After featuring in FIFA’s ‘Pass the message to kick out coronavirus’ campaign against the COVID-19, Indian men’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri has now appeared in Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) drive to combat the pandemic.
In the latest installment of the Asian governing body’s ‘Break The Chain’ campaign, talismanic Chhetri featured with the Chinese Football Association (CFA) vice- president Sun Wen, who is regarded as one of the greatest-ever international women footballers, and Myanmar captain Kyaw Zin Thet.
🔗 🔨 🌏 ⚽ India legend @chetrisunil11 🇮🇳 is among the latest of Asia’s biggest football stars to advise us to work together, #StayAtHome and #BreakTheChain in order to tackle Covid-19. #FootballCares
🎥 Watch 👇https://t.co/WMRUX6KrBb
— AFC (@theafcdotcom) March 29, 2020
The 35-year-old Chhetri, who is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo to be the second-highest international goal scorers among active footballers, said, “Everyone is struggling in these challenging times. I must urge you to follow the advice of the World Health Organization and the best medical practices put in place by your local governments. It is our responsibility to do our part by maintaining our hygiene and if necessary, to stay at home.
“Let’s work together – as a team – to break the chain and stop the spread of COVID-19. I stand with everyone in India and around the world to put these challenging times behind us and hope that we can all return to our normal lives soon,” added Chhetri.
The campaign, which also features former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, was launched on Thursday this week to fight the deadly virus that has already affected more than 6,64,200 people and killed over 30,800 people worldwide.
With 48 hours of its launch, the campaign garnered the support of more than 50 Asian players and officials. The motive of the campaign is to not only make people aware of the health guidelines set by WHO but also spread positivity in these hard times.
AFC Women’s Player of the Year, Samantha Kerr 🇦🇺 & more than 50 other players have joined the team to lend their advice for us to #BreakTheChain 🔗🔨together!
So listen in, and let’s fight the Covid-19 to bring back our beloved game! #FootballCares #StayAtHome pic.twitter.com/vLCFxW245t— AFC (@theafcdotcom) March 28, 2020
“It encourages people not only to adopt the best hygiene practises as underlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) but also “inspires hope and solidarity in these challenging times”, an AFC said in a press release.