The City Football Group (CFG), the global powerhouse behind Manchester City, has officially ended its six-year association with Indian Super League (ISL) club Mumbai City FC. This move, confirmed on December 25, 2025, marks the first major casualty of an ongoing crisis that has left Indian football without a functional top-tier league for over eight months.
The End of a Transformative Era
CFG's entry into the Indian football landscape in November 2019 was hailed as a landmark moment. The group, which operates a network of clubs across 13 countries, promised transformative benefits for Mumbai City and Indian football at large. The club, which had a modest fanbase and played in a crowded suburban ground, was rapidly elevated into an ISL powerhouse.
The impact was profound and immediate. Under CFG's stewardship, Mumbai City FC won the ISL championship twice (2020-21 and 2023-24) and secured the League Shield once (2022-23). This success was engineered by a systematic approach from CFG's global operations team, which ensured the club adhered to a distinct football philosophy inspired by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
A League in Limbo: The Root Cause
The primary driver behind CFG's exit is the current state of disarray in Indian football administration. The ISL has been dormant since its previous season concluded on April 12, 2025. This unprecedented hiatus stems from the expiration of a crucial commercial agreement between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and a Reliance subsidiary on December 8, 2025.
With the two parties failing to agree on extension terms, and the AIFF struggling to find a new partner under restrictive Supreme Court guidelines, the league's future hangs in the balance. Emergency meetings between the AIFF and ISL clubs scheduled for December 26 and 29, 2025, are seen as a last-ditch effort to salvage at least the current season.
Domino Effect and a Damaging Signal
CFG's decision to sell its 65% stake back to the club's original owners—Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and chartered accountant Bimal Parekh—sends a chilling message to the ecosystem. As the "world's leading private owner and operator of football clubs," its departure is a direct indictment of the unsustainable environment.
The fear now is that other investors in the ISL might contemplate a similar exit if a clear, long-term plan for the league is not established swiftly. This exit not only creates an immediate vacuum but also severely damages India's credibility in attracting future international football investment.
The contrast is stark. In 2019, Indian football was on a relative high with a decent Asian Cup showing and a rising national team ranking. Today, with the league suspended and the national team struggling, the exit of its most prestigious global investor underscores a rapid and dramatic decline, leaving the sport at a critical crossroads.
