Chhetri, Lisbon deal: a mutual benefit

“The club has officially opened its doors to the Indian market,” read a statement on Sporting Lisbon’s official website after the former Portuguese champions announced the signing of India captain Sunil Chhetri.

There’s no doubt of an underlying financial interest on the part of Sporting Lisbon as they make their foray into the Indian market. Chhetri, who played for Mohun Bagan in the I-League last season, penned a two-year deal with Sporting on Thursday and will initially play for their reserve side in the second division. He will fly out to the Iberian country in two weeks’ time.

The signing, evidently, is not based on pure footballing reasons. The former Portuguese champions admitted as much. “We have reached out to Indian football, a market estimated by FIFA contain more than 20 million players, and in this context, Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian national team and an idol in that country, who symbolises the dreams of all young players who aspire to play in Europe, will join the roster of the ‘B’ team,” the club said in a statement.

Sporting Lisbon, who reached the semifinals of the Europa League last season and finished fourth in their domestic league, are going through a severe financial crisis. It is learnt that the club’s president Luiz Godinho Lopez was in India last month to meet potential investors. With Chhetri as Sporting’s face in India, the club has already lined up several commercial activities.

Considering that the football market in India is growing by the day, the deal makes perfect business sense for them. To attract more sponsors, the club is also planning to tie-up with a broadcaster to telecast their ‘B’ team matches live in India as well as China.

This is not to undermine Chhetri’s abilities and the enormity of this development. The deal makes him only the second Indian after Baichung Bhutia to ply his trade in Europe. It’s also a fitting reward for the striker’s perseverance. If anything, it’s his opportunity to make amends for a rather disappointing spell in USA’s Major League Soccer, where he played for Sporting Kansas City.

With 33 goals in 58 appearances for India, the diminutive striker can hope of getting more playing time than he did in the MLS as he will be featuring in the ‘B’ squad, which plays in the second division (called Liga de Honra). “I don’t know what I will achieve there but I will work as hard as I can. I will work hard to the extent that I don’t have to regret later,” the 27-year-old said.

That he will be playing in the second division in Portugal shouldn’t act as a spoiler. The ‘B’ side is the stepping stone to the club’s main team. If Chhetri manages to impress the club with his performances, a decision will be made on whether he should be promoted to the main squad. Also, the playing standard in a professional league of a country ranked fifth in the world will surely be better than that in India, ranked 163. “I want to see where I stand...want to grab it with both hands. I can’t let go this opportunity,” he said.