Now Reading: Bhutia slams AIFF for Rs 50-70 crore Brazil friendly, skipping ASEAN Cup
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Bhutia slams AIFF for Rs 50-70 crore Brazil friendly, skipping ASEAN Cup
Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia has criticised the All India Football Federation's decision to pull out of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in favour of a friendly against Brazil, calling the reported…
The Story in Brief
Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia has criticised the All India Football Federation's decision to pull out of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in favour of a friendly against Brazil, calling the reported Rs 50-70 crore cost difficult to justify while clubs face a financial crisis. India will face the five-time world champion in Kolkata on October 3, a scheduling clash that led the AIFF to prioritise the marquee fixture over the FIFA-recognised tournament, which has teams like Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
In an interview with PTI, Bhutia accused AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey of misguiding the government and said the money would be better spent supporting clubs like East Bengal, which qualified for the AFC Champions League 2 but struggles financially. The criticism comes as the ISL season was delayed and shortened due to commercial uncertainty, and Tata Steel exited Jamshedpur FC.
The Indian Opinion
A Rs 50-70 crore friendly against Brazil sounds glamorous, but Indian club football is haemorrhaging: ISL clubs are shutting down, I-League teams cannot pay entry fees, and a champion club like East Bengal scrapes for funds. The AIFF's decision to trade a FIFA-recognised tournament for one exhibition match is a question of priorities, not merit. Bhutia is right to call this out. The real test is whether the federation can show a single rupee of tangible benefit from this Brazil game that outweighs what the ASEAN Cup would have given the national team.
Sources (2): sportstar.thehindu.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
