Football: “They bring people who listen to them” - Former India captain takes another swipe at AIFF following Khalid Jamil appointment
Bhutia tears into AIFF after new head coach announcement
Former Indian national team captain Bhaichung Bhutia has never been one to shy away from sharing his opinion, and has once again taken a swipe at the All India Football Federation following their appointment of Khalid Jamil.
Indian football is facing a very challenging period, with the Indian Super League currently placed on hold until further notice, while the Indian football team hit their lowest ranking in years last month after a run of poor results that led to the departure of Manolo Marquez.
After opening the role of head coach to new applicants, the AIFF opted to hand the role to Jamil, who built a name for himself in the I-League and most recently in the ISL with Jamshedpur, earlier this month.
However, Bhutia, who has openly criticised AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey several times in the past for being responsible for the downfall of the ISL and Indian national team, has now done likewise, suggesting that the appointment of Jamil as the National team's new boss may revolve around more than meets the eye. He said:
“There are coaches who are national team coaches, and they are being paid by the other people, so I don't know where all the money’s gone, and there are scam after scam. I think Jamil, being a domestic coach, fits into that as he is fairly new to the team. I feel sorry for him as well, as he is taking charge of a team when it's in a very difficult situation.”
India has only won one of their last 16 matches across all competitions, which came against lower-ranked opposition, the Maldives, during an international friendly back in the middle of March this year.
ISL champions refuse to send players to India team camp
Khalid Jamil’s first assignment as India’s new head coach will be to take the side to the CAFA Nations Cup, for which they have been invited next month. However, it seems that he may have to do so without the services of the country's league champions, Mohun Bagan’s players.
Just 24 hours after being eliminated from the Durand Cup, MBSG announced that they are unwilling to allow their players to attend the Indian national team's training camp, which Jamil set up to prepare his team for the upcoming tournament.
It has been reported that Jose Molina’s side wants to prioritise their own preparations for the AFC Champions League Two season. Jamil selected a total of seven MBSG players for the trip to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, including the likes of goalkeeper Vishal Kaith, Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco.
