Legendary Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia on Saturday said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) could serve as the “biggest example” for the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in organizing the country’s top-tier football league independently.
His remarks come after the Supreme Court approved AIFF’s draft constitution, which states that India’s top football league can no longer be owned or managed by private entities and must be run solely by the federation.
Bhutia admitted it would be a challenge but stressed the need for collective effort. “I think it’s a challenge because (when) we started the ISL with FSDL, somebody had to come in and do it because I don’t think at that time the All India Football Federation was ready for it. They’ve done it for 10 years now. The Supreme Court ruling has said that it has to come to AIFF. I don’t know how it’s going to work out, but I think it’s important that AIFF will have to work with all the stakeholders – from ISL clubs to including the FSDL to television rights. Everybody should come together and make sure the league can be organised. (The) IPL is one of the biggest examples of how (the) BCCI has been able to create (the) IPL and organise it, so if we can copy that kind of model, have everybody working together,” Bhutia told PTI.
The former India captain also highlighted the importance of support from stakeholders, including FSDL, following the Supreme Court order. “It’s going to be very, very difficult. But since it’s a ruling of the Supreme Court, maybe the federation is going to try and take a chance. But they will require the support of a lot of them, including FSDL as well.”
Former Players in AIFF Governance
Bhutia welcomed the historic inclusion of ex-players in AIFF’s general body for the first time since independence. “It’s a very, very welcome step because since (our) independence in 1947, I don’t think any federations have (had) this kind of representation in terms of sportsperson, players, ex-footballers. A lot of them go into coaching, but even in terms of organisation (and) administration, it becomes very difficult to get into that system,” he said, citing French legend Michel Platini as an example of a player-turned-administrator.
On AIFF Elections and Leadership
When asked if he would contest the AIFF elections scheduled for September 2026, Bhutia said the focus should be on ensuring the right people enter administration. “For all of us, including me, the first priority is to bring in the right people within the federation and within the state as well. If you have the right people with knowledge, with passion and really wanting to take football forward, I think it’s possible. I don’t want to talk about the past, but there have been a lot of people who have just been there because of the position,” said Bhutia, who lost the presidential election in 2022.
On Khalid Jamil as India Coach
Bhutia also shared his views on his former teammate and current national team coach, Khalid Jamil. “It’s a start for him. It’s going to be difficult, challenging, but I wish him luck. He’s taken the team right now where we’ve got a set of qualifiers which we had a few bad results. But my only suggestion or hope is that he gets results consistently.”
Bhaichung Bhutia: IPL Should Be AIFF’s Model For Running India’s Top Football League
