Feel sorry for Khalid Jamil: Bhaichung Bhutia launches scathing attack on Indian football body

India Today

18 hours ago

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia launched a scathing attack on the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Speaking to news agency PTI, Bhutia blamed the AIFF for ruining Indian football and said that he felt sorry for the incoming coach Khalid Jamil.Jamil was announced as the head coach of the national team after the departure of Manolo Marquez, who left within a year of taking on the job. Bhaichung alleged that the Jamshedpur FC manager was made the head coach because he was likely to make the least number of demands to the AIFF.advertisementJamil became the first Indian in 13 years to be appointed as head coach of the senior national team. Before he was appointed, the AIFF went through a period of instability, with Igor Stimac quitting under controversial circumstances, and Marquez juggling between the Indian Super League (FC Goa) and the national team.
"We have got two world-class coaches leaving. We have got Igor Stimac who coached the Croatian team, and then Manolo Marquez who is one of the great coaches with great history," Bhutia told PTI Videos after the Fidel Castro Centenary Football Cup's exhibition match."If these two coaches couldn't work with the federation, then you bring people who will listen and will do what the federation says and will not come up with his own ideas and demands from the federation."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," he added.The Indian media widely reported that Jamil was chosen ahead of Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic. Constantine has worked with the Indian team before and has a tremendous understanding of the Asian football landscape.Taking aim at AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, Bhutia said that under the current president's rule, the board did not even have the money to pay top coaches."There are coaches who are national team coaches, and they are being paid by other people, so I don't know where all the money's gone, and there are scam after scam."Chaubey had recently admitted that club football is "going through crisis" due to the uncertainty surrounding the Indian Super League, while attributing the situation to "some self-claimed reformers with vested interests."Bhutia responded: "He (Chaubey) said exactly the right things, but who is the head of the federation, and who is controlling football right now? That person should be responsible for the same."He is saying that it's in a crisis but not saying that I am (Chaubey) the head of the federation that created those crises. He does not understand what position he is in, and the football in this country is in crisis. It is the responsibility of the federation and the president to solve those crises, and if he cannot do that, he should let somebody come in who can solve those crises," the former India captain concluded.- EndsMust Watch