Khalid Jamil reveals reasons for not selecting Sunil Chhetri for Indian football team camp

Sunil Chhetri has not been called up to the Indian football team camp ahead of the CAFA Nations League.

Newly-appointed India head coach Khalid Jamil has given a major shock as he selected the squad for the training camp ahead of the CAFA Nations Cup 2024, leaving behind Sunil Chhetri, who returned from retirement ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign.

Following the departure of Manolo Marquez, the Indian national football team is set to undergo a major transition under their new head coach, Khalid Jamil. The 48-year-old’s first assignment as the new manager would be to lead the Blue Tigers in the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup.

Khalid Jamil proved his mettle in the Indian Super League, having managed to take NorthEast United and Jamshedpur FC to the knockout stage over the past few seasons. In doing so, he became the first Indian manager to achieve this feat.

Also Read: “This is serious business for us”: Khalid Jamil sets the tone ahead of India’s CAFA Nations Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers

The job of the Indian national football team manager though, is a different challenge altogether. The Blue Tigers have won just one game since the start of 2024. Hence, the pressure is already on Khalid Jamil to deliver from day one.

While it’s been mere days since he was made the head coach, Khalid has already taken a surprising decision. The Indian head coach decided not to select Sunil Chhetri in the national team camp ahead of the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

The decision not to select India’s record goalscorer has brought Khalid Jamil under the spotlight. However, the manager has now explained why he did not select Chhetri for the upcoming games.

Why did Khalid Jamil not select Sunil Chhetri?

Having announced his international retirement in June 2024, Sunil Chhetri came out of retirement in March 2025 at the request of the previous head coach, Manolo Marquez. The Indian football team was struggling to score goals, while Chhetri, on the other hand, was enjoying a great 2024-25 ISL season in front of goal.

Chhetri’s return thoug,h didn’t help India much in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers as they drew to Bangladesh and lost to Hong Kong in an away fixture. While the Indian football icon was expected to continue under Khalid Jamil, the manager decided not to select him for the CAFA Nations Cup 2025.

Explaining why he didn’t select the Bengaluru FC captain, Khalid Jamil said, “Sunil Chhetri is a role model for Indian football and the door is always open for him. He is not there in this camp because we are playing a tournament which will serve as a preparation for our Asian Cup qualifiers and I want to try out a few other players.”

The Indian football team’s head coach concluded his statement by saying, “I had a talk with Chhetri about the same. It’s always a pleasure to have a player like him in the team.”

When is the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 starting?

The Indian national football team were invited to play in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 that is being hosted by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The tournament will kick off on 29th August as eight nations compete to be crowned the champions.

Khalid Jamil’s Blue Tigers are placed in Group B alongside Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semifinals. India has a realistic chance to qualify for the semifinals.

With just four games remaining in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, the Indian football team need to get their tactics spot on. The CAFA Nations Cup 2025 will certainly serve the manager better insight on his squad as he hopes to bring the Blue Tigers back on track.

India’s match schedule in CAFA Nations Cup 2025

• August 29: Tajikistan vs India
• September 1: India vs IR Iran
• September 4: Afghanistan vs India

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.