Digital
Desk: Bhaichung Bhutia, a former captain of India and contender for the AIFF
presidency, claimed on Sunday that political pressure prevented his home
state's football association, Sikkim FA, from endorsing him in the upcoming
general body elections. One of Indian football's greatest legends, 45-year-old
Bhutia, is gearing up for a direct challenge for the AIFF president's position
on September 2.
Kalyan Chaubey, a former goalkeeper for Mohun
Bagan and East Bengal, is thought to be the front-runner and has the support of
political powerhouse state organisations like Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh.
Bengal's BJP is led by Chaubey.
State organisations from Rajasthan
and Andhra Pradesh put out and supported Bhutia's nomination. His state
association did not offer him any assistance.
Bhutia, known as 'Sikkimese Sniper'
during his playing days for his goal-scoring prowess, alleged meddling from
some ruling Sikkim Krantakari Morcha (SKM) party leaders by way of pressurising
Sikkim FA president Menla Ethenpa to vote against him. "I suggest that the
few SKM party leaders trying to interfere into the elections to back off. They
have persuaded the SFA president to vote against me when he should be requested
to abstain," he said at a press conference in Gangtok.
Angry former national captain:
"Direct intervention by political individuals will harm the development of
football in the state and the country as a whole. I definitely don't want his
(Ethenpa's) support."
"In the elections, Menla
Ethenpa, the president, rather than himself, will represent SFA. He ought to
stand out for what is right if he truly wants football to thrive."
In addition, Bhutia stated that if
Ethenpa wants to see football develop in Sikkim, he needs to vacate the
position he has had for the previous 16 years. Additionally, he claimed that
retired bureaucrat Ethenpa was mismanaging the association and not carrying out
the tasks assigned to him.
He accused the SFA of having
"corruption" and "misappropriation" of cash.
The great footballer, who retired in
2011 after becoming the first Indian to play 100 full internationals for the
nation, said, "After the AIFF presidential elections, I would go court
requesting a third party probe into the accounts of SFA.
Ethenpa's large family is represented in the state
association's executive board, according to Bhutia, which he claimed is against
the laws governing sports in the nation. "If we want to thrive as a good
footballing state, we need to reform the corrupt processes within the SFA and
bring in the appropriate individuals. We'll take this subject to court,
"said said.
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