Sandesh Jhingan injury: What is the controversy surrounding India defender and his treatment cost

The Indian men’s football team kept their CAFA Nations Cup campaign alive despite being held to a goalless draw by Afghanistan on Thursday. The Blue Tigers, after all, finished level on points with tournament co-hosts Tajikistan, who played out a 2-2 draw against heavyweights Iran later on the same day, and finished ahead by virtue of their head-to-head record earlier in the tournament.

Team India, however, will be missing out on the services of senior defender and captain Sandesh Jhingan, who had also sat out of their final Group B match against the Afghans. Jhingan, who had scored India’s second goal against Tajikistan last week, had suffered a cheekbone fracture during the 3-0 defeat against Iran on Monday.

The FC Goa centre-back continued playing against ‘Team Melli’ despite the injury, but was ruled out of the subsequent game as well as the remainder of the tournament, with the defender now unlikely to take part in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying games against Singapore next month.

What is so controversial about Jhingan’s injury? 

Jhingan’s unfortunate injury, however, has also been making headlines for the wrong reasons, with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) – the New Delhi-based national governing body for the sport – reportedly not taking care of the defender’s medical expenses and putting the onus on his club FC Goa.

XtratimeBangla sensational claimed on x that neither AIFF nor FC Goa are willing to bear Jhingan’s expenses, with the former stating that the ongoing tournament is not falling under FIFA’s international window as justification for its stance.

The Bengali news portal also claimed that defending Indian Super League champions Mohun Bagan had refused to release players for the ongoing tournament as well as a preceding national camp precisely due to this reason.

What has AIFF’s response been? 

Senior FC Goa official Ravi Puskur, however, rubbished the claim, describing it as “misinformation” and “clickbait”.

“Case in point below of how misinformation is spread. Rely on official statements only. Don’t fall prey to clickbaits like this account,” FC Goa CEO Puskur wrote while quoting the original post by XtraTimeBangla on X.

It wasn’t long before the Kalyan Chaubey-led AIFF came out with an official statement on the matter, insisting the 32-year-old had their as well as Goa’s full support during his recovery.

“AIFF and FC Goa remain fully aligned in ensuring Sandesh receives the best treatment and every support required during this period,” read the statement.

“The AIFF reaffirms its commitment to always stand by players and clubs whenever injuries occur on national duty, extending complete care and assistance,” it added.

🚨 Statement on Sandesh Jhingan 🔊#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/t3iQQxqPiM

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 5, 2025

Jhingan thanks both AIFF and FC Goa for support

Jhingan too responded on the matter, posting an image of himself on a hospital bed after undergoing a surgery on his Instagram account and thanking both the AIFF as well as FC Goa for taking “immense care” of him.

“By the Grace of God and help of both @indianfootball and @fcgoaofficial surgery went really well. Now i start my recovery and return to pitch,” Jhingan wrote in the post on Friday.

“Secondly i just wanted to clarify from my side that it was my conscious decision to carry on to play for the rest of match, and i dont promote or feel proud of it, but it was my decision made purely on the heat of the game, and i take full responsibility of it.

“Having said that, again both the Aiff and @fcgoaofficial has taken immense care of me,” he added.

The AIFF had earlier stated that Jhingan would be undergoing a structured rehabilitation programme in which he would be undergoing weekly assessments for bone healing.

While the defender might return to light individual drills to maintain his fitness, he will be returning to contact training only after being cleared by medical specialists.

Jhingan might also consider wearing a protective face mask in order to fast-track his return to the pitch.