23 September 2008
Indian Football Videos
Nike-BaiChung Are you the NEXT!
The Indian football team practicing on South Beach, Miami
ONGC Nehru Cup Football 2007 Final India 1-0 Syria at Delhi
India wins 2008 AFC Challenge Cup (Football)
India vs Tajikistan-AFC Cup final(All the goals)
ONGC Nehru Cup Football 2007 INDIA 3 - 0 KYRGYSTAN at Delhi
ONGC Nehru Cup Football 2007 at Delhi, India 6 - 0 Cambodia
Hong Kong 2:2 India
Iraq vs India
India Vs Brazil
Japan vs. India@Yokohama
Beijing Olympic Qualifiers - Iraqi Goals Vs India
India goes football crazy
Golden Days are back to Indian Soccer on Watchindia.TV VOD!
showreel prerna raghav NFL promo sunil chhetri
The future of Indian football: Tapping the diaspora?
The Doha Asian games, saw an Indian football drawing Hong Kong, barely beating the Maldives, and then crashing out to Iran.
Iraq, with its violence and kidnapping and murder of many of its key football officials, finds a place in the quarterfinals. Sending the Indian team to Doha was done at AIFF (All India Football Federation) expense as the Sports Ministry of India had not cleared them to go. Football was identified as a sport that India did not stand a chance to medal in. Bizarrely, for Priya Ranjan Das Munshi these are all portents that India is going to qualify for the World Cup in 2010. The one thing that Das Munshi has learned as AIFF president all these years is that as a politician, always promise but never deliver them.
In this world of globalization, with respect to technology, the Indian government and the private sector have done a smart thing and have tapped into the vast amounts of skilled manpower that India has sent abroad. The gradual dismantling of the license raj has created the conditions for diasporic Indians to invest and many instances even comeback to India. In turn, this has encouraged foreign companies to set up shop in India. A more recent trend shows a number of foreign students spending their internships in companies like Infosys.
Similar opportunities exist with regards to football with the diasporic Indians. This has not been explored in any organized fashion. Raj Prohit's Sapphire Enterprises, the company that was responsible for bringing Baichung Bhutia to Bury in 1999, organized the first tour of the Indian national team in 2000 to England, where they played Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and Bangladesh. This was ostensibly to highlight the popularity of football in India and to give the national team experience and exposure. Subsequent tours also saw the Indian team play other first and second division clubs as well as Jamaica. The subtext in these tours was to promote racial equality in the UK based diasporic communities but in effect it was also to sell India. As Paul Dimeo writes, " A later development of these tours was to promote the idea of India as a home." In doing so, the idea was to establish links between the NRI (Non Resident Indian) community and India that would see exchanges of coaches and and players, and the future possibility of including NRI's in the Indian team.
In theory, a very feasible idea and one that should be given serious consideration. Imagine at some point of time having players of the calibre of Vikash Dhorasoo, Michael Chopra, Aman Dosanjh, Aaron Winter, Harpal Singh, Rajinder Singh Virjee, and Prince Rajcomar representing India. As in the case of Jamaica and more recently Trinidad and Tobago that have built successful squads around diasporic players. With India, a player like Vikash Dhorasoo would be assured of playing all 90 minutes, instead of fighting for minutes in Les Bleus with its surfeit of talent in the midfield positions with Zidane, Govou, Wiltord, Vieira, Makelele, and Ribery. A perceived lack of opportunity playing for England led to Zesh Rehman, the ex-Fulham midfielder's decision to switch allegiance to Pakistan in 2005.
However, Dimeo brings up an excellent point suggesting that Sapphire Enterprises noble and lofty ideals were nullified by Raj Prohit's overtly commercial enterprise, which is not surprising, as they are a for profit company. The matches were fairly expensive to watch and were marketed to British Asians, excluding the "whites' who the organizers felt would not be interested. The Indian players movements off the field were tightly regulated, they were refused access to schools and community clubs, that would have lent credence to Sapphire's message of 'community building.' The result is that the effect of these tours in promoting Indian football and racial diversity have been miniscule. On the other hand, the AIFF imprimatur of these tours and its publicity have led Prohit and now Arunava Chaudhuri, a German based NRI, and the owner of the web portal indiafootball.com who has entered the football tour business, to assume that only NRI's can save the state of Indian football. Jas Bains, author of a very influential 1996 report Asians Can't Play Football says, "I helped put British Asian football on the map, now I hope to put Indian football on the map."
The problem lies not so much in these NRI entrepreneurs as they are only exploiting opportunities. It is the AIFF, an enervated institution led by an enervated individual, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. The AIFF has no vision and so these individuals are providing AIFF their version that essentially dismisses the notion that Indians are incapable of developing talent on their own. The panacea to Indian football lies in the wholesale import of PIO (People of Indian Origin) players. This cavalier view has irritated Indian players and sports journalists alike. The failure of the AIFF to provide its own vision has led many others to offer their own. Mohammed Bin Hamman, the AFC president has targeted India as a potentially important Asian contributor to the world's game. One of his more realistic goals targets the development of local talent. This vision is at odds with the NRI one. However, the AIFF only pays lip service to the development of youth teams which is under the control of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). It does not even provide the SAI with funds, despite having the capital. So the AIFF's only meaningful interaction lies with these NRI investors. And in fact, Arunava Chaudhuri and Sapphire Enterprises enjoy a cosy and comfortable relationship with the AIFF.
To enter Chaudhuri's world is to enter a world full of absurdist claims which bolster his argument of PIO participation. Recently, a friendly against Brazil was cancelled. This led Chaudhuri to claim by refusing to play Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka & Co, India have lost out on a wonderful opportunity to entice players of Indian origin. In a November article, explaining why Indian football is in the doldrums, he writes," In India often instant results are expected, not only in football, but in sports in general." After 18 years of steady decline in the standards of Indian football under Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, no fan of Indian football expects a miracle turnaround.
I have no problems with PIO players in the Indian team. They should be welcomed. However, having PIO players participate should be done to enhance the Indian team and not to make up its composition. The emphasis should lie in developing local talent whose roots lie in the game in India. This is the only long term sustainable solution. Jamaica is mentioned as a team of diasporic players.
There is a big difference. Jamaica has a sizeable diaspora concentrated mainly in England with which they have had a longer historical association much before independence. The Jamaican diaspora's emphasis on assimilation through sports is better developed. Players like Robbie Earle representing Jamaica have played in English clubs since the early 80's. Many maintain a very close relationship with Jamaica. In contrast, the Indian diaspora's assimilative experience through sports is minimal. They are about 20 years behind their Jamaican counterparts in a sport like football. Furthermore, the Indian diaspora is far more complex, with more tenuous ties to India than the Jamaicans. The PIO idea might develop but it will take a while before we can even expect a few players to come back. Meanwhile, Zesh Rehman's decision to play for Pakistan reveals that this issue is far more complicated than the rose tinted spectacles with which Chaudhuri seems to view PIO participation.
