Bhaichung Bhutia's club wrote to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday requesting legal action against Ar-Hima whose coach Subrata Bhattacharya was quoted by a Bengali daily as saying that his players were influenced by United Sikkim ahead of their match in the first phase of the I-League second division.
The report appeared on Friday, the day United Sikkim beat Ar-Hima 2-0. Bhattacharya claimed to have resigned two days before the game as he had anticipated a lack of commitment from his players. In an e-mail to the club president, a copy of which is with HT, the coach said he was "totally scared" by the attitude of his players.
The coach said he stayed on following requests from Ar-Hima officials but decided to leave after Friday's 0-2 loss which took qualification for the final phase out of their hands.
Speaking over the phone from Silchar, he said: "After the 4-4 draw with Green Valley, where we were leading 4-0, I had doubts regarding the loyalty of some of my players. I had come to know that some people outside the club were influencing them. I did not take any specific names but I got information that there was no way we could win against United Sikkim and thus on moral grounds, I decided to resign."