Bhaichung Bhutia
jose12
4 Points
Dronacharya
awardee coach
Syed
Nayeemuddin on
Wednesday led a
bunch of former
football stars in
lashing out
against the just-
retired Bhaichung
Bhutia, accusing
him of conspiracy
during the AFC
Asian Cup
qualifiers in 2006.
On a day when
Bhutia announced
his retirement in
New Delhi, Nayeemuddin, who
was sacked unceremoniously
after India's defeats against
Japan and Yemen, blamed Bhutia
for the debacle and demanded a
CBI inquiry into the matches held
five years ago.
Former India defender Subrata
Bhattachara and Dhyan Chand
awardee Shabbir Ali, too, were
critical of the 'Sikkimese Sniper',
saying the media had made him
the face of football in India.
Accusing Bhutia of rigging the
match against lower-ranked
Yemen, Nayeemuddin said: "He
conspired with the players and
did not allow the goalkeeping
coach (Atanu Bhattacharya) to be
present in a team meeting. He
got it over with six to seven
players of the team."
Terming him a "traitor",
Nayeemuddin said: "He has
ditched the country and now he
is being projected as a football
icon in India. Let there be CBI
inquiry and I should be killed if
they found me guilty."
"No player is bigger than
country and he is no exception.
It was unbelievable."
Nayeemuddin ranked IM Vijayan
ahead of Bhutia. "On any given
day, Vijayan was better. He was
disciplined and more talented.
Players like him could have
played minimum five years more
with 100 per cent better
performance than Bhutia. He was
a team man and technically more
sound," Nayeemuddin said about
the Kerala stalwart.
Bhutia, incidentally, was on the
verge of retirement in 2006
after India had a string of poor
shows under coach Syed
Nayeemuddin with whom he
had serious differences, but he
changed his mind after a request
by then AIFF president Priya
Ranjan Dasmunshi.
Two-time Santosh Trophy
winning coach Shabbir Ali said
India's ranking would not have
slipped so much if Bhutia was an
all-time great.
"I am not saying he was not a
good player. During his time, he
was the star. He was like us only.
Calling him the face of India
football is nothing but a media
creation."
"Had it been so, India's
performance would have been
different and we would not be
languishing at the bottom of the
rankings.
"There were many good players
during his time who did not get
chance, but he excelled. We
played international matches
against all top teams and with
good results. But he played
against all the third division
teams in Dubai, Portugal and
came losing.
"And everybody knows what
happened during the Asian Cup
where he played with injury and
deprived a place in the side with
the federation (AIFF) becoming
the laughing stock," Ali alleged.
Former Mohun Bagan defender
Subrata Bhattacharya said Bhutia
should have quit earlier.
"There was no performance of
him in last four five years. He
should have retired much earlier.
It was a bad timing. He called it
quits after not being able to
play."
"Media have made him an icon.
He is like David Beckham who is
a good PRO, knows how to
present himself. I don't think he
was a good footballer at all. He
was never an etnertainer.
"Yes he scored many goals but
most of them against nations like
Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Maldives," Bhattacharya said <!-- s:shhh: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/eusa/shhh.gif" alt=":shhh:" title="Shhh..." /><!-- s:shhh: --> <!-- s:pray: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/eusa/pray.gif" alt=":pray:" title="Pray" /><!-- s:pray: -->
awardee coach
Syed
Nayeemuddin on
Wednesday led a
bunch of former
football stars in
lashing out
against the just-
retired Bhaichung
Bhutia, accusing
him of conspiracy
during the AFC
Asian Cup
qualifiers in 2006.
On a day when
Bhutia announced
his retirement in
New Delhi, Nayeemuddin, who
was sacked unceremoniously
after India's defeats against
Japan and Yemen, blamed Bhutia
for the debacle and demanded a
CBI inquiry into the matches held
five years ago.
Former India defender Subrata
Bhattachara and Dhyan Chand
awardee Shabbir Ali, too, were
critical of the 'Sikkimese Sniper',
saying the media had made him
the face of football in India.