Update: Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is also the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting. One of his functions is to defend freedom of the press. So does he do better at his full time job than his part time hobby of being the AIFF president? Not according to Reporters Without Borders, a watchdog organization. India has slipped to 120th position behind the Central African Republic, Qatar, Jordan, and even Iraq. Looks like under Das Munshi, India's press freedom is eroding just like India's standing in the football world. But then he can claim that he is too busy at both his jobs to do justice to either. Meanwhile we have to watch this incompetent muddle his way through.
Source:Soccerblog.com
Iraq, with its violence and kidnapping and murder of many of its key football officials, finds a place in the quarterfinals. Sending the Indian team to Doha was done at AIFF (All India Football Federation) expense as the Sports Ministry of India had not cleared them to go. Football was identified as a sport that India did not stand a chance to medal in. Bizarrely, for Priya Ranjan Das Munshi these are all portents that India is going to qualify for the World Cup in 2010. The one thing that Das Munshi has learned as AIFF president all these years is that as a politician, always promise but never deliver them.
In this world of globalization, with respect to technology, the Indian government and the private sector have done a smart thing and have tapped into the vast amounts of skilled manpower that India has sent abroad. The gradual dismantling of the license raj has created the conditions for diasporic Indians to invest and many instances even comeback to India. In turn, this has encouraged foreign companies to set up shop in India. A more recent trend shows a number of foreign students spending their internships in companies like Infosys.
Similar opportunities exist with regards to football with the diasporic Indians. This has not been explored in any organized fashion. Raj Prohit's Sapphire Enterprises, the company that was responsible for bringing Baichung Bhutia to Bury in 1999, organized the first tour of the Indian national team in 2000 to England, where they played Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and Bangladesh. This was ostensibly to highlight the popularity of football in India and to give the national team experience and exposure. Subsequent tours also saw the Indian team play other first and second division clubs as well as Jamaica. The subtext in these tours was to promote racial equality in the UK based diasporic communities but in effect it was also to sell India. As Paul Dimeo writes, " A later development of these tours was to promote the idea of India as a home." In doing so, the idea was to establish links between the NRI (Non Resident Indian) community and India that would see exchanges of coaches and and players, and the future possibility of including NRI's in the Indian team.
In theory, a very feasible idea and one that should be given serious consideration. Imagine at some point of time having players of the calibre of Vikash Dhorasoo, Michael Chopra, Aman Dosanjh, Aaron Winter, Harpal Singh, Rajinder Singh Virjee, and Prince Rajcomar representing India. As in the case of Jamaica and more recently Trinidad and Tobago that have built successful squads around diasporic players. With India, a player like Vikash Dhorasoo would be assured of playing all 90 minutes, instead of fighting for minutes in Les Bleus with its surfeit of talent in the midfield positions with Zidane, Govou, Wiltord, Vieira, Makelele, and Ribery. A perceived lack of opportunity playing for England led to Zesh Rehman, the ex-Fulham midfielder's decision to switch allegiance to Pakistan in 2005.
However, Dimeo brings up an excellent point suggesting that Sapphire Enterprises noble and lofty ideals were nullified by Raj Prohit's overtly commercial enterprise, which is not surprising, as they are a for profit company. The matches were fairly expensive to watch and were marketed to British Asians, excluding the "whites' who the organizers felt would not be interested. The Indian players movements off the field were tightly regulated, they were refused access to schools and community clubs, that would have lent credence to Sapphire's message of 'community building.' The result is that the effect of these tours in promoting Indian football and racial diversity have been miniscule. On the other hand, the AIFF imprimatur of these tours and its publicity have led Prohit and now Arunava Chaudhuri, a German based NRI, and the owner of the web portal indiafootball.com who has entered the football tour business, to assume that only NRI's can save the state of Indian football. Jas Bains, author of a very influential 1996 report Asians Can't Play Football says, "I helped put British Asian football on the map, now I hope to put Indian football on the map."
The problem lies not so much in these NRI entrepreneurs as they are only exploiting opportunities. It is the AIFF, an enervated institution led by an enervated individual, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi. The AIFF has no vision and so these individuals are providing AIFF their version that essentially dismisses the notion that Indians are incapable of developing talent on their own. The panacea to Indian football lies in the wholesale import of PIO (People of Indian Origin) players. This cavalier view has irritated Indian players and sports journalists alike. The failure of the AIFF to provide its own vision has led many others to offer their own. Mohammed Bin Hamman, the AFC president has targeted India as a potentially important Asian contributor to the world's game. One of his more realistic goals targets the development of local talent. This vision is at odds with the NRI one. However, the AIFF only pays lip service to the development of youth teams which is under the control of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). It does not even provide the SAI with funds, despite having the capital. So the AIFF's only meaningful interaction lies with these NRI investors. And in fact, Arunava Chaudhuri and Sapphire Enterprises enjoy a cosy and comfortable relationship with the AIFF.
To enter Chaudhuri's world is to enter a world full of absurdist claims which bolster his argument of PIO participation. Recently, a friendly against Brazil was cancelled. This led Chaudhuri to claim by refusing to play Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka & Co, India have lost out on a wonderful opportunity to entice players of Indian origin. In a November article, explaining why Indian football is in the doldrums, he writes," In India often instant results are expected, not only in football, but in sports in general." After 18 years of steady decline in the standards of Indian football under Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, no fan of Indian football expects a miracle turnaround.
I have no problems with PIO players in the Indian team. They should be welcomed. However, having PIO players participate should be done to enhance the Indian team and not to make up its composition. The emphasis should lie in developing local talent whose roots lie in the game in India. This is the only long term sustainable solution. Jamaica is mentioned as a team of diasporic players.
There is a big difference. Jamaica has a sizeable diaspora concentrated mainly in England with which they have had a longer historical association much before independence. The Jamaican diaspora's emphasis on assimilation through sports is better developed. Players like Robbie Earle representing Jamaica have played in English clubs since the early 80's. Many maintain a very close relationship with Jamaica. In contrast, the Indian diaspora's assimilative experience through sports is minimal. They are about 20 years behind their Jamaican counterparts in a sport like football. Furthermore, the Indian diaspora is far more complex, with more tenuous ties to India than the Jamaicans. The PIO idea might develop but it will take a while before we can even expect a few players to come back. Meanwhile, Zesh Rehman's decision to play for Pakistan reveals that this issue is far more complicated than the rose tinted spectacles with which Chaudhuri seems to view PIO participation.
Update: Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is also the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting. One of his functions is to defend freedom of the press. So does he do better at his full time job than his part time hobby of being the AIFF president? Not according to Reporters Without Borders, a watchdog organization. India has slipped to 120th position behind the Central African Republic, Qatar, Jordan, and even Iraq. Looks like under Das Munshi, India's press freedom is eroding just like India's standing in the football world. But then he can claim that he is too busy at both his jobs to do justice to either. Meanwhile we have to watch this incompetent muddle his way through.
