With India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification hanging by a thread, pressure has mounted on AIFF and national team head coach Manolo Marquez. India suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong on Tuesday and are now bottom of their qualification group.
Since India’s defeat, AIFF has been slammed by former players, with Bhaichung Bhutia especially lashing out at president Kalyan Chaubey, and urging him to resign.
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FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur also joined the bandwagon and weighed in on the current situation of Indian football.
Taking to X, he wrote, “A Humble Submission: I’ve always stopped short of airing my frustrations publicly because it’s the convenient and safer thing to do. But silence makes me part of the problem. So today, I’m choosing to voice it. Not from a place of anger but of accountability.
“The system is rotten in ways we refuse to admit. Everything moves on influence, favours, and fragile egos.
{{/usCountry}}“The system is rotten in ways we refuse to admit. Everything moves on influence, favours, and fragile egos.
{{/usCountry}}“We don't have the maturity to manage the ecosystem we claim to be building. We turn on each other faster than we face uncomfortable truths.”
“We lost the match versus Hong Kong yesterday and there’s outrage—players, coach, federation, clubs are all facing the ire. But the truth is: blame isn’t isolated.
“It belongs to all of us. And yes, that includes me.”
Revealing how player salaries are inflated, he said, “Clubs—mine included—have inflated player salaries irresponsibly. We are outbidding each other for perception, knowing fully well it’s unsustainable. Then we act shocked when these players fall flat on the international stage. WE built that illusion.”
“It’s not that they don’t have potential—it’s that they’ve had little reason to stretch it. We’ve handed comfort to players, and with it, taken away their edge.
“Agents are part of the problem. They are draining the ambition out of players to ensure their pockets are well lined. It’s not just about big contracts anymore—it’s about players losing hunger. There’s too much focus on earning, too little on evolving,” he added.
India have four more games remaining and are bottom of the group. India will be visitng Singapore and Bangladesh for away fixtures and also host Singapore and Hong Kong.