Posts
I know it's still after-CL chit chat time, but could not resist this one.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090309/jsp/sports/story_10645795.jsp
In short, the proposal is to take the top 25 Indian players, pay their salaries till 2011 and keep them away from club football, to prepare them for the AFC cup.
Has something like this ever been heard of?
As far as I see, this is too crazy to contemplate.
What happens if after keeping the players isolated for all that time and preparing brilliantly, we have a poor showing and get knocked out with three defeats? Is it a risk worth taking?
Clubs will have moved on by then and if their performance does not attract interest, will there be enough takers to absorb the entire group back into club football?
What if in 2010 a new kid with mega talent emerges? Do you not include him in the group? Do you throw someone out to keep the group limited to 25? Or do you just keep adding to the group and end with 30 players, not all of whom will even make the trip for the Cup?
Personally, while I am excited to see that ambition exists, I cannot get myself to agree that this will work. For one, while the National Coach’s interests may be limited to the National Team only, the AIFF is responsible for the game at all levels in the country and cannot ignore the interests of the Leagues and the Clubs. Second, if the AIFF believes that such a sum of money can be raised, then why not use it for something lasting like good infrastructure development, training of coaches and grass roots level football programs, than for paying the salary of players, an expense that is already being borne by the clubs today.
Showing posts with label Indian Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian Football. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Bangalore Super Division Again!
Karnataka Police faced Sports Authority of India as four of us from FC NGV made our way to the KSFA ground opposite the Garuda Mall in Bangalore on a sunny Friday afternoon. Four tickets for four of us was a change from the last time when we were offered two tickets for three people with the remaining twenty bucks going into the pocket of the man behind the counter. There was a slightly bigger crowd than last time and with a couple of female supporters thrown in, the place had a more vibrant feel to it.
The game was far superior to the first one we saw and it was a case of the organization of SAI against the flair of the cops. For most of the first half, SAI had ten men behind the ball and while they were prepared to face a lot of pressure, they never allowed the opposition any opportunity on goal. The policemen passed the ball well and varied their attacks from the centre and the flanks. They were clearly superior in terms of skill but there was enough evidence in the first few minutes that SAI would be difficult to break down.
The outstanding feature of SAI’s game was that whenever they did get possession, they knew how to keep it and while they seemed to lack pace and presence up front, they provided hints of the damage they could cause. The coppers kept the attacks up and in their number 10 they had an experienced attacking midfielder playing just behind the two strikers who was dictating play and trying to set his strikers free whenever he had the chance.
SAI scored the first goal against the run of play late in the first half when a couple of good passes allowed them to cross the ball from the right and a hard working SAI winger (who kept switching sides) was there to head the ball efficiently in. Incidentally the scorer happened to be someone who Anshu has played weekend football with, and it inevitably led to ‘loser’ jibes being directed at Anshu.
We expected the second half to be the same as the first and it started off pretty much in the same vein. The copper’s number ten was less involved and hence if anything, SAI seemed more comfortable in their defensive third. Then all of a sudden a Police player received a second horribly soft yellow card and had to leave the field. It seemed as if the world had turned against the police.
But just like we’ve seen Arsenal do at times recently, the side with the man down turned on the heat after their unjustly received punishment. Not for a moment did SAI’s numerical advantage become apparent over the half an hour or more that they had one. They had to defend wave after wave of attack and seemed vulnerable to crosses with yet another goalkeeper at this level found waving arms wildly every time a high ball came in the box. Yet this same goalkeeper also pulled off a stunning save to keep his side’s lead intact.
By the eightieth minute or so, it seemed unfair that the cops might have to go home without points. Their superiority did however pay off with an equalizer about five minutes from time. I can’t remember the goal at the moment but it had been coming. Not only was the attacking relentless, a number of SAI players had completely run out of steam and were hardly making any contribution on the pitch. Example, the SAI number ten who would not move five feet to receive a pass.
His counterpart on the other team was in a completely different mood all together. After a phase of disappearance from the game, he came into his own again and made a number of attempts to lob the ball behind defenders for his strikers to run into though none proved useful.
