A new FIFA rule is threatening Baichung Bhutia's plans of playing for Perak FC, the Malaysian outfit he has signed a two-month deal with.
Bhutia says the deal is through, with his Indian club East Bengal agreeing to loan him to Perak for $10,000, but he is not yet going to Malaysia.
A new FIFA rule that says a player can be loaned for a minimum of six months is coming in his way as his deal is for two months only.
The All-India Football Federation, however, says it is trying to work out a solution. AIFF president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi says he will speak to FIFA chief Sepp Blatter and argue that Bhutia should be exempted from the rule.
Munshi will argue that exceptions to the rule have been made on past occasions, and if Bhutia, a soccer icon in India, is allowed to play, the game in the country will receive a boost as it will inspire more players to emulate him.
Bhutia is hoping that the AIFF will move soon. If the FIFA okays his deal, he will have to take permission from national coach Stephen Constantine as well because the training camp for the Afro-Asian Games will have started by the time he returns from Malaysia. The camp starts October 1.
Bhutia won himself the Perak FC deal following a remarkable performance in the ASEAN Club Cup championship, in which he top-scored with nine goals. East Bengal won the tournament.