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Sunil Chhetri has described Jamshedpur FC’s decision to leave the Indian Super League as a major setback for Indian football. The Tata Group-owned club announced that it will stop operations after its ongoing Durand Cup campaign and will not take part in the 2026/27 ISL season. Chhetri, who plays for Bengaluru FC, said the Tata Group has played an important role in supporting Indian football through Tata Football Academy and Jamshedpur FC.“It takes a lot to be a stakeholder in Indian football. It has been like that for some time now. All of you at the TATA Group, through TFA first, and then Jamshedpur FC, have been one of our pillars,” the striker said on social media.He said the decision would affect players and staff, while the league would also lose a team. However, Chhetri believes Tata Group’s absence from the top level of Indian football would be an even bigger blow.
‘Pick heart over head’
“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,” he added.Chhetri appealed to the club’s owners to reconsider their decision and continue their involvement in Indian football.He urged the Tata Group to “pick heart over head”, arguing that staying involved may not make business sense but would be important for the sport.“It might be a poor business decision, but it will be the one Indian football needs the most at this hour,” he said.
