Aug 1 (Reuters) - A day after Indian Super League club Jamshedpur FC announced they were shutting down, some of their players released a video appealing to the owners, Tata Group, to rethink the decision.
Jamshedpur said on Friday they were pulling out of the top-flight ISL, which is yet to give a start date for the 2026-27 season, with a broadcasting partner still to be finalised.
The ISL had a shorter format last season as the Indian federation (AIFF) and Reliance Industries did not renew their commercial partnership, ending a 15-year collaboration amid a Supreme Court case to implement a new AIFF constitution.
The league, under a new management model led by clubs, has struggled to grow, with India ranked a lowly 138th in the world.
"It's been a shock for us ... we were told the club is going to shut operations and we won't continue after the (ongoing) Durand Cup," said defender Pratik Chaudhari in a video posted on his X account on Saturday.
Jamshedpur, launched in 2017 by one of India's biggest conglomerates, won the ISL League Winners' Shield in 2021-22 and reached the final of the domestic Super Cup last year.
Several Jamshedpur players were seen with Chaudhari in the video, as some wiped away tears.
"We would like to say on behalf of all the players, please do rethink about this. Because if this happens, this is not just a loss for Indian football ... this is a big loss for all of India," Chaudhari added.
"Please don't let this be the final whistle for Jamshedpur FC."
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
