Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke among 150 ISL stars facing uncertainty after club contract expiry: 'Grim situation'

150 Indian Super League players, including more than 20 in the national team currently or in the recent past, are facing uncertainty after their club contracts expired on Sunday, May 31. The development comes amid question marks over the next season of the league and its future.

India captain Sandesh Jhingan of FC Goa and star defender Rahul Bheke of Bengaluru FC are among the players who are out of contract, according to PTI. The players are now free agents and can be signed by any team.

Clubs and players are both likely to suffer as the All India Football Federation and clubs fail to agree on the financial model for the league.

'Grim situation for Indian football'

A former official told PTI that the players will be the worst sufferers, though the clubs will also be affected financially.

"It's a grim situation in the ISL and Indian football as a whole. The players will be the worst sufferers. Since they are free agents, their negotiating power is less and clubs are likely to quote less fee for them when they sign contracts. In normal circumstances, players would have bargaining power but may not be in this current situation," the official said.

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"The players are in a disadvantage and there is chance of their exploitation. The clubs will also not get transfer fees in case of many players, so they will be poorer financially."

"There are a lot of players from the northeast in the ISL clubs. These players have come out of their states to play in big clubs and in the ISL and to earn money to support their families back home. So, the uncertainty on getting a club to play will hit them hard."

The AIFF has set the starting date for registration of players by different clubs as June 12 and till August 31.

Even though Genius Sports has emerged as the highest bidder to become the next commercial partner of the league, the clubs want a different model, leading to the current standoff.