Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The All India Football Federation’s latest move involving India’s U-15 team has run into trouble almost as quickly as it was announced. Barely hours after the federation named Ranjit Bajaj as manager of the India U-15 side for the FIFA U-15 World Cup in Azerbaijan, the Minerva Academy owner has decided against taking up the role.
The appointment had followed weeks of debate around India’s youth football setup. While Bibiano Fernandes retained his position as head coach, the AIFF brought in Bajaj as team manager in what appeared to be an attempt to bring together one of the country’s most vocal grassroots advocates alongside its existing youth setup. Speaking exclusively to India Today, however, Bajaj revealed that he had not been informed about the appointment before it was made public.
advertisement
“I had absolutely no idea. I found out only after I started getting calls asking me whether I had been appointed. That’s how I got to know. Nobody from the AIFF had spoken to me before the announcement.”
According to Bajaj, congratulatory messages were soon followed by calls from journalists seeking his reaction, even though he himself had no official confirmation from the federation.
“People started congratulating me. Reporters were calling me for quotes and reactions, and I was sitting there wondering what exactly had happened because nobody from the AIFF had even informed me. Only I knew what the real situation was.”
“I had to call the officials myself to ask whether it was true. Only then they told me, ‘Yes, this is going to happen. We’ll send you the letter in a while.’”
Bajaj said what disappointed him most was not the appointment itself, but the manner in which it was handled.
“This is not how a professional federation works. Unfortunately, this has become a repeated pattern.”
“These are the things that are hurting Indian football.”
The Minerva Academy owner later posted a video on social media confirming that he was unlikely to accept the assignment.
‘I DON’T SEE THE LOGIC’
Bajaj made it clear that his reservations have nothing to do with Bibiano Fernandes personally.
The 47-year-old said he respects Bibiano and the work he has done with India’s youth teams but questioned why the AIFF felt the need to create a structure where he would be expected to work with a coaching staff he had never worked alongside before.
“I don’t see the logic behind appointing me as manager and Bibiano as coach together.”
According to Bajaj, he would have been expected to work with Bibiano’s existing coaching staff instead of the support team he has built over the years at Minerva Academy.
“With absolutely no disrespect to Bibiano or his coaching staff, I don’t know them. If I don’t know the people around me, how am I supposed to work in complete sync with them?”
He then drew a comparison to two of football’s biggest coaching names.
“It’s like appointing Mourinho and Pep together. I’m not comparing our stature, but our styles are different. They have different ideas, different ways of working. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Throughout the conversation, Bajaj repeatedly stressed that his criticism was directed at the AIFF’s planning rather than Bibiano himself.
DID AIFF TRY TO PLEASE EVERYONE?
The controversy also raises a bigger question about how the appointment came about.
Over the past few months, Bajaj has become one of the most prominent voices in Indian football on social media. Alongside regularly questioning the administration of the sport, he has consistently highlighted the performances of Minerva Academy’s youth teams, who have impressed at several domestic and international tournaments. That success naturally fuelled calls from sections of Indian football for Bajaj to be given a bigger role in shaping the country’s next generation.
There was, however, another side to the conversation.
While Bajaj’s contribution to grassroots development is widely acknowledged, some coaches and observers have argued that his strengths lie more in building football projects and managing academies than in hands-on tactical coaching. That, however, is a separate debate.
The immediate question is why the AIFF chose to announce a partnership without first clearly defining the roles or ensuring everyone involved had been informed.
With Bibiano already in charge of the coaching setup and Bajaj brought in as manager, questions over responsibilities, communication and planning surfaced almost immediately — questions that, according to Bajaj, should have been addressed well before any public announcement.
‘YOU CAN’T START TWO MONTHS BEFORE A WORLD CUP’
Bajaj also questioned the timing of the appointment.
With the FIFA U-15 World Cup scheduled to begin in October, he believes there is little time left to scout players, build combinations or prepare properly for a tournament of that scale.
“The tournament is only a couple of months away. What scouting can you do now? What planning can you do now?”
“Youth football is about long-term planning. You don’t start building a World Cup team two months before the tournament.”
For Bajaj, the issue reflects a much bigger problem within Indian football.
“This isn’t about me.”
“This is about the way Indian football continues to function. If we keep doing things like this, we’ll keep getting the same results.”
What began as an appointment that many believed could bring together two influential figures in Indian youth football has instead reignited questions over the federation’s decision-making. Barely hours after the announcement, the conversation has shifted away from India’s preparations for the FIFA U-15 World Cup and towards a more fundamental question: did the AIFF have a clear plan before making one of its biggest youth football announcements of the year?
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
