Baichung Bhutia slams AIFF: Calls Indian football a 'circus', demands urgent reforms

Former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia on June 20 criticised the current state of Indian football under the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and called for urgent reforms, better grassroots development and greater transparency within the federation. 

Speaking at a press conference at the Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club, Bhutia, who is also the founder of the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS), expressed deep concern over the declining performance of the national teams and mismanagement at various levels.

Bhutia spoke on the Indian football team's recent performances and said, "In the last few years, Indian football has gone downhill in both rankings and performance. Even though we have a chance to qualify for the next round against Singapore in October, the current scenario is not encouraging."

He criticised the functioning of AIFF, highlighting what he called a "disastrous three years" for both men's and women's football. Bhutia said, "It’s not just the men’s team. The women’s team has also dropped significantly in rankings under the current leadership. This is unfortunate and avoidable."

Bhutia said that the way forward is through strong grassroots football. "You cannot produce quality national players without having a solid grassroots system in place. Most of our national players come from the districts and states. But when state associations themselves are not funded properly, how will they produce talent?" he said.

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According to Bhutia, the AIFF has failed to deliver adequate financial support to state associations. "Out of 24 lakh allocated, half goes to staff salaries and admin costs. Only 10 lakh is used for major tournaments. That is not enough. More funds need to be directed toward training and local leagues," he added.

Bhutia proposed the creation of an expert panel with foreign and Indian professionals to guide grassroots development and emphasized the importance of children playing regular matches. "One or two-week tournaments are not enough. Kids should play weekly, like in Europe or South America," he said.

He also accused the AIFF of putting too many restrictions on private academies. "We need more academies, more competitions. If the federation cannot organize them, let private academies do it. Instead, the federation is creating hurdles," Bhutia said.

Citing the success of BBFS, Bhutia said that over 6,000 kids are being trained across 70 centres in India. "BBFS is the largest grassroots program in the country, with 220 qualified coaches. We run on a model where 30% of our kids receive 100% scholarships. We've already produced players for national teams, including Sandesh Jhingan," he said.

Bhutia also called out AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey, accusing him of politicising the post and mismanaging the federation. "Indian football has become a circus. When you put jokers in power, it becomes a circus. Players haven't been paid for years, but there’s money to buy luxury cars and offer big sums for one match win," he said.

He further demanded that AIFF’s Annual General Meetings (AGM) and Executive Committee meetings be streamed live. "What are you hiding? You are working with taxpayers' money. Be transparent," Bhutia said.

Bhutia touched on issues like age fraud and lack of support from corporate sectors and governments. He appealed to the central and state governments to invest more in grassroots and youth football. "If we can support 5,000 kids on scholarships, we will definitely qualify for the World Cup in the near future," he said.

He also shared plans for building a residential sports school in North Bengal using his own money, aimed at changing the mindset around sports and education. "Parents push only for academics. We need to balance sports and education for a better future," he said.

Bhutia said he is not desperate to run for AIFF President again but will support anyone sincerely working for Indian football. "We need the right people. Not necessarily me, but someone with knowledge and intent."

Bhutia urged corporates, PSUs, and governments to back football development for the country to succeed at the international level. "The time to act is now," he said.