"I think this is being done because ISL has to happen. There is no other option right now," he said in an exclusive chat with Sports Now. "After this season, there is supposed to be an election, a new body coming in, and the tenure of the current setup will end. With the sports law in place and a new body elected, whoever comes in will have to start from scratch and get everything organised again," said the Sikkimese Sniper.

For Bhutia, ISL 2026 is a holding operation rather than a reset. "So this season is more about keeping things running. ISL has to happen, and they want it to happen," he said. "After the new body comes in, I believe many investors are watching and waiting to see how things settle," he said.

Drawing comparisons with his playing days, Bhutia pointed to structural uncertainty as the biggest gap despite the rise in spending. "It's quite difficult because clubs have already built teams with very high budgets," he said. "There were investments made, and there were expectations of returns, through revenue, broadcast exposure, sponsorships," said the three-time Indian Player of the Year.

Those expectations, he noted, have not materialised. "When that doesn't happen, you see clubs asking players to take pay cuts," he said. "They expected the league to be shown on national sports channels, sponsors to come in, and a steady return on investment. Right now, there is uncertainty about all of that - sponsors, broadcasters, and the overall structure. Nobody is very sure what will happen next," said Bhutia, who became the first Indian footballer to sign a contract with a European club and only the second to play professionally in Europe.


On player security, Bhutia dismissed the idea that the current generation is insulated by higher salaries. "Players are never fully secure," he observed before adding, "More than anything else, they are always focused on performing. For them, security comes from performing well. Once you perform, things fall into place."

Explaining how the definition of security has evolved over time, Bhutis said, "In our generation and even before my time, performing well meant job security. Today, performing well means earning a higher salary. Security now exists at a different level. With time, things change, but the basic rule remains the same: if you perform well, you are more secure."

Bhutia was blunt when asked about accountability if ISL 2026 fails to restore momentum. "With the judgment and the delay, it should ideally have been suspended once a temporary body was formed," he said. "The first step should have been to make a constitution," he said. "After that, either elections should have been held or the same body allowed to continue with proper authority," he said.

He stressed that responsibility cannot be pinned on a single stakeholder. "There are many things that could have been handled differently," he said. "A lot of people are responsible for the situation we are in today," he said. "Many had the chance to act earlier and didn't. So responsibility doesn't lie with one person alone; the situation itself is the result of multiple failures over time," he explained.

As ISL 2026 approaches under uncertainty, Bhutia's assessment frames the season not as a comeback but as a verdict on whether Indian football can still find a way forward.

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