The Indian team captain and all time leading scorer Sunil Chettri said that Indian Super league alone would not change things for Indian football. It will take a collective approach from the government, players, media and corporate houses for the development of sports in the country. He said and expressed concerns over the downward slide of the Indian team especially losing to tiny nation Guam in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
He missed last year’s ISL, but is set to take part in the ISL this year and was brought by Mumbai City FC. He said that it will be a great learning experience to be a part of the Indian Super League. Last year ISL made people come to watch the matches at the stadium and also watch at home. This season will be no different. The success of ISL in the development of sports in the country needs to be seen. It has created the buzz and hype around football that it very badly needs. It needs a lot of improvement of infrastructure we need more grounds. He said that it will take a lot of things to come together.
Losing to Guam was a big loss for the Indian team. The Indian team has many new young players and Stephen is really working hard, he said. But the team needs time to realize its full potential.
Like in other countries where football is a big sport, the Indian team needs to learn from them and try to follow their steps.