Interview | Bhaichung Bhutia
“The AIFF president role is something I would love to consider in the future. I might not be ready right now but I think that’s a position I would love to take,” says former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia.
Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia wants to run Indian football in the near future as the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) president. The 43yearold has begun working towards it by joining the Sikkim football association, but admits there's a lot more to the top posting than just football acumen.
“The AIFF president role is something I would love to consider in the future. I might not be ready right now but I think that’s a position I would love to take,” Bhutia told Sportstar.
“But again, getting the role comes down to votes and politics and it is not easy. You don’t get into that position because of what you can contribute or the amount of knowledge and exposure you have of the game, it comes down to politics. So I will have to try and ght that out,” he said.
Talking about the changes he would bring about if he took charge of the national body, he said: “The rst thing I would do is bring relegation and promotion within the next two to three years — I think it has to be brought in. I would also make sure every club has its own grassroots development programme. The AIFF has put a criterion for clubs and I would focus more on that. I would want to see how clubs can safeguard and keep their young talents with them. I would also encourage clubs to build infrastructure on their own.”
He added, “But most importantly, I would see to it that those state associations which do not organise any leagues…i would not let any of their members be a part of the AIFF executive commit
tee. Because in the end, it’s the state associations who need to work.”
Working closely with the Sikkim football association, Bhutia also stressed on the many challenges of bringing about a change in the system. “Being here I have come to know it’s not easy to handle people. You have your ideas and thoughts and you have to make sure they agree with it. People who have not even played school level football are members of the association and to convince them that this is the way we need to look forward is so challenging. They have a typical mindset that what they think is right and to change that it becomes very dicult. To deal with 60yearolds who have been thinking like that all along is a challenge,” he said.
ISL needs East Bengal
Bhutia — one of the few players to have donned the colours of both the Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan — feels the Kolkata clubs have failed to evolve with changing times.
“Sadly, I feel the two clubs need to do a lot more. The ocials, especially, must try to become more professional as football has changed over the years. If you don’t change, you will stay where you are and it’s exactly (the case) with Indian football,” he said.
“The world has changed, but we have stayed in our glorious years in the ’60s and ’70s. We have not changed with time and that is why we have been lagging. Even the game on the eld has changed so much, but the management — I think you’ve got to change and be professional and deal with the time,” he added.
Mohun Bagan, which recently won the Ileague, will merge with ISL champion ATK to forge a new entity for the next season and Bhutia feels it was a necessity for Bagan. “If ATK can’t utilise Mohun Bagan with this merger, then I think it will be a waste of money. For Mohun Bagan, it is a step in the right direction, but it depends on how ATK utilises it. Mohun Bagan have been struggling nancially in terms of sponsors and they needed investors to come in.
“But for ATK, when they merge with Mohun Bagan, what are they taking? They are taking Mohun Bagan’s identity, history and legacy and it should be utilised to the maximum,” he asserted.
Elaborating on the ISL club’s failure to attract fans, Bhutia said: “ATK has done well in ISL, but despite doing well the fact is they have not had the kind of fan following that Mohun Bagan or East Bengal enjoy.”
The former India striker is also hoping to see East Bengal join the top echelon of Indian football soon. “I would denitely want East Bengal to play the top league if the ISL is the top league. But at the same time, let us not forget that even ISL needs East Bengal and vice versa. Today, the La Liga cannot do without Barcelona and Real Madrid and the two clubs cannot do without the league. So, I think it is a winwin situation for both parties. If not this year, then somewhere down the line East Bengal is bound to play the top league,” he said.
He added, “The AIFF president Praful Patel has said that in the next two or three years we will have promotion from the ILeague to the ISL. If not automatically through promotion, East Bengal will play in the ISL. For football to do well and for ISL to do well, they require East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. They require that kind of rivalry.”