26 March,2022 02:03 PM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
India football captain Sunil Chhetri (right) in conversation with Raghav Gupta, founder and CEO of Fanatic Sports, the official hospitality partner in India for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, at an event in Mumbai on Friday. Pic/Ashwin Ferro
India football captain Sunil Chhetri stunned the audience at an event on Friday night when he announced that he has never watched a FIFA World Cup match in a stadium. "Believe it," he said, emphasising on his revelation on the sidelines of the launch of Fanatic Sports as the official hospitality partner in India for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar (November 21 to December 18, 2022).
"I've hosted a few World Cup matches from TV studios, but [I've] never been to one [ground] because I was too busy playing for my country," added Chhetri, 37.
Speaking about the upcoming World Cup, Chhetri said that it would undoubtedly be the biggest sporting event ever. "We [Indian team] have played some matches in Qatar and it's a great experience to play in their air-conditioned venues. It's around 42 degrees outside, but when you enter the ground it's brilliant at 18 degrees. Besides, some of the stadiums have so many facilities like huge hotels and lounges within. It's a world-class experience," he added.
Chhetri, meanwhile, expressed shock at reigning Euro 2020 champs Italy failing to qualify for their second World Cup on the trot. "I was extremely shocked. I couldn't watch the match on TV the previous night as it was pretty late, but when I woke up the next morning and learnt that Italy had lost their qualifier to North Macedonia, I couldn't believe it. At the Euros, Italy were too good and I wondered what it would take to beat such a team. But unknown teams can surprise anyone and that's a good sign for a team like India because we are also capable of surprising any team on our day," said Chhetri, who did not pick a favourite for the upcoming quadrennial showpiece event, but hoped that an Asian country did well. "I want an Asian team to fare well. Japan and Qatar are both good teams and I hope they can play well and go far in this tournament," he concluded.
