New Delhi [India], October 13 : Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has strongly criticized All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey for his alleged involvement in corruption and his attempts to undermine the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
"He has really damaged the reputation of Indian football, and now he's doing the same with the IOA, which is very unfortunate," Bhutia told ANI.
"I think the IOA should not entertain him and should remove him. He is only interested in gaining power and positions, not in advancing the sport. We've seen the damage he's done to the football federation, and now he's harming the IOA as well," he added.
Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha hit back at All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey and accused him of "impersonating the acting CEO" of the IOA.
She emphasised that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), Government of India recognize Raghuram Iyer as the "legitimate CEO of the IOA."
She stated that his "agenda using official IOA stationery for a Special General Meeting (SGM) to be held on October 25 in the national capital is both "both illegal and in violation of the IOA Constitution."
Usha reiterated that Raghuram Iyer is "the current and only CEO of the IOA". She claimed that certain members of the IOA Executive Council (EC) are "denying his appointment and withholding his salary for the past nine months.
"Usha revealed that she has already convened the SGM with due notice issued on October 3, in accordance with Article 8.1 of the IOA Constitution.
She stated that she has not authorised Chaubey, Joint Secretary IOA "to convene any meeting or promulgate an agenda" for the SGM on October 25.
"Additionally, it is also worth noting that for the EC members to convene an SGM through the CEO, such a decision can only be taken at an EC Meeting as required by the IOA Constitution, which has not been convened in the recent past," the IOA press release said.
Usha went on to claim that her efforts "to convene Emergency EC meetings since mid-January" this year, have resulted in EC members "not letting her proceed forward with the agenda let aside any discussion on convening an SGM being discussed.
"The IOA president stated that she "lawfully convened" that Chaubey would be the official representative of AIFF. Usha believes that Chaubey's actions raise concerns about the motive behind the actions.
"It is worth noting that Mr Kalyan Chaubey is the official representative of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the SGM scheduled on 25 October 2024, which I have lawfully convened. He is also guilty of issuing a recognition to Taekwondo Federation of India without the approval of General Assembly, Therefore, this attempt to act as the Ag CEO and issue a separate agenda for the same SGM raises serious concerns about the motives behind these actions," the IOA press release stated.
Usha revealed that a few days ago she was approached by "certain senior sports administrators," who requested that she "withdraw the agenda for the SGM and call off the meeting.
"She also stated that "12 members of the IOA EC might issue a "No Confidence Motion against her" if she went ahead with the SGM on October 25.
"According to Usha, the "illegal notice" issued by Chaubey "confirms" her "belief that there is a group of individuals working behind the scenes to disrupt the functioning of the IOA. These individuals clearly have much to hide and are using select EC members to shield themselves from scrutiny."
Usha stated that as the IOA president she is "committed to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, and integrity within the IOA. Any actions that violate these principles, including the unauthorized issuance of agendas and impersonation, will not be tolerated."
She urged all stakeholders to recognize the legality of the SGM notice issued by her office on October 3, and to "disregard any illegal actions that are in direct contravention of the IOA Constitution."
Chaubey is currently the joint secretary of Executive Council of IOA.
"Kalyan Chaubey has no respect for legends like PT Usha and IM Vijayan, the Technical Committee chairman," Bhutia continued.
"Chaubey has done nothing for the national team. He has significantly damaged Indian football's credibility. People like me, who are sportspersons trying to help the federation and improve the game, feel let down by Kalyan Chaubey. People believed a sportsperson should run the federation, but Chaubey, given the opportunity, has created a mess with allegations of corruption," he remarked.
Bhutia further emphasized the negative impact of Chaubey's actions on the credibility of sports federations.
"The credibility of running a sports federation is now damaged. Genuine sportspeople who want to help may be deterred," he said.
"We are all worried about the federation's credibility, which is a major concern. It is the first time we are seeing so many allegations against the federation president, including serious corruption charges by office bearers. This is very bad publicity for the federation and the sport itself," Bhutia noted.
He also highlighted the broader issues within the AIFF under Chaubey's leadership.
"I think the federation's credibility will be damaged further. There is a lot of mismanagement at the top, including financial mismanagement and improper handling of positions, such as appointing the national team coach without following the proper process. The reputation of Indian football is declining. We need to establish a proper constitution, have a Supreme Court judgment, conduct new elections, and bring in a new body to completely revive and revamp Indian football. This is the most important thing at the moment," the former Indian captain concluded.
Earlier in 2022, Kalyan Chaubey defeated Bhaichung Bhutia for the top post of the AIFF. Chaubey, won the election 33-1, a result that was anticipated as Bhutia lacked substantial support among the 34-member voters' list composed of state association representatives.