President AIFF Kalyan Chaubey officially responded to scary criticism of the All India football Federation for former Indian Captain Bhaichung Bhutia and urged the shift from public attacks to constructive cooperation. Bhutia recently launched a blistering attack on the AIFF and accused the federation of poor management, corruption and lack of football vision under the leadership of Chaubey.
In his statement AIFF Chaubey reaffirmed the obligation of the Federation to Unity and Progress.
“We follow two slogans -” Football combines the world “and” Indian football, forward together “. These slogans reflect our common vision and I firmly believe that we can take Indian football to higher heights,” the statement read.
Bhutia had previously questioned Chaubey’s credentials And leadership, to go so far that he accuses him of prioritizing policy over performance.
“I didn’t see Kalyan playing a lot in the national team. He was the third or fourth goalkeeper who paid more attention to politics than playing,” Bhuta said during a Calcutta press conference.
In his response, Chaubey recognized Bhuti’s right to freedom of expression, but criticized his repeated public explosions from the loss of the presidential elections AIFF in September 2022.
“We live in a democratic country where every citizen has a constitutional right to freedom of expression. As a member of the AIFF Executive Committee, Mr. Bhaichung Bhutia has access to a suitable and authorized platform to express his views, evoke concerns and constructively,” he read the statement.
“It has been observed that Mr. Bhaichung Bhutia’s defeat in the elections in September 2022 permanently and deliberately raised unfounded accusations and introduced a distorted image of AIFF. Such actions not only suppress the reputation of the Federation, but also throw Indian football in negative light on the international platform.”
Bhutia previously described the AIFF as “circus” and called for the resignation of Chaubey.
“Kalyan Chaubey destroyed Indian football. He must resign.
He also questioned AIFF decision -making, raised problems with the appointment of a coach, the unsuccessful Asia Cup campaign and administrative opacity.
“Nothing happens at the local level at all. The only thing we hear is negative news from the top, and this is reflected in the results,” Bhutia said.
Chaubey, in turn, claimed that Bhutia had not used its position in the powerful committee to offer tangible solutions.
“It is unfortunate that most of the Executive Committee meetings focused primarily on contradictory decisions, which were collectively made by the whole council rather than offering substantial proposals,” the President AIFF said.
In the middle of the ongoing tension, Chauby expanded the invitation to Bhutia to participate in the upcoming meeting of the AIFF Executive Committee on July 2025.
“Mr. Bhutia is very welcome … He is encouraged to present constructive proposals during the meeting, which will be duly considered by the entire Executive Council in the spirit of transparency, cooperation and collective development of Indian football,” the statement concluded.
Bhutia also raised concerns about the dispute over the title of I-League, the hasty return of Sunil CHHETRI from retirement and alleged inconsistencies in the Federation’s international negotiations, including the unsuccessful Asia Cup Cup and the nature of his agreement with Saudi Arabia.
As Indian football continues to fight on the pitch and beyond it – with defeats like the one in Hong Kong, the FIFA slip and the confusion around coaching – this public development between two prominent sports figures only intensified the reflector on the direction of the Federation. In addition, the meeting of July 2 is now important for the future Indian football course.
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
June 20, 2025
