Indian football icon Sunil Chhetri showcased his leadership prowess as he guided the national team to an impressive treble of trophies with a resounding victory at the SAFF Championship 2023. In a thrilling summit clash, India continued their unbeaten streak of 11 matches, which commenced with their triumph in the Hero Tri-Nation Cup opener in Manipur. The final showdown witnessed an electrifying atmosphere at the packed Sree Kanteerava Stadium as India clinched a memorable 9th SAFF Championship title. The hard-fought battle concluded with India emerging triumphant over Kuwait, prevailing by a nail-biting 5-4 margin in the penalty shootout on Tuesday. Chhetri’s exceptional leadership and the team’s remarkable performance have propelled Indian football to new heights, leaving fans exhilarated and proud of their national squad.
Sharing the overwhelming note, Sunil Chettri wrote on social media handle, “Bangalore, you guys were special man. Generally, I say this all the time and I’m probably biased, but Pritham Da, Shubashish, Rahul, Anirugh Thapa, Nikhil Poojary, Anwar, Akash, they all came and spoke to me about this, that they felt something different this time in Bangalore. You guys were outstanding. The West Block, the East upper and lower, the North Stand and even the South Stand. Special mention to the travelling Manjapadda, the mariners, the northeast brigade, the east Bengal ultras and a few others I’m unable to recall right now, but all of you coming together and supporting us the way you did was something. And let me tell you a small secret, the games against Lebanon and Kuwait weren’t easy and if you weren’t there, we wouldn’t have got this. I’m just telling you facts. I’m not trying to praise you, not trying to be modest. I’m just telling you a fact. If you guys weren’t there and if not for the way you guys came in and supported us, this wouldn’t be there. Throughout this year, right from when we played at Manipur to Odisha and now Bangalore, the whole nation, everywhere we went, it has been special.”
She added, “I hope you understand how important you guys are. We are going to win some games and going to lose some, but just knowing that we are all in this together gives us a lot of hope. And one thing I can tell you about this team is that we fight. No matter what, we fight. No matter where we are playing, we fight. And no matter who we are playing, we fight. We always do that. So, this is me, on behalf of the whole team telling you guys, the whole of Bangalore, and the supporters from different clubs, thank you so much.”
