Indian Football Star Makes Desperate Plea After Lionel Messi Tour

Lionel Messi's three-day tour saw unprecedented public frenzy and massive crowds in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi.

Indian men's football team captain Sandesh Jhingan on Wednesday questioned the logic of spending crores on Lionel Messi's high-profile 'GOAT Tour', saying the extravagance has forced him to think if anyone is really concerned about investing in Indian football, which has effectively come to a standstill. Messi's three-day tour saw unprecedented public frenzy and massive crowds in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi.

"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," Jhingan wrote in a candid Instagram post, voicing concern over the direction of the sport in the country.

The India skipper said the unprecedented public response to the tour headlined by Lionel Messi alongside Rodrigo de Paul and Luis Suarez, revealed nation's priorities.

"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," he wrote.

Source:
https://sports.ndtv.com/football/indian-football-star-sandesh-jhingan-makes-desperate-plea-after-lionel-messi-tour-crores-spent-9836249