The 37-year-old has 84 goals, two fewer than the Argentine, after scoring four in the recently completed third round of Asian Cup qualification.
This haul enabled India to win all three games and make their second consecutive appearance at the continent’s biggest event. Chhetri is concerned that he may not be able to compete in the tournament – and not because there is currently no host, as China relinquished those responsibilities last month. The fear is that India will face a Fifa ban.
“I hope everything will come out as good for the sport and the country does not get a ban,” Chhetri said this month. “The ban will be catastrophic not just for the whole country but for me, because I’m 37. You never know when there’s the last game for you.” After the captain said his piece, the national team coach, Igor Stimac, told those running the game in the country of 1.4 billion to “wake up”.
Despite the fact that the national team is becoming a fixture in continental competition, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been in disarray. Praful Patel took over as president in 2008, succeeding Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who had been in charge since 1988 but was bedridden at the time. Patel’s rise in the football world has been smoother than India’s. He is a Fifa Council member and Asian Football Confederation vice-president. The fortunes of the various national teams have fluctuated during his tenure, facilities have improved, but the domestic game is in flux due to restructuring, and the AIFF’s signing of a 15-year commercial deal with Reliance in 2010 remains a contentious subject.
In March, the sports ministry issued its decision, reducing the federation’s funding by 85 percent for 2022-23 compared to 2019-20, citing poor national team performance, disappointment with the performances of various age-level sides, and concerns about women’s football.
The AIFF was advised to concentrate on grassroots issues.
The supreme court was charged with resolving the federation’s election situation.
Patel’s tenure came to an end as a result of this. His third term, the maximum allowed, ended in December 2020, but no new election was held (according to Patel, there was a constitutional issue that needed to be resolved first), and he remained in office. To take charge, the court appointed a three-man committee of administrators (CoA). It was originally planned to hold new elections by the end of June. Now everyone is talking about September.
Fifa may have something to say about that. Other Asian nations such as Kuwait and Indonesia have been hit with bans in recent years for what the governing body saw as government interference in the running of the federation. Officials are visiting India on Monday to check out what has been going on. “I don’t think Fifa would have an objection to this development,” said Dr SY Quraishi, one of the three administrators. “Football elections were long overdue, the erstwhile team had stayed on past its tenure and elections were necessary. I don’t see a noncompliance issue with Fifa here. We hope that Fifa will understand and cooperate and we will cooperate with them as we try to finish this task given to us by the court.”
Recent events have harmed India’s reputation, but they pale in comparison to a FIFA ban. Although such an outcome is unlikely, no one wants the situation to drag on. With major reforms taking place in domestic competitions and a decision on the 2027 Asian Cup venue looming, now is the time for those in charge to “wake up,” as coach Stimac says, or else Lionel Messi may be the only winner.
