New Delhi: Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has strongly criticized All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey for his alleged involvement in corruption and his attempts to undermine the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
“He has really damaged the reputation of Indian football, and now he’s doing the same with the IOA, which is very unfortunate,” Bhutia told ANI.
“I think the IOA should not entertain him and should remove him. He is only interested in gaining power and positions, not in advancing the sport. We’ve seen the damage he’s done to the football federation, and now he’s harming the IOA as well,” he added.
Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha recently hit back at All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey and accused him of “impersonating the acting CEO” of the IOA. She emphasised that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), Government of India recognize Raghuram Iyer as the “legitimate CEO of the IOA.”
She stated that his “agenda using official IOA stationery for a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be held on October 25 in the national capital is both illegal and in violation of the IOA Constitution.”
Usha reiterated that Raghuram Iyer is “the current and only CEO of the IOA”. She claimed that certain members of the IOA Executive Council (EC) are “denying his appointment and withholding his salary for the past nine months.
“Kalyan Chaubey has no respect for legends like PT Usha and IM Vijayan, the Technical Committee chairman,” Bhutia said.
“Chaubey has done nothing for the national team. He has significantly damaged Indian football’s credibility. People like me, who are sportspersons trying to help the federation and improve the game, feel let down by Kalyan Chaubey. People believed a sportsperson should run the federation, but Chaubey, given the opportunity, has created a mess with allegations of corruption,” he remarked.
Bhutia further emphasized the negative impact of Chaubey’s actions on the credibility of sports federations.
“The credibility of running a sports federation is now damaged. Genuine sportspeople who want to help may be deterred,” he said.
“We are all worried about the federation’s credibility, which is a major concern. It is the first time we are seeing so many allegations against the federation president, including serious corruption charges by office bearers. This is very bad publicity for the federation and the sport itself,” Bhutia noted.
He also highlighted the broader issues within the AIFF under Chaubey’s leadership.
“I think the federation’s credibility will be damaged further. There is a lot of mismanagement at the top, including financial mismanagement and improper handling of positions, such as appointing the national team coach without following the proper process. The reputation of Indian football is declining. We need to establish a proper constitution, have a Supreme Court judgment, conduct new elections, and bring in a new body to completely revive and revamp Indian football. This is the most important thing at the moment,” the former Indian captain concluded.
Earlier in 2022, Kalyan Chaubey defeated Bhaichung Bhutia for the top post of the AIFF. Chaubey, won the election 33-1, a result that was anticipated as Bhutia lacked substantial support among the 34-member voters’ list composed of state association representatives. (ANI)
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