Boxing Day Special : Exclusive interview with Nirmal Chhetri

The new face of North-Eastern football Nirmal Chettri is turning heads all over the country with his superb defensive performances. Dubbed as the “rock” of East Bengal by pundits and fans alike, he is the newest star for India. We managed to catch up with him to bring our readers a “Boxing day Special” interview where he talked about East Bengal, the national side and the upcoming prospects in Indian football.

Name: Nirmal ChettriPlace of birth : Melli, SikkimDate of birth: 21st of October 1990Position : DefenderCurrent Club : East Bengal FCState Represented : Sikkim(Captain)

You went with your club East Bengal for an exposure tour to Vietnam, at the beginning of the season for the BTV Cup and that featured a lot of teams from all over the world. How was that as a learning experience?

I think, after the Federation Cup loss we went there. We had a tough fight against some good teams, especially a team from Brazil(Matsubara FC) in the third game. They were the best team we have played, however I am not sure if they won the trophy or not. We played against 2 Vietnamese league teams and our third match was against a much superior team. We played good football, especially after that loss to Salgaocar we had a great outing, and it’s getting noticeable in the league table. The fact that we played abroad and came back to India definitely helped.

Chettri racing for the ball against Bagan legend Barretto

Now that you are title contenders, do you think you can break the Kolkata jinx?

We cant say anything yet. It’s not the right time to predict who will win the league. I think it’s about the momentum, and we need to keep the momentum high as we started really slowly. We struggled for 2-3 games and then started to gel well. After losing against Mohun Bagan, we picked up our tempo got charged up. The players, coaches, management – everyone wants to win the title. It’s really high time for Kolkata clubs to stand up and take the glory back home.

Its a really good platform for the youngsters, especially those who come from the smaller sides. Ten Action is doing a fantastic job.-Nirmal Chettri on the I-League being broadcast-ed nationally

There’s a player in your club, Lein who’s quite young but he’s dazzling everyone already. Do you think that he has a bright future and can be the next….?

Doungel, yeah. I think its too soon to judge these players. He only plays in the Calcutta League, and the I-League is a different ball game. We need to give him time. He’s got good talent and I’ve seen his skills on the field. He has a good time gelling with the other guys and I think he’s got a great future ahead. Right now, it will be better if we can keep him just as a striker without any comparison to any other player. At the age of 17 to be with East Bengal is a great achievement itself. He just needs to work harder to break into the first 11.

Its too early to predict, but he’s got a great future as he’s in IMG Academy in USA. He is getting a lot of exposure. He has great talent and is tactically superb and i hope he makes it to the big side sooner rather than later.-Nirmal on Uttam Rai, India’s U16 sensation

The I-League is dominated by foreign strikers like Odafa, Ranti Martins etc . So can you tell us which strikers gave you a tough time?

I don’t pick out any individuals. My job is to defend the goal. I’ve never thought about my opponents, and their strategy. It’s difficult to defend against prolific strikers, but I always try to play with my strengths . I just think about my game.

2008-09 I-League vs Felix of Churchill Brothers

But there must be some team which has made it difficult for you this season.

There are some good teams. To be honest, there are 3-4 teams who are struggling and those unexpected teams come out of the top 5.

You caught Savio’s eye and featured in his plans for the SAFF Cup where you performed spectacularly and got the whole crowd going. So how did it feel to represent a country of 1.2 billion at your age?

In 2008, Bangladesh I have been a part of the U23 team who won the SAFF Championship under Sukhi. I missed a penalty in the final, but it was a great moment for me. And to defend the title at our home ground Dilli, it was a great feeling, and I am unable to express them in words about how happy I was. The credit goes to my coaches and senior players like Climax bhai, Sunil bhai, Mehraj bhai, Mahesh bhai, Mangi bhai. They all supported me throughout the tournament and had a lot of faith in me.

Nirmal representing India at the SAFF Championship in New Delhi.

In the SAFF, after the first game, which was not a very happy result for the Indian team, the fans went home disappointed, but you came out of that game with flying colours. What exactly did the coach say to the guys?

In the first match, we struggled. We were down because we lost to Zambia, and they were just 80 and we were 160+ (in the rankings). After that we came to Dilli, where it was different compared to the International Friendly match in Goa. We came with new hopes and expectations and forgot everything that happened in Goa. We wanted to start afresh. After the draw in the 1st match (1-1 vs Afghanistan), we understood what we needed to do. I think that we have to give credit to that Afghanistan match as after that we got our tempo and that helped us to win the trophy.

But despite the 5-0 win, there weren’t many people at the games till the Semi Finals and the Finals. That is quite unlike Delhi, but then in the semi’s and finals they really came in their numbers and got the team going. How much did that fan support have to do with the team doing well?

I think we need more support and why not? If it’s Cricket or any other game, and if India plays the final in tough games especially in an 8 team trophy then people need to understand the emotions. If the team is in a final, there is no need to care about which sport it is. They need to come out and support the players, after all we are Indians. When we play for the country, its a proud moment for us. If the people come and they shout for us, we get gelled up with everything. Fans are an important part of the sportsman’s lives, so they need to understand the emotions.

And now to the Baichung Bhutia Farewell Match. India plays FC Bayern Munich in Delhi on the 10th of January, so how big a game is that for you and Indian football in totality?

I think its really a very big game for Baichung bhai. Its also a pretty big game for all of us. Personally, I am very excited to be on the team. In the game of football, you cant think about anything unless you go to the ground and see the atmosphere. Its a pretty big game for everyone.

Of course, Bayern is a very big side. Talking about sides abroad, do you plan to ply your trade abroad an go for trials like Mangi (Gouramangi Singh Moriangthem) or Sunil or even Jeje?

When the right time comes, I want to. Its my dream. It’s not only mine, every footballer has this dream. When I was in the academy, I used to think that getting into a big club in I-league is enough. Now that I’m here, and its my 6th I-League and now I want to play more. My dream to play for the national team came true, and now I want to do more. I want to be part of every national team game, so I’m definitely looking to play abroad.

So, that will be all for today. Thank you Nirmal for taking out time to grant us this interview.Its my pleasure.