All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Jamshedpur FC’s (JFC) withdrawal from the upcoming Indian Super League season was a long-planned strategic decision to return to grassroots football development and had “nothing to do” with the uncertainty surrounding the league’s commercial future, Tata Steel Vice-President (Corporate Services) D.B. Sundara Ramam said on Tuesday (August 4, 2026).

The development, which came few months after uncertainty over the ISL’s future following the expiry of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), marked the end of their nine-year top-flight run.

However, Sundara Ramam said the club had been deliberating over its future for quite some time and would have exited the league even if the previous long-term commercial arrangement had continued.

“The current decision has nothing to do with whatever changes have happened in the last one year. Our decision has been independent of that,” Sundara Ramam told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“Even if the earlier long-term agreement continued, our decision would have been the same because this was an internal decision. We thought our bandwidth should be focused on our strength, which is grassroots football development.”

He said Tata Steel had begun reviewing its football strategy last year before deciding that the company should return to its traditional role of identifying and nurturing young talent.

“We thought we should go back to our legacy of grassroots development because our football ecosystem has been there since 1987. ISL has been there for only around a decade.”

“It was a well thought-through and calculated move. We should work where we have strength — connecting with the community, nurturing young talent and preparing them to play at higher levels,” he said.

“I would say it was not even a financial decision. It was a strategic decision on where we wanted to focus our bandwidth.”

He added, “We are not stepping away from football. We are stepping back into the space where Tata Steel has made its biggest contribution to Indian football for decades.

“Football is only one part of our sports ecosystem. We support 19 different sports, including hockey, archery, climbing, swimming and athletics, and we have achieved considerable success in many of them.

“Our strength has always been connecting with the community, identifying young talent and preparing them to represent clubs, states and the country.”

The senior Tata Steel official said the decision was approved after a two-tier process involving the club’s management and Tata Steel’s board.

“This is a corporate-run club. It is not something one individual can decide. Once we got the board’s clearance, we informed the AIFF, the players and everyone concerned.”

Sundara Ramam dismissed suggestions that the decision reflected poorly on Indian football or resulted from differences with the AIFF.

“There has been no disagreement with the AIFF on participation fees or any other issue. We continue to enjoy excellent relations with them. This was purely a strategic decision.”

He added that Tata Steel would continue supporting Indian football through its grassroots programmes and the Tata Football Academy (TFA), which has produced several India internationals since its inception in 1987, including big names such as Renedy Singh, Carlton Chapman, Deepak Mondal, Gouramangi Singh and Syed Rahim Nabi — all former India stars.

On Tata Football Academy’s legacy, he said, “We started the Tata Football Academy in 1987. Since then, we have trained around 275 cadets, over 150 have represented India and 26 have captained the national team at various age groups.

“Since starting our football grassroots programme in 2017-18, we have reached nearly 6,700 children. That ecosystem will continue and, in fact, receive greater focus.

“We thought, why don’t we channelise our entire energy and time into our academies? That’s where we have achieved success over several decades.”

To sign off, he asserted, “Sports is a way of life in Tata Steel. We will continue to promote different sports. That commitment remains unchanged.”

Published – August 05, 2026 01:01 am IST

Raynier was in the thick of things for Jamshedpur.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Owen Coyle feels India has the potential to do much better in international football and that the ISL has got a lot of things right.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

A dominant Chennaiyin FC returned to winning ways in style as they pumped in five goals to register a crushing 5-1 victory over Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League here on Monday. It was a thoroughly professional performance from Chennaiyin FC as they dominated the match from start to finish with Irfan Yadwad, Connor Shields, Wilmar Jordan Gil, and Lukas Brambilla all registering their names on the scoresheet.

Javi Hernandez scored the only goal for the hosts. With this win, the Marina Machans secured their third victory of the season.

The visitors started the game strongly as they were dynamic through the flanks and bombarded the penalty area with plenty of crosses.

One such cross from Vincy Barretto on the right wing was delivered in the area of uncertainty and lack of communication between Albino Gomes and Pratik Chaudhuri saw the latter toe-poke it into his own net to hand Chennaiyin FC the lead in the sixth minute.

Chennaiyin FC eventually doubled their lead courtesy of individual brilliance from Irfan Yadwad. The youngster picked up the ball near the halfway line and got the better of his markers with a sensational turn.

He went past the defenders and completed the move by slotting the ball into the bottom right corner in the 22nd minute.

Jamshedpur FC were clearly out of ideas to contain the Chennaiyin frontline as the visitors added their third goal in the 24th minute.

Connor Shields played an intricate one-two with Yadwad and the youngster opened up a pocket of space for Shields to hammer home his first goal of this season with a vicious left-footed strike.

Chennaiyin FC continued the same aggressive momentum from the start of the second period. They showed exceptional persistence and were rewarded in the 54th minute when Yadwad pick-pocketed Pratik and played a pass towards Gil in space. With only Albino to beat, the Colombian held his nerve and slotted it home.