Accusing Bhutia of rigging the
match against lower-ranked
Yemen, Nayeemuddin said: "He
conspired with the players and
did not allow the goalkeeping
coach (Atanu Bhattacharya) to be
present in a team meeting. He
got it over with six to seven
players of the team."
Terming him a "traitor",
Nayeemuddin said: "He has
ditched the country and now he
is being projected as a football
icon in India. Let there be CBI
inquiry and I should be killed if
they found me guilty."
"No player is bigger than
country and he is no exception.
It was unbelievable."
Nayeemuddin ranked IM Vijayan
ahead of Bhutia. "On any given
day, Vijayan was better. He was
disciplined and more talented.
Players like him could have
played minimum five years more
with 100 per cent better
performance than Bhutia. He was
a team man and technically more
sound," Nayeemuddin said about
the Kerala stalwart.
Bhutia, incidentally, was on the
verge of retirement in 2006
after India had a string of poor
shows under coach Syed
Nayeemuddin with whom he
had serious differences, but he
changed his mind after a request
by then AIFF president Priya
Ranjan Dasmunshi.
Two-time Santosh Trophy
winning coach Shabbir Ali said
India's ranking would not have
slipped so much if Bhutia was an
all-time great.
"I am not saying he was not a
good player. During his time, he
was the star. He was like us only.
Calling him the face of India
football is nothing but a media
creation."
"Had it been so, India's
performance would have been
different and we would not be
languishing at the bottom of the
rankings.
"There were many good players
during his time who did not get
chance, but he excelled. We
played international matches
against all top teams and with
good results. But he played
against all the third division
teams in Dubai, Portugal and
came losing.
"And everybody knows what
happened during the Asian Cup
where he played with injury and
deprived a place in the side with
the federation (AIFF) becoming
the laughing stock," Ali alleged.
Former Mohun Bagan defender
Subrata Bhattacharya said Bhutia
should have quit earlier.
"There was no performance of
him in last four five years. He
should have retired much earlier.
It was a bad timing. He called it
quits after not being able to
play."
"Media have made him an icon.
He is like David Beckham who is
a good PRO, knows how to
present himself. I don't think he
was a good footballer at all. He
was never an etnertainer.
"Yes he scored many goals but
most of them against nations like
Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Maldives," Bhattacharya said <!-- s:shhh: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/eusa/shhh.gif" alt=":shhh:" title="Shhh..." /><!-- s:shhh: --> <!-- s:pray: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/eusa/pray.gif" alt=":pray:" title="Pray" /><!-- s:pray: -->
Comments
sadly he had to retire at the time NT was showing promising future.
if you ask now who is captain of NT to common people,95% will say Bhaichung.
we salute the true legend. <!-- s:handgestures-salute: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/handgestures/salute.gif" alt=":handgestures-salute:" title="Salute" /><!-- s:handgestures-salute: --> <!-- s:bow-yellow: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bow/yellow.gif" alt=":bow-yellow:" title="Yellow" /><!-- s:bow-yellow: -->
Mahabharata is being repeated in
the Kaliyuga as the Arjuna
awardee Bhutia is being accused
of conspiracy by the Donacharya
awardee Nayeemudin
interview as the
Indian captain,
Baichung Bhutia
opened up to TOI
and spoke about
his long
international
career. Excerpts:
How difficult was
the decision to
quit?
It was very difficult. But for the
last couple of months as I was
struggling to overcome the calf
injury. Once I made up my mind,
I was happy. Football is not
going away from me. I have a
club (United Sikkim) where I can
go and play.
What is your biggest
disappointment?
Every defeat was horrible to
accept. As every footballer, I also
dreamt of playing in the World
Cup. But we all know how
difficult it is. It is my biggest
regret. I hope I would live to see
India play in the World Cup. I
would take my children to watch
India play wherever or
whenever that happens.
What are the memorable
moments of your career?
The last four years have been
very good. Playing in Delhi and
winning the Nehru Cup and the
AFC Challenge Cup was fantastic.
