‘Feel sorry for him’: Bhaichung Bhutia on Jamil taking charge amid crisis in Indian football

Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia said that he "feels sorry" for Khalid Jamil, who has taken the reins of the national football side during challenging times for the sport in the country, and opined that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) selected him because he won't impose too many demands.

Jamil, who has been hired to replace Spaniard Manolo Marquez, is the first Indian in 13 years to become head coach of the senior national team. He was hired for a two-year deal that has an option to extend for a further year.

“We have got two world-class coaches (Igor Stimac and Manolo Marquez) leaving… If these two coaches couldn’t work with the federation, then you bring people who will listen and will do what the federation says…,” Bhutia was quoted saying to PTI Videos after the Fidel Castro Centenary Football Cup’s exhibition match. “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 appointed over Stephen Constantine and Stefan Tarkovic. Targeting AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, Bhutia said, "For Kalyan, he (Jamil) is the right man because Indian coaches don't expect 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.”

Chaubey had only recently admitted that club football is "undergoing a crisis" from the uncertainty of the Indian Super League while blaming the situation on "some vested interest self-claimed reformers".

Bhutia also expressed concerns with how the federation has handled administrative issues.

“When the Supreme Court appointed the ad-hoc committee to run the federation for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, the federation should have asked the SC whether we can run it, or we should have a new body."

“That delay of three years clashed with the MRA rights getting over. That timing could have been tackled much more before coming to this stage. They should have gone to the SC and asked. I have been saying this to find out whether this body can continue, which they did not do purposely,” Bhutia added.

India will participate in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025, which begins on August 29 in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. “It’s a great tournament and good for the Indian team as well, but as I said that (Indian) football is in a mess. You should have sat with the ISL, FSDL (Football Sports Development Limited) and the new coach and then taken the call,” Bhutia said. “And when you start playing this tournament, and suddenly you are trying to play the Super Cup and ISL. Then how does that work? I think it’s going to be a total mess.

“If tomorrow, ISL comes in and says we’re gonna start playing, then you will not have some of the best players playing for the club,” he signed off.