Source:Soccerblog.com
Salaries hit an all-time high in Indian football
Panjim: Mahesh Gawli’s Rs 1 crore deal with Dempo Sports Club is passe. Last year, when Dempo lured India’s top defender from Mahindra United with a record three year deal, jaws dropped. But a year later, the figure is no longer hairraising stuff.
This season several of India’s better known footballers will be laughing their way to the bank as clubs get magnanimous with fat pay packets, thanks to the emergence of several new clubs and Indian football’s professional surge.
Take Sunil Chhetri, the new face of Indian football, for example. The diminutive striker has inked a one year deal with East Bengal worth Rs 38 lakh with a 30 per cent assured hike when both parties sit across the table, next year.
At East Bengal, Chhetri will not be alone in the above Rs 30-lakh bracket. Mahindra United duo of Steven Dias and N P Pradeep, both reportedly unhappy with the Mumbai champions, are being pursued by East Bengal with contracts worth Rs 35 lakh each, while captain Alvito D’Cunha has successfully renegotiated a one year deal worth Rs 32 lakhs.
“I’m not bothered or disappointed to hear that a junior player is geting more than me. I am happy for them and content that the club has appreciated my performance and rewarded me accordingly,’’ Alvito told ToI.
East Bengal are willing to offer Subrata Paul, unarguably the best goalkeeper in the country, a Rs 35 lakh season contract but the Tata Football Academy graduate is understood to be mulling over a big-money move to I-League qualifiers Mumbai FC.
Subrata is now the hottest property in the Indian football market, but, even at best, he is unlikely to edge past Bhaichung Bhutia’s Rs 42-lakh deal with Mohun Bagan.
Even Goan clubs, normally tightfisted when it comes to money matters, are spending lavishly. I-League champions Dempo Sports Club is spending Rs 27 lakh to retain the services of International midfielder Climax Lawrence while Clifford Miranda, who missed out last season with a shin fracture, is also in the same bracket.
But, is the unprecedented hike in player salaries justified?
‘’It’s a simple demand and supply equation,’’ says Henry Menezes, General Manager of Mumbai FC, India’s only fully professional club.
‘’There is a huge demand for top footballers in India, but the supply is poor.
In the last five years, players’ salaries have sky-rocketed, reaching an all time high,’’ explains Menezes who has cracked major deals with players during his time with Mahindra United and now Mumbai FC.
Dempo Sports Club secretary Armando Colaco nods in agreement. “The players get what they deserve. Indian footballers have come of age and deserve every penny that is being spent on them. All this talk of Indian footballers being grossly overpaid is crap,’’ he says.
“The need of the hour for clubs is to focus on the grassroots and get their own feeder system in place. If the salary hikes continue, it will reach saturation point,’’ fears Menezes.
Source :TOI
This season several of India’s better known footballers will be laughing their way to the bank as clubs get magnanimous with fat pay packets, thanks to the emergence of several new clubs and Indian football’s professional surge.
Take Sunil Chhetri, the new face of Indian football, for example. The diminutive striker has inked a one year deal with East Bengal worth Rs 38 lakh with a 30 per cent assured hike when both parties sit across the table, next year.
At East Bengal, Chhetri will not be alone in the above Rs 30-lakh bracket. Mahindra United duo of Steven Dias and N P Pradeep, both reportedly unhappy with the Mumbai champions, are being pursued by East Bengal with contracts worth Rs 35 lakh each, while captain Alvito D’Cunha has successfully renegotiated a one year deal worth Rs 32 lakhs.
“I’m not bothered or disappointed to hear that a junior player is geting more than me. I am happy for them and content that the club has appreciated my performance and rewarded me accordingly,’’ Alvito told ToI.
East Bengal are willing to offer Subrata Paul, unarguably the best goalkeeper in the country, a Rs 35 lakh season contract but the Tata Football Academy graduate is understood to be mulling over a big-money move to I-League qualifiers Mumbai FC.
Subrata is now the hottest property in the Indian football market, but, even at best, he is unlikely to edge past Bhaichung Bhutia’s Rs 42-lakh deal with Mohun Bagan.
Even Goan clubs, normally tightfisted when it comes to money matters, are spending lavishly. I-League champions Dempo Sports Club is spending Rs 27 lakh to retain the services of International midfielder Climax Lawrence while Clifford Miranda, who missed out last season with a shin fracture, is also in the same bracket.
But, is the unprecedented hike in player salaries justified?
‘’It’s a simple demand and supply equation,’’ says Henry Menezes, General Manager of Mumbai FC, India’s only fully professional club.
‘’There is a huge demand for top footballers in India, but the supply is poor.
In the last five years, players’ salaries have sky-rocketed, reaching an all time high,’’ explains Menezes who has cracked major deals with players during his time with Mahindra United and now Mumbai FC.
Dempo Sports Club secretary Armando Colaco nods in agreement. “The players get what they deserve. Indian footballers have come of age and deserve every penny that is being spent on them. All this talk of Indian footballers being grossly overpaid is crap,’’ he says.
“The need of the hour for clubs is to focus on the grassroots and get their own feeder system in place. If the salary hikes continue, it will reach saturation point,’’ fears Menezes.
Source :TOI
The Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal talent hunt hits India
The Premier League giants are attempting to extend their fanbase and commercial activities by targeting the south Asian market.
When will the Indian national anthem play at the football World Cup? The question came from my neighbour's son, Keenan Almeida, as we were watching two Indian states - Goa from western Indian and Manipur from the north-east - battle it out in the national state level Under-16 championship.
Almeida is a young Indian footballer aspiring to make it big on the world stage. Like any youngster taking to the game, he too dreams of playing for his home nation in the World Cup. It is a dream cherished by many youngsters when they start to kick the football around. The World Cup football dream is fuelled every four years when youngsters like Almeida see superstars excelling for their respective countries.
The student at RM Salgaocar Higher Secondary Margao is one of the hopes of the new generation. He is among the dozen players selected from Goa to be part of the Manchester United Soccer Schools’ residential course in the UK this summer and is all set to embark on his dream trip.
The 18-year-old was excited when he was among the first six selected after a mammoth exercise conducted by United staff and assisted by locals involving more than 5,000 aspiring footballers.
A team of sports scientists from the UK, led by Dr Nick Webborn from the University of Brighton, looked at the diet, height and weight of the children to establish their potential for development in football at the highest level. It's an innovative talent identification and development programme in Goa which has not happened on such a scale anywhere in India before now. A coaching team from MUSS supervised the programme, assisted by Brian McClair, head of United's youth academy.
Almeida started his football as 10-year-old from his village Cuncolim in south Goa under coach Levino Dias and has already represented Goa in the Sun-Junior Championship at the national level. He was over the moon when his name was announced last October and he realised he would be going to the UK.
Seven months after the selection and the realisation is beginning to dawn upon him that he and his fellow Goans will be playing on the same grass as their heroes. Almeida said: ''Cristiano Ronaldo is my hero and I am looking forward to meeting him. Hopefully we will get a few tips from him and learn a few tricks after watching him practice from closer quarters.''
