Need to educate more people about racism to get rid of it, opines Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri completed 15 years of International football this Friday, having played his first match against Pakistan, back in 2005. In his long and illustrious career, the forward has gone on to become India’s most celebrated footballer and is still the backbone of the strike force at a ripe age of 35. Throwing light on the recent racist activities which have gained attention in the past few weeks, the Indian skipper admitted that people need to be educated more to put an end to it.

“It (racism) really hurts. There is absolutely no logic or truth behind it. It used to happen a lot before. But now we need to educate more people about it. Mankind owes it to its own evolution to rid this world of racism,” said Sunil Chhetri, as reported by telanganatoday.com.

“At the end of the day, everyone belongs to some colour, caste, or religion. So what is the point of demeaning a person from another community? Racism comes from ignorance, at the end of the day. If I see someone being racist, I would get a hold of them and explain to them why what they are doing is wrong,” added India’s record goalscorer.

The recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked worldwide protests against racism and the Black Lives Matter movement has gained momentum at a rapid rate. Meanwhile, players from different spheres, including footballers, have raised their voices regarding racist slurs they’ve received during matches.