EXCLUSIVE: Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky opens up on Indian youngsters, Sunil Chhetri's successor & more

Mumbai City FC finished third in ISL 2025-26

Mumbai City FC head coach, Petr Kratky, is known for giving gametime to youngsters, as we have seen him work with them throughout his coaching career.

The 44-year-old coach from Czech Republic who was previously involved with A-League side Melbourne City FC has managed Mumbai City for more than 60 games and is a very experienced coach in the Indian football ecosystem.

Petr Kratky spoke exclusively to Khel Now about the importance of giving Indian youngsters regular gametime. He also explained the reason for trusting Indian players and much more.

Take a look at Khel Now’s exclusive conversation with Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky.

On developing Indian football talent

Taking an example from his experience in youth football and academy development in Czech Republic, Petr Kratky shared why he strongly believes that the upcoming Indian talents deserve consistent opportunities to make it to their full potential.

“Look for me where I am from, the Czech Republic and Australia, on that side, I love to develop young players. I was in the football development stages for the Football academy, where we nourish potential. We help people to grow their academy with good young players.”

“When I came to India, I was also here to develop young players. To help them to play the best game. They need to play every minute of the game to improve their game. If India needs to improve their standing, development is needed.”

Balance between Indian players & foreigners is much needed

During Petr Kratky’s time at Mumbai City FC, he has given regular gametime to Indian players and trusted them during important phases, especially the recent season.

Petr Kratky believes that clubs must balance the gametime for the Indian players, small changes like these can make a huge difference for the development of Indian football.

“If you look at the Indian development footballers, they have some good players. You have very good midfielders; you have very good full-backs and also a couple of good centre-backs. But number 9, attacking creative material are the shortest thing for young development. In that particular position, Indian players need to improve.”

“Teams like Mumbai City FC and Mohun Bagan are the winning sides. We need to balance out the youngster development and also the winning method of the team.”

“My goal, I proudly said, is to win the league with a bunch of domestic players. Is it possible with an Indian perspective? I don’t know, but we have to try again and again. Foreigners are also very good for the team to complement each other and create quality.”

On Sunil Chhetri’s successor

Speaking exclusively to Khel Now, Petr Kratky also shared his concerns about the striker problem in Indian football. He discussed India’s search for a proper successor to Sunil Chhetri and stressed the need to develop more quality forwards.

He pointed out that because every club has a good foreign number 9, that’s why Indian clubs don’t give chance or minutes to any domestic striker. And that is the biggest reason why there is a vacant place after Sunil Chhetri’s departure.

“You tell me, after Sunil Chhetri, who is the proper number 9 for the Indian national football team? There is no one. And there we are, asking why there is no one to lead the line for India. Because every club of the ISL has a foreign number 9, that’s why domestic strikers get overshadowed.”

“But what can we do to develop the next striker for India? That’s a big question, and it takes time. We need time to develop systems and environments to create developed players.”

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