Surprised Baichung leaves for Malaysia

Football star Baichung Bhutia is leaving for Kuala Lumpur tonight to take part in the Malaysia Cup for that country's leading club, Perak FC.

"I'm leaving for Kuala Lumpur tonight. I'll be playing there tomorrow," Bhutia told the Press Trust of India in Kolkata on Friday evening.

Bhutia's decision follows the All-India Football Federation granting him an international transfer certificate for a two-month stint in Malaysia, after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport's international governing body, relaxed its stringent lien rules for the star striker.

The AIFF green signal came after FIFA sanctioned a two-month lien for Bhutia, making an exception in its rule of permitting lien only for a minimum of six months.

The Sikkimese forward, a key player for Kolkata's leading club East Bengal, had struck a deal with the Malaysian side after spearheading the former's successful ASEAN Cup campaign in Jakarta. Bhutia emerged top scorer in the tournament with nine goals.

The East Bengal executive committee had earlier decided to permit Bhutia to play for Perak for two months so they could use him again in the National Football League and the Asian Football Confederation's Champions League.

This will be Bhutia's second association with a foreign club. He had earlier played in the English second division league with Bury FC.

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Bhutia said he was surprised by the AIFF's sudden decision to grant him the transfer at such a late stage. "After various complications arose, I had almost given up hope of playing for Perak. I was mentally prepared to continue with East Bengal. But now that they have suddenly granted me the ITC, I have to play there," he said.

Asked about East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmick's stand that he would let Bhutia go only after the local league clash against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan on September 4, he said, "How can that be? Now that they have given me the ITC, I am a registered player of Malaysia. I have to play there now.

"Moreover, if the club had wanted me for that match, it should have impressed upon the AIFF not to give me the ITC now."

Bhutia said, however, that personally he would have loved to play tomorrow's match against Mohammedan Sporting as well as the fixture against Mohun Bagan.

PTI