No willingness to invest in Indian football but crores spent on Messi tour: Sandesh Jhingan

NEW DELHI: (Dec 17) Indian men’s football team captain Sandesh Jhingan on Wednesday questioned the logic of spending crores on Lionel Messi’s high-profile ‘GOAT Tour’, saying the extravagance has forced him to think if anyone is really concerned about investing in Indian football, which has effectively come to a standstill.

Messi’s three-day tour saw unprecedented public frenzy and massive crowds in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi.

“It feels as though we are close to shutting everything down because there is no willingness to invest in football within India, yet crores were spent on this tour,” Jhingan wrote in a candid Instagram post, voicing concern over the direction of the sport in the country.