The assistant referee held up the sign for two minutes of injury time and as the ball rolled out for a SAI throw-in as the two minutes winded down, we prepared to leave. A foul throw meant that possession changed hands and it the throw reached Cop number ten around ten yards outside the SAI area. A quick look up, a lobbed shot that found the perfect spot in the net to sail into, a pumped fist and the match had been won with the last kick of the match. Simply stunning!
So ended another delightful outing. Hope to catch some more action and a few more teams. Hopefully HAL next.
Two games from the stands is very little experience to pass judgment on the state of football in Karnataka. Speed, stamina and skills all seem to be woefully below any level that the EPL fed spectator is used to. The mission should of course be to discover the story behind the performances and understand the factors that have led to the creation of existing standards. I won’t be surprised if many of the players hardly ever practice with the teams they represent. How these clubs exist, what is their role in player development and access to talent pool etc. are all mysteries which I hope to some day uncover. For the moment I’m looking forward to the next chance to support my local league.
The game was far superior to the first one we saw and it was a case of the organization of SAI against the flair of the cops. For most of the first half, SAI had ten men behind the ball and while they were prepared to face a lot of pressure, they never allowed the opposition any opportunity on goal. The policemen passed the ball well and varied their attacks from the centre and the flanks. They were clearly superior in terms of skill but there was enough evidence in the first few minutes that SAI would be difficult to break down.
The outstanding feature of SAI’s game was that whenever they did get possession, they knew how to keep it and while they seemed to lack pace and presence up front, they provided hints of the damage they could cause. The coppers kept the attacks up and in their number 10 they had an experienced attacking midfielder playing just behind the two strikers who was dictating play and trying to set his strikers free whenever he had the chance.
SAI scored the first goal against the run of play late in the first half when a couple of good passes allowed them to cross the ball from the right and a hard working SAI winger (who kept switching sides) was there to head the ball efficiently in. Incidentally the scorer happened to be someone who Anshu has played weekend football with, and it inevitably led to ‘loser’ jibes being directed at Anshu.
We expected the second half to be the same as the first and it started off pretty much in the same vein. The copper’s number ten was less involved and hence if anything, SAI seemed more comfortable in their defensive third. Then all of a sudden a Police player received a second horribly soft yellow card and had to leave the field. It seemed as if the world had turned against the police.
But just like we’ve seen Arsenal do at times recently, the side with the man down turned on the heat after their unjustly received punishment. Not for a moment did SAI’s numerical advantage become apparent over the half an hour or more that they had one. They had to defend wave after wave of attack and seemed vulnerable to crosses with yet another goalkeeper at this level found waving arms wildly every time a high ball came in the box. Yet this same goalkeeper also pulled off a stunning save to keep his side’s lead intact.
By the eightieth minute or so, it seemed unfair that the cops might have to go home without points. Their superiority did however pay off with an equalizer about five minutes from time. I can’t remember the goal at the moment but it had been coming. Not only was the attacking relentless, a number of SAI players had completely run out of steam and were hardly making any contribution on the pitch. Example, the SAI number ten who would not move five feet to receive a pass.
His counterpart on the other team was in a completely different mood all together. After a phase of disappearance from the game, he came into his own again and made a number of attempts to lob the ball behind defenders for his strikers to run into though none proved useful.
The assistant referee held up the sign for two minutes of injury time and as the ball rolled out for a SAI throw-in as the two minutes winded down, we prepared to leave. A foul throw meant that possession changed hands and it the throw reached Cop number ten around ten yards outside the SAI area. A quick look up, a lobbed shot that found the perfect spot in the net to sail into, a pumped fist and the match had been won with the last kick of the match. Simply stunning!
So ended another delightful outing. Hope to catch some more action and a few more teams. Hopefully HAL next.
Two games from the stands is very little experience to pass judgment on the state of football in Karnataka. Speed, stamina and skills all seem to be woefully below any level that the EPL fed spectator is used to. The mission should of course be to discover the story behind the performances and understand the factors that have led to the creation of existing standards. I won’t be surprised if many of the players hardly ever practice with the teams they represent. How these clubs exist, what is their role in player development and access to talent pool etc. are all mysteries which I hope to some day uncover. For the moment I’m looking forward to the next chance to support my local league.
