"Be kind to and civil with each other," Sunil Chhetri's wife reacts to the social media storm

Sonam Bhattacharya came out with an appeal to forego hate and adopt kindness.

“In the midst of football, rivalry, passion, and support, how did we forget to be kind to, and civil with each other?” said Sonam Bhattacharya on Twitter after receiving a series of hateful comments from Kerala Blasters FC fans on social media. 

Unless one was living under a rock, one would remember the controversial goal by Sunil Chhetri in the Indian Super League 2022-23 knockout fixture between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters FC on 3 March 2023 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

The quickly-taken free-kick in extra time caught KBFC off-guard and after aggressive protests, Ivan Vukomanovic walked off the pitch with his band of players. The referee Crystal John blew the whistle and adjudged BFC as winners. He also received a lot of hate for his decision during the game.

In the aftermath of the result, there were widespread hateful messages from the KBFC fanbase meant for Sunil Chhetri and his wife on social media. It was unfortunate to witness absolutely vile messages meant for the legendary captain of the Indian national team.

Sonam Bhattacharya’s message

Sunil Chhetri’s wife finally responded and gave her take on the whole controversy in a recent tweet. She posted, “I sincerely hope that you left behind all your hate, toxic thoughts, and frustration on social media, and are at home in peace around loved ones. I hope you got what you wanted by abusing and threatening the family.”

She further went on to point out how Kerala is a beautiful State with beautiful people. Receiving hateful messages will not change her perception of the region. “Kerala is a beautiful state with warm and welcoming people, so no amount of hate will change my perception,” she added.

In conclusion, Sonam also advocated the adoption of kindness above all emotions that football produces. She added in her tweet, “For all the emotions that football brings, let's keep kindness on top of that list once the final whistle is blown.”