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Hans India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Bhaichung Bhutia points out AIFF's lack of clarity in MRA Negotiations
Kolkata: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia spoke regarding the future of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025 after the future of the league remains in the air due to the Master Rights Agreement, which expires in December. On Thursday, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) released its 2025-26 competition calendar with no mention of the country's premier football league. This omission has raised eyebrows across the Indian football ecosystem, with clubs, players, and fans left speculating about what comes next. An AIFF source, speaking to IANS, confirmed that the ISL has not been included in the federation's calendar because its organisers, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), have yet to provide a schedule. The uncertainty stems from the fact that the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between AIFF and FSDL — the Reliance-Star joint venture that operates the ISL — is set to expire in December 2025. As of now, the agreement has not been renewed, and no concrete resolution has emerged from the discussions initiated earlier this year. 'There were some reports that stated that I had stopped the deal (Between AIFF and FSDL), I did not know I was that powerful. During the meeting, I had asked the Federation what their proposed deal was with FSDL. They did not have an answer; basically, they ate snacks, listened to their offer, and came back. They did not make any offer of their own. 'Now the court has ordered that the deal will only be made after the Supreme Court case regarding the AIFF constitution. From the Federation, FSDL, to the ISL and I-League clubs, all focus should be on Indian football,' said Bhaichung at a press conference. In April, the AIFF Executive Committee established an eight-member task force to examine the future of the MRA. Adding to the complications is the pending Supreme Court verdict on the revised AIFF Constitution, which has created further administrative gridlock. 'If you are saying that the ISL not taking place is a disaster, my question is whether the past one-and-a-half years have not been a disaster? If we have a new professional coming in (as president) and he could get a good deal and hopefully a win-win situation for Indian football. If it takes some time, that won't be good, but it's better than rushing into such stuff,' he added. Bhaichung also pointed out a deal, which he believes to have 'taken place under the table', which led to India withdrawing their bid to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2027. The former India skipper asked for this particular meeting to be investigated. 'There has been so much negative spotlight on the AIFF under Kalyan Chaubey, which has damaged the reputation. We have put in a bid for the 2031 Asian Cup. We earlier wanted to host the 2027 Asian Cup, but he went to Saudi Arabia, and god knows what under-the-table deal he has made, but Saudi Arabia will now host the 2027 edition, whereas he comes back to announce that Saudi Arabia will host the Santosh Trophy. That deal needs to be investigated,' Bhaichung pointed out.
Hans India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Kalyan Chaubey has turned AIFF into a 'circus': Bhaichung Bhutia
Kolkata: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia highlighted poor management in the All India Football Federation (AIFF) alleged that its president Kalyan Chaubey has turned the sport's national body into a "circus" and he himself does not know what is his plan of 'Vision 2047'. AIFF Vision 2047 is a strategic roadmap developed by AIFF to transform Indian football into a powerhouse in Asia by the year 2047. In a recent press conference, Bhutia pointed at the sad state of affairs of football in the country which has led to many wondering what the future of the sport. 'It is very unfortunate that we are 133rd in rankings. We can all see we are struggling in the Asian Cup Qualifiers. I believe we have a good chance of qualifying but at the same time we have to realise that the Asian Cup now has 24 teams, compared to 16 during my captaincy, so we must qualify. 'Our great President Kalyan Chaubey had earlier said we will be in the top 10 in Asia by 2026. Now he is saying we should have prepared for this 10 years ago. In three years under Kalyan Chaubey, even our women's team has gone down. I think he himself does not know what 'Vision 2047' is,' the former India striker said in a press conference. Following Igor Stimac's turbulent exit and India's elimination from the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team went winless throughout 2024. Their only victory came in March when veteran striker Sunil Chhetri came out of retirement to lead the side to a 3-0 win over the Maldives - India's first win in 489 days. Bhutia compared the current state of the AIFF to a circus and called Chaubey a "joker". 'Anybody following Indian football knows it's a circus right now, and obviously if you put a joker in that position then that is what will happen,' he said. The AIFF president had also accused the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools, a chain of commercial football academies run by the former striker, of "taking undue advantage by playing on emotions". Bhaichung addressed the allegations and spoke on the progress of his academies. 'I usually don't talk about Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools during a press conference but it is high time. We had started the tournament 12 years back and within 2-3 years we decided we needed to be sustainable. That is when we started the after-school programme. 30% of students are on a full scholarship whereas 70% were focused on after-school programmes. We have got 220 coaches, 70 centres and are the biggest grassroots programme in the nation. All the money that comes in goes towards our goal. 'Kalyan had talked about the FIFA Academy, four players were from our school. He talked about the women's academy, our club Garhwal FC had won the tournament in which they (Indian Arrows) finished runners-up (Indian Women's League 2). He himself has not done anything to contribute to football, even when he played he was focused on politics,' Bhutia added.
