Following India’s exit from AFC 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Bhaichung Bhutia terms Sunil Chhetri’s decision to reverse retirement ‘a mistake’

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Bhaichung Bhutia on Sunil Chhetri Sunil Chhetri in action against Singapore in Goa on Tuesday.. (AIFF)

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia said that talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri shouldn’t have reversed his retirement decision in order to help India in the AFC 2027 Asian Cup qualification campaign, terming it as a mistake. Chhetri has last scored for the Blue Tigers in March this year against Maldives but since then has drawn a blank.

Bhutia was reacting to India’s exit from the Asian Cup qualifiers after the third round following their 1-2 defeat to Singapore in Goa. He even called for goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to call it a day in order for the next generation to take over.

“It’s time for Sunil. He’s had a great career and a wonderful farewell, but his comeback was a big mistake, for him and for Indian football. I had mentioned that earlier too. It’s also time for senior players like Sunil and Gurpreet to call it a day. They have served Indian football well, but now the next generation has to take over,” Bhutia said to PTI.

Bhutia also said that India should move away from trying to emulate Europeamn football models and follow in the footsteps of Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Jordan, who have achieved consistent success with modest resources.

“It’s very disappointing because the Asia Cup is something we should at least be qualifying for regularly. When 24 teams qualify for the Asia Cup and you still can’t make it, then it’s very, very disappointing. We keep talking about the World Cup and other big things, but if we can’t even qualify for the Asia Cup, then we are very far away from our goal,” he said.

“Right now, we are looking too much at models of corporate valuation, money and European football structures — the Premier League, La Liga — and trying to glamorise the sport. But football has to be about football. Where are the priorities for the sport? Indian football should not just copy European models or chase glamour. We should look at Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Jordan — how they have developed and qualified regularly. Even with modest leagues, they have structure, they produce players, and they qualify for big tournaments. India need to study those models and not just corporatise or commercialise football,” he added.

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