Reigning Indian Super League (ISL) champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant have suspended all football activities indefinitely amid deep uncertainty over the future of the country’s premier football competition.
The decision comes after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) failed to attract a single bid for the league’s commercial rights, pushing Indian football into crisis.
A Mohun Bagan official confirmed on Saturday that the club’s pre-season camp, scheduled to begin next week, has been called off.
“Our players were to assemble on Monday, but now the camp has been suspended indefinitely until there is clarity on the Indian Super League,” the official said. He added that all player and staff contracts would be reviewed next month but assured that “no salaries have been withheld.”
The development follows the AIFF’s announcement that no bids were received for ISL’s 15-year commercial rights contract, despite issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) on October 16.
The deadline closed on November 7, with bids set to open on November 11.
The Bid Evaluation Committee, led by retired Justice Nageswara Rao and constituted on Supreme Court orders, is expected to meet to decide the next course of action.
Amid the uncertainty, Mohun Bagan head coach Jose Molina—who was recently embroiled in controversy after criticising the club management following their Super Cup exit—remains on the payroll.
“We haven’t stopped his salary. His contract runs till the end of the season, but with the ISL situation unclear, his future will also be reviewed next month,” the official stated.
While Mohun Bagan have hit pause on operations, arch-rivals East Bengal have decided to continue training.
The club, which reached the Super Cup semifinals, plans to resume camp on November 10 to prepare for their knockout match against Punjab FC on December 4.
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“We have not suspended our operations. I personally believe ISL will go on. Indian football cannot stop like this,” said East Bengal senior executive committee member Debabrata (Nitu) Sarkar.
“The Super Cup will also happen — maybe with some delay or changes — but it will be played. Our stakeholders have not taken any decision to halt facilities or salaries.”
Sarkar also made a rare appeal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to extend financial support to football during this crisis.
“If BCCI sponsors Indian football for even four or five years, it would make a huge difference. For them, Rs. 100–150 crore is not much, but it could transform Indian football,” he said.
The unfolding crisis has left clubs, players, and officials anxious as Indian football faces one of its most uncertain phases since the inception of the ISL.