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
South Korea lift bizarre little-known 26-year ban on signing foreign goalkeepers
The K League are making moves to get in line with everyone Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 26-YEAR ban on foreign goalkeepers in South Korea's top soccer league has been lifted effective from the start of the 2026 season. Only Korean goalkeepers have been allowed to play in the K League, the oldest professional domestic league in Asia since 1999. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Kim Seung-gyu played in the K League before securing a move to the J League Credit: Reuters 2 Jesse Lingard plays in the Korean League for FC Seoul Credit: Rex The rule was originally introduced to protect homegrown talent when there were only 10 professional clubs. Following a board meeting in Seoul this week, the K League announced that with 26 professional clubs now competing across the top two tiers, there's enough room to accommodate international goalkeepers. The increase in the number of clubs means there are sufficient opportunities for domestic goalkeepers to play, even with the inclusion of foreigners. The board said in a statement: 'Starting in 2026 clubs will be permitted to register foreign goalkeepers. "The K League previously restricted their participation beginning in 1996 and introduced a full ban in 1999. "To encourage the development of domestic goalkeepers as most clubs at the time relied on foreign players in the position. "We have considered the fact that, with foreign player registrations restricted, the salary increase rate of domestic goalkeepers has risen disproportionately compared to outfield players.' There have reportedly been concerns over a shortage of quality keepers in the country due in part to the expanded size of modern rosters which typically include three or four goalkeepers. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The decision to lift the ban is now expected to directly increase the number of foreign players in the K League. The move also brings the K League in line with other major Asian leagues, such as those in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein SENT OFF for bizarre grass-eating celebration after goal in Asian Cup Another rule that was introduced last season was a homegrown classification for youth players of foreign nationality who have spent a significant period developing in South Korea. If a foreign player has been registered with a domestic amateur team for three consecutive years, or a total of five years, before signing their first professional contract, they are now classified as a domestic player and will not occupy a foreign player slot.
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
South Korea lift bizarre little-known 26-year ban on signing foreign goalkeepers
A 26-YEAR ban on foreign goalkeepers in South Korea's top soccer league has been lifted effective from the start of the 2026 season. Only Advertisement 2 Kim Seung-gyu played in the K League before securing a move to the J League Credit: Reuters 2 Jesse Lingard plays in the Korean League for FC Seoul Credit: Rex The rule was originally introduced to protect homegrown talent when there were only 10 professional clubs. Following a board meeting in Seoul this week, the K League announced that with 26 professional clubs now competing across the top two tiers, there's enough room to accommodate international goalkeepers. The increase in the number of clubs means there are sufficient opportunities for domestic The board said in a statement: 'Starting in 2026 clubs will be permitted to register foreign goalkeepers. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL "The K League previously restricted their participation beginning in 1996 and introduced a full ban in 1999. "To encourage the development of domestic goalkeepers as most clubs at the time relied on foreign players in the position. "We have considered the fact that, with foreign player registrations restricted, the salary increase rate of domestic goalkeepers has risen disproportionately compared to outfield players.' There have reportedly been concerns over a shortage of quality Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The decision to lift the ban is now expected to directly increase the number of foreign players in the K League. The move also brings the K League in line with other major Asian leagues, such as those in Japan , Saudi Arabia , and China . Iraq striker Aymen Hussein SENT OFF for bizarre grass-eating celebration after goal in Asian Cup Another rule that was introduced last season was a homegrown classification for youth players of foreign nationality who have spent a significant period developing in Advertisement If a foreign player has been registered with a domestic amateur team for three consecutive years, or a total of five years, before signing their first professional contract, they are now classified as a domestic player and will not occupy a foreign player slot.
