File Image
Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia feels “sorry” for Khalid Jamil, who has taken charge of the national football team at a time when the sport is going through a difficult phase in the country, and said the AIFF preferred him because he is unlikely to make too many demands.
Jamil, who replaced Spaniard Manolo Marquez, became the first Indian in 13 years to be appointed as head coach of the senior national team.
“We have got two world-class coaches leaving, we have got Igor Štimac who coached the Croatian team, and then Manolo Marquez who is one of the great coaches with great history,” Bhutia told PTI Videos after the Fidel Castro Centenary Football Cup’s exhibition match.
“If these two coaches couldn’t work with the federation, then you bring people who will listen and will do what the federation says and will not come up with their own ideas and demands from the federation.
“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 the team when it’s in a very difficult situation,” he added.
Jamil was chosen ahead of Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic.
Taking aim at AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, Bhutia said, “For Kalyan, he is the right guy because Indian coaches do not demand much. At the same time, he is saying that there are financial problems, and today the federation has gone into such a bad situation that we don’t have money to pay the coaches as well.”
“There are coaches who are national team coaches, and they are being paid by other people, so I don’t know where all the money’s gone and there are scam after scam.”
Chaubey had recently admitted that club football is “going through crisis” due to the uncertainty surrounding the Indian Super League, while attributing the situation to “some self-claimed reformers with vested interests”.
Bhutia responded, “He (Chaubey) said exactly the right things, but who is the head of the federation, and who is controlling football right now? That person should be responsible for the same.”
