India’s head coach shares thoughts on Carlo Ancelotti’s view about why India’s national team is ‘poorly ranked’
Khalid Jamil responded to Carlo Ancelotti’s comments by saying, “everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” after the Brazil coach shared his thoughts on India’s FIFA ranking.
Brazil, five-time world champions, will be clear favorites when they face India on October 3 at the huge Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, which holds 85,000 fans. The Selecao are ranked fifth in the FIFA rankings, while India is 138th, despite having over 1.4 billion people—the biggest population in the world.
Before the upcoming friendly, Ancelotti was asked if he was surprised that India, the most populous country, has a low football ranking. He said, “I think it’s a matter of culture. India doesn’t have a football culture yet but is good in other sports. It takes time to build a new generation of players.” He added that playing against different styles, like India’s, will be exciting and valuable experience for Brazil.
India has had a tough time recently, dropping in the rankings and missing out on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup.
When asked about Ancelotti’s remarks, India’s coach Khalid Jamil simply said, “I don’t care. Everyone has their own opinion.” He then focused on his main goal: “to prepare the team well and help Indian football improve. These matches will show us where we stand and what we need to work on.”
India will start their international break with a match against Panama on September 25 in Bengaluru. Then they’ll play Brazil on October 3 in Kolkata, followed by a game against Uruguay there on October 6.