Besides the Manchester-bound team, three Indian teams are on foreign tours for exposure - two in South America and one in the United States. The senior team is in Portugal for exposure while the Under-16s are in Brazil and the Under-19s are in the US.
Yes, Indian football has a vision in mind backed by Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Setting up and implementing youth programmes to harness the talent in the country is one of the chief objectives of the football administrators.
Man United aren't the only ones to take notice. Arsenal have also initiated a talent hunt scheme in India - a nationwide initiative in association with Tata Tea includes a two-day hunt for soccer talents, while Chelsea have links with the Vision India programme of the AFC to develop talent in India.
With one eye on advertising revenue, English clubs are eager to find young players in India which will add to their advantage in terms of fans, shirt-buyers and game-watchers. Indian fans of English clubs are growing. With access to the internet and satellite TV, India is being targeted by the advertising, sponsorship and merchandising departments of major English clubs.
If English clubs have an eye on their finances, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) - like Almeida - is talking in terms of India’s future targets. A huge task awaits them, but Keenan Almeida and his group hold the promise which Indian administrators are looking at in achieving their own dream of World Cup qualification.
The day we see the first south Asian footballer in the top flight of English football may not be far away. And if that happens, it would be priceless in terms of both attracting fans in the UK and its former colony. A perfect match for both England and India.
When will the Indian national anthem play at the football World Cup? The question came from my neighbour's son, Keenan Almeida, as we were watching two Indian states - Goa from western Indian and Manipur from the north-east - battle it out in the national state level Under-16 championship.
Almeida is a young Indian footballer aspiring to make it big on the world stage. Like any youngster taking to the game, he too dreams of playing for his home nation in the World Cup. It is a dream cherished by many youngsters when they start to kick the football around. The World Cup football dream is fuelled every four years when youngsters like Almeida see superstars excelling for their respective countries.
The student at RM Salgaocar Higher Secondary Margao is one of the hopes of the new generation. He is among the dozen players selected from Goa to be part of the Manchester United Soccer Schools’ residential course in the UK this summer and is all set to embark on his dream trip.
The 18-year-old was excited when he was among the first six selected after a mammoth exercise conducted by United staff and assisted by locals involving more than 5,000 aspiring footballers.
A team of sports scientists from the UK, led by Dr Nick Webborn from the University of Brighton, looked at the diet, height and weight of the children to establish their potential for development in football at the highest level. It's an innovative talent identification and development programme in Goa which has not happened on such a scale anywhere in India before now. A coaching team from MUSS supervised the programme, assisted by Brian McClair, head of United's youth academy.
Almeida started his football as 10-year-old from his village Cuncolim in south Goa under coach Levino Dias and has already represented Goa in the Sun-Junior Championship at the national level. He was over the moon when his name was announced last October and he realised he would be going to the UK.
Seven months after the selection and the realisation is beginning to dawn upon him that he and his fellow Goans will be playing on the same grass as their heroes. Almeida said: ''Cristiano Ronaldo is my hero and I am looking forward to meeting him. Hopefully we will get a few tips from him and learn a few tricks after watching him practice from closer quarters.''
Besides the Manchester-bound team, three Indian teams are on foreign tours for exposure - two in South America and one in the United States. The senior team is in Portugal for exposure while the Under-16s are in Brazil and the Under-19s are in the US.
Yes, Indian football has a vision in mind backed by Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Setting up and implementing youth programmes to harness the talent in the country is one of the chief objectives of the football administrators.
Man United aren't the only ones to take notice. Arsenal have also initiated a talent hunt scheme in India - a nationwide initiative in association with Tata Tea includes a two-day hunt for soccer talents, while Chelsea have links with the Vision India programme of the AFC to develop talent in India.
With one eye on advertising revenue, English clubs are eager to find young players in India which will add to their advantage in terms of fans, shirt-buyers and game-watchers. Indian fans of English clubs are growing. With access to the internet and satellite TV, India is being targeted by the advertising, sponsorship and merchandising departments of major English clubs.
If English clubs have an eye on their finances, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) - like Almeida - is talking in terms of India’s future targets. A huge task awaits them, but Keenan Almeida and his group hold the promise which Indian administrators are looking at in achieving their own dream of World Cup qualification.
The day we see the first south Asian footballer in the top flight of English football may not be far away. And if that happens, it would be priceless in terms of both attracting fans in the UK and its former colony. A perfect match for both England and India.
Manandeep, Abhishek are Indian football’s latest finds
With Indian football chief coach Bob Houghton’s hunt for talented yet tall and sturdy Indian strikers going into full swing for the last couple of years or so, the senior Indian team management finally seems to have discovered what Houghton has been looking for all along.
And the credit goes to Collin Toal, the British coach under whose careful observation the national Under-17 team earned the distinction of qualifying for the AFC U-17 Championship. Toal now boasts of having found a player who fits these criteria and is talented enough to don the senior India shirt in the near future.
Manandeep Singh, the 17-year-old striker from Chandigarh Academy in Haryana, has already begun to repay the faith his football bosses had put on him, having impressed the team management, particularly coach Toal through his excellent show in the recently held AFC U-17 qualifiers.
Manandeep is over five feet eight inches tall and has given the impression that he is one for the future.
Asked about Manandeep, coach Toal told The Indian Express recently: “He is highly potential. He has accuracy in shooting the ball. He looks comfortable in the air also. More importantly, he is extremely opportunisitic wihin the 18-yard box. And since has got a convincing height, he is expected to perform well in international matches for the senior Indian side in the future.”
Toal then went on to mention the name of another upcoming striker who hails from the Tata Football Academy, Abhishek Das. The player had a briliant showing in the crucial U-17 qualifier against Suadi Arabia.
Commenting on Abhishek, coach Toal said: “He looks more skilled and lethal in the penetrative zone. He scored a memorable goal in that important Saudi Arabia tie that helped us earn the qualification for the AFC Youth Championship. But his only big drawback is his short height. And the lack of required height can be a major obstruction in his performance at the international level when he plays in the senior circuit.” However, after returning from a 26-day trip to the United States, the U-17 probables are expected to leave for Portugal in September for another two-week exposure trip. The team management expects the probables to get opportunity to participate in at least four tough friendly matches.
Toal said: “Our trip to Germany last time heped the boys a lot, precisely in strengthening them on the psychological front. I hope this time also the boys will have some tough matches in Portugal from which they will benefit a lot in going into competitive matches in the AFC Championship to be played in Uzbekistan in October this year. The U-17 preparatory camp will start this May in Goa and is expected to end in October.
And the credit goes to Collin Toal, the British coach under whose careful observation the national Under-17 team earned the distinction of qualifying for the AFC U-17 Championship. Toal now boasts of having found a player who fits these criteria and is talented enough to don the senior India shirt in the near future.
