Benzema's move to Al-Hilal and Ronaldo's protest have exposed cracks in Saudi football's power balance. What began as squad building has spiralled into a league-wide debate on fairness, control and ambition.
From handshake rows to World Cup boycotts, Mohsin Naqvi has kept cricket on edge. His confrontations with India have turned administration into spectacle, dragging the game into politics instead of letting it breathe.
Shubman Gill's chaotic all-format calendar shows how modern scheduling is eroding red-ball skills faster than results can hide them. No wonder India's Test cricket is on the decline.
Daryl Mitchell struck another commanding century to haunt India yet again, guiding New Zealand to victory in Rajkot. His growing dominance against India now reads like a pattern rather than a coincidence.
Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid stint ended far earlier than expected despite early promise. From dressing room tensions to fading results, a slow build-up of issues finally cost the former Leverkusen coach his dream job.
The ISL will restart on February 14, but players are being asked to take salary cuts of up to 25 percent. With no commercial partner in place, footballers are paying the price for survival.
ISL's return masks deeper trouble as clubs are forced to fund the league themselves. Pay cuts, player exits and rushed decisions show Indian football's problems did not end with confirming the 2025–26 season.
Indian football still lives inside the dreams of its children, even as the system around them crumbles. In 2026, the game must choose whether to rebuild belief or quietly watch that dream slip away.
Brendon McCullum's Ted Lasso-style belief reshaped England's Test cricket. Australia's Ashes summer showed that optimism alone fades quickly without preparation and adaptability.
For a few days, Indian football felt alive again. Once Lionel Messi left, the silence returned, exposing a stalled ISL, anxious players and a system struggling to survive without the glare of spectacle.