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Jalan Besar Stadium set to be fitted with natural grass pitch
The Singapore Cup final between BG Tampines Rovers (in black) and Lion City Sailors, at Jalan Besar Stadium on May 31. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – The Jalan Besar Stadium's artificial turf will be removed to make way for a natural grass surface to meet the latest requirements set out by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Straits Times understands that work to returf the pitch is scheduled to commence in August and will be completed by January 2026. The 6,000-capacity venue, which originally had a grass surface, was first fitted with an artificial pitch in 2005. The change comes after the AFC banned the use of fully artificial pitches in its major national team and club competitions. In a June 11 memo to member associations, Asian football's governing body said the decision is in line with efforts to improve the quality of play, following feedback that the standard of pitches – in particular artificial ones – has varied over the past few seasons. The affected competitions are the World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers, the Women's Asian Cup and Olympic qualifiers, AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) and the AFC Women's Champions League. The Jalan Besar Stadium hosted the Sailors and Tampines' ACL2 matches last season, with both teams having also qualified for the group stage of the second-tier continental club competition next season. After notifying its member associations of the ban on June 11, AFC sent letters the next day to those who are affected by the decision, asking them to nominate an alternative venue with natural grass or a hybrid surface for their home matches. These include Singapore, who have played some national team games at the Jalan Besar Stadium when the 55,000-capacity National Stadium was unavailable or deemed too big for requirements. During last season's ACL2, the Sailors played six home games at Jalan Besar, winning four times, drawing once and losing once as they qualified for a historic final. Their opponents, Emirati side Sharjah FC, complained that Jalan Besar was not a worthy venue for the final. The match was then moved to Bishan Stadium, where stands were added to make it a 10,000-seater venue in May, with Sharjah winning 2-1. The 2025-26 ACL 2 group stage, which involves Tampines and the Sailors, will kick off in September, but it is unlikely that Bishan will be ready to host home games then. Works have commenced to replace the rubber track at Bishan Stadium, which also hosts SPL matches, and that will require approximately 16 weeks to be completed. Lion City Sailors' Lennart Thy scoring the second goal in their 2-0 victory over Sydney FC in the AFC Champions League Two semi-final, first leg at Jalan Besar Stadium in April. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY To mitigate the situation, it is understood that FAS is in discussions with the AFC to allow both Tampines and Sailors' first ACL 2 group-stage games to be scheduled as away matches. ST understands that if work at the Bishan Stadium is completed by October, the facility will be able to host subsequent group-stage matches. But these games will be played at Jalan Besar once it becomes available as Bishan Stadium, which can accommodate up to 2,800 spectators, does not meet AFC's minimum requirement for capacity. The changes will also have an impact on the 2025-26 Singapore Premier League (SPL) – the season's curtain raiser, the Community Shield, is scheduled for Aug 16 at the Jurong East Stadium. When the SPL season kicks off a week later, matches will take place from Friday to Monday at Our Tampines Hub and the Jurong East Stadium, before Bishan and Jalan Besar's expected availability in October 2025 and January 2026 respectively. Since the Jalan Besar Stadium was first fitted with an artificial pitch in 2005, other venues, such as the Jurong East Stadium and Our Tampines Hub, have followed suit as the authorities deemed that such surfaces are easier to maintain than grass pitches in Singapore's humid climate. This has helped Singapore teams achieve some good results in international matches, as visiting teams have often found it hard to deal with the pace, bounce and trajectory of the ball on the Jalan Besar pitch, which was last relaid between July 2020 and January 2021, with costs borne by Fifa. In 2011, Brazil legend Zico, who was Iraq's coach then, condemned it as being unsuitable for a professional football game ahead of his team's 2014 World Cup third-round qualifier against Singapore, noting that 'this kind of pitch is for school kids'. Local players have also raised concerns about the injuries sustained while playing on the artificial turf at Jalan Besar, though there is currently no conclusive evidence to show a link between artificial pitches and injuries. Singapore striker Ikhsan Fandi and former midfielder Adam Swandi both sustained knee injuries in the 3-1 friendly win over the Maldives at Jalan Besar in December 2022. Ikhsan's younger brother Ilhan then suffered a serious knee injury as well during the Asean Football Federation Championship game against Vietnam on Dec 30 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Selection's Park Tae-won attempting a header in an exhibition match against Thailand All Stars on Nov 13, 2005. This was the first official match at Jalan Besar Stadium since the natural grass surface was replaced with an artificial pitch that year. PHOTO: ST FILE Jalan Besar pitch timeline: 2005: Grass pitch is replaced with artificial turf to withstand wear and tear; first official match is played there featuring S-League Selection and Thai All-Stars in November 2005 2008: A $1 million renovation is completed featuring a new artificial pitch with enhanced cushioning compared to the previous surface, along with upgraded floodlights 2014: Facility is returfed with a new artificial pitch as part of maintenance 2021: Relaid with Fifa Quality Pro artificial turf as part of a Fifa Development Project 2025: Natural grass to return to comply with AFC regulations Deepanraj Ganesan is a sports journalist at The Straits Times focusing on football, athletics, combat sports and policy-related news. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