Manandeep Singh, the 17-year-old striker from Chandigarh Academy in Haryana, has already begun to repay the faith his football bosses had put on him, having impressed the team management, particularly coach Toal through his excellent show in the recently held AFC U-17 qualifiers.
Manandeep is over five feet eight inches tall and has given the impression that he is one for the future.
Asked about Manandeep, coach Toal told The Indian Express recently: “He is highly potential. He has accuracy in shooting the ball. He looks comfortable in the air also. More importantly, he is extremely opportunisitic wihin the 18-yard box. And since has got a convincing height, he is expected to perform well in international matches for the senior Indian side in the future.”
Toal then went on to mention the name of another upcoming striker who hails from the Tata Football Academy, Abhishek Das. The player had a briliant showing in the crucial U-17 qualifier against Suadi Arabia.
Commenting on Abhishek, coach Toal said: “He looks more skilled and lethal in the penetrative zone. He scored a memorable goal in that important Saudi Arabia tie that helped us earn the qualification for the AFC Youth Championship. But his only big drawback is his short height. And the lack of required height can be a major obstruction in his performance at the international level when he plays in the senior circuit.” However, after returning from a 26-day trip to the United States, the U-17 probables are expected to leave for Portugal in September for another two-week exposure trip. The team management expects the probables to get opportunity to participate in at least four tough friendly matches.
Toal said: “Our trip to Germany last time heped the boys a lot, precisely in strengthening them on the psychological front. I hope this time also the boys will have some tough matches in Portugal from which they will benefit a lot in going into competitive matches in the AFC Championship to be played in Uzbekistan in October this year. The U-17 preparatory camp will start this May in Goa and is expected to end in October.
What ails Indian football
Arbitrary selection procedures, inadequate preparation, insufficient international exposure and match-practice, and scant attention to age-group teams have been the bane of Indian football.
NOVY KAPADIA
SENEGAL became the second African nation to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, before they lost 0-1 to Turkey in the quarter-finals of the recent 17th edition of the sporting extravaganza. It emulated the feat of Cameroon, the only other African nation to reach the quarter-finals, way back in Italia'90, before losing 2-3 to England. In the African Nations Cup held in February 2002, Senegal finished runners up to Cameroon, losing on penalty kicks in the final in Mali. For a country which got FIFA affiliation only in 1962, two years after its National football Association was formed, Senegal's achievements are remarkable.
It has just 82 registered clubs and its economy is not strong enough to support an active professional league. Kolkata has more registered clubs than the whole of Senegal. But the 'Lions of Teranga', as the team is known, excelled because as many as 21 of the 23 members of the World Cup squad play in various clubs in France.
Nigeria, which played in its third successive World Cup, is also a team of late developers. Its National Football Association was formed in 1945 and it got FIFA affiliation in 1959. Despite its social and economic problems, Nigeria has 1,400 registered professional players, who are playing all over the world, including India.
In contrast, organised football has existed for over a century in India. The Durand Cup football tournament, India's oldest football tournament started in 1888, the Rovers Cup in Mumbai in 1893 and the IFA Shield in Calcutta in 1891. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1937 and got FIFA affiliation in 1939. Yet, in the FIFA rankings as of June 2002, Nigeria is ranked 27th, Senegal 42nd and India 123rd.
Senegal owes its success in the World Cup to its French coach Bruno Metsu, who has got so integrated with that country that he has even married a Senegalese woman. Many feel that India's football woes can be alleviated by bringing in foreign coaches. However, there are no easy solutions. From 1982 (when the Asian Games were held in Delhi) to 1996 India experimented with five different East European coaches - Dietmar Pfiefer from the erstwhile German Democratic Republic; the late Milovan Ciric of Yugoslavia, who also coached Red Star Belgrade; Josef Gelei, Hungary's goalkeeper in the 1966 World Cup; Jiri Pesek of the Czech Republic; and Rustam Akhramov of Uzbekistan - but achieved little success.
Inadequate foreign exposure, limited opportunity with the national team and interference in team selection dampened the enthusiasm of the foreign coaches. They were shuttled between from the senior team and the age-group teams and did not devote adequate time with either team. This is in direct contrast to the impact that Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, appointed in January 2001, has had on the South Korean team. Hiddink put a lot of emphasis on power training, physical fitness and speed work. In fact, Rustam Akhramov and recent coach Syed Nayeemuddin attempted such drills with the national team but they did not get enough time with it to bring about a substantial change and there was no encouragement from the AIFF.
Hiddink also played on the psyche of the Korean players, bringing in subtle changes. In Korea, with its Confucian influence, hierarchy is all-important, and junior players were scared of the seniors in the national team. Hiddink broke this rigidity in relationships by flouting the unwritten rules governing such things as seating arrangements and speaking out of turn. As a result,the players learnt to communicate better. Hiddink achieved all this and made the Korean team one of the fittest in the world because the Korean Football Association gave him time and a free hand in the selection of the World Cup squad.
In June 2002, India appointed 39-year-old Englishman Stephen Constantine, a FIFA instructor, as national coach. His first major assignment is the coming Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, at which event football will be played as an under-23 tournament. He is the second Englishman after Harry Wright in the 1960s to be the national coach. AIFF's new marketing agents, London-based Strata Sports, actively championed Constantine's case. How he fares and how much freedom he gets in team selection remains to be seen.
THERE have been foreign coaches for the age-group level national teams also. Ivosajih of Slovenia was coach of the India under-21 team at the third Rajiv Gandhi international tournament (under-21 years) held in Goa from May 5 to 12, 1998, but heavy losses to Iraq (1-5) and Uzbekistan (1-5) saw his contract being terminated. Islam Akhmedov of Uzbekistan was appointed coach for the India subjunior (under-16 years) team in April 2000. However, he was unable to guide India to the final rounds of the Asian championships.
In 1997, India's most successful club coach of the 1990s, Syed Nayeemuddin, was appointed national coach until the conclusion of the 1998 Bangkok Asiad. Nayeem, a disciplinarian, developed a physically fit, tactically alert and confident national team, which has dominated regional competitions. India beat the Maldives 5-1 in the 1997 SAFF Championship final and won $50,000, the highest-ever prize money it has won so far. In the same year, India, coached by Nayeem, reached the semi-finals of the Nehru Cup international tournament for the first time. Yet, the AIFF treated Nayeem shabbily and ignored all his pleas for foreign exposure ahead of the 1998 Bangkok Asiad.
Since taking over in January 2001, until the start of the 2002 World Cup on May 31, Hiddink's South Korea played 26 internationals either in friendly matches or in tournaments abroad. Contrast this with India's preparation under Syed Nayeemuddin for the 1998 Asian games. Prior to the Games, which were held in 1998, India did not play a single practice match from September 1997 to November 1998. A fortnight before the start of the Games, India played two friendly matches against Uzbekistan in Delhi and Calcutta. During his tenure Nayeem, at Rs.50,000 a month, remained the highest paid unemployed person in the country. A waste of money and talent, and a clear indication why India does not succeed in international football.
