‘You want people to come to matches and fill up stadiums’
One always wondered if the Indian football team would perform the same way, if their talisman and leader Sunil Chhetri was not on the pitch. But all those doubts were put to rest when goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was given the captaincy armband against Qatar, as the part of the Asia Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
And Gurpreet’s exploits against that country last month, which saw India pull off a stunning 0-0 draw that too on the home ground of the Asian champions, earned him plaudits from across the country. “It was indeed a special moment. It was a very difficult match against Qatar, but I feel that we played well, and defended as a team,” he says. “We deserved something out of it. I was overwhelmed with it all. Khushi ke aansu aa rahe the,” he laughs.
The footballer says the Indian team’s improved performance also has a lot to do with increased fan support.
The 27-year-old feels that Chettri’s video, which he posted on his social media profiles last year, urging Indians to support their team by filling up the stadiums, seems to have struck a chord with the football lovers. “Definitely after Chhetri bhai’s video, we have seen the response, which has been great. You now see fans filling up stadiums, not just in India but for the away games as well. We were really happy to see the number of Indian fans who
were in Qatar and were supporting us. Naturally things like that affect the team’s morale greatly,” says Gurpreet, who is the first ever Indian to play in the UEFA Europa League.
“You want people to come to matches and fill up stadiums. You want that because you are playing for the nation at the end of the day and you want people to come and support you,” the footballer points out.
India, despite its love for cricket, is also a football-crazy nation as every FIFA World Cup would prove. But few would turn up to watch the game. And to the delight of those playing on the field, that is finally happening thanks to Chhetri’s rallying cry.
“The response has been great. People now have more questions about the game. They want to know more about us, the new players and old players like me or Chettri bhai. So it has been a really great thing, and I think it was about time that football got the recognition in India, because there are a lot of people who love this sport,” Gurpeet adds.