'Common in football, nothing new': Bhaichung Bhutia on Igor Stimac’s astrology revelation

Bhaichung Bhutia has downplayed the recent development around India men’s football team coach Igor Stimac seeking advice from an astrologer before selecting the team. Bhutia, former India captain, said such superstitions are common in football, and cited examples from Kolkata and around the world. A lot of debates started when different news reports revealed that Stimac had consulted Bhupesh Sharma, a Delhi-based astrologer, before deciding on a squad for the Asian Cup qualifier against Afghanistan in June last year. Apart from this, former general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kushal Das acknowledged he had introduced Stimac to the astrologer. Read | Stimac breaks silence on astrologer controversy: 'Time to put all cards on table' As per different reports, Stimac sent a list of potential players to Sharma 48 hours before the match and asked for his insights into the team’s prospects. Sharma passed on his feedback about each player and they were considered by Stimac during the team’s selection process. This consultation was not a one-off, but the reports suggest that almost a hundred messages were exchanged between Stimac and Sharma in May and June 2022. India had played four matches, including three Asian Cup qualifiers against Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan, during that time. Bhaichung Bhutia said this is a common practice. He told India Today, “This is not a new thing. In fact, Brazilian coach (Luiz Felipe) Scolari used to follow such things a lot. Many world-renowned coaches especially African, American, and European coaches, used to follow this. South American and African countries also follow it a lot. They follow lots of astrologers. Scolari is one of the biggest examples. He decides the teams and all via astrologers.” Bhutia also highlighted prevalence of superstitions in Kolkata football. He cited examples where coaches Khalid Jamal and Subhash Bhowmick used to place flowers at the opponents’ goalposts - practices that were all considered superstitious. Bhutiya, who played 82 games for India, went on to add that the team’s performance under Igor Stimac should be the main point of discussion and not the astrology talk or superstitious beliefs. Former India players Gouramangi Singh and Steven Dias also gave their opinion on the controversial matter. Singh believes revealing India’s potential lineup with an external party is a serious problem. “More than player selection, the bigger issue is integrity. If the astrologer was given team lists, strategies, and other confidential details then it raises issues of propriety,” Gouramangi told News18. Dias, who coaches the reserve team of Jamshedpur FC, said selection on any other factors but merit is unfair. “As a coach, I could never select a team based on astrological advice. I feel it’s not fair to the players. Moreover, sharing probable XI and team strategy with someone outside of the setup is absolutely wrong. You don’t know how that information can be used against you,” said Dias to News 18.