Gurpreet Singh Sandhu responds to Ancelotti's ‘India has no football culture’ remark: ‘Everyone should listen’

Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazil coach, recently commented on Indian football, stating that the country lacks a football culture. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the Indian captain, responded to Ancelotti's remarks, emphasizing that advice from such an accomplished football figure should be taken seriously. Gurpreet highlighted that building a football culture in India starts with getting the basics right, particularly in establishing a stable league structure and a consistent domestic football calendar.

India has faced instability in recent years, with the Indian Super League (ISL) season being delayed and truncated due to commercial structure uncertainties. The second-tier campaign was also shortened, resulting in a lack of consistency that affects players, backroom staff, and academy personnel. Gurpreet believes that one of the first steps to improve Indian football is to establish a full-fledged league that runs for nine or ten months, similar to the global standard.

India currently holds the 138th position in the FIFA rankings. The upcoming match against Brazil, a five-time world champion and the highest-ranked opposition India has faced since the FIFA World Ranking was introduced in 1992, presents an opportunity for India to test themselves against top-tier competition. Gurpreet ended his response to Ancelotti with a light-hearted comment, inviting the coach to share more tips after the match.