Former India captain Sunil Chhetri has admitted that he feels “a little jealous” of the current national team after the Blue Tigers were handed the opportunity to face football giants Brazil and Uruguay. Chhetri, who spent nearly two decades with the national side, said he never received a similar opportunity during his international career.
India are set to face five-time world champions Brazil in Kolkata on October 3 before taking on Uruguay three days later. Chhetri said he would be watching the matches as a spectator and urged the current crop of players to make the most of the rare opportunity. He also backed the talented youngsters in the squad to step up on the big stage.
The 42-year-old, who recently returned to training, also ruled out any immediate thoughts of returning to international football. Chhetri joked about his fitness after training for just 20 minutes, saying he was struggling to run properly. When asked about squad selection and players who had been left out, he said the coach was best placed to answer those questions and insisted that he was now simply a fan.
Chhetri's comments came amid a challenging period for Indian football. India have slipped to 138th in the FIFA rankings, while uncertainty surrounding the domestic football calendar and financial difficulties affecting clubs have added to the concerns. However, the former captain called for optimism and said the current situation should not be blamed on any single stakeholder.
The Indian football icon urged players, coaches, officials, administrators and the media to share responsibility and work together rather than engage in a blame game. Chhetri acknowledged that difficult questions must be asked, but stressed that Indian football needs constructive debate, collective responsibility and solutions. Despite the current struggles, he remained hopeful that the sport can move forward if everyone comes together.