Sukhwinder Singh, who succeeded Nayeem as national coach in 1999, also received little help in terms of exposure from the AIFF. For the 1999 Asia Cup qualifying round matches in Abu Dhabi, the national team departed without a practice match even against a local club team. His team selection for the 2002 World Cup qualifiers was hampered by an AIFF directive that only three players can be selected from a club. This was apparently done to ensure the completion of the Fifth National Football league, which had been stopped for a month in January 2001 so that the Sahara Millennium Cup international football tournament could be held.
India played no friendly matches before the World Cup qualifiers. Still the Indian team did quite well and upset the 64-ranked United Arab Emirates 1-0 in the home leg in Bangalore. For the World Cup qualifiers, AIFF secretary Alberto Colaco introduced incentive payments and proper remuneration for the first time; each player in the squad got a lump sum payment of Rs.25,000. For the win against the UAE, all the 18 players got Rs.15,000 each as bonus. Sukhwinder Singh got Rs.1 lakh, assistant coach Krishnaji Rao Rs.60,000 and the goalkeepers' coach, Brahmanand, Rs.50,000. This was a creditable move and inspired the players, who had previously got a mere $10 a day on trips abroad. Sukhwinder was coach for three years and during this period India played just 31 internationals including seven matches against first and second division English clubs during the tours to that country in 2000 and 2001.
MANY of India's top footballers were amongst the best in Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. The late Jarnail Singh, Chuni Goswami, P.K. Banerjee, T. Balaram, Peter Thangaraj, Altaf Ahmed and Yusuf Khan, Prasun Banerjee and Atanu Bhattacharya have played for the Asian All Stars XI. Stopper back Jarnail Singh was even captain of the Asian All Stars XI. At one stage, in the mid-sixties, India had four players - Jarnail, Yusuf Khan, Altaf Ahmed and goalkeeper Thangaraj - in the Asian All Stars XI. Atanu Bhattacharya was the last to be selected in 1986. Right back Sudhir Karmakar was chosen the Best Defender in Asia after India came third in the 1970 Bangkok Asiad.
However, sadly, none of them had the ambition to become professionals and compete with the best in the world. They became victims of the typical middle class equilibrium trap, contented with public sector jobs and reasonable remuneration from their respective clubs. Chuni Goswami had an offer to play for Tottenham Hotspur in England in the 1960s, but declined it opting for the safety of a State Bank of India job. In the 1970s, ace winger Surojit Sengupta had offers to play as a professional in the UAE and Kuwait but declined them for the safety of a bank job in India. Baichung Bhutia became the first Indian to play in the demanding professional league in England, for Bury F.C. in the second division, from 1999 to 2002.
No Indian player has been a role model as Hidetoshi Nakata has been for Japan, who set the trend of playing in the Italian league after the 1998 World Cup. Other Japanese players such as goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (with first division club Portsmouth in England), Shinji Ono (for Feyanoord in the Netherlands) and Junichi Inamoto (with Arsenal in the 2001-02 season) have followed Nikata's example and improved as professionals. Similarly, South Korea had Ahn Jung Hwan playing for Perugia (Italy) and Seol Ki Hyeon for Anderlecht in Belgium.
Arbitrary selection, inadequate preparation, insufficient international, exposure and match-practice, and scant attention to age-group teams have been the bane of Indian football since Independence. In the 1950s when India had many talented players, domestic matches were confined to 70 minutes, instead of the internationally approved 90 minutes. Thus, Indian teams playing abroad often ran out of stamina and lost.
The stagnation of football in India can be measured in the number of tournaments organised across the country. In the 1960s and 1970s about 125 domestic tournaments were held every year all over the country. In the 1980s the number came down to about 100. In Kerala alone nine major All India tournaments were held each year. In the new millennium there are barely two dozen tournaments held every year in India. The AIFF is just not able to attract sponsors. Thus the Federation Cup, billed as the knockout cup of India, was not held for two years since 1998 for lack of a sponsor. It was revived in 2001, with the AIFF bearing the costs. The Nehru Cup, started with fanfare in 1982 to provide international exposure to Indian players, has not been held since 1997. Now, India's junior and sub-junior teams are chosen and trained only for participation in Asian championships and get limited exposure. There is little follow-up on talented players who emerge from the Northeastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
FOR so many years Indian football has remained an enigma. It is the most popular spectator sport at the domestic level. A record 131,000 people witnessed the KBL-Federation Cup semifinal between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in July 1997 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta. Crowds in the range of 70,000 to 100,000 are frequent in Kerala and Bengal for the Federation Cup or Nehru Cup international football tournaments. In smaller football centres like Goa, Bangalore and Delhi, capacity crowds in the region of 25,000 to 35,000 often witness needle matches involving Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting, Salgaocar and Dempo Goa, F.C. Kochin, JCT and in earlier days Hyderabad City Police. Despite such a massive following, football has not evolved into a professional game in India, as it has in Japan, South Korea and in West Asia. None of the Indian clubs own stadiums or have easy access to modern gymnasiums. Even established clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal lease their grounds at the Calcutta Maidan from the Indian Army.
The major factor is that unlike cricket, football has not been marketed efficiently. Thus, instead of growing in popularity, football in India is confined to West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, the Northeastern States and small areas in Mumbai and Delhi. Traditionally strong areas of football like Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai have declined owing to inefficient management by the State associations and vote bank politics of the AIFF.
The 1951 to 1962 decade was the best for India at the international level. It was among the top teams in Asia, winning the Asian Games gold medal twice - in 1951 at Delhi and 1962 at Jakarta. It was twice runners up in the Merdeka football tournament at Kuala Lumpur, in 1959 and 1964, and runner up in the Asia Cup in Israel in 1964. India finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and was the first Asian nation to reach the Olympic football semi-final. India beat Australia 4-2 in the quarter-finals and centre forward Neville D'Souza became the first and until now only Asian to score a hat trick in the Olympics. From 1948 to 1960 India played regularly and with reasonable distinction in every Olympics. India also won the Quadrangular tournament, involving India, Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, four times from 1952 to '55.
However, in the last three decades instances of success have been limited. Since 1960 India has not qualified for the Olympics. It has never made it to the World Cup finals and since 1984 not even to the Asia Cup final rounds. The last quarter-final appearance in the Asian Games was in 1982 in Delhi. It won a bronze medal in the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games and the Indian junior team was joint winners with Iran in the Asian Youth championships in 1974. In the 1980s India won the South Asian Federation Games gold medal three times - 1985 in Dhaka, 1987 in Calcutta and 1995 in Chennai. It won the SAFF Championships too three times - 1993 in Lahore, 1997 in Kathmandu and 1999 in Goa. However, India's domination at the South Asian level is not as pronounced as it was at the Quadrangular tournament in the 1950s. Professional management, better marketing, greater attention to the National team and broadbasing the game in different States are required for Indian football to have a brighter future in the 21st century.