The latter helped us qualify for
the Asian Cup, which I think is
the biggest achievement of my
career. It is equivalent to the
Copa America or the European
Cup.
One match you would like to
forget?
It was the match against Japan
where we lost 6-1 away from
home (2004). It really hurt.
What does the future hold for
you?
I will try my best to make my
club, United Sikkim, a very
successful entity. If I can get fit
and still want to play, it will be
for United Sikkim. I want to see
the club become one of the top
clubs in the country.
Will you be associated with the
AIFF?
Right now, all my energies will
be focused towards United
Sikkim and my football school. I
will just be a phone call away
whenever the Federation wants
me, but right now, I have no
plans to join the AIFF.
How will the national team
cope with your absence?
It will still do well. There are a lot
of talented players and more will
come if the Federation can keep
working systematically at the
grassroots level. Don't worry,
you will get to see better players
than Baichung Bhutia soon.
Who will carry the goal-scoring
mantle?
Sunil (Chhetri) is doing a great
job for India and Jeje
(Lalpekhlua) is immensely
talented. We need more players
up front like them.
How would you assess the two
generations you have played
with?
The current crop is more
professional. But talent-wise the
era of IM Vijayan and Jo-Paul
Ancheri was better.
Who would you choose as your
best strike partner?
IM Vijayan. There is no one like
him. I really enjoyed playing
beside him.
Your biggest moment as a club
player...
Winning the Asean Cup with East
Bengal beating Thailand's BEC
Terro Sasana. We had a superb
group of players and the whole
team was in great form.
Who are the defenders that you
rate very highly?
I would like to name two - late VP
Sathyen for his leadership skills
and Mahesh Gawli for his
commitment.
Who is the coach who has
influenced you most?
I have learnt a lot from each one
of them. Rustam Akramov
shifted me from the midfield to
the striking position. We
defeated UAE in a World Cup
qualifier under Sukhwinder
Singh. But personally and result-
wise I think Bob Houghton will
get my vote. We qualified for the
Asian Cup under his guidance.
How would you react to the
severe criticism from some of
your former coaches?
I would not like to add anything
to it.
WTH?
I don't know why but I have a feeling that Baichung either left so more younger forwards could mold into the team or he had a disagreement with the AIFF.
Oh ya. How could I forget about that. <!-- s:confusion-scratchheadyellow: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/confusion/scratchheadyellow.gif" alt=":confusion-scratchheadyellow:" title="Yellow Scratching Head" /><!-- s:confusion-scratchheadyellow: -->
</div><div><br></div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; color: rgb(71, 71, 71); font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify; ">He is one of the most influential and popular player in the present generation. Anyone who follows Indian football has a strong opinion about him. Love him or hate him but you can’t ignore him. People who don’t follow Indian football know him. AIFF arranged an exhibition match against Bayern Munich as his farewell match. He is the first Asian to score a goal in the English league. He has played in England, Malaysia, been in TV shows, dance programs, started a club and his ambitions looks sky-high. His commitment in national colors is unquestionable. His views in media are taken seriously. In other words, he has been more than a just a footballer.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; color: rgb(71, 71, 71); font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify; ">And yet when it comes to his name, people seem to be confused on how to spell it. Well, by people I am not just referring to general fans, but a large section of media. When I follow articles about Messi, Sneijder, Kompany or even Pavlyuchenko, I have never seen <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; ">Messy</em>, <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; ">Snayder</em>, <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; ">Company</em> and <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; ">Pavleiuchinko</em>, and yet our ‘perfectionist’ desi writers seem be confused about Indian football icon Mr. Bhutia’s first name</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; font-family: Georgia, sans-serif; color: rgb(71, 71, 71); font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify; "><a href="http://www.indianfootballnetwork.com/blog/2012/07/18/bhaichung-or-baichung/">http://www.indianfootballnetwork.com/blog/2012/07/18/bhaichung-or-baichung/</a>;
</p></div>
<br><div><br></div><div>That reading was 100% worth my time... and it is 1:10 in the morning and I still have work to do. That says a lot (not really but I like to believe so