Kolkata, Feb 7: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Wednesday said that although he “wasn’t consulted” before being re-inducted in AIFF technical committee, he would still be happy to “support” his former teammate and current chairman IM Vijayan.
The 47-year-old, who got thrashed in an one-sided AIFF presidential election to Kalyan Chaubey in 2022, headed the AIFF technical committee from 2013-17 before being replaced by Asian Games bronze medallist Shyam Thapa.
Vijayan succeeded Thapa in 2022.
“I wasn’t consulted, I just saw my name mentioned somewhere. I’ve no idea who made the committee and how come my name came in. I just saw my name and I didn’t say anything,” Bhutia told PTI reacting to the development.
Bhutia however said he’s happy to support Vijayan.
Priorities
Bhutia continued to criticise the Chaubey-led administration and blamed them for India’s recent debacle in the Asian Cup. He said the “top priority” should be three tournaments — Asian Cup, Asian Games and World Cup Qualifiers — to take the football forward.
The Igor Stimac-coached side lost all their three matches in the Asian Cup in Qatar, conceding six goals and failed to score any. (PTI)
