Legendary Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia announced his resignation from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) technical committee, citing dissatisfaction with the appointment process for the national men’s team head coach. Bhutia, a co-opted member of the AIFF executive committee, criticized the committee for bypassing the technical panel in selecting the new coach.
Coach Appointment Sparks Controversy
The AIFF executive committee appointed Manolo Marquez, head coach of FC Goa in the Indian Super League, as the new head coach of the Indian national team. Marquez replaces Croatian coach Igor Stimac, who was dismissed on June 17 following India’s failure to advance to the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Bhutia emphasized that the technical committee, chaired by IM Vijayan, was not consulted in this decision, which deviated from the standard procedure.
Bhutia’s Concerns
Bhutia expressed frustration over the lack of involvement of the technical committee in the coach selection process. “As former chairman of the AIFF technical committee from 2013 to 2017, I was involved in coach appointments, such as Stephen Constantine’s. It is the job of the technical committee to shortlist candidates and recommend a suitable coach. This time, there was not a single meeting of the technical committee to appoint Stimac’s successor,” Bhutia told PTI.
Special Committee’s Role Questioned
Bhutia opposed the formation of a special committee led by AIFF vice president NA Haris to find Stimac’s replacement, arguing that the existing technical committee should have handled the process. “The process itself is wrong. Coaches are hired, fired, and given extensions by the executive committee without discussing with the technical committee. The president proposes one or two names, and the executive committee agrees,” Bhutia stated.
Discrepancy in Consultation Claims
While AIFF officials claimed that technical committee chairman IM Vijayan was consulted during the process via video conference, Bhutia maintained that the technical committee was bypassed. M Satyanarayan, the acting Secretary General of the AIFF, supported the claim of Vijayan’s involvement, stating, “There should not be any controversy here. I think the technical committee chairman was consulted.”
Bhutia’s Final Stand
In his resignation, Bhutia reiterated that bypassing the technical committee rendered it meaningless. “If you are going to bypass the technical committee in the head coach appointment, why are we here? Since the technical committee was not involved, there is no value in it. Therefore, I am resigning from my membership,” Bhutia concluded.
