Bhaichung Bhutia calls out proposed ₹50-70 crore for Brazil friendly as 'wrong move'
AIFF might pay a big amount to the Brazilian Federation
Indian Football stands in a historic feat as the friendly game against Brazil has been announced by both the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Brazilian Football Federation, scheduled to place on 3rd October 2026.
But recently, Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia in a podcast with 420 Grams (Youtube) raised concerns regarding this game as a team like India might face big troubles in the match.
Ahead of the big game, Bhaichung Bhutia raised concerns over the AIFF potentially spending ₹50-70 crore to organise the India vs Brazil friendly on 3rd October. He strongly criticised the decision, believing the game has been scheduled in the wrong window.
The former Indian footballer, Bhaichung Bhutia also argued that the money could be very useful for the grassroots or any other developments of Indian football, but instead of that, it is going for a single exhibition game, which has no power to uplift the current state of football in the country.
Not only that, but he also questioned why India are not participating in the upcoming FIFA ASEAN Cup, as they withdrew their name and Bangladesh have got their chance to play the tournament, replacing the Blue Tigers.
Brazil friendly: A wrong move
A major tournament was being built up, as the FIFA ASEAN Cup was one of the best stages that could have elevated the exposure of the Indian men’s football team. However, right now, the AIFF seems to think that the India-Brazil game is much more important for the growth of Indian football.
That is why former Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia expressed deep concerns, describing the timing of the respective window as “Wrong”.
“I think if Brazil were coming for free, India should have played. I definitely would want but when you’re paying 50 to 70 crores, I think you can get Brazil anytime. I think the timing is definitely wrong. If you’re going to pay 50-70 crores, you can get Argentina; you can get Spain, but is it the right time?”
“I don’t think it’s the right time because, first of all, it’s clashing big time with the FIFA ASEAN Cup, which is the second biggest tournament for any footballer in India.”
Kalyan Chaubey is misleading the federation
“I don’t know why. What is the reason not to play that (FIFA ASEAN Cup) and play Brazil, especially spending that kind of money when the clubs are shutting down, the clubs have no money? Uh, and I think it’s just misleading. Kalyan Chaubey is just misleading the federation and misleading the Bengal government to pay 40- 50 crores to a Brazilian team rather than, why don’t you, you know, give it some to East Bengal? They have a good team; they’ll go on to perform well in the Asian stage.”
“So, when you have a joker as a leader, then the entire organization becomes a circus. That is what is happening a full circus is what is happening,” said Bhaichung Bhutia,
Concerns over AIFF emergency fund; Bhaichung has no plans to contest election
Bhaichung Bhutia made a very clear and straight statement, which has completely changed everyone’s perspective regarding the situation that has happened in Indian football, as he revealed that Kalyan Chaubey has made a plan to use the AIFF’s fixed deposit, described as an emergency fund, to make advance payments for the India vs Brazil game.
He also mentioned that in the last Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-2026 season, the Federation had recorded a 14 crores deficit and organised the league for a single leg, calling out that they did not have enough money to work with, and now they are going to break the emergency fund to make advance payments.
Bhaichung also made it clear that he has no plans to contest the upcoming AIFF election.
“He [ Kalyan Chaubey] is going to pay an advance to the Brazilian team from the fixed deposit, which is an emergency fund kept in it, and he’s going to use that to pay the advance money for Brazil. Last year, EXCO showed us a budget and last year’s expenditure: a 14 crores deficit we had, and now he’s trying to break that emergency fund, which is lying in the federation in the fixed deposit and try to pay an advance from there, which is a shocking, shocking thing,” Bhaichung Bhutia further added.
“I don’t want to be the President. I don’t want to be in that circus again and be a joker as well. One of the jokers there.”
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Rohit Mistri is a sports journalist from Kolkata with over two years of experience in the field. He has extensively covered Indian football, including major tournaments such as the Calcutta Football League and the Indian Super League. His work spans on-ground reporting, match coverage, and in-depth storytelling, along with interviews of prominent sporting personalities. Rohit brings strong communication skills and a deep passion for sports narratives to everything he writes.