Why no Sunil Chhetri? India’s newly-appointed head coach Khalid Jamil explains | Football News
India’s newly-appointed head coach Khalid Jamil has explained the absence of striker Sunil Chhetri from the CAFA Nations Cup national camp. The tournament serves as preparation for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifying matches in October.Jamil, who took over from Manolo Marquez this month, announced a list of 35 probables for the CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Notably, Chhetri was not included in the selection.“He (Chhetri) is not there in this camp because we are playing a tournament which will essentially serve as a preparation for our Asian Cup Qualifiers. I also want to try out a few other players during this FIFA window. I had a talk with him about the same. It’s always a pleasure to have a player like him in the team, and the door is always open for him. Sunil is a legend of Indian football. I have played against him, I’ve seen him play on numerous occasions, and he is one of my favourite players. He is a role model for Indian football,” Jamil said. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India will compete in Group B of the CAFA Nations Cup, facing Tajikistan on August 29, Iran on September 1, and Afghanistan on September 4. The tournament’s third-place match and final are scheduled for September 8 in Hisor and Tashkent respectively.The national camp began on Saturday with 22 players. The remaining 13 players, currently involved in the Durand Cup, are expected to join soon. The AIFF has requested clubs to release their national team players for the tournament.Chhetri, aged 41, had initially retired from international football after playing against Kuwait in June last year. He later returned for national duty against Maldives in March following Marquez’s request to assist in the Asian Cup qualifiers.Since his return, Chhetri has participated in four matches, scoring once in India’s 3-0 victory over Maldives. India’s recent performances include a goalless draw with Bangladesh and a 0-1 loss to Hong Kong in Asian Cup qualifiers, complicating their path to the 2027 continental tournament.The team also suffered a 0-2 defeat against Thailand in an international friendly, leading to Marquez’s departure.“This will be India’s first-ever participation in the CAFA Nations Cup, and it will be a good opportunity for us to play against stronger and quality opponents like Tajikistan and Iran in CAFA Nations Cup. This will definitely be beneficial for us to prepare for AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. There is absolutely no excuse for us, as we have enough time to prepare for it. We may be treating these as preparatory games, but this is serious business for us,” he added.“We must do the simple things first and go step by step. We are treating these matches as friendly games, but I want to take players who are fit. When I say fit, I mean, the players who will play must be 100 per cent fit.”“We started the camp with some players still not available, but we’ve got the players we need to begin our preparations. We had a good first training session yesterday (Saturday), but there’s a lot to improve on. The important thing is that we remain united as a team. For the national interest, we would like to request co-operation from clubs to release players on time, to ensure their adequate participation during the preparatory camp.“Jamil, who previously coached Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United, acknowledged the need for adjustment time with the team. He emphasised that player selection would be based on performance.“The players also need time to adjust to me. My doors are always open to everybody. Whoever is doing well will be selected,” he explainedRegarding his appointment as India’s head coach, Jamil expressed his gratitude: “It is my pleasure to serve the country. It has always been my dream to do this, and it has now come true, so that feels very good. There is a big task ahead of us, and we’ve got many areas that we need to work on. I am fully aware how big a responsibility it is for me, but I feel thankful that the Federation (AIFF) felt me worthy to be entrusted with it.“