Friday, February 20, 2009
We Were There!
Yesterday, I had a first-time experience. Most of my sports viewing has happened on the idiot box and the internet, mobile, print and radio are strong support media in my sports experience which really leaves one viewership/audience channel that is relatively unexplored and that has to be on-ground presence. Wherever else you may witness sports, there is no denying the fact that watching people play in front of you is a completely different experience all together.
Going with dad to the lovely Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur to watch a domestic cricket match is my first memory of watching live organized sports. Over the years, I have been to the occasional international cricket match at the Keenan and at Kotla in Delhi, a trip to scenic Alleppey for the Nehru Trophy boat race was another divine experience and more recently I have had the privilege to watch football games at the Parc du Princes in Paris, Emirates Stadium in London and the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. But it was not until yesterday, that I had my first experience of club level football in India and what a delightful feeling it was.
The Bangalore Super League kicked off yesterday and Anshu and I had discussed the idea of catching some games this season. So when Anshu called late afternoon proposing that we catch the season opener, there was not much thinking to do.
Kickoff time was at 4:00 in the evening and the venue was the KSFA ground which is located near the heart of Bangalore. Vohra and I had been there once, when our wives were shopping in a mall opposite the ground and I vaguely remember that a game was about to start or had just finished. What I do remember is that we never did see any action that day but that the stadium looked decent and the fact that it had one covered stand and fairly decent seating on three sides was impressive.
And so Tullu and I reached the ground around five minutes late and Anshu was waiting for us having already bought the tickets. Tickets came in two denominations of Rs. 5/- and Rs. 20/- and we had tickets for the privileged gallery. Funnily, the man behind the counter only gave Anshu two tickets insisting that it would not be a problem for us to enter the ground, obviously pocketing the twenty on the third ticket. Scams in Indian football could hardly be expected to be of a bigger scale!
Anyway, so our two tickets did turn out to be sufficient to let three of us enter and we reached the seating area to see the last few minutes of a lower division league game, where Anshu noticed a couple of his friends playing.
The KSFA ground is quite satisfactory as a venue to host games at this level and it’s three stands should comfortably hold a couple of thousand spectators if ever so many turned up to watch local football. There were about 150 to 200 people present with everyone sitting on one side of the ground and a few plastic chairs probably differentiated the twenty rupee seating from the five rupee seating. Anyway, nobody was checking or bothered. The audience consisted of youngsters and a handful of veterans who may have been ex-players or KSFA members or something similar. A set of four occupied chairs and a table roughly in the center of the seating area was marked “Press” and four journalists sat there waiting to scribble the proceedings in their small notebooks. The pitch looked green and welcoming and though the grass felt a little heavy and unevenly cut, I have seen enough worse quality pitches in Indian football games on TV to be disappointed. It will be interesting to see how the ground holds up as a frenzy of matches takes place over the next couple of months.
All preliminaries done and we headed for the Super League kick-off and the score board kept at one lonely corner of the ground told us for the first time exactly who is it that we had gone to see play. ASC versus BHEL was the verdict of the score board. A club representing the Army and one a public sector engineering company! And then out stepped the teams – one in Orange and one in Yellow but for a while it was difficult to say who was who. That was until the ASC goalkeeper’s jersey thankfully gave away the secret that the men in Orange were ASC and ergo, the Yellow team were BHEL.
The teams lined up and pictures were taken and a group of veterans were felicitated. Microphone announcements in Kannada indicated that they had represented India in the 1956 Olympics, though my knowledge of Kannada and the quality of the loudspeaker (as well as the speaker) may mean that I might be mistaken. While all this happened, Anshu chose to support ASC, I decided to back BHEL and together we decided that Tullu should cheer for the referee.
ASC looked smarter as a team, thanks partially to their tall and very athletic looking and smartly attired goalkeeper. They also looked to be significantly more experienced with the BHEL team consisting of a number of players who were almost pre-puberty. The ASC line up also looked more cosmopolitan than their public sector counterparts, whose team seemed to consist almost entirely of local boys.
