Praful Patel Biography

Former Indian National Football Team Captain Baichung Bhutia was conferred upon with the ‘Hall of Fame’ Award given by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on the occasion of its 60th Anniversary. The occasion was graced by FIFA President Sepp Blatter as he handed over the award to this sports icon. This is a proud moment not only for All India Football Federation (AIFF) but also for Indian football at large. 

AIFF President Praful Patel was also present on this glorious occasion as were other top dignitaries from all across the footballing World. Baichung is too much excited to get this award and he said that the award was not meant solely for him but also for the Indian Football as a whole. He commented, “It is an honour to be accepting this award not on my behalf, but for football, for India and for all Indian footballers who have to struggle against all odds to prove themselves every single day.” He reconfirmed saying that this was an award for Indian Football. In this regard, he also shared some of his experiences that he had throughout his career.

“When I first started playing football as a kid, I never imagined where the game would take me. As I moved up through various stages of my playing career - from a teenager with East Bengal to captaining the national team - I had to face obstacles at every single step of the journey”, he reminisced. His passion for the game increased every day as he faced all the challenges of his career which made him even stronger. He dedicated the award to the passion and hard work that makes them go on with the game as their sole career option. 

Praful Patel congratulated Bhutia on his great achievement as he said that Baichung has been the flag bearer of Indian Football in over 100 international matches and he deserves this award for sure. Although Praful Patel contributions have been immense in redefining the role of AIFF towards the development of football in India, still the President thinks that AIFF has been using Baichung’s experience a lot for the progress of the sports. Post retirement Baichung has remained associated with AIFF and it is expected that the organisation will also work in a close knit relation for the growth of the sport in the country.