Bollywood star and owner of ISL franchise Chennaitin FC, Abhishek Bachchan, vowed to prove FIFA president Sepp Blatter wrong when it comes to the talent of Indian football.
“My interest in Indian football became stronger after I met FIFA president Sepp Blatter this year at the World Cup final. He told me how come we cannot produce 11 players on the field when we have 1.2 billion people in our country. Now we will prove him wrong,” said Bachchan.
Bachchan, who is admittedly a staunch Chelsea FC fan invested a lot of time and money into his ISL franchise. In fact, the jersey of the team and the abbreviation (CFC) too are designed to match his favourite EPL club.
“I did not want to compromise on quality. I don’t want anybody to come and tell me Chennayin gave the match up. We want to fight till the last minute. That’s the drive I want in all my teams, including the kabaddi team,” he said at the jersey launch of the franchise here on Monday.
“Chelsea always wants to win. They are competitive unlike many other teams in the English Premier League. I don’t want to sound controversial but I think a manager like Arsene Wenger would not have passed a single season in Chelsea,” he added.
Despite his sharp statements on Blatter, the actor believes it is going to take at least 10 years to bring out a competitive national football team.
“We need to identify the players and a strong grassroot level programme is needed for that. We have a mandate to take almost 100 schools under our wing to train youngsters soon. I want to make football a viable career option in India.
"About the infrastructure, you won’t believe that the home ground of Jaipur Pink Panthers was no less than a stable when we first went there. It develops when in use. Even if the venue is throw open to a marriage ceremony, it is not bad for the money earned from there can be used for its renovation,” he added.