And then they kicked off. Around fifteen minutes after the scheduled time but nobody seemed to mind that, us included. The first couple of minutes were tentative for both sides but ASC quickly got into the groove and the tone of play was set early. The ASC right back carried the ball forward and played it to number 18 who was the right midfielder in ASC’s 4-4-2 and the wide man crossed the ball into the box. This process was repeated over and over again with a few similar moves from the left being the only variation.
Every cross that sailed into the BHEL box, so their keeper flaying arms and their defenders completely losing track of the ball and yet ASC could not find the net. Within the first twenty five minutes they had missed 5-6 sitters and had hit the post twice or thrice. The chief culprit for ASC was one of their strikers, a short fellow from the north east who clearly had never learnt of the term “finish”.
The words horrendous and hilarious come to mind while trying to describe the spectacle. BHEL were pathetic! They couldn’t kick, pass, defend or hold possession. Their goalkeeper would wave to the skies on every cross and they simply seemed to have no idea of what to do. He also walked funny, but that I noticed much later.
ASC were playing well and they had a clear strategy to attack from the flanks and put crosses in and they had a clearly identified creative force in their number eighteen. They seemed to be superior and accomplished but in front of goal they turned out to be entertaining rather than clinical.
After a number of mis-kicks and blunder-heads, they did suddenly have a very decent shot on goal, but the BHEL goalkeeper who had looked a no-hoper till then, suddenly pulled off a spectacular save.
The drama went on till about the thirty minute mark, when finally true to the spirit of the
encounter, a goal that led to much laughter in the stands was conceded by BHEL. One of their desperate clearance attempts after yet another mis-kicked effort on goal by ASC, rebounded off an attacker and the ball cannoned back into the goal. In a way, it ended the misery for BHEL who were almost looking embarrassed at not having conceded till then.
And from then on the goals kept coming for ASC. Three came in the first half, including one for the short mis-firing striker, which really was the most spectacular piece of play for the evening. He collected the ball, turned, beat the challenge of two defenders and shot from the edge of the box into the corner of the goal for the “play of the day” moment. Meanwhile the second goal had been equally comic with the BHEl defense setting up a finish for ASC by meekly playing the ball to them when they were under almost no pressure.
Three nil at half-time and it finished five nil after ninety. After the break ASC changed tactics and played a lot more through the middle. That allowed us to get a glimpse of their number 7, who looked like a very decent midfielder. Towards the end they relaxed a bit and let BHEL put some passes together, but for whatever little possession, they had, BHEL never came close to scoring.
So the game was done and we got back to the world outside, with strong commitments to be back soon enough. HAL is playing next week and that is a game I would definitely like to watch.
The fun and games were not just restricted to football. Anshu managed to get an offer to play for a lower division club. We suggested that he should charge 25,000 pounds a week and Anshu suggested that the guy who approached him may not have seen 25,000 rupees in his life. Then there was the only ball-boy for the game. A twelve-ish year old who would disappear for long times and then magically appear to change the scoreboard after every goal. And who was found sitting comfortably in the stands well after the second half kicked off.
So that was my first experience of league football in India. Not really top-level even by Indian standards, but these are the foundations on which are 150th rank is built. It is pitiful yet entertaining. The characters involved are few but colorful and I’m happy to finally be a small part of it. Will get back with more on the Bangalore Super League later and will remember to carry a camera next time so that I can also post some pictures.
Going with dad to the lovely Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur to watch a domestic cricket match is my first memory of watching live organized sports. Over the years, I have been to the occasional international cricket match at the Keenan and at Kotla in Delhi, a trip to scenic Alleppey for the Nehru Trophy boat race was another divine experience and more recently I have had the privilege to watch football games at the Parc du Princes in Paris, Emirates Stadium in London and the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. But it was not until yesterday, that I had my first experience of club level football in India and what a delightful feeling it was.
The Bangalore Super League kicked off yesterday and Anshu and I had discussed the idea of catching some games this season. So when Anshu called late afternoon proposing that we catch the season opener, there was not much thinking to do.
