Football is last thing on my mind at present, admits Sunil Chhteri

Bengaluru FC star Sunil Chhetri has been one of the most active sports personalities during the lockdown and always interacted with his fans via social media platforms. During a recent interview, he stated that football is the ‘last thing’ on his mind right now as it might take some time for things to be normal and feels that the game would undergo a lot of change post the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Football is the last thing on my mind at the moment. No one can really tell how things are going to pan out. A lot will change for everybody and that includes football. We will see games without fans and that isn't something we are used to,” said Sunil Chhetri, during an interview with The Times of India.

“The players will be continuously monitored and checked. We also need to keep a tab on the support staff and the groundsmen both at the stadiums and training grounds. No one can really tell how things are going to pan out,” added the forward.

Even though the situation may arise where matches might be played behind closed doors, Sunil admitted that it’s the only way forward even though no player wants to play in front of an empty stadium.

“No one wants to play in front of an empty stadium. But these are unprecedented times. With football being a team sport and involving around 40 guys in a squad, it will be even more difficult to start the game in our country,” opined the Bengaluru FC player.

“We don't even know when the government will allow us to train. Until the vaccines come out, we have to be extremely careful. If one player contracts the virus, then the entire league will get jeopardized and we can't risk that.”