Former Indian footballer and captain of the national team, Bhaichung Bhutia stepped down from his post with the All India Football federation’s (AIFF) technical committee. This decision from Bhutia came on Saturday, July 20, soon after the Blue Tigers got their new coach in Manolo Marquez .
Moreover, Bhutia’s decision comes just hours after the AIFF announced Manolo Marquez as India’s head coach, citing dissatisfaction with the committee being bypassed. It is to be noted that Marquez, who currently manages FC Goa in Indian Super League (ISL) replaced Crotian Igor Stimac. The latter was sacked from the position on June 17 after India’s failure to progress into the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Bhaichung Bhutia on his decision said, “The technical committee traditionally recommends the head coach of the national team.” “I have served as the Chairman of the AIFF technical committee in the past and have been involved in appointing coaches like Stephen Constantine. This time, however, the committee was entirely excluded from the process,” he added.
The 47-year-old further explained that the committee did not hold any meetings to discuss the potential candidates or even to shortest applicants. “If you are going to bypass the technical committee in the head coach appointment, why are we here?” he added criticizing the formation of the committee.
It is to be noted that the committee was constituted under AIFF Vice President NA Haris to select the successor of Igor Stimac. The committee is presently led by former footballer IM Vijayan. The technical committee includes members such as Shabir Ali, Climax Lawrence, Victor Amalraj and Santosh Singh.