Kickoff time was at 4:00 in the evening and the venue was the KSFA ground which is located near the heart of Bangalore. Vohra and I had been there once, when our wives were shopping in a mall opposite the ground and I vaguely remember that a game was about to start or had just finished. What I do remember is that we never did see any action that day but that the stadium looked decent and the fact that it had one covered stand and fairly decent seating on three sides was impressive.
And so Tullu and I reached the ground around five minutes late and Anshu was waiting for us having already bought the tickets. Tickets came in two denominations of Rs. 5/- and Rs. 20/- and we had tickets for the privileged gallery. Funnily, the man behind the counter only gave Anshu two tickets insisting that it would not be a problem for us to enter the ground, obviously pocketing the twenty on the third ticket. Scams in Indian football could hardly be expected to be of a bigger scale!
Anyway, so our two tickets did turn out to be sufficient to let three of us enter and we reached the seating area to see the last few minutes of a lower division league game, where Anshu noticed a couple of his friends playing.
The KSFA ground is quite satisfactory as a venue to host games at this level and it’s three stands should comfortably hold a couple of thousand spectators if ever so many turned up to watch local football. There were about 150 to 200 people present with everyone sitting on one side of the ground and a few plastic chairs probably differentiated the twenty rupee seating from the five rupee seating. Anyway, nobody was checking or bothered. The audience consisted of youngsters and a handful of veterans who may have been ex-players or KSFA members or something similar. A set of four occupied chairs and a table roughly in the center of the seating area was marked “Press” and four journalists sat there waiting to scribble the proceedings in their small notebooks. The pitch looked green and welcoming and though the grass felt a little heavy and unevenly cut, I have seen enough worse quality pitches in Indian football games on TV to be disappointed. It will be interesting to see how the ground holds up as a frenzy of matches takes place over the next couple of months.
All preliminaries done and we headed for the Super League kick-off and the score board kept at one lonely corner of the ground told us for the first time exactly who is it that we had gone to see play. ASC versus BHEL was the verdict of the score board. A club representing the Army and one a public sector engineering company! And then out stepped the teams – one in Orange and one in Yellow but for a while it was difficult to say who was who. That was until the ASC goalkeeper’s jersey thankfully gave away the secret that the men in Orange were ASC and ergo, the Yellow team were BHEL.
The teams lined up and pictures were taken and a group of veterans were felicitated. Microphone announcements in Kannada indicated that they had represented India in the 1956 Olympics, though my knowledge of Kannada and the quality of the loudspeaker (as well as the speaker) may mean that I might be mistaken. While all this happened, Anshu chose to support ASC, I decided to back BHEL and together we decided that Tullu should cheer for the referee.
ASC looked smarter as a team, thanks partially to their tall and very athletic looking and smartly attired goalkeeper. They also looked to be significantly more experienced with the BHEL team consisting of a number of players who were almost pre-puberty. The ASC line up also looked more cosmopolitan than their public sector counterparts, whose team seemed to consist almost entirely of local boys.
And then they kicked off. Around fifteen minutes after the scheduled time but nobody seemed to mind that, us included. The first couple of minutes were tentative for both sides but ASC quickly got into the groove and the tone of play was set early. The ASC right back carried the ball forward and played it to number 18 who was the right midfielder in ASC’s 4-4-2 and the wide man crossed the ball into the box. This process was repeated over and over again with a few similar moves from the left being the only variation.
Every cross that sailed into the BHEL box, so their keeper flaying arms and their defenders completely losing track of the ball and yet ASC could not find the net. Within the first twenty five minutes they had missed 5-6 sitters and had hit the post twice or thrice. The chief culprit for ASC was one of their strikers, a short fellow from the north east who clearly had never learnt of the term “finish”.
The words horrendous and hilarious come to mind while trying to describe the spectacle. BHEL were pathetic! They couldn’t kick, pass, defend or hold possession. Their goalkeeper would wave to the skies on every cross and they simply seemed to have no idea of what to do. He also walked funny, but that I noticed much later.