NOVY KAPADIA
SENEGAL became the second African nation to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, before they lost 0-1 to Turkey in the quarter-finals of the recent 17th edition of the sporting extravaganza. It emulated the feat of Cameroon, the only other African nation to reach the quarter-finals, way back in Italia'90, before losing 2-3 to England. In the African Nations Cup held in February 2002, Senegal finished runners up to Cameroon, losing on penalty kicks in the final in Mali. For a country which got FIFA affiliation only in 1962, two years after its National football Association was formed, Senegal's achievements are remarkable.
It has just 82 registered clubs and its economy is not strong enough to support an active professional league. Kolkata has more registered clubs than the whole of Senegal. But the 'Lions of Teranga', as the team is known, excelled because as many as 21 of the 23 members of the World Cup squad play in various clubs in France.
Nigeria, which played in its third successive World Cup, is also a team of late developers. Its National Football Association was formed in 1945 and it got FIFA affiliation in 1959. Despite its social and economic problems, Nigeria has 1,400 registered professional players, who are playing all over the world, including India.
In contrast, organised football has existed for over a century in India. The Durand Cup football tournament, India's oldest football tournament started in 1888, the Rovers Cup in Mumbai in 1893 and the IFA Shield in Calcutta in 1891. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1937 and got FIFA affiliation in 1939. Yet, in the FIFA rankings as of June 2002, Nigeria is ranked 27th, Senegal 42nd and India 123rd.
Senegal owes its success in the World Cup to its French coach Bruno Metsu, who has got so integrated with that country that he has even married a Senegalese woman. Many feel that India's football woes can be alleviated by bringing in foreign coaches. However, there are no easy solutions. From 1982 (when the Asian Games were held in Delhi) to 1996 India experimented with five different East European coaches - Dietmar Pfiefer from the erstwhile German Democratic Republic; the late Milovan Ciric of Yugoslavia, who also coached Red Star Belgrade; Josef Gelei, Hungary's goalkeeper in the 1966 World Cup; Jiri Pesek of the Czech Republic; and Rustam Akhramov of Uzbekistan - but achieved little success.
Inadequate foreign exposure, limited opportunity with the national team and interference in team selection dampened the enthusiasm of the foreign coaches. They were shuttled between from the senior team and the age-group teams and did not devote adequate time with either team. This is in direct contrast to the impact that Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, appointed in January 2001, has had on the South Korean team. Hiddink put a lot of emphasis on power training, physical fitness and speed work. In fact, Rustam Akhramov and recent coach Syed Nayeemuddin attempted such drills with the national team but they did not get enough time with it to bring about a substantial change and there was no encouragement from the AIFF.
Hiddink also played on the psyche of the Korean players, bringing in subtle changes. In Korea, with its Confucian influence, hierarchy is all-important, and junior players were scared of the seniors in the national team. Hiddink broke this rigidity in relationships by flouting the unwritten rules governing such things as seating arrangements and speaking out of turn. As a result,the players learnt to communicate better. Hiddink achieved all this and made the Korean team one of the fittest in the world because the Korean Football Association gave him time and a free hand in the selection of the World Cup squad.
In June 2002, India appointed 39-year-old Englishman Stephen Constantine, a FIFA instructor, as national coach. His first major assignment is the coming Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, at which event football will be played as an under-23 tournament. He is the second Englishman after Harry Wright in the 1960s to be the national coach. AIFF's new marketing agents, London-based Strata Sports, actively championed Constantine's case. How he fares and how much freedom he gets in team selection remains to be seen.
THERE have been foreign coaches for the age-group level national teams also. Ivosajih of Slovenia was coach of the India under-21 team at the third Rajiv Gandhi international tournament (under-21 years) held in Goa from May 5 to 12, 1998, but heavy losses to Iraq (1-5) and Uzbekistan (1-5) saw his contract being terminated. Islam Akhmedov of Uzbekistan was appointed coach for the India subjunior (under-16 years) team in April 2000. However, he was unable to guide India to the final rounds of the Asian championships.
In 1997, India's most successful club coach of the 1990s, Syed Nayeemuddin, was appointed national coach until the conclusion of the 1998 Bangkok Asiad. Nayeem, a disciplinarian, developed a physically fit, tactically alert and confident national team, which has dominated regional competitions. India beat the Maldives 5-1 in the 1997 SAFF Championship final and won $50,000, the highest-ever prize money it has won so far. In the same year, India, coached by Nayeem, reached the semi-finals of the Nehru Cup international tournament for the first time. Yet, the AIFF treated Nayeem shabbily and ignored all his pleas for foreign exposure ahead of the 1998 Bangkok Asiad.
Since taking over in January 2001, until the start of the 2002 World Cup on May 31, Hiddink's South Korea played 26 internationals either in friendly matches or in tournaments abroad. Contrast this with India's preparation under Syed Nayeemuddin for the 1998 Asian games. Prior to the Games, which were held in 1998, India did not play a single practice match from September 1997 to November 1998. A fortnight before the start of the Games, India played two friendly matches against Uzbekistan in Delhi and Calcutta. During his tenure Nayeem, at Rs.50,000 a month, remained the highest paid unemployed person in the country. A waste of money and talent, and a clear indication why India does not succeed in international football.
Sukhwinder Singh, who succeeded Nayeem as national coach in 1999, also received little help in terms of exposure from the AIFF. For the 1999 Asia Cup qualifying round matches in Abu Dhabi, the national team departed without a practice match even against a local club team. His team selection for the 2002 World Cup qualifiers was hampered by an AIFF directive that only three players can be selected from a club. This was apparently done to ensure the completion of the Fifth National Football league, which had been stopped for a month in January 2001 so that the Sahara Millennium Cup international football tournament could be held.
India played no friendly matches before the World Cup qualifiers. Still the Indian team did quite well and upset the 64-ranked United Arab Emirates 1-0 in the home leg in Bangalore. For the World Cup qualifiers, AIFF secretary Alberto Colaco introduced incentive payments and proper remuneration for the first time; each player in the squad got a lump sum payment of Rs.25,000. For the win against the UAE, all the 18 players got Rs.15,000 each as bonus. Sukhwinder Singh got Rs.1 lakh, assistant coach Krishnaji Rao Rs.60,000 and the goalkeepers' coach, Brahmanand, Rs.50,000. This was a creditable move and inspired the players, who had previously got a mere $10 a day on trips abroad. Sukhwinder was coach for three years and during this period India played just 31 internationals including seven matches against first and second division English clubs during the tours to that country in 2000 and 2001.
MANY of India's top footballers were amongst the best in Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. The late Jarnail Singh, Chuni Goswami, P.K. Banerjee, T. Balaram, Peter Thangaraj, Altaf Ahmed and Yusuf Khan, Prasun Banerjee and Atanu Bhattacharya have played for the Asian All Stars XI. Stopper back Jarnail Singh was even captain of the Asian All Stars XI. At one stage, in the mid-sixties, India had four players - Jarnail, Yusuf Khan, Altaf Ahmed and goalkeeper Thangaraj - in the Asian All Stars XI. Atanu Bhattacharya was the last to be selected in 1986. Right back Sudhir Karmakar was chosen the Best Defender in Asia after India came third in the 1970 Bangkok Asiad.
