'I feel sorry for him': Bhaichung Bhutia on Khalid Jamil’s appointment as India head coach

Former India captain feels Khalid Jamil has been appointed by AIFF to keep things under their control.

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has recently said in a statement that he feels ‘sorry’ for Khalid Jamil. Jamil, who was in charge of the ISL side Jamshedpur FC, has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian national football team.

He has become the first Indian to be appointed the head coach of the national team in 13 years. AIFF has signed him on a two-year contract, till 2027, which also has an option to extend for another year.

“I think Jamil being a domestic coach fits into that, as he is fairly new to the team. I (feel) sorry for him as well, as he is taking charge of the team when it’s in a very difficult situation,” said Bhaichung Bhutia speaking to PTI.

This statement of Bhaichung Bhutia is being seen as another barb at the AIFF. Bhutia has been critical of the federation in the past for the administrative decisions that it has taken since the arrival of Kalyan Chaubey as the president.

Not hiding his objections, Bhaichung has taken shots at Chaubey for how he is presiding over key issues in Indian football, including the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) and the issues related to it.

Also Read: Khalid Jamil signs two-year contract as Indian Football team head coach

Khalid Jamil not a ‘demanding’ coach

In another bold take, Bhaichung Bhutia said that he feels AIFF has appointed Khalid Jamil only because he is an Indian and would not demand much of the federation.

“We have got two world-class coaches (Igor Stimac and Manolo Marquez) leaving… If these two coaches couldn’t work with the federation, then you bring people who will listen and will do what the federation says,” remarked Bhutia , expressing his disappointment over the federation’s approach.

The former India feels this is not the right time for Khalid Jamil to take over the reins of the Indian team, as it is going through a catastrophic phase. It is not a new fact that the former India captain does not want the current dispensation led by Kalyan Chaubey to continue.

Adding to the series of critical statements, Bhutia commented, “For Kalyan, he (Jamil) is the right guy because Indian coaches do not demand much.”

Khalid Jamil was not the only name on the shortlist of the probable head coach candidates. Former India manager Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic were also among the shortlisted candidates. However, AIFF went ahead with the homegrown name who has impressed as a tactician in the last decade, leading multiple clubs to glory.

India’s participation in the CAFA Nations Cup may add to the crisis

Bhaichung expressed his pleasure over India’s addition to the teams that will be playing in the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup.

However, the lack of clarity on the impending season is a roadblock in his opinion. “It’s a great tournament and good for the Indian team as well, but as I said, that (Indian) football is in a mess. You should have sat with the ISL, FSDL (Football Sports Development Limited), and the new coach and then taken the call,” Bhutia said, referring to the deadlock between AIFF and FSDL over the new season.

The Indian legend thinks the schedule of the tournament and the impending season might clash if things fall in place, helping the season to start on time.

Following the Supreme Court’s observations to withhold any major decision taken by AIFF in the absence of the new constitution, the negotiations over the renewal of the MRA between AIFF and FSDL have stalled.

This has led to an unfortunate delay in the commencement of the Indian Super League season. Looking at the chaos, multiple clubs have temporarily paused their operations, adding to the grave nature of this havoc. Given this deadlock, most of the senior team players will head into the CAFA Nations Cup without any competitive football this season.

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