ASC were playing well and they had a clear strategy to attack from the flanks and put crosses in and they had a clearly identified creative force in their number eighteen. They seemed to be superior and accomplished but in front of goal they turned out to be entertaining rather than clinical.
After a number of mis-kicks and blunder-heads, they did suddenly have a very decent shot on goal, but the BHEL goalkeeper who had looked a no-hoper till then, suddenly pulled off a spectacular save.
The drama went on till about the thirty minute mark, when finally true to the spirit of the
encounter, a goal that led to much laughter in the stands was conceded by BHEL. One of their desperate clearance attempts after yet another mis-kicked effort on goal by ASC, rebounded off an attacker and the ball cannoned back into the goal. In a way, it ended the misery for BHEL who were almost looking embarrassed at not having conceded till then.
And from then on the goals kept coming for ASC. Three came in the first half, including one for the short mis-firing striker, which really was the most spectacular piece of play for the evening. He collected the ball, turned, beat the challenge of two defenders and shot from the edge of the box into the corner of the goal for the “play of the day” moment. Meanwhile the second goal had been equally comic with the BHEl defense setting up a finish for ASC by meekly playing the ball to them when they were under almost no pressure.
Three nil at half-time and it finished five nil after ninety. After the break ASC changed tactics and played a lot more through the middle. That allowed us to get a glimpse of their number 7, who looked like a very decent midfielder. Towards the end they relaxed a bit and let BHEL put some passes together, but for whatever little possession, they had, BHEL never came close to scoring.
So the game was done and we got back to the world outside, with strong commitments to be back soon enough. HAL is playing next week and that is a game I would definitely like to watch.
The fun and games were not just restricted to football. Anshu managed to get an offer to play for a lower division club. We suggested that he should charge 25,000 pounds a week and Anshu suggested that the guy who approached him may not have seen 25,000 rupees in his life. Then there was the only ball-boy for the game. A twelve-ish year old who would disappear for long times and then magically appear to change the scoreboard after every goal. And who was found sitting comfortably in the stands well after the second half kicked off.
So that was my first experience of league football in India. Not really top-level even by Indian standards, but these are the foundations on which are 150th rank is built. It is pitiful yet entertaining. The characters involved are few but colorful and I’m happy to finally be a small part of it. Will get back with more on the Bangalore Super League later and will remember to carry a camera next time so that I can also post some pictures.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Aiyo League!
The second I-League kicks off today. A word like 'professionalism' has been associated with Indian football in recent times, more in hope than conviction and the I-League is supposed to be the vehicle for change.
As things stand today, the I-League needs more change than it can think of bringing about. Most of the 12 teams do not fulfil the AFC requirements (for what??? I'm not sure...but some requirements) of having age-group teams, their own stadia etc. The AIFF have also been unable to appoint in time a CEO for the league and the recruitment process is still on. Needless to say one can expect a lack of any professionals, leave alone professionals with professional beahvior, in more executional roles as well.
Its frustrating that everytime our sportspersons take a few forward steps, the establishment just slips further behind. In the year that we have qualified for the Asia Cup and our club team has made it to the semi-final of the AFC cup, our national league refuses to mature and we stage international matches on swamps.
By the way, the winning club will receive a whopping 5 million Indian rupees for their efforts. That's 125,000 USD. That's for the I-League Champions. How much did the IPL winning team make: 1.2 million USD.
As things stand today, the I-League needs more change than it can think of bringing about. Most of the 12 teams do not fulfil the AFC requirements (for what??? I'm not sure...but some requirements) of having age-group teams, their own stadia etc. The AIFF have also been unable to appoint in time a CEO for the league and the recruitment process is still on. Needless to say one can expect a lack of any professionals, leave alone professionals with professional beahvior, in more executional roles as well.
Its frustrating that everytime our sportspersons take a few forward steps, the establishment just slips further behind. In the year that we have qualified for the Asia Cup and our club team has made it to the semi-final of the AFC cup, our national league refuses to mature and we stage international matches on swamps.
