It would be an understatement to say that Sunil Chhetri is one of the shining stars of Indian football. A massive one at that!
There is a reason Chhetri is an outright star of the game in the country. He has represented the national team with utmost distinction and is the highest goalscorer for the Blue Tigers, racking up an incredible 72 goals in 115 appearances. He has also found domestic success ever since he joined Bengaluru FC back in 2013, leading the club to multiple I-League titles and an Indian Super League (ISL) title.
Even at the age of 35, the Bengaluru FC skipper is still going strong and is the club's leading scorer this season with nine goals. Safe to say that he is THE brand ambassador when it comes to football in India.
Most upcoming Indian footballers look up to Chhetri as their role model and rightly so. However, his actions in Bengaluru FC's 0-0 draw away against Chennaiyin FC on Sunday night were unbecoming of a player of his stature.
Chhetri was named as one of the substitutes due to what his manager Carles Cuadrat described as a 'slight sensation on his hamstring' and was not risked during the game as well.
With Sunday's match, against an arch-rival, being very significant in terms of the Blues' hopes of landing the top spot, Chhetri could've been forgiven for being emotionally invested in it.
However, the way he went about it set a wrong precedent. Chhetri's animated antics from the dugout, for obvious reasons, attracted attention from the TV cameras. He was seen jumping out of the bench gesticulating at the officials whenever a key decision went against Bengaluru. While the reaction was understandable, what was not is the fact that he was seen approaching the fourth official and debating such decisions.
Chhetri was neither taking part in the game nor was he the manager of Bengaluru FC or a member of his coaching staff.
What happened after the final whistle was even more deplorable. Chhetri took off his training bib, made a beeline for the referee Cristal John and harangued him about his decision not to award a penalty for what Chhetri perceived was a foul on Nili Perdomo inside the box towards the end of the game.
ISL
Chhetri kept on harassing the referee about his decision, so much so that he was shown a yellow card before walking away. While even both the coaches and their support staff were more respectful towards the referee, for a player who was not involved in the game at all to do what Chhetri did was extraordinary.
No player, however big a star he is, is bigger than the game or its rules. Respect for the referee and officials is one of the most basic qualities any player is expected to show, on and off the field.
Even somebody of Lionel Messi's stature was rightly criticised when he abused the referees after losing a Copa America match against Brazil last year. And he was subsequently given a lengthy ban by CONMEBOL - Latin America's governing body for football.
Whatever be the motive behind picking up that yellow card which rules him out of the next game against Kerala Blasters, Sunil Chhetri must remember that his conduct was unbecoming of a player who many consider as their role model.