Hunting for more goals, Owen Coyle decided to freshen up his frontline as he brought on Daniel Chima Chukwu, Lukas Brambilla, and Gurkirat Singh.

Chennaiyin eventually found their fifth in the 71st minute when Lalrinliana Hnamte played Brambilla in space and the Brazilian midfielder came up with a sensational curling effort to catch Albino completely off-guard.

Jamshedpur FC pulled a goal back in the 81st minute, against the run of play when Yadwad handled the ball in the penalty area following a free-kick. The hosts were rewarded with a penalty and Javi Hernandez stepped and scored the consolation goal. 

Odisha FC defeated Jamshedpur FC 2-1.© X/@OdishaFC

Spaniard Javi Hernandez struck a brace as Jamshedpur FC eked out a hard-fought 3-2 win over Mumbai City FC after falling a goal behind to secure their first home victory of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season on Saturday. Hernandez scored in the 44th and 50th minutes while Jordan Murray (36th minute) got the other goal for the home side at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. In the process, Hernandez became the third player in the ISL to score for five different clubs.

Nikolaos Karelis (18th) and Yoell van Nieff (77th) found the target for Mumbai City Mumbai City FC started the game on a dominating note. In the fifth minute, they got their first opportunity when Yoell van Nieff snatched the ball from Javi Hernandez and glanced an attempt from distance. His shot took a curl but went inches wide.

Three minutes later, Jamshedpur FC earned their first chance after a corner was headed down by Pratik Chaudhari onto the path of Javier Siverio who laid it down for Jordan Murray. The latter’s shot, however, was deflected out for a corner.

The corner by Imran Khan was met by Tiri, whose clearance almost cost Mumbai City FC a goal as the ball deflected off the crossbar.

The action intensified in the eighth minute when Thaer Krouma won a header against Stephen Eze. The ball was collected by Nikolaos Karelis, whose shot disrupted the calmness of the net, going past goalkeeper Albino Gomes.

A minute later, Karelis once again got a chance to score. He collected a cross inside the Jamshedpur FC penalty box and tried to go past Gomes, but the keeper succeeded in clearing it, only to see the ball fall on Lallianzuala Chhangte’s feet.

However, the winger’s feeble attempt was once again saved by Gomes and then cleared off by Eze.

In the 44th minute, Jamshedpur FC earned the lead after Javi’s free-kick caressed the back of the net. The set-piece which was taken by the midfielder from the right flank landed directly into the back of the net after some confusion and misjudgement from the Mumbai City FC defenders and Lachenpa.

Jamshedpur FC started the second half from where they left the first. They could have extended the lead in the 46th minute when Javi Hernandez chipped a ball onto Jordan Murray’s path. Murray was free on goal and glanced straight but Valpuia’s timely intervention averted the danger for the Islanders.

The very next minute, Stephen Eze could have scored his first goal of the season for the Men of Steel. Imran Khan confused and went past van Nieff to send in a delightful cross into the 18-yard-area. However, Eze’s header from the same was flickered away by Lachenpa.

Three minutes later, Jamshedpur FC’s efforts paid off as Seiminlen Doungel set it up for Javi for his second goal of the evening.

Doungel outwitted the Islanders’ defence and went inside the penalty box to send in a pitch-perfect cross to Hernandez’s feet. The Spaniard didn’t shy away from trying his luck and saw the ball land inside the framework, leaving a fully stretched Lachenpa devastated on the ground.

Mumbai City FC slowly started clawing back into the game. And finally, in the 77th minute, they found an answer.

Yoell van Nieff tried some dribbling dynamics just outside the Jamshedpur penalty area and lodged a curling effort on goal, which ultimately went past Albino Gomes to reduce the lead.

In the next minutes, Petr Kratky’s side kept on piling the pressure for an equaliser but Jamshedpur FC’s disciplined backline seemed too tough to breach.

Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and their archrivals East Bengal FC, the two finalists from the previous edition, have been drawn together in the same group as the group stage draw for the upcoming Durand Cup 2024 was unveiled on Thursday. The 24 teams from the ISL, I-League, international teams, and teams from the Armed Forces will fight it out in Asia’s oldest football tournament, scheduled to commence on July 27. Notably, international teams will also feature with Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC and Bangladesh Army Football Team, both returning from the previous edition.

This year, Jamshedpur and Shillong join Kokrajhar and Kolkata as host cities, with each hosting group stage fixtures. Kolkata, the main venue, will host three groups, while Jamshedpur, Shillong, and Kokrajhar will each host one group.

The tournament will follow a round-robin league format with knockout stages, culminating in the final at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. In total, 43 matches will be played and the top teams from each group, along with the two best second-placed teams, will advance to the knockout phase.

Here are the groups for Durand Cup 2024:

Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force FT, Downtown Heroes FC

Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy FT, Mohammedan SC

Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors FT

Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army FT, Bangladesh Army FT

Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT

Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC