New Delhi, June 21 (H.S.): Kalyan Chaubey, president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), has strongly responded to the recent allegations made by former Indian captain Baichung Bhutia. He described Bhutia’s statements as unfounded and detrimental to the organization’s image. Notably, Baichung Bhutia, during a press conference at the Kolkata Sports Journalists Club on Friday, accused Kalyan Chaubey of misusing his position in the AIFF for political gain. He stated in a press conference, saying, “The AIFF today is a circus. And when you put jokers in those positions, it’s bound to become a circus. They (AIFF) should have made a clear decision when the controversy erupted. Instead, they let the league continue in confusion. Clubs were treated unfairly. It’s embarrassing for Indian football.”
Bhutia further mentioned that those who supported Chaubey during the 2022 AIFF elections now regret their decision. He also hinted that if the upcoming elections are fair and free from political interference, he might consider running again.Criticizing the discussions regarding the master rights agreement between AIFF and its marketing partner FSDL (Football Sports Development Limited), he said, Those who are about to deal with FSDL are simply coming back after just having tea and pizza. They themselves do not know what they have included in the proposal.He also termed the appointment of former goalkeeper Subrata Paul as the national team’s director and the oversight of coach Manolo Marquez as ridiculous. He stated, You bring in a successful coach and then sit a player over him for supervision, that is an insult to that coach.
Regarding the issue of including OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) players in the team, Bhutia remarked that this idea is not new and previous attempts have been made, but it depends on government policy. He said, Kalyan Chaubey has made no efforts in this direction over the past three years, and now suddenly he has started talking about OCI. This is just an attempt to hide his failure.
In response to Bhutia’s allegations, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey issued an official statement. He stated, We live in a democratic country where every citizen has the freedom of expression. As a member of the AIFF Executive Committee, Bhutia has the platform to present his views, make suggestions, and contribute constructively in meetings.
Chaubey mentioned, Since the defeat in the September 2022 elections, Bhutia has consistently made baseless allegations and misrepresented the image of AIFF. This not only damages the organization’s reputation but also affects the credibility of Indian football on an international level.
He further stated, AIFF has always been open to Bhutia’s suggestions, but it is unfortunate that his focus in most executive committee meetings has been only on opposing, rather than providing concrete proposals.
There is a possibility that the Supreme Court may soon decide on the new constitution of AIFF, after which new elections might be held in the federation. This could bring back political heat in the governing body of Indian football.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
