India's football community has reached a breaking point as uncertainty over the suspended Indian Super League (ISL) continues. With the country's top football competition still on hold, prominent players including Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu have issued a joint public appeal urging those in charge of the sport to act immediately and resume the season.

In a heartfelt message shared across social media, the trio, along with several other ISL professionals, called on football administrators to“do whatever it takes to get the football season underway,” making it clear that there is growing frustration among players who have been idle for months.

The ISL, typically scheduled to kick off in September, has already missed over two months of its regular calendar. The prolonged suspension has left multiple clubs halting operations, training disrupted, and players' income affected. Several top footballers have now gone without competitive action since the end of the Super Cup.

“We, professional footballers who play in the Indian Super League, are coming together to make a plea,” the players wrote in their joint statement.“We want to play, and now. Our anger, frustration and distress has now been replaced by desperation. Desperation to play the game we love, in front of people who mean everything to us, our families, our fans. This is a plea to all those involved in running our sport in the country, to do whatever it takes to get the football season underway. India needs its competitive football now more than ever,” the statement read.

“Desperation with honest intent”

They urged football authorities in India to“match the players' desperation with honest intent” and restore normalcy to the domestic football schedule. "We've found ourselves in a very dark tunnel for long. We could do with a little light," the statement said.

Sharing the message on Instagram, India captain Sunil Chhetri reaffirmed the collective spirit among players:“We're all standing shoulder to shoulder, willing to do whatever it takes to resurrect the sport we love.”

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu echoed the sentiment, admitting the players are facing one of their toughest challenges yet.“We find ourselves in the midst of our hardest challenge. And all we can do now is plead,” he wrote.

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