Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia on Friday questioned the AIFF’s decision to pull out of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup to prioritise a high-profile friendly against Brazil, saying the reported Rs 50-70 crore expenditure on the marquee fixture was difficult to justify at a time when the country’s club football is grappling with a financial crisis. India will face the record five-time world champions in a friendly slated in Kolkata on October 3, with the All India Football Federation choosing the invitational fixture over participation in the FIFA ASEAN Cup following a scheduling clash.
“Brazil can always come. Argentina, Spain, France can always come and play in India when you are paying that kind of money. You can get any team to come and play, but at the moment I think the timing is wrong. Why not help EB instead? ================== For Bhutia, the issue is not simply the cost of one match but where Indian football should be directing its limited resources. Rather than investing in grassroots… “The New Zealand tour is a good tour for us. Looking at how New Zealand qualified for the World Cup and performed well, they had a very good side. The FIFA ASEAN Cup, I think, is a big, big blow. He sees the New Zealand trip as an opportunity to gain both experience and ranking points.
Because of the economic situation, “The honourable prime minister has been saying that we need to cut down on travelling abroad and a lot of things. “Why not Kalyan request Bengal government to come and support East Bengal with Rs 10-20 crores so that they make a good team and go and perform in the Champions League. He pointed to reigning ISL champions East Bengal, who have qualified for the group stage of the AFC Champions League 2 with a thumping 4-1 win over Al-Arabi on Wednesday. “East Bengal have qualified for the AFC Champions League 2 but they are struggling with money. “The SAFF Cup obviously clashes, but you can always send an Under-23 team to the SAFF Cup. The SAFF Cup is something where we can always send an Under-23 team.
“Why do you want to pay Rs 50-70 crore at this moment when ISL clubs are shutting down, club after club, and I-League clubs are struggling to pay their entry fees?” he asked. It will be a great experience for a lot of our Indian players,” he said.
