
India's top soccer league 2025-26 season suspended
The 2025-26 season of India's top soccer league has been indefinitely suspended because of contractual problems.
The 13-team Indian Super League was scheduled to begin in September, but Football Sports Development Limited confirmed Friday it's on hold. The organizer's contract expires in December and hasn't been renewed.
"In the absence of a confirmed contractual framework beyond December, we find ourselves unable to effectively plan, organize, or commercialize the 2025-26 ISL season,' the FSDL said in a letter to clubs.
The season is 'on hold until further clarity emerges on the contractual structure," it added.
ISL club Kerala Blasters announced Friday it allowed Spanish striker Jesus Jimenez to leave for a club in Poland.
There is still optimism, however, that there will still be a new season.
'The ISL will go ahead, maybe not with the name of the ISL,' Delhi FC director Ranjit Bajaj told The Associated Press, adding that he blames mismanagement from the federation.
Earlier this month, India's national team parted ways with coach Manolo Marquez after poor results put qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup in doubt.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer in this topic
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox Sports
19 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
The British Open, golf's oldest major, is always a new experience
Associated Press PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The crowds following Rory McIlroy for three days at Royal Portrush have been enormous, a reminder of the expectations. On banners and flags and buntings of grandstands there are images of the claret jug, a reminder of what's at stake at the British Open. But add this to the list of what makes golf's oldest championship so distinct from the other majors: Every year it feels like a new experience. Justin Thomas contemplated that Wednesday when he finished up his third day playing the course, a practice schedule that is never this full at any other major. 'I came to the realization the last couple of years that playing is better, because your ball goes into weird places,' he said. "I can go out and chip all day, and get used to the turf and the speed of the greens. But the more you play, the more shots you're hitting in places where you never would in practice. 'You get out here in a different wind and it can be, 'Wow, I didn't think I'd be here.'' There is another element to this major that stands out from the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Amid the nerves and the pressure of a major is the true joy of playing links golf. 'I feel like I'm learning more and more each time I come over here,' said Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player who is in his fifth British Open. "Each golf course is different, too. Irish links so far is quite a bit different than Scottish links. It's a bit greener over here. You have to play more shots in the air. ... There's a lot of different shots you have to play. 'It's an interesting course," he said. "And from what I've seen, it seems to be really fun to play and very fair.' Fair is a loose word in these parts, with all of the humps and crazy bounces, with pot bunkers to be avoided on so many shots, with a hole like the par-3 16th known as 'Calamity Corner' that lives up to the name by looks alone. McIlroy isn't sure he got a fair deal in 2019 when his opening tee shot went left, normally not a big deal except at Royal Portrush there is internal out of bounds, and McIlroy went just beyond the stakes, which sent him into a downward spiral — a quadruple bogey, a 79 and a short week. He did not return to the Portrush links in his native Northern Ireland until Monday morning, and then he was out playing all three days of practice. 'I have a real appreciation for how well bunkered it is off the tee,' McIlroy said. "It's like, 'OK, I can't hit 2-iron off the tee, but that brings this bunker into play. But then if I hit driver, it'll bring in this bunker.' So you have to take on the shot. 'Some courses that we go to in the Open rota, you can just take the bunkers out of play,' he said. 'Here, there's always one bunker or another bunker in play. So I think off the tee, it provides a very, very good test.' McIlroy was among those who felt refreshed when he finished the meat of the PGA Tour season — five signature events, The Players Championship, three majors, all in a span of three months — and arrived in the United Kingdom. The scenery, the temperature, the brand of golf, all of it felt so new, almost like he was starting a new season. Thomas felt the same way. There is a buzz in the heavy, seaside air off the North Atlantic, no matter how stiff the challenge and how much the weather changes. The forecast? It's generally been referred to as 'mixed,' which in these parts tends to mean it changes without notice. The final day of practice was sunshine and breezy. Thomas was playing the 16th while his father showed video of them watching in the final round in 2019, wind and rain ripping so hard that umbrellas were useless. Thomas remembers standing on the 17th tee and calling over a rules official to ask if they were meant to be playing. He wanted to hit 3-wood off the tee, but it was 209 yards to the fairway and the wind was so strong he didn't think he could get there. So he went with driver, hit some 75 yards off line and made triple bogey. On his final day of practice, with sunshine and a helping wind, he hit a mini-driver that would have stopped near the front of the green on the 409-yard hole if it hadn't found a bunker. This is what he loves about links golf. 