Top five highlights from Bhaichung Bhutia's press conference in Kolkata on 20 June 2025

Former India captain, Bhaichung Bhutia, accuses Kalyan Chaubey of serious corruption charges

Bhaichung Bhutia, one of the finest footballers India has ever produced, held a press conference in Kolkata today. He opened up about the decline of Indian football during the Kalyan Chaubey era in the last three years.

From accusing him of functioning autocratically to his stance on allowing OCI players to represent the Indian football team, here’s a close look at the top five highlights from the press conference of former Indian captain, Bhaichung Bhutia.

Bhutia alleged that AIFF President endorsed multiple corruption at different levels

In his statement, Bhaichung Bhutia accused Kalyan Chaubey of misusing the taxpayers’ money for his own personal gains and to fuel his football ambitions. He said that he even offered top positions to opposition leaders in exchange for their vote during the AIFF elections.

Bhutia seriously feels the need to fairly investigate the matter of India’s sudden withdrawal from hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup after Kalyan’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

He said, “This should be investigated fairly by a neutral person. Kalyan goes to Saudi Arabia, and instead, he gets an agreement with them to play the Santosh Trophy in Saudi Arabia. The 2027 could have been the best chance for us to host, but now the central asian nations are coming up, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and it will make our chances much more difficult,” he concluded in that regard.”

Bhaichung emphasises need to invest heavily in grassroots football

Bhaichung Bhutia strongly advocated for the need to allocate more funds to state associations to promote grassroots development and leagues of young, budding footballers. He took reference from his academies, which seek to act as the feeder for the Indian national team.

He said, “State associations are facing a funding shortage. Their funds must increase and go directly to grassroots programs. Every state team should play at least one match per week, like European countries. Here, within 10-11 days, our grassroots tournaments are over.”

Bhaichung shed light on decline of Indian football team

The former Indian captain expressed his utter dismay regarding the poor performance of both the men’s and women’s football teams. He stated how false claims and promises from the AIFF President have done no good to Indian football in the last three years.

He said, “The AIFF President promised to bring us among the top 10 in Asia by 2026. In the last three years under Kalyan Chaubey, it is so unfortunate how both the men’s and women’s teams have been declining.”

Bhaichung Bhutia shares his opinion on OCI players

The legendary football icon from Sikkim feels that the inclusion of OCI players will immensely benefit Indian football. He feels that the dream of OCI players donning the national team jersey may soon become a reality.

He adds that he is optimistic about the prospect of allowing Indian origin players in the national team, as the government is keen on hosting the Olympics and continental competitions as well.

He said, “The government of India will most likely show a green light to OCI players as they are planning to even host the Olympics. “

Also Read: Bhaichung Bhutia weighs in on OCI issue for Indian Football Team

Bhutia advocates for the removal of Kalyan Chaubey as AIFF President

Bhutia strongly feels that Kalyan Chaubey is solely responsible for the catastrophic situation in Indian football. He alleged that the AIFF president, since his playing days, has been more interested in politics than in the development of Indian football.

He accused Kalyan of taking decisions autocratically and also of making false promises and claims, which hardly ever became a reality. He also condemned his racial statement about the physical attributes of North East players.

He said, “I can assure you, if Kalyan Chaubey is removed, we can’t go below this. There is only upwards and onwards, but retaining Kalyan will only invite further disaster. Indian football will only improve after his departure. I can’t assure how much and how long since good things take time in football. He has autocratically taken all decisions himself and destroyed the state of football in India.”

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