AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey accuses Bhaichung Bhutia of misusing power & football academies

Kalyan Chaubey spoke about the criticism at the AIFF Press Conference today

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey responded to the criticism made by former captain Bhaichung Bhutia at the AIFF Press Conference today. The Veteran had held him directly responsible for the current state of Indian football. Bhaichung Bhutia’s comments came after India’s frustrating defeat against Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and he had raised concerns about frequent leadership changes and instability in the administration.

While Kalyan Chaubey addressed the ongoing issues and acknowledged that concerns had been raised and that allegations have been made he did not directly refer to Bhaichung Bhutia’s comments explicitly.

Kalyan Chaubey’s response to the criticism

Responding to the petition calling for reforms within the AIFF, Kalyan Chaubey stated that it was being driven by people who were either part of the federation in the past or had contested elections against him.

“There are 3-4 people who are running this petition. Either they have been a part of the federation or have lost in the election against my regime, I have been alleged, and my family has been alleged, but like I said, I only speak facts and numbers.” he stated.

Kalyan Chaubey also spoke about Bhaichung Bhutia’s role within the federation. He specifically spoke about Bhaichung Bhutia’s previous involvement as an advisor and member of the Executive Committee, suggesting that any kind of concerns should have been raised during the official meetings

“He [Bhaichung Bhutia] is a respectable player for the Indian football team and one of the best strikers to play for the team. He has been an advisor to AIFF, drawing a remuneration of 1.5 lakhs and all his necessities and expenses taken care of.

He is a part of the AIFF EC and has been a part of 11 EC meetings, where he could have called out the “corruption” the minutes of the meeting are available and can be watched.” he remarked.

The President also addressed Bhaichung Bhutia’s football academy, raising concerns about the expectations being created for young players and their families. He also added that many of these academies aren’t performing well.

“Bhaichung Bhutia, being a legendary figure, is playing with the emotions of the players and families and making them think that being a part of his academy will do the same for them. His team Bhutia Academy lost 31-0 to Minerva Academy in March.

He is playing with the aspirations of parents and children. Bhaichung Bhutia takes several crores of rupees as advisor from academies but never visits them. These academies are performing poorly in tournaments.” he concluded.

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