Under fire AIFF chief, says Indian coach’s fate to be decided soon

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey was in a firefighting mode. Cornered by one and all including former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia for the state of Indian football, Chaubey denied allegations of corruption and addressed the pending issue of Indian coach Manolo Marquez’s continuation. Further, he also informed that the federation is in contact with 33 foreign based players of Indian origin, who are open to the idea of representing India should the laws get changed.

This was only three day after India team’s lame 0-1 loss against the lesser ranked opponents Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

“I have received several calls in the last few days asking me whether the coach will continue or leave. We have an executive committee meeting on June 29, where we will have a full discussion on this,” Chaubey said.

Importantly, he has disclosed that the AIFF was in contact with several OCI players. “The AIFF is in contact with the 33 players who are eligible for the OCI card. Some of them have already received the card and AIFF is helping others to get them. We are in constant dialogue with the government for the necessary approvals,” the president said.

When pressed further, Chaubey, who is also the Indian Olympic Association joint secretary, hinted the approvals may take time

“As I had mentioned, a systematic change is not possible overnight. It is a process. I am also trying. We had meetings with several stakeholders. When I say we have contacted 33 players across the world, do you think it can be done in five or seven days?” he explained.

Targets Bhaichung

Chaubey also made sure to hit back at former India captain and striker Bhaichung Bhutia, who had criticized the AIFF president for the sorry state of Indian football, alleging that there was rampant corruption in the federation.

“We have been audited by CAG, by Deloitte, by FIFA and also by our external auditors. If there is any corruption, I am sure it would have been red flagged. There are several petitions by 3 or four members, who have either lost elections against my team or were part of the AIFF and are not today and they are party to all of this,” Chaubey said.

“He is a very successful player and we all respect him as he was the best striker India had. He was also an advisor to the AIFF president with a monthly remuneration of 1.5 lakh. He also sits on the EC as an imminent player. I mentioned we had at least 11 meetings and he is there to stop the corruption and was allowed to raise issues,” he added.

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