By the way, the winning club will receive a whopping 5 million Indian rupees for their efforts. That's 125,000 USD. That's for the I-League Champions. How much did the IPL winning team make: 1.2 million USD.
Continental Giants in our backyard?
Dempo becomes the first Indian team to make it to the semi-final of the AFC Cup by beating Home United of Singapore (spectacular 4-3 away win to clinch the tie). After India's qualification for the 2011 Asia Cup, this now becomes a second cause for cheer for Indian football in a couple of months. That's more footballing success than we are used to experiencing in years and yet, the celebrations must be on hold as we are still light years away from where we should be.
The AFC Cup can be partially described as the UEFA Cup equivalent of Asia though there are some clear differences. Keeping in mind the possibilities of lop-sided encounters and the likely prospect of clubs from weaker footballing nations almost never experiencing international club football competitions (like Faroe Islands clubbs in Europe maybe), the AFC have divided the affiliates into three categories: Mature, Developing and Emerging. The top 14 Asian countries participate in the AFC Champions League and the 'Emerging nations' particpate in the AFC President's Cup. India falls in the middle-rung of fourteen (or fifteen) teams and hence our champion club competes for the AFC Cup.
While the structure ensures that Dempo are not pitted against Asian giants like Urawa Reds or the like, it is in all fairness a tough competition and Dempo's achievement should hence not be taken lightly. Clubs from Bahrain, Qatar (easily the moneyed league amongst the lot), Iraq, Singapore, Thailand etc. may not be world beaters, but most will have more claims to fame than their Indian counterparts in recent years.
This is the fifth edition of the competiton and prior to Dempo's win over Home United, no Indian club had made it past the quarter-finals. East Bengal lost to eventual champions Al-Jaish of Damascus in 2004 and last year Mahindra United lost to Lebanese club Al-Nemjeh.
The Goan outfits next opponents are another Lebanese club called Safa, who defeated Malaysian giants Perak 7-0 over two legs. If Dempo can emerge winners from this 'toughie' then they will play the winner of 2006 runners-up Al-Muharraq (Bahrain) versus Al-Nahda (Oman). The tournament has been dominated by teams from Lebanon (champions 2005-2007) and whatever happens, a club from a country that has never won the tournament before will be crowned champions this year (Al-Jaish of Damascus won it in 2004).
Dempo coach Armando Colaco has made his priorities clear by openly limiting his I-League ambitions to survival for this season with complete focus on the continental prize. It won't be easy but with players like Climax Lawrence, Clifford Miranda, Samir Naik, Chidi Edeh (5 goals so far) and eight-goal hero Ranty Martins (3rd highest scorer), it is definitely possible. We'll see. At least there's been progress and that is good.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Desi Tycoon for Toons
As a matter of blogging principle, I try to refrain from quoting or discussing speculation, but am unable to resist this one.
If Anil Ambani does indeed end up replacing Mike Ashley as the owner of Newcastle, it will be something for us back here. Lakshmi Mittal and friends are already well underway with their QPR project and it will be interesting to see if Ambani (twice richer than Roman Abramovich) can turn the fortunes of Newcastle around.
With elder brother Mukesh having firmly established a presence in sports through his ownership of the IPL team Mumbai Indians, it is likely that Anil is looking to outdo his brother as a sports 'franchise' (what an American word) owner just like they try and outdo each other in virtually every sphere of business.
However, I doubt if Anil Ambani would adopt the Abramovich approach to football success as trophies and club balance sheets will compete equally in his frame of reference unlike the 'can't be bothered with a few hundred million here and there' Roman.
Having said that he will not be in it to just make the numbers up either. It's not the Ambani and the Reliance way and we all know that when they enter a business they intend being number one or two and they do things on a scale which competition can rarely match. So Toon fans who are desperate for silverware and understand that a generous owner is increasingly a minimum prerequisite to get there these days, will do well to hope that their benefactor is an Indian with no previous history of interest in football.
Unless like the millions of other headlines I see every day, this turns out to be baseless as well. In which case, writing this was such a waste.
