'Wrong Priority': Bhaichung Bhutia Slams AIFF for Skipping ASEAN Cup to Fund ₹50-70 Crore Brazil Friendly

Kolkata: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has criticised the All India Football Federation's decision to pull out of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in order to host a high-profile friendly against Brazil, questioning both the sporting logic and the reported ₹50-70 crore cost at a time when Indian club football is in financial distress.

India will face five-time world champions Brazil in Kolkata on October 3, with the AIFF choosing the marquee friendly over the ASEAN Cup following a scheduling clash. Bhutia said he had no objection to hosting Brazil if the fixture came at no cost, but argued that spending crores on it now, while clubs struggle to survive, was simply "the wrong priority."

Bhutia had earlier opposed the withdrawal at an AIFF Executive Committee meeting, arguing the ASEAN Cup offered better value: guaranteed participation fees, potential prize money, and at least three competitive matches that would have aided the national team's development ahead of future AFC and World Cup qualifying campaigns.

He also raised concerns over the AIFF's financial arrangement for the Brazil match, under which the federation would pay an advance to Brazil upfront, to be reimbursed later through sponsorship revenue — a model he said exposed the federation to unnecessary risk if commercial backing fails to materialise.