'Not only do the holes change, how easy or hard they are, your lines off the tee can change,' he said 'You have elevation. You're never writing 'uphill' or 'downhill' in the yardage book like you are at an Open Championship. You have a game plan, but you really can't until you're out there and whatever the weather is giving you." Thomas looked back on the 18th green before going to sign autographs for a group of children. 'If I could only play one course the rest of my life it would be links,' Thomas said. "Because you could play the same course every day for a month and get something different. 'I love The Open. Every time I've played it, I love the tournament more and more,' he said. 'I really want to have a chance to win the tournament and walk up the 18th hole. Seems like it would be the coolest thing in the world.' ___ AP golf: recommended Item 1 of 1 in this topic


Fox Sports
19 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Angel Reese misses Sky's final game before All-Star break with leg injury
Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Angel Reese didn't play Wednesday in the Chicago Sky's final game before the All-Star break because of a leg injury. The All-Star forward sat on the bench as the Sky hosted the Atlanta Dream. She is set to make her second All-Star Game appearance this weekend in Indianapolis. Fellow second-year All-Star Caitlin Clark's availability for the game in her home arena could be in jeopardy as well after she sustained a groin injury Tuesday night in a victory over the Connecticut Sun in Boston. Reese had 22 points and 10 rebounds Monday for her ninth straight double-double in Chicago's 91-78 loss to Minnesota. She leads the WNBA with 12.6 rebounds per game. ___ AP WNBA: recommended Item 1 of 1


Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Women's basketball stars' name, likeness and image brands carrying over into the WNBA
Associated Press Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are part of the new generation of women's basketball stars who have been able to profit off their name in college and build brands that have helped them excel off the court in the WNBA. All three players had national star power before stepping foot in the pros. Clark and Reese have made the All-Star Game in each of their first two seasons and are two of the most popular players in the league. Bueckers was voted a starter in her first All-Star Game this weekend. The next group up in college that is led by Hannah Hidalgo, Flau'jae Johnson, Olivia Miles and JuJu Watkins has already benefitted from the name, likeness and image. According to On3, Johnson's NIL valuation is $1.5 million. 'NIL, man, it is beautiful," Johnson said. "This year in March Madness, I had about five commercials running and you know it was so cool watching the game, then seeing myself come on. It's just a great opportunity.' Johnson is a guard at LSU, one of the top schools for NIL in a variety of sports from football to women's gymnastics to women's basketball. Johnson, who also has a music career, has gained from the exposure the school has given her, doing national media campaigns with Experian and Powerade. Hildago, who will be entering her junior year at Notre Dame, is happy that players can finally profit off their own images as opposed to the school getting it all. 'It's a blessing. Schools for decades have been able to make money off of college players' names. So for now, for student athletes to be able to make money off of how they carry themselves, you know, we're a brand ourselves,' she said. 'I'm a brand myself and so be able to make money off of my name is honestly truly a blessing and just taking advantage of it is the biggest thing.' Johnson, Hidalgo and Miles, who helped the U.S. qualify for the World Cup next year by winning gold at the AmeriCup earlier this month, all said that they don't let the NIL deals they have get in the way of their sport. They credit having a strong support system around them as well as people who handle the deals for them. 'I really dedicate one or two times a week to kind of get all my stuff done,' Miles said. 'My agent is very good at scheduling that, but most of my money comes from the collective deal, so for that I really don't have to do much, which is nice. But any other of the other side deals, my agent will send a videographer out to help me or have her edit stuff or whatever it may be.' Getting deals and earning money hasn't just helped the players financially. Some have given back to their communities, including Johnson. 'I just want to be one of those people that uses NIL the right way," she said. 'This year I did a campaign with Experian and we relieved $5 million in debt right for families in Louisiana and then every game we won we added $100,000 to the pot.' Johnson said it was really touching and emotional when she would receive videos on Instagram from people she helped. "I'm really using my platform for impact for real. So I think that's the best part of NIL and just making it better for the young girls that's coming behind us,' she said. ___ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at ___ AP WNBA: recommended Item 1 of 1