Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has joined Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Announcing this at a press conference here on Friday, Aureliano Neves,
club vice-president, said this was the first step towards the club’s
initiative to develop football in India.
“India has a large young population and there is scope for development,”
said Neves, while stressing that his club was keen to work with the All
India Football Federation (AIFF) to develop the sport at the grassroots
level.
An emotional Chhetri, who was handed a club jersey, said he would try to
make the most of the opportunity. “I will never forget this in my
lifetime. I am playing for a nation which is ranked 156th and now I will
play in a country which is No. 5, and for one of the best clubs in the
world,” said the diminutive striker.
“I am not going to lose this opportunity. I will leave no stone
unturned. When I will be a 40-year-old, I will be able to say that I
gave whatever was humanely possible for me,” said Chhetri.
The official website of the Sporting Clube de Portugal, also known as
Sporting Lisbon, claimed that “Chhetri will join the club’s reserve
side.” However, Neves said the decision would rest with the coaches.
Even though Chhetri will play for the Portuguese outfit in the next
season, there is a possibility of the contract being extended. Chhetri,
who will turn 28 next month, will leave for Lisbon in a week or two as
the Portuguese season starts on July 15.
Welcoming the development, AIFF president Praful Patel said: “it is a
milestone for Indian football. Sunil will play with some top players of
the world.”
Chhetri, Lisbon deal: a mutual benefit
“The club has officially opened its doors to the Indian market,” read
a statement on Sporting Lisbon’s official website after the former
Portuguese champions announced the signing of India captain Sunil
Chhetri.
There’s no doubt of an underlying financial interest on the part of
Sporting Lisbon as they make their foray into the Indian market.
Chhetri, who played for Mohun Bagan in the I-League last season, penned a
two-year deal with Sporting on Thursday and will initially play for
their reserve side in the second division. He will fly out to the
Iberian country in two weeks’ time.
The signing, evidently, is not
based on pure footballing reasons. The former Portuguese champions
admitted as much. “We have reached out to Indian football, a market
estimated by FIFA contain more than 20 million players, and in this
context, Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian national team and an idol
in that country, who symbolises the dreams of all young players who
aspire to play in Europe, will join the roster of the ‘B’ team,” the
club said in a statement.
Sporting Lisbon, who reached the
semifinals of the Europa League last season and finished fourth in their
domestic league, are going through a severe financial crisis. It is
learnt that the club’s president Luiz Godinho Lopez was in India last
month to meet potential investors. With Chhetri as Sporting’s face in
India, the club has already lined up several commercial activities.
Considering
that the football market in India is growing by the day, the deal makes
perfect business sense for them. To attract more sponsors, the club is
also planning to tie-up with a broadcaster to telecast their ‘B’ team
matches live in India as well as China.
This is not to undermine
Chhetri’s abilities and the enormity of this development. The deal makes
him only the second Indian after Baichung Bhutia to ply his trade in
Europe. It’s also a fitting reward for the striker’s perseverance. If
anything, it’s his opportunity to make amends for a rather disappointing
spell in USA’s Major League Soccer, where he played for Sporting Kansas
City.
With 33 goals in 58 appearances for India, the diminutive
striker can hope of getting more playing time than he did in the MLS as
he will be featuring in the ‘B’ squad, which plays in the second
division (called Liga de Honra). “I don’t know what I will achieve there
but I will work as hard as I can. I will work hard to the extent that I
don’t have to regret later,” the 27-year-old said.
That he will
be playing in the second division in Portugal shouldn’t act as a
spoiler. The ‘B’ side is the stepping stone to the club’s main team. If
Chhetri manages to impress the club with his performances, a decision
will be made on whether he should be promoted to the main squad. Also,
the playing standard in a professional league of a country ranked fifth
in the world will surely be better than that in India, ranked 163. “I
want to see where I stand...want to grab it with both hands. I can’t let
go this opportunity,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment