Bhaichung Bhutia criticises ₹50-70 crore proposal for India v Brazil friendly as 'wrong move'
Bhaichung Bhutia on the 420 Grams YouTube podcast criticised plans to spend ₹50–70 crore to stage the India v Brazil friendly, a match announced by the All India Football Federation and the Brazilian Football Federation for 3 October 2026. He described the timing as wrong and questioned the use of federation funds for a single exhibition game.
The fixture was confirmed by both federations for 3 October 2026, but Bhutia said the proposed outlay clashes with other priorities for Indian football and with the FIFA ASEAN Cup window, from which India withdrew and which gave Bangladesh a place in the tournament. He argued the expenditure would not uplift the broader state of the game and said the money could be better deployed for grassroots development or to support domestic clubs.
On the podcast Bhutia questioned the timing and scale of the payment, saying: “I think if Brazil were coming for free, India should have played. I definitely would want but when you’re paying 50 to 70 crores, I think you can get Brazil anytime. I think the timing is definitely wrong. If you’re going to pay 50-70 crores, you can get Argentina; you can get Spain, but is it the right time?” He added: “I don’t think it’s the right time because, first of all, it’s clashing big time with the FIFA ASEAN Cup, which is the second biggest tournament for any footballer in India.”
Bhutia raised financial and governance concerns, asking why India would skip the ASEAN Cup to host Brazil while clubs were reportedly struggling. He said: “I don’t know why. What is the reason not to play that (FIFA ASEAN Cup) and play Brazil, especially spending that kind of money when the clubs are shutting down, the clubs have no money? Uh, and I think it’s just misleading. Kalyan Chaubey is just misleading the federation and misleading the Bengal government to pay 40- 50 crores to a Brazilian team rather than, why don’t you, you know, give it some to East Bengal? They have a good team; they’ll go on to perform well in the Asian stage.”
Bhutia also accused the federation leadership of planning to use reserve funds to secure the Brazilian side in advance. He said: “He [ Kalyan Chaubey] is going to pay an advance to the Brazilian team from the fixed deposit, which is an emergency fund kept in it, and he’s going to use that to pay the advance money for Brazil. Last year, EXCO showed us a budget and last year’s expenditure: a 14 crores deficit we had, and now he’s trying to break that emergency fund, which is lying in the federation in the fixed deposit and try to pay an advance from there, which is a shocking, shocking thing.”
Turning to governance, Bhutia used strong language to describe the federation’s handling of the situation and its leadership, saying: “So, when you have a joker as a leader, then the entire organization becomes a circus. That is what is happening a full circus is what is happening,” and he reiterated his view that the decision-making was flawed.
Bhutia made clear he has no intention of standing for the AIFF presidency, stating: “I don’t want to be the President. I don’t want to be in that circus again and be a joker as well. One of the jokers there.”
The India v Brazil friendly remains scheduled for 3 October 2026, a fixture announced by the All India Football Federation and the Brazilian Football Federation that has prompted public objections from Bhutia over timing and proposed funding sources.