Borja Herrera’s departure from FC Goa on December 26, 2025, is not an isolated personnel change but a telling reflection of the institutional paralysis gripping Indian professional football.
The Spanish midfielder, a key figure in FC Goa’s recent domestic success and the only player to win three consecutive Super Cups, terminated his contract citing an “untenable” professional environment caused by the indefinite suspension of the Indian Super League. His exit crystallises the human cost of a broader administrative and commercial breakdown that has left the country’s top-tier league without a calendar, broadcaster or operational certainty.
Herrera’s decision came after months of ambiguity surrounding the 2025–26 season following the expiry of the Master Rights Agreement between the All India Football Federation and Football Sports Development Limited on December 8, 2025. With no replacement agreement in place and legal constraints limiting fresh negotiations, the ISL entered a state of suspended animation. For foreign professionals like Herrera, the absence of clarity transformed routine contract uncertainty into a career-defining risk.
At FC Goa, Herrera had become a central tactical presence. Since arriving in Indian football, he made 63 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing 10 assists. Under head coach Manolo Márquez, Herrera’s positional flexibility and passing range allowed Goa to control midfield phases, contributing to multiple domestic honours, including the Super Cup in 2025 and the Bandodkar Trophy in 2024. His contract had been extended until 2026 before being mutually terminated, a move that underlined how instability rather than sporting factors dictated the outcome.
Herrera’s exit followed the earlier departure of Spanish striker Javier Siverio, further thinning FC Goa’s foreign contingent. Together, these exits highlight a growing trend of overseas players seeking stability in alternative markets, particularly in Southeast Asia and Europe, where competition calendars and commercial frameworks remain intact. Herrera’s move to Indonesia was driven not by ambition alone but by the basic need for professional continuity in a stalled ecosystem.
The roots of the crisis lie in the collapse of the ISL’s commercial structure. For fifteen years, the Master Rights Agreement ensured operational stability through a fixed annual payment of approximately ₹50 crore from FSDL to the AIFF. However, mounting losses reportedly incurred by FSDL led to a proposed shift toward a profit-sharing model involving clubs, the federation and the commercial operator. The AIFF rejected this framework, instead seeking a guaranteed annual sum with incremental increases, a position FSDL deemed financially unviable.
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This standoff was compounded by judicial intervention. In April 2025, the Supreme Court advised the AIFF not to enter into new commercial agreements until its revised constitution was formally ratified. While not a written order, the observation effectively froze negotiations, leaving both parties unable to commit to a season without legal clarity. As a result, the league’s planned September 2025 start date passed without resolution, pushing clubs, players and staff into prolonged uncertainty.
The consequences have extended beyond individual exits. In December 2025, City Football Group announced its decision to divest its 65 percent stake in Mumbai City FC, ending a six-year association that had brought global expertise, data-driven recruitment and multiple domestic titles. CFG cited ongoing uncertainty around the league’s future, a development widely interpreted as a warning to international investors evaluating Indian football’s viability. With CFG’s departure, one of the league’s most professionalised setups lost access to a global football network that had previously elevated standards on and off the pitch.
Financial stress has since cascaded across the ecosystem. Transfermarkt’s December 2025 valuation update recorded a collective market value drop of approximately ₹144 crore, the sharpest correction in Indian football history. With no competitive matches, player valuations could not be sustained, affecting both domestic and foreign professionals. Several clubs responded by suspending salaries, halting training or invoking force majeure clauses, leaving hundreds of players without stable income or match fitness.
The contrast between financial austerity and perceived misallocation of resources has further eroded trust. Reports of significant expenditure on high-profile exhibition events, including a Lionel Messi tour, drew criticism from players and fans alike, particularly as the professional league remained inactive due to funding gaps. This disconnect intensified scrutiny of governance priorities at a time when basic league operations were in jeopardy.
The situation prompted collective action. Under the banner of #SaveIndianFootball, national team players including Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu issued a joint appeal describing the crisis as the hardest phase of their careers. International players echoed these concerns, while FIFPro Asia/Oceania called for urgent resolution, citing breaches of labour rights and the absence of consultation with affected professionals.
Attempts at structural reform have so far failed to break the deadlock. The AIFF proposed a federation-owned league model with a ₹70 crore operational budget and mandatory club participation fees, while a consortium of ISL clubs countered with a club-owned league structure that would assume commercial risk and provide annual grants for grassroots development. The AIFF rejected the club proposal, deepening the impasse.
Borja Herrera’s departure, in this context, is emblematic rather than exceptional. It illustrates how administrative stalemate translates directly into talent loss, commercial erosion and declining credibility. Without immediate resolution either through judicial clarity, governance compromise or interim competition formats Indian professional football risks prolonged stagnation.
For players like Herrera, the choice has already been made elsewhere, leaving behind a league searching for direction amid one of the most challenging periods in its history.
