Houghton's term as Indian football coach over

New Delhi: The AIFF is not interested in any compromise formula with national football coach Bob Houghton, who is facing racial abuse charges, and his nearly five-year tenure at the helm is as good as over, top sources said on Thursday.

Sources said that there was no truth in the reports that Houghton and the AIFF are negotiating for a compromise formula to drop the racial abuse charges if the coach quits immediately.

"He is not going to step onto the field with the Indian team again. The Asian Cup in Doha (in January) was his last assignment," a source told PTI.

The AIFF is also unlikely to pay six months' salary as compensation to Houghton, who was appointed coach in 2006.

"Going by his contract, that's not possible," the source said.

Houghton, whose contract with the AIFF runs up to 2013, was slapped a show cause notice for his alleged racial abuse of referee Dinesh Nair in an international friendly against Yemen last year.

Reacting to reports that the AIFF was now looking for an amicable settlement with the coach, top officials in the federation said that it was Houghton's legal team and not AIFF who had asked for negotiations during a meeting on April 11.

"During the meeting on April 11, Bob's lawyer said they were open to discussion and that they have not come for a confrontation. There was also a legal representative of Bob who had said that it's fine to negotiate with AIFF to settle the issue," an official said on condition of anonymity.

The official also outrightly dismissed reports that a senior member of the Indian football team was negotiating for the coach.

"First thing is, the AIFF has yet to speak to the coach.

And secondly, it's not AIFF but Houghton's lawyer and his legal representative who are open to negotiations," the official said.

AIFF general secretary, Kushal Das, however, told PTI that investigations are on and nothing has been agreed yet.

Das stated that reports that the AIFF would withdrew its racial abuse charges against Houghton if he puts in his papers immediately, are "not true".

"That is not true. The investigating committee will be submitting the reports to the AIFF. If the report says that there is a problem we will have a discussion. If it says that charge has not been proved, then there will be another round of discussion," Das said.

Under Houghton, India played in 2011 Asian Cup in Doha, the first time after 27 years. Besides, he also guided the team to two Nehru Cup triumphs -- in 2007 and 2009.

The only blip in an otherwise successful tenure was the team's outing in Doha, where they were clubbed with Asian heavyweights like South Korea, Australia and Bahrain.