Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri has expressed his anguish over Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC's decision to pull out of the upcoming season, describing the development as "a punch in the gut" and urging the club's management to reconsider.

Jamshedpur FC, winners of the ISL Winners' Shield in the 2021-22 season, had announced their withdrawal from the ISL on July 31 just hours after missing the deadline for payment of participation fee for the upcoming season, beginning September 4.

In a post on Instagram, the club had confirmed that it would not participate in the ISL from the 2026-27 season onwards. The upcoming season will now feature 13 teams.

"To know that Jamshedpur has folded first team operations is a punch to the gut. The players and staff will be without clubs, and they might find one by the end of it all. The League will have a team less, but the season will go on," wrote Chhetri, India's all-time top goalscorer, most-capped player, and the fourth-highest international goalscorer in men's football history.

"However, not having the TATA group involved in the top tier of Indian football — that would be a disaster with no alternative," he added.

Jamshedpur FC, which made its ISL debut in 2017, however said in its statement that Jamshedpur Football and Sporting Private Limited (JFSPL) would continue to promote and develop the sport at the grassroots level despite the club's withdrawal from the league.

Chhetri lauded the Tata Group for its contribution to Indian football, first through the Tata Football Academy (TFA) and later by establishing and nurturing Jamshedpur FC.

"It takes a lot to be a stakeholder in Indian football. It has been like that for some time now. But when everything around looks like it will crumble, you bank on family to hold on to each other. And more often than not, it is the elders in the house that you turn to, for assurance. All of you at the TATA Group, through TFA first, and then @JamshedpurFC , have been one of our pillars."

The decision to withdraw is understood to have been influenced by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) directive requiring clubs to pay an administrative fee of Rs 1.1 crore in two instalments. According to sources, the club's board of directors has also decided to wind up the senior team for the time being.

"I understand that some tough decisions in sport are down to what makes sense in the board room. But I can only request and hope that the think tank at TATA picks their heart over head and reconsiders this call. It might be a poor business decision, but it will be the one Indian football needs the most at this hour," added the Bengaluru FC stalwart.