The next round in the Mohun Bagan vs Baichung Bhutia saga has started with Baichung filing defamation charges against the club and claiming Rs 10 Million (1 crore) as damages.
Though the arbitration process has been started by the AIFF, Baichung through his legal counsel Usha Nath Banerjee has send a letter to Mohun Bagan making those charges and demanding the amount as compensation for trying to tarnish his reputation.
Usha Nath Banerjee said, "The India captain Baichung Bhutia is a big name in Indian football and these false charges and allegations in the media are damaging to his reputation. Therefore we have send this letter with the demand for damages."
Mohun Bagan officials said they haven't seen the letter yet, but weren't worried any demands made by their former captain.
Baichung Bhutia is currently suspended for six month's without pay by his club Mohun Bagan AC for skipping a friendly match in Jaipalguri in May and missing a number of training sessions during the season as he participated in a dance reality show.
Source: IndianFootball.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Thursday 10 September 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.