East Bengal players in a huddle. (Twitter | @eastbengal_fc) New Delhi: Three of India’s top football clubs have halted operations amid the uncertainty over the future of the sport in the country. Kerala Blasters, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Odisha FC have all suspended operations of their first teams. For the four teams that remain in the AIFF Super Cup, it is going to be business as usual – for now.East Bengal, Punjab FC, FC Goa and Mumbai City FC will play their AIFF Super Cup semi-finals on December 4 and 5 with the final on December 7. All matches will be played at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.Sources within Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC have confirmed to TimesofIndia.com that the players have been given an extended break since their last encounter. Mumbai City FC last played on November 6 against Kerala Blasters and Punjab FC’s last fixture came against Bengaluru FC on November 5.A Punjab FC insider revealed the players are due to report back for training on November 14. Mumbai City FC, meanwhile, confirmed that it is “business as usual for now.”FC Goa players and staff are also due to return on November 14, a club official confirmed. Before the AIFF Super Cup semi-final, they will take on Iraq’s Al Zawraa SC in the AFC Champions League Two on November 26. So, they will focus on the continental tournament “independent of what is happening in Indian football.”Beyond the three teams that have stopped operations, Chennaiyin FC have told their players they’re unsure of when the training will resume; NorthEast United have given players an extended break and Odisha FC are yet to get their pre-season underway.The period of uncertainty has been brought on since AIFF’s tender to sell the commercial rights of the Indian Super League (ISL) found no bidders. The deadline to bid for the rights came once (November 5) and then again but eventually saw no interest by 5 pm on November 7.On Sunday, the bid evaluation committee comprising AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, former SC Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Kesvaran Murugasu met and stated their response will be submitted in the Supreme Court as part of the process.The unprecedent situation has been brought on with Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and AIFF not extending their agreement that ends on December 8. When the football federation put the tender publicly, four bidders showed initial interest, before pulling out as request for proposal (RFP) wasn’t considered to be “commercially viable.”
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Meanwhile, with the season in serious threat and their livelihoods on the line, the players came together as one.“To put it simply,†said the players in a statement that was later shared on social media, “we want to play, and now.â€â€œThis 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,†the statement read. “India needs its competitive football now more than ever. As for us, we remain committed, professional and ready to walk out of that tunnel and onto the pitch the moment we’re told we can. All we ask of those running our beautiful game, to match our desperation with honest intent. We’ve found ourselves in a very dark tunnel for long. We could do with a little light.â€The statement was shared by some of Indian football’s biggest names – Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Lallianzuala Chhangte. The foreign players, too, followed suit.
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