Bhutia grounded as East Bengal take a U-turn

Miffed at the sudden development Bhutia — who would have been the costliest footballer in India — said that his departure is now ‘‘hanging in balance.’’ Even All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary Albert Colaco confirmed that. He said: ‘‘East Bengal officials recently sent me a letter for onward transmission to our Malaysian counterparts to call off the deal.’’

Coach Subhash Bhowmick, when contacted, said ‘‘we need him for our club commitments and he also need to play for the Afro-Asian Games.’’ But what is surprising is that at the time of signing the club was aware of these engagements.

Top-scorer in the recent ASEAN Club Cup in Jakatra, Bhutia’s revelation has come as a shocker for the country’s footballing fraternity. Bhutia, too, expressed his despair at the decision and wondered what made his club to have a change of heart at the last minute.

‘‘I was looking forward to playing but my owners (East Bengal) have still not given me any indication of the ‘go ahead’ to Malaysia. What amuses me the most is that it was not an individual decision on my part to play for the Malaysian club. It was a collective one,’’ said Bhutia.

In this ‘on-loan’ case, Bhutia recalled that ‘‘the two clubs were involved and every one was aware of it. Why suddenly this change of decision?’’ Calling it unprofessional, Bhutia, whose contract with East Bengal is up to 2004, said: ‘‘It reflects on Indian football and that too at a time when we (India) are getting a foothold in terms of recognition.’’

Meanwhile, Perak, who bagged the Premier I title for the second time in a row, open their campaign in the prestigious Malaysia Cup against Johor FC in a Group D encounter on August 20. The other teams in the group include Selangor Public Bank and Malacca.