Coronavirus: Chennai City duo pledge to emerge stronger

The former I-League champions endured an underwhelming season in 2019-20.

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought life to a standstill as people are required to stay at home in order to help control the spread of the virus. Chennai City FC stars Charles Anandraj and Sriram Boopathi urged people across the country to do the same, saying that we shall overcome the situation ‘together’.

“We miss playing the game and the most valuable asset of the game — the fans too. I request all the fans and the people of India to take care of their loved ones in this critical period. I urge everyone to obey the lockdown and help the frontline workers who are directly fighting against the coronavirus,” Charles told i-league.org.

Sriram echoed his teammates’ thoughts, saying, “Different situations demand unique solutions. The current situation that we are in now demands all of us to stay home and thereby staying safe for the wellness of ourselves and our loved ones. Together, we will overcome the current situation and come out stronger.”

The players are currently at their respective homes in Tamil Nadu and delved into their daily routines — which consists of helping out with household chores, working out, reading and spending quality time with family, among others.

“My daily routine is playing games, eating, workout, sleep and repeat. My hobby is doing carpentry works and I just keep thinking of new ways to improve on my skills on and off the field. I love to help my mom with the household work. I also have my pet dogs at home, who keep me busy throughout the day and are my best companions,” detailed Charles.

“I start the day with exercise for an hour and then have one more workout session in the evening for another hour. I keep myself busy by reading books, listening to music, helping out a few household chores and spending a lot of time with family,” said Sriram.

Chennai City FC picked up 21 points in 16 games in their 2019-20 Hero I-League season.

Charles mentioned, “Our team slowly became stronger game by game. Individually, I feel I have improved this year compared to the last two seasons and coach Akbar (Nawas) taught me so many new things which helped me to improve.”

Sriram added that it was a great season for him along with many other Indian players in the squad.

“This has been a good learning experience for me. A lot of domestic players were given chances and I was given more playing time and a lot of opportunities to improve my skills. The team overall had done a good job despite us not achieving the desired result,” he concluded.

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