Sunil Chhetri was not picked in the CAFA Nations Cup national camp as part of the probables for the tournament. Khalid Jamil, the newly-appointed head coach, explained the reason behind Chhetri’s absence from the camp
India talisman Sunil Chhetri was left out of the CAFA Nations Cup national camp after India named a list of 35 probables for the tournament. Newly-appointed head coach Khalid Jamil cleared the air about leaving Chhetri out of the camp.
Jamil, who has replaced Manolo Marquez, explained the reason behind leaving the talisman striker out and hinted that Chhetri is expected to return to the team for the Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 (away) and October 14 (home).
“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,” Jamil said on the second day of the national camp.
“I also want to try out a few other players during this FIFA window. I had a talk with him about the same. Itโs always a pleasure to have a player like him in the team, and the door is always open for him.
The coach called Chhetri a legend and a role model for Indian football. โSunil is a legend of Indian football.
I have played against him, Iโve seen him play on numerous occasions, and he is one of my favourite players. He is a role model for Indian football,” he said in a release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
India are placed in Group B of the CAFA Nations Cup. They will lock horns against co-host Tajikistan on August 29, before squaring off against Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4. The third-place match and the final will be played on September 8 in Hisor and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), respectively.
Meanwhile, Jamil said that the CAFA Nations Cup will provide a great opportunity for the players as they can face teams like Tajikistan and Iran.ย
“This will be Indiaโs 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 the CAFA Nations Cup. This will definitely be beneficial for us to prepare for the 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 said.