Speculations about ace Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri's retirement are rife, his recent comments about 'his last games' have added fuel to fire.
The 37-year-old while speaking about the Asia Cup Qualifiers final round said, 'it will be catastrophic if the country faces a FIFA ban because I'm 37, I'm playing my last games'. He said these statements in reference to a speculated FIFA ban on India due to Supreme Court's ruling to remove Praful Patel as All India Football Federation's President.
Patel was recently ousted from his post since he exceeded his tenure as the President of AIFF. His term was set to end in December 2020, however, he did not leave his position and refused to hold fresh elections. This, he did on the back of a pending case of 2017 which was regarding the issue of a new constitution of AIFF. A joint team from FIFA and AFC is set to visit India to review the situation.
While Chhetri isn't sure about his retirement yet, he said that the day he doesn't enjoy the game or his schedule, he will retire; but he refused to give a specific date.
The Asia Cup Qualifiers' final round begins on June 8 with India facing Cambodia in their first game.