the Tata Group’s support more than ever.
“To know that Jamshedpur has folded first-team operations is a punch to the gut. 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.
“I understand that some tough decisions in sport are down to what makes sense in the boardroom. 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.”
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had set July 20 as the deadline for ISL clubs to pay an administrative fee of Rs 1.1 crore in two instalments. The deadline was later extended until Friday evening.
According to sources, Jamshedpur FC’s board decided to wind up the first team instead of continuing in the ISL. Inter Kashi, which had also missed the original deadline, completed the payment before the extended cut-off. The remaining 13 clubs also paid the participation fee.
The 2026-27 ISL season is scheduled to begin on September 4. Jamshedpur FC’s exit marks another setback for Indian football, with one of the sport’s biggest corporate backers stepping away from the country’s premier league.
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