AFC Asian Cup | Nice thing that Gurpreet Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan have stepped up, asserts Chhetri

01/03/2019

Veteran forward Sunil Chhetri played down the rumours of a rift within the Indian football team as he lavished praise on teammates Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan. Chief coach Stephen Constantine mentioned that he is not bothered about such rumours surrounding the national team.

The Indian football team is on the brink of their much-anticipated AFC Asian Cup campaign which will begin on January 6 and veteran forward Sunil Chhetri has brushed aside any rumours of an internal rift within the Indian dressing room. Rumors were afloat that English coach Stephen Constantine’s decision to create a pool of captains which included Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Sandesh Jhingan hampered relations within the national squad.

However, India’s highest goal scorer has said that Constantine had clearly stated his ‘four-captain theory’ and the team already had two deserving players who are ready to take over the mantle.

“There is nothing personal between the coach and me or between any player and the coach. Everyone is working hard to achieve as much as we can for the benefit of the team and in that context the coach is doing his from the outset. That’s the way he (Constantine) wants to operate. It’s a policy that he has started from Day 1 and there are no surprises. I think you need to look at the positives. It’s a nice thing that players like Sandesh and Gurpreet have stepped up because whenever I retire, best,” Chhetri told TOI on Wednesday.

The coach himself addressed these ill-timed rumours but deemed them as insignificant as he claimed that the entire team is focused on putting in a dominant display at the upcoming Asian showpiece in the UAE.

“If there was a rift of any kind between me and the players, do you think we would have achieved what we have achieved? Chhetri is an extremely dedicated and hard-working player on the field and I appreciate that you do not become one of the highest scorers in international football (among active players) without quality skills," Constantine explained.

“We share a very healthy professional relationship. Chhetri is in the shape that he is required to be and he plays the way I want him to play and he does what I need him to, and he does that professionally time and again. That’s all I care about.”

The Indian football team will begin the AFC Asian Cup campaign on January 6 against Thailand at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.