AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey urges Tata to rethink Jamshedpur FC exit from ISL

All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey on August 6, 2026 in New Delhi appealed to the Tata group to reconsider its "shocking" decision to withdraw Jamshedpur FC from the Indian Super League (ISL). The Tata group has described the move as a long-planned strategic decision to return to grassroots football development and has indicated it will not be reversed.

The Tata group framed the withdrawal as a deliberate shift back to its core focus on grassroots work. Tata Steel vice president (Corporate Services) D.B. Sundara Ramam has insisted the decision has "nothing to do" with the uncertainty surrounding the ISL's commercial future and said it would not be reconsidered.

Speaking to PTI, Chaubey said the AIFF would welcome Tata's continued participation in senior top-tier football and appealed directly to the corporate house. "AIFF would be happy if Tata remains in football, especially in senior top tier football. If an AIFF request or application can change their mind...the AIFF would like to appeal that for the interest of the players and football, Tata should remain in the senior football league," he said.

Chaubey added the federation is open to working with Tata on any proposals they might offer. "The AIFF welcomes any suggestion (from them) and is ready to incorporate the suggestions to ensure the best outcome," he said.

On the reasons behind the withdrawal, Chaubey said he trusted the Tata group's judgement and questioned purely financial explanations. "It's all about, I think, some decision in the boardroom. And I'm sure there are reasons, but it cannot be for ₹1.1 crore participation fee or management fee. It is not that. When the board decided to withdraw the senior team from the top-tier league, I am sure they had a reason for taking this harsh decision. "They are aware of the football fans' reaction, but I assume this cannot be only a financial decision because Tata has many enterprises and businesses," he observed.

The AIFF president spoke of his long-standing respect for the Tata Football Academy and his personal connection to it as a former India goalkeeper who trained at the facility. He noted the academy has operated "since 1987" and said: "Tata will never consider sports merely as a medium for business, revenue generation, profit, or loss. They have done so much for Indian sport. They have invested in archery and several other areas, and in football, I think most of the youth development system has come through the Tata Football Academy."

Chaubey recounted the academy's near-closure in the early 1990s and the events that helped secure its continuation. "...it was rumoured that TFA would be closed down, the Archery Academy would start, the Engineer Hostel would start, and the Cricket Academy would start. Many rumours were there. "But since we won two tournaments in Germany and the Netherlands at the junior level, it became a headline in London. So officers from the London Tata office came and met us. They gave us incentives, PK Banerjee and Ranjan Choudhury were the coach and technical director. So that's how the Tata Football Academy continued, which was supposed to be closed down in 1992," he revealed.

Chaubey also outlined the academy's output and his own ties to it. "I learned football through Tata Football Academy. Since 1987 till date, nearly 275 or more player have graduated from TFA. I am also one among them and perhaps Renedy Singh and myself served the longest period in the Tata Football Academy," he said.

Tata Steel has assured that Jamshedpur FC will honour all existing player contracts and will assist players in finding new clubs.