"We do love the sport, but perhaps not enough to support our own players": Jhingan laments over state of Indian football amid Messi tour hype

New Delhi [India], December 18 : Indian footballer Sandesh Jhingan expressed concerns over the money spent over Argentina football icon Lionel Messi's 'GOAT India Tour', while the Indian domestic football tournaments, Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League, struggle to find sponsorship bids, leaving the future of hundreds of Indian footballers in jeopardy. Jhingan, in his reflection of the situation, felt that the country "does love the sport, but perhaps not enough to support their own players".

Messi's visit to India in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi showcased how a cricket-crazy nation like India is pretty passionate about football as well, as thousands of fans filled up the stadiums to get that one glimpse of Argentina's FIFA World Cup-winning icon waving at them and kicking a football into the stands. The visit to Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata gave the tour a chaotic start, as passionate fans took out their anger on VIPs and politicians who hogged Messi's attention and because of how Messi left earlier than expected, showing the well-known love of West Bengal state for football. The visits to other cities produced several crossover moments, with Messi meeting Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Hyderabad, Indian cricket and football icons Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Chhetri at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in Delhi at Arun Jaitley Stadium.

While the visuals from the tour garnered extensive news and social media coverage and dominated social media trend charts, India's domestic football struggled to breathe, as the first-tier ISL and second-tier I-League competitions have yet to find takers. Also, the Indian national football team failed to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, losing to Bangladesh, ranked 180th.

Taking to Instagram, Jhingan expressed happiness at his country's love for football, but questioned if all the involved stakeholders are getting their priorities right.

"Now that the euphoria of the past few days of the entire country suddenly embracing football has settled somewhat, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. First and foremost, it genuinely made me happy to see that our country does love football, that it can fill stadiums to full capacity and that people are willing to spend lakhs to witness the sport.

What troubles me, however, and leaves me deeply reflective, is that at a time when our own football ecosystem is in jeopardy, arguably facing one of its most difficult phases, we stand on the brink of having no active domestic football ahead of us. It feels as though we are close to shutting everything down because there is no willingness to invest in football within India, yet crores were spent on this tour.

"What this tells me is that we do love the sport, but perhaps not enough to support our own players," he said.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sandesh Jhingan (@sandesh21jhingan)

Jhingan also admitted that he is aware of the criticism his team has received for poor performance recently and, as one of the senior-most players in the line-up, "accepted responsibility" for it. He also expressed confidence that the Indian football team will have "good days" again. The veteran also hoped that, while he was happy that several fans got to experience a "once in a lifetime moment" by witnessing Messi up close, the occasion would "spark a deeper conversation not just about loving football, but about sustaining it at home".

"I am aware of the criticism that comes our way, and I accept responsibility for performances. But football does not exist in isolation. Anyone who truly understands the game knows how profoundly structure, stability, and belief influence what ultimately happens on the pitch. We have had good days before. And we can have them again. Honestly, I find myself questioning many things now.

That said, I am genuinely glad that millions experienced a once in a lifetime moment and saw their dreams come alive. I only hope this occasion sparks a deeper conversation not just about loving football, but about sustaining it at home," he concluded.

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