India football great Chhetri comes out of retirement aged 40

Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri will return to the national team at age 40 in an unexpected reversal of his decision to hang up his boots last year.

The former captain, the fourth-highest men’s international goalscorer of all time, played his last match for India in June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier.

Chhetri said last year that “instinct” told him the match against Kuwait should be his last, and he bowed out in front of nearly 59,000 fans in Kolkata.

But on Thursday, India head coach Manolo Marquez announced the return of India’s most-capped player for the March international window.

India are out of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and are now targeting the Asian Cup in 2027.

“The qualification for the Asian Cup is very crucial for us. Given the importance of the tournament and the matches ahead, I discussed with Sunil Chhetri about making a comeback to strengthen the national team,” Marquez said in a statement from the All India Football Federation.

“He agreed, and so we have included him in the squad.”

India play a friendly against Maldives on March 19, in preparation for an Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh on March 25.

Football has struggled to find its feet among the 1.4 billion people of India, where the sport is dwarfed by the nation’s longstanding cricket obsession.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter once called India a “sleeping giant” of football.

Chhetri is a sporting icon in cricket-mad India.

The diminutive striker, who is 1.7 metres tall, made his debut against fierce rivals Pakistan in 2005 and scored India’s only goal.

Chhetri had two brief but unsuccessful spells in Portugal and the United States but has spent most of his career in India.

In 2009, he was offered a contract by London club Queens Park Rangers, in England’s second tier, but he could not get a work permit.

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/gT601tp

Comments

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...

Taylor Swift cheers on Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs game as ‘Eras Tour’ movie opens in theaters.

Taylor Swift took a break from promoting her new movie "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" to cheer on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs at their game against the Denver Broncos on October 12, 2023. Swift was seen in a luxury suite with Kelce's mom, Donna Kelce, wearing a red Chiefs jacket. This was Swift's third Chiefs game of the season, and she has been seen cheering on Kelce from the sidelines on several occasions. The two have been rumored to be dating since early 2023, and they have been spotted together at a number of events. The Chiefs won the game against the Broncos 19-8, and Swift was seen celebrating with Kelce and his teammates after the game. She also took some time to meet with some of the Chiefs fans who were waiting outside the stadium. It is clear that Swift is a big supporter of Kelce and the Chiefs, and her presence at the game was sure to thrill fans of both. It is also interesting to note that she took time away from promoting her new movie to ...

Infinity Social Updates

Search This Blog