There will be a few happy people at the Football House in New Delhi. The officials, running the game, won the ugly battle against chief coach Bob Houghton.
Whether Houghton resigned on Saturday because of the ‘personal reasons’ — as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) put it in the media release — will remain unknown, but sources say the Englishman was forced to put his papers so that the charges of racism against him would be dropped.
But at the receiving end of this saga are the players. “I don’t know if it is a battle of egos or purely because of non-performance, which the AIFF says. One thing that I know is that this is a very, very sad day for Indian football. If AIFF think that Houghton hasn’t done a good job then I don’t know how their thinking goes,” fumes skipper Baichung Bhutia.
The veteran striker isn’t one of those who shows his emotions often. But such is the sensitivity of the issue that even the most experienced Indian player couldn’t keep his cool.
“I think the thing that went against him was the poor performances and the comments he made regarding the infrastructure. But what’s wrong in what he said? Even (AFC president) Bin Hammam has been criticising it!” he points out.
The reason why Bhutia feels let down is not just because Houghton, India’s most successful coach, has to leave in such an unceremonious manner. He credits the South Africa-based Englishman for a turnaround in his career. “I had retired from football in 2006. I had lost will to play and had made up my mind. But he coaxed me out of it and made me believe in my abilities. Since then, I have been named the most valuable player in three tournaments,” he says.
Then, it was the Asian Cup as well. “I owe him big time for that. For a player from our continent, that’s the biggest tournament after the World Cup. It was a dream for the players of my generation to play in that tournament,” adds Bhutia.
So what is it that makes Houghton such a favourite among the players? “He never bothered regarding our off-the-field actions…” says Bhutia, who has played under several coaches in his long international career. “…never interfered. All he wanted was that we give a 100 per cent in training and in matches. There was no favouritism. That’s why he is respected so much by all of us.”
The biggest challenge for the next coach, Bhutia says, will be to match the standards set by Houghton. “I am sure the boys will support the next coach like they did Houghton.”
