Gangtok: Karma Bhutia is a man of giant stature, someone who’s been an ardent football and sports enthusiast all his life, and a man who’s played a big role in giving the country it’s first real football superstar.
Karma Bhutia was Baichung Bhutia’s mentor throughout his younger days, and was the one who brought him to Kolkata at the tender age of 16, to give wings to his already fledging football career. However, he’s also one of the most modest individuals you would ever come across, and refuses to talk about himself.
When asked about his role in Baichung’s development, all he says is, “It’s all about the player, his hard work, and his potential. I’d taken a big risk in bringing him to Kolkata at such a young age, but Baichung’s maturity ensured that he succeeded.”
On the topic of Baichung, almost all Indian football fans watched the game in Munich where our very own skipper rubbed shoulders with the likes of Seedorf, Ballack, and Van Persie among others, and even scored twice during the 90 minutes.
He adds, “It’s been an age old dream of mine to see Baichung play in Europe. I had gone with him to Munich for the Goal4Africa game, and it was almost as if my dreams became reality then and there.”
Karma Bhutia, who works for the government in the capacity of a principal chief engineer and also is the vice president of the Sikkim FA, was one of the founders of the famous Boys Club in Sikkim in 1988, where Baichung played as a youngster.
Presently, he’s the Technical Director of the United Sikkim Sports Club (USSC), the team that sprung a surprise by ousting the more accomplished Simla Youngs in the qualifying round of the Governor’s Gold Cup, and went down fighting in the pre-quarters.
The USSC also has Baichung as one of its board members, and does its bit for the development of young players in the region. The team comprises mainly of local young talent, but also stars as many as four Nigerians, brought in for the tournament.
He points out, “Our focus will always be the development of local players, but we needed a little experience and that zing to do well in this tournament, so we brought them in. They are very talented, and are at par with other Nigerians playing all over the country. Moreover, our players learn so much from them everyday, that it’s a part of their development as players. If we can create another 4-5 Baichung’s, there’ll be nothing like it.”
He goes on to hail the impact the Nigerians have had on his team, and Indian football in general, and commends their attitude towards the sport, despite having grown up in harsh and difficult conditions.
“The conditions in Nigeria aren’t easy to become a professional sportsman, but these lads have shown great attitude and hard work in getting till here. And contrary to public perception, they are disciplined and professional in their approach.”
Speaking of Nigerians, if there’s one who’s made a telling impact on Indian football, it has to be Chima Okorie. The former Mohun Bagan player was a fans’ favourite in Kolkata, and Mr. Bhutia tells us that it was more of the same in Sikkim, if not more!
“Chima was always loved here immensely, no matter who he played for. In fact, I remember, on one occasion, he was red carded in a game here, and the entire state went up in protest. Needless to say, the red card was later revoked!”
Karma Bhutia has a burning desire to help Indian football, and create more Baichung’s, who can take India to the next level.
His administrative, tactical, and managerial expertise has seen many talented players been produced from the state, but he still as modest and humble as ever, constantly pondering over what Indian football needs, and what role he could play in providing just that.
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