India vs Brazil game a circus: Bhaichung Bhutia slams AIFF, calls friendly action illogical

Indian football great Bhaichung Bhutia has called the historic friendly between India and Brazil a circus. He also criticized the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for ignoring some of the long-standing issues in the game in the country and preferring the tie that took place on Saturday 3 October.

Match against Brazil was part of a three-match series that also included draws against Panama and Uruguay, the teams playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Bhutia admitted that from a fan and former player perspective, the draw against Brazil was cause for excitement. However, he felt that the AIFF should strive to develop the game with a long-term vision.

“Yes, from a player’s point of view or a fan’s point of view, everybody would like it. As a player, I would like to play with Brazil,” Bhutia told The Indian Express ahead of the match. “But is it the job of the federation to give players the opportunity to play against Brazil, or is it their job to develop football in the long term?”

Bhutia, who is part of the AIFF executive committee, also questioned the logic of playing Brazil after paying a large amount of money, especially when Indian football and ISL clubs are struggling to stay afloat at the moment.

“For the federation to pay Brazil to play this match – the amount is said to be Rs 50-60 crore – is completely illogical,” Bhutia said.

“I’m in the ExCo, there was a deficit of Rs 14-16 crore in the last budget. You are launching a pillar that you want to go public to get sponsors. Clubs are closing because there are no sponsors. There are clubs in the I-League (Indian Football League) and ISL (Indian Super League) that are trying to find sponsors.”

India were originally scheduled to play in the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, where they were drawn alongside Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia – teams that came close to their FIFA 138. Brazil, by comparison, were sixth on Friday.

The AIFF initially planned to send separate teams to the ASEAN Cup and a friendly against Brazil, but later pulled out of the tournament altogether in favor of a high-profile clash, which Bhutia criticized.

“We should not have missed a competitive tournament like the ASEAN Cup. It would have benefited the players to play competitive matches in this tournament, at least three games. And then you decided to play this friendly by paying so much money that it doesn’t make sense as a federation,” Bhutia said.

WHY NOT THE JAPANESE WAY?

Bhutia said Brazil’s involvement in Indian football could have followed the Japanese model instead. The J-League brought in Brazilian players and coaches during its early years and helped a generation of Japanese footballers learn from Brazil’s creativity while combining it with their own discipline.

“What did Japan do with Brazilian football? They cooperated. There were people like Zico who coached the Japanese national team for a long time. They had a lot of expertise in Brazilian football in Japan.”

“When you have a clueless president, the whole thing becomes a circus and that’s what’s happening in Indian football. Look at our FIFA rankings, we’ve gone from top 100 to 140. Even in the Asia Cup, India didn’t qualify on merit,” Bhutia said.

India got a reality check during an international friendly on Saturday when they were beaten 0-4 by Brazil.

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