Indian players 'incredulous' about IPL-style league: Sunil Chhetri

FOOTBALL: Indian football skipper Sunil Chhetri, on Thursday, said that the Indian players are disbelieving the IPL-style football league.

"A lot of players have spoken to me, they are very sceptical about the development. They feel scared. I can’t take names but I try to calm them down. This is not a good position for the players to be. That is the reason I want the topsy-turvy situation to be resolved as soon as possibler. It doesn’t matter which way it turns. It should be solved," Chhetri said at the Nike brand launch.

"There was no risk in joining but nobody was sure what is going to happen. There was no definite plan and I didn’t want to wait that long. I met a lot of IMG-Rellaince officials but I still was not sure. I have nothing against anybody and I am sure there will be a league and many players have signed already. I just want everybody to calm down and a good thing to happen.

"I don’t want one body to go right and one goes left, that is not good for Indian sports. You have to go in the same direction. Clubs also want the betterment of football, AIFF and IMG-Reliance are also there to do good for the sports. They should work together.

"It is not about money. Everybody has cars, everybody has money. There are many players who are running their family. It is never about money, it is about working with a good coach and playing for a good team.

"The last AFC challenge qualifiers didn’t go well for us but we are optimistic. We will do our best. There will be a bit pressure because we are expected to win in SAFF Cup. We don’t want to look any particular team but it is important to win the opening match. A win in the first game will set the mood.

"I was happy with the vision of the Bangalore club. They set everything in place and then got the players. There are 21 players so far. It won’t be easy. We have no long-term target. I’m sure we can achieve a lot of things if we stick together," the talented striker concluded.