‘No home advantage if no crowd’
KOLKATA: Sunil Chhetri had finished saying how special it would be playing the Asian Cup qualifiers in Kolkata when he was told of reports mentioning that only around 15,000 tickets would be available. Nine days from completing 17 years of international football, Chhetri reacted like he was tackled from behind. “It doesn’t make sense. The fact that we are hosting it would make no difference then,” he said.
India play Cambodia on June 8, Afghanistan on June 11 and Hong Kong on June 14 for a never-before second successive seat at Asian football’s high table. These would be India’s first home games since October 2019.
It was the only time during Friday’s hour-long media interaction that Chhetri looked stumped. How is it, he asked, that over 30,000 came for ATK Mohun Bagan’s games in the AFC Cup, ties which kicked-off early evening when it is hot and muggy, and “we are struggling to sell tickets when we are playing as a national team… We go for training here and 100 people come to watch us. It doesn’t happen anywhere else in the country. That is why I feel strange when I hear that the response might be cold. So you can blame whoever for not doing enough to promote the game.”
On Wednesday, All India Football Federation, now under a committee of Supreme Court appointed administrators, said tickets would be complimentary and available through a website. A PTI report on the same day quoted an organising committee official as saying, “we don’t expect the crowd to go beyond the 5,000 mark.” The official cited the lower rank of the teams and 8:30pm kick-off for India games as reason. Not selling tickets means AIFF won’t have to pay the state government which owns the stadium, the report said. ATK Mohun Bagan, according to a club official, paid around ₹21 lakh per match day for the AFC Cup which also had three match days.
“Bengaluru FC have always played in “intimidating” conditions here because people here love their clubs,” said Chhetri. “They (the teams in India’s group) should feel it too.”
In 2018, ahead of the Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya in Mumbai, Chhetri had appealed on social media asking fans “to abuse us, criticise us but please come to watch the Indian national team play.” India played to a full house at Mumbai Football Arena the next day. “I know I don’t have to do that in Kolkata,” said Chhetri. “I didn’t have to before the Bangladesh game (in October 2019).” 61,486 people had watched that game which ended 1-1.
As always, Chhetri packed a lot in the interaction. It would be a “dream” to go back to the Asian Cup—he would be the first Indian to play three finals should they qualify—said Chhetri. Qualifying for the 24-team finals every time is imperative for India’s progress. “We need to be there.”
Chhetri said Thailand and UAE got a “taste” of what India could do (in 2019, India beat Thailand 4-1 and lost 0-2 to UAE after Chhetri and Ashique Kuruniyan fluffed two clear chances early in the game). “Now we can run, we can fight and keep our shape. If you ask some of these guys to take off their T-shirts, you will see not just six but eight packs. So there is no fear.”
He said he was “scared” next week’s games might not happen after administrators took charge because it could have meant a Fifa ban. “But then I realised it may not be that dangerous though I hope the country does not get a ban.”
With China pulling out of hosting the Asian Cup, no one knows when the next edition will be held but Chhetri said it didn’t matter. “We need to qualify. If we do and I am not playing, maybe we will watch Udanta (Singh) running together. Or maybe, you would watch me running. But if we don’t, there’s no chance of that.”
India’s inconsistency bothers him, said Chhetri. “For over 80 minutes against Oman we were leading, we hold Qatar and then play disappointing games against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It is for us players to figure out what’s missing.”