Former India football captain Sunil Chhetri revealed that he is feeling jealous after seeing the current national players getting an opportunity to clash against World giants Brazil, Uruguay and Panama. Notably, the Men in Blue are set to be up against three World Cup playing nations including Brazil, Uruguay, and Panama during the international FIFA window in September and October 2026. It is for the same reason the All India Football Federation (AIFF) withdrew from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup.
Speaking about the forthcoming games, Chhetri revealed that he felt a bit jealous as he never got such an opportunity even after spending two decades with the national team and in his 25 years of career. "I am really happy and a little bit jealous that the boys are going to play against Brazil, Uruguay and Panama. In my 26 years of professional play and 20 years of national team, I never got a chance... I hope we can get the boys as fit as possible.... I just hope that they can get the best out of this game," Chhetri said.
He also revealed about getting back to training while ruling out the thoughts of coming out of retirement. "I just trained for 20 minutes. I'm around 42 now, I can barely run properly, and I'm struggling," he stated.
At the end of the day, it’s going to be fine. It takes time: Sunil Chhetri on Difficulties of Indian Football
Chhetri also opened up on the difficulties of Indian football but said that though it will take time, the situation will get better. "The Indian football graph, for as many years as I’ve played, has always been like this. We’re probably in a phase where things are not going very well, because of what we’ve done with the national team, what we’ve done in the league, etcetera. But we all have to be hopeful,” he asserted.
"At the end of the day, it’s going to be fine. It takes time. Looking at all your faces, we all want things to be fine as soon as possible. It will be. I’m always hopeful. Things might be a little bit 'kharab' (bad), but things are going to be fine," Chhetri added.
Notably, the Indian team will be up against Panama on September 26 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, followed by clashes against Brazil and Uruguay on October 3 and October 6 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata.
