'Will help state associations, conduct grassroots leagues': Bhaichung Bhutia seeks NE states support for AIFF Prez post

Bhaichung Bhutia, a legend in Indian football, said on Tuesday that improving the financial status of the state associations an reviving grassroots tournaments would be his top priority if he were to be elected president of the AIFF on September 2.

In the All India Football Federation (AIFF) elections scheduled on September 2, the legendary Indian footballer will face off against former goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey for the three top positions.

“Every state association including Bengal needs financial support to hold their leagues at various levels,” the 45-year-old former India captain said during a visit to East Bengal club in Kolkata.

“At present, half of the state associations don’t have their leagues, forget about grassroots tournaments, so how would they produce players? If you don’t produce quality players, how would you dream of playing in the World Cup? The main priority is to help all states financially, he added.

Chaubey, a BJP leader from Bengal and a former goalkeeper for Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, is thought to be the front-runner with support from politically significant state organisations like Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh.

In the letter he penned to the Northeastern states the Sikkimese Sniper wrote that “I have been a proud son of Northeast India and represented the region to the best of my ability in the 20 odd years of my career. Today I represent the Northeast again, to contest the post of President of the All Indian Football Federation."

“Our region is the hub of Indian football and we have become a factory for producing footballers for the country", he said reflecting on the rich heritage of Northeastern players in the national team.

“It is high time for a Northeast person to lead the federation. I think I am the best man for the job," the statement read.

The returning officer has already released the electoral college, which consists of 34 representatives from the state associations.

The positions of president, vice president, treasurer, and 14 members of the executive committee were all up for election. Four men and two women who were former players will later be co-opted as voting members of the executive committee.

The polls were earlier to be held under the aegis of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) on August 28.

However, on August 22, the Supreme Court terminated the CoA's mandate, barred the inclusion of 36 former players in the electoral college, and postponed the polls by a week in order to save the Women's U-17 World Cup, whose hosting was jeopardized after FIFA suspended the AIFF.

The FIFA lifted the ban on August 26, clearing the decks for India to host the Women's U-17 World Cup in October.