Indian Football Team skipper Sunil Chhetri, at 39 years old, stands as one of the elder statesmen at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and may potentially participate in a major continental competition for the final time. Upon the Indian team’s arrival at the Doha International Airport last week, fans showered applause on all the players, reserving the heartiest cheer for their captain.
Fans continued singing Chhetri’s name until the very end of the reception. The remarkable support is expected to persist when India takes the field in their matches at the continental showpiece, as affirmed by Jassim Abdulaziz Al Jassim, the CEO of the Asian Cup 2023 local organizing committee.
“Sunil is one of the best players in this tournament and we have seen that a lot of spectators are buying tickets to attend India matches for that reason,” Al Jassim told TOI in an exclusive interaction.
“When India arrived, a lot of fans were waiting for Sunil outside the airport. It was nice and gives the team a good vibe ahead of the tournament.”
With an impressive 145 caps, Sunil Chhetri is set to become one of the top-three most capped players at the Asian Cup, commencing next week. Only Qatar forward Hassan Al-Haydos (175) and Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaffer (161) surpass the record-setting India striker in terms of appearances. Notably, during the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosted by Qatar, India had the second-highest number of visitors, following closely behind neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
“We have seen very high sales for Indian matches. I think after Qatar matches, India comes next in sales,” said Al Jassim.
As per a FIFA report, a significant group of 56,893 fans traveled to Doha, marking the largest contingent of supporters from a non-participating nation. The upcoming 2023 AFC Asian Cup will mark India’s fifth appearance in the continental tournament, notably qualifying for two consecutive editions for the first time.
India, drawn into Group B for the AFC Asian Cup 2023, will have a difficult task against Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria. The campaign starts on January 13 with a game against the Socceroos and ends on January 18 with a play against Uzbekistan. On the 23rd, a pivotal matchup versus Syria will wrap off the group stage.
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