If Anil Ambani does indeed end up replacing Mike Ashley as the owner of Newcastle, it will be something for us back here. Lakshmi Mittal and friends are already well underway with their QPR project and it will be interesting to see if Ambani (twice richer than Roman Abramovich) can turn the fortunes of Newcastle around.
With elder brother Mukesh having firmly established a presence in sports through his ownership of the IPL team Mumbai Indians, it is likely that Anil is looking to outdo his brother as a sports 'franchise' (what an American word) owner just like they try and outdo each other in virtually every sphere of business.
However, I doubt if Anil Ambani would adopt the Abramovich approach to football success as trophies and club balance sheets will compete equally in his frame of reference unlike the 'can't be bothered with a few hundred million here and there' Roman.
Having said that he will not be in it to just make the numbers up either. It's not the Ambani and the Reliance way and we all know that when they enter a business they intend being number one or two and they do things on a scale which competition can rarely match. So Toon fans who are desperate for silverware and understand that a generous owner is increasingly a minimum prerequisite to get there these days, will do well to hope that their benefactor is an Indian with no previous history of interest in football.
Unless like the millions of other headlines I see every day, this turns out to be baseless as well. In which case, writing this was such a waste.
Friday, August 1, 2008
India at the 2010 World Cup
Here's another one that slipped by unnoticed.
It's old news now, but Indian IT giants Satyam have signed up as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Confirmation of this is also available on Satyam's website.
Some excerpts from the press release available on FIFA's website below:
It's old news now, but Indian IT giants Satyam have signed up as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Confirmation of this is also available on Satyam's website.
Some excerpts from the press release available on FIFA's website below:
- This historic agreement awards Satyam global rights for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil and the two FIFA Confederations Cups which fall within the 2007-2014 period.
- As the Official IT Services Provider to the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, Satyam, which already enjoys a business relationship with FIFA, will play a crucial role in developing the core IT event management system for FIFA and its service partner for IT, accommodation and hospitality - MATCH AG, as well as local organising committees during the next seven years.
- Satyam is the fourth company - after Anheuser-Busch, McDonald's and MTN - to join the proposed six-member FIFA World Cup Sponsor line-up under FIFA's commercial hierarchy, which comprises six FIFA Partners, six FIFA World Cup Sponsors and six National Supporters.
It is both pleasing and strange to become aware of this. Pleasing to see that an Indian company is investing significantly in football and strange because I am not aware of Satyam being a sponsor for any sports event or personality prior to this.
To satisfy my curiosity I have done a quick lookup of Satyam's website and find that they are involved in a number of social and community programs, but none related to sports. They have also sponsored a number of events with the closest association with sports being an animation and gaming event in January 2007. But nothing strange about it really since such a patronage would have been directly in line with their cyber-cafe and other online businesses.
While I understand that Satyam will be looking at be benefits on a global scale through this association and they do not seem to have anything significant to gain by adopting similar strategies in India, I would be very interested in knowing the strategic thinking behind this deal.
It is unrealistic though to expect them to start pumping money to change the face of Indian football. For one, what is in it for them and can the people who run football in this country show them enough value? Secondly, can sponsoring Indian events guarantee them that the funds are used properly and to deliver good events? Given the track record of all Indian football events, it is hardly likely that a company which associates its name with the glamour of a World Cup would like to have much to do with the shoddiness of the I-League or Santosh Trophy or anything similar.
Having said that I would still like to believe that the people at Satyam could be encouraged to look at other avenues of associating with the game, especially as their commitment to FIFA is a long term one. Maybe a good proposal for sending Indian boys on long term training program to some of the major clubs with associated benefits in case any of the player's makes the cut and ends up performing on big stages. Maybe a performance-linked sponsorship plan for the Indian national team for a set of annual matches against good global opposition or a joint training program etc.
Will any of this happen? I haven't seen anything to suggest that the AIFF have been involved in the World Cup deal or have identified Satyam as possible backers of the sport. I doubt if they are doing it all in the background and going about their business quietly. I would believe that it would be up to some enterprising private companies in the business of football or up to the powers that be at Satyam to see if they want a larger association with the beautiful game. Money or software, anything would be welcome!
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