FC Goa made a notable statement during the opening moments of their AFC Champions League Two match against Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol on Wednesday, pausing play briefly to highlight the current uncertainty in Indian football. The move came at a time when the Goan side was already being eliminated from the group stage, having lost all five of their previous matches.
“At the start of our AFC Champions League Two match, FC Goa’s players briefly paused active play for the opening seconds as a symbolic gesture to highlight the uncertainty currently affecting Indian football,” the club said on their 'X' page.
The club emphasised that the gesture was aimed at drawing attention to domestic football challenges and was not intended as a protest against the competition or their opponents.
“This action was solely intended to draw attention to the broader challenges facing the domestic football ecosystem. It was not directed at our opponents FC Istiklol, the AFC, or the AFC Champions League Two, all of whom we respect greatly," FC Goa added.
“The gesture carried no element of protest against the competition or its stakeholders and was made in good faith, without any intent to cause offence or disruption,” the statement continued.
The big ISL drama
The symbolic pause comes amid turmoil surrounding the Indian Super League (ISL), India’s top-tier football competition. The Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), organisers of the ISL, informed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in July that the league would be put on hold due to uncertainty over the renewal of the 15-year Master Rights Agreement (MRA), which ended on December 8.
A tender for the ISL’s commercial rights was floated under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, but it failed to attract any bidders. Subsequently, on December 20, a proposal from 10 ISL clubs seeking "perpetual" operational and commercial ownership of the league was rejected by the AIFF’s General Body. The federation then formed a committee to explore alternative solutions.
Meanwhile, Goa went on to suffer a 1-2 defeat to Istiklol despite an early goal by Dejan at the eighth minute of the game. The Tajikistan side scripted a comeback with a goal from Paul and Amirbek’s penalty in the 56th minute.