"Everyone Has To Be Equally Responsible": Sunil Chhetri's Big Request Amid Indian Football's Struggles
Talismanic former Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri on Saturday urged all stakeholders, including the AIFF, players, coaches and the media, to stop blaming each other for the sport's current downward spiral.
Talismanic former Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri on Saturday urged all stakeholders, including the AIFF, players, coaches and the media, to stop blaming each other for the sport's current downward spiral, saying the country has to come together to revive the game. Indian football is on a freefall with the national team slipping to 138th in the FIFA rankings, while the domestic calendar faces uncertainty after the Indian Super League stalled following the end of its previous commercial management contract.
The former captain however was optimistic note talking to the reporters on the sidelines of the Football Players' Association of India's Indian Football Awards 2026 here.
“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,” Chhetri said.
“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.” The Indian clubs have faced financial strain and players have been left staring at uncertain futures.
The AIFF has also faced criticism over instability surrounding the domestic calendar and the lack of a clear long-term roadmap, while its decision to withdraw the men's national team from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup to prioritise a series of high-profile friendlies against World Cup teams has triggered debate.
However Chhetri said the players too must accept responsibility for the national team's decline.
“I was also a part of the national team. And why has the ranking gone down? It's because of the way we have played, the games that we should have won but lost. That is the reason why we are where we are. As players, we take responsibility. I took it when I was there,” he said.
The 42-year-old made it clear that he did not believe the current situation could be resolved by simply pointing fingers at one stakeholder.
“I'm pretty sure the players who are playing right now will take responsibility. But if this country is going to a good place, it has to be all of us. Every one of us has to be equally responsible,” Chhetri said.
“We shouldn't blame each other, saying that this player is bad, the coach is bad, the AIFF is bad.” Chhetri said Indian football now had a choice -- continue with the blame game or collectively work towards fixing its problems.
“We shouldn't blame each other. Everyone has to come together if we want to reach somewhere. We have a choice. We can keep blaming each other, and we know where we're going to reach. Or we can all come together and do our work,” he said.
“And everyone is important, including the media.” While calling for optimism, Chhetri did not suggest that the problems should be ignored.
“So, be a little bit hopeful. We have to ask the right questions, of course. There are a lot of things that we need to improve,” he said.
The former India skipper said every stakeholder had a role to play and warned that constant blame would get the game nowhere.
“Of course, as players, we will do our work, and everyone is going to do their work. I'm not trying to give you a big talk. This is the only way we are going to improve, I can assure you. There is no other way,” he said.
“If you want to keep blaming each other, there is going to be no point. We will have to have a debate. We need to talk, find a way, and move forward.” India are scheduled to play Panama on September 26 in Bengaluru before hosting five-time world champions Brazil on October 3 and Uruguay three days later at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium.
The National team will subsequently tour New Zealand for two more matches.
Asked about the much-discussed Brazil fixture and the national team, Chhetri, who retired from international football last year, initially kept his distance from the current setup.
“I knew this question was coming. What's the point of talking about the national team? I'm not part of it, so I don't really have an idea,” Chhetri added. PTI TAP KHS
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