Following a goalless draw against Bangladesh in their opening match, India desperately needed a win to stay in contention. However, their hopes were dashed by a stoppage-time penalty, leading to another disappointing result.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Bhutia called for AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey to step down \u201cto save Indian football\u201d and questioned the logic behind such ad-hoc financial incentives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We\u2019ve seen reports that players haven't even received their daily allowance of RS 2,500. Indian footballers don\u2019t have central contracts like cricketers. They don\u2019t earn in lakhs or crores. Their compensation largely comes through daily allowances,\" Bhutia said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there\u2019s a USD 50,000 prize announcement if they had won the game. Where did this come from? If they had won, would the same bonus be offered for the next four games? There\u2019s clearly no system, no strategy. Just random decisions with no clarity,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In July 2023, India were ranked 99th in the FIFA rankings and had a promising year\u2014winning the Intercontinental Cup, Tri-Nation Tournament, and SAFF Championship. However, Bhutia remarked that it\u2019s been \u201cone disaster after another\u201d ever since.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following former coach Igor Stimac\u2019s turbulent exit and India\u2019s elimination from the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team went winless throughout 2024. Their only victory came recently when veteran striker Sunil Chhetri came out of retirement to lead the side to a 3-0 win over the Maldives\u2014India\u2019s first win in 489 days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As nations like Uzbekistan secure their maiden World Cup qualification, India now faces the grim prospect of missing out on the 2027 Asian Cup\u2014a tournament they've consistently qualified for in recent years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following former coach Igor Stimac\u2019s turbulent exit and India\u2019s elimination from the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the team went winless throughout 2024. Their only victory came recently when veteran striker Sunil Chhetri came out of retirement to lead the side to a 3-0 win over the Maldives\u2014India\u2019s first win in 489 days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> LIVE Cricket Score<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n