New Delhi: Former India football captain Baichung Bhutia said if the chit fund scam, which has affected I-League clubs in Kolkata, was unearthed earlier his team United Sikkim would have hired better players for realistic salaries.
Bhutia, who has recently took over as the chairman of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) technical committee, feels I-League clubs outside West Bengal are lucky no to have been affected by the scam.
“Luckily, we have stayed away from all this. It’s only the Kolkata clubs, who will have a direct effect,” Bhutia told reporters on the sidelines of a programme.
Kolkata’s Prayag United were the biggest spenders in the last season with a budget of Rs 17 crores. But United are now looking a tough forthcoming season since their chief sponsor Prayag, is one of the 70 chit-fund companies under the scanner of Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
The Saradha group had invested Rs 1.8 crores in Mohun Bagan since 2010-11 and Rs 3.5 crores in East Bengal since 2010. (IANS)