However, sadly, none of them had the ambition to become professionals and compete with the best in the world. They became victims of the typical middle class equilibrium trap, contented with public sector jobs and reasonable remuneration from their respective clubs. Chuni Goswami had an offer to play for Tottenham Hotspur in England in the 1960s, but declined it opting for the safety of a State Bank of India job. In the 1970s, ace winger Surojit Sengupta had offers to play as a professional in the UAE and Kuwait but declined them for the safety of a bank job in India. Baichung Bhutia became the first Indian to play in the demanding professional league in England, for Bury F.C. in the second division, from 1999 to 2002.
No Indian player has been a role model as Hidetoshi Nakata has been for Japan, who set the trend of playing in the Italian league after the 1998 World Cup. Other Japanese players such as goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (with first division club Portsmouth in England), Shinji Ono (for Feyanoord in the Netherlands) and Junichi Inamoto (with Arsenal in the 2001-02 season) have followed Nikata's example and improved as professionals. Similarly, South Korea had Ahn Jung Hwan playing for Perugia (Italy) and Seol Ki Hyeon for Anderlecht in Belgium.
Arbitrary selection, inadequate preparation, insufficient international, exposure and match-practice, and scant attention to age-group teams have been the bane of Indian football since Independence. In the 1950s when India had many talented players, domestic matches were confined to 70 minutes, instead of the internationally approved 90 minutes. Thus, Indian teams playing abroad often ran out of stamina and lost.
The stagnation of football in India can be measured in the number of tournaments organised across the country. In the 1960s and 1970s about 125 domestic tournaments were held every year all over the country. In the 1980s the number came down to about 100. In Kerala alone nine major All India tournaments were held each year. In the new millennium there are barely two dozen tournaments held every year in India. The AIFF is just not able to attract sponsors. Thus the Federation Cup, billed as the knockout cup of India, was not held for two years since 1998 for lack of a sponsor. It was revived in 2001, with the AIFF bearing the costs. The Nehru Cup, started with fanfare in 1982 to provide international exposure to Indian players, has not been held since 1997. Now, India's junior and sub-junior teams are chosen and trained only for participation in Asian championships and get limited exposure. There is little follow-up on talented players who emerge from the Northeastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
FOR so many years Indian football has remained an enigma. It is the most popular spectator sport at the domestic level. A record 131,000 people witnessed the KBL-Federation Cup semifinal between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in July 1997 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta. Crowds in the range of 70,000 to 100,000 are frequent in Kerala and Bengal for the Federation Cup or Nehru Cup international football tournaments. In smaller football centres like Goa, Bangalore and Delhi, capacity crowds in the region of 25,000 to 35,000 often witness needle matches involving Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting, Salgaocar and Dempo Goa, F.C. Kochin, JCT and in earlier days Hyderabad City Police. Despite such a massive following, football has not evolved into a professional game in India, as it has in Japan, South Korea and in West Asia. None of the Indian clubs own stadiums or have easy access to modern gymnasiums. Even established clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal lease their grounds at the Calcutta Maidan from the Indian Army.
The major factor is that unlike cricket, football has not been marketed efficiently. Thus, instead of growing in popularity, football in India is confined to West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, the Northeastern States and small areas in Mumbai and Delhi. Traditionally strong areas of football like Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai have declined owing to inefficient management by the State associations and vote bank politics of the AIFF.
The 1951 to 1962 decade was the best for India at the international level. It was among the top teams in Asia, winning the Asian Games gold medal twice - in 1951 at Delhi and 1962 at Jakarta. It was twice runners up in the Merdeka football tournament at Kuala Lumpur, in 1959 and 1964, and runner up in the Asia Cup in Israel in 1964. India finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and was the first Asian nation to reach the Olympic football semi-final. India beat Australia 4-2 in the quarter-finals and centre forward Neville D'Souza became the first and until now only Asian to score a hat trick in the Olympics. From 1948 to 1960 India played regularly and with reasonable distinction in every Olympics. India also won the Quadrangular tournament, involving India, Burma, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, four times from 1952 to '55.
However, in the last three decades instances of success have been limited. Since 1960 India has not qualified for the Olympics. It has never made it to the World Cup finals and since 1984 not even to the Asia Cup final rounds. The last quarter-final appearance in the Asian Games was in 1982 in Delhi. It won a bronze medal in the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games and the Indian junior team was joint winners with Iran in the Asian Youth championships in 1974. In the 1980s India won the South Asian Federation Games gold medal three times - 1985 in Dhaka, 1987 in Calcutta and 1995 in Chennai. It won the SAFF Championships too three times - 1993 in Lahore, 1997 in Kathmandu and 1999 in Goa. However, India's domination at the South Asian level is not as pronounced as it was at the Quadrangular tournament in the 1950s. Professional management, better marketing, greater attention to the National team and broadbasing the game in different States are required for Indian football to have a brighter future in the 21st century.
Man Utd chiefs excited by India football potential
5,500 aspiring young footballers have had their skills assessed by himself and a posse of coaches - 16 are being selected to attend a residential training school at the club next summer, and it is possible some may get to the United academy, says the Independent on Sunday.
The success of this initiative, which has been backed by the All India Football Federation, could lead to similar schemes throughout the country, and the establishment of a permanent India-based United football school to add to those already in countries such as South Africa, Canada and Hong Kong.
McClair, 43, says he is excited by the potential he has seen.
"In India there has been massive investment in sports like cricket and hockey for years. Sport is a way of life in India, and now there are signs that football can also be a big part of it too. It will grow, I am hopeful eventually we could have Indian players in the Premiership, although this could take five to 10 years."ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000;document.write('');
Dale Hobson, Manchester United Soccer Schools' inter-national development director, adds: "If you had just one Indian in the Premier League, football would go into the stratosphere there. The scope of Indian football could be colossal."
McClair says the growing popularity of the sport is evident in Goa, where the strong Portuguese influence makes it more likely you will see kids wearing a Ronaldo shirt than a Rooney one.
"You see the majority of youngsters - and a lot of adults too - walking around in football shirts. Not just Manchester United but other top clubs and other countries, notably Portugal, but the Premiership is by far the most popular."
The youngsters who took part in the project were aged between 10 and 16. "Obviously the skills we evaluate are quite basic, but football is played in schools, and I visited a couple where there was quite skilful manipulation of the ball. They seem to have a natural balance and flair.
"Historically, youngsters in India, and to some extent those from the Asian communities in Britain, have focused on other sports. But over the next decade this is likely to change."
Sir Alex Ferguson agrees. "This club has a tradition of nurturing young talent, and if we can play a part in accelerating the development of young footballers in India I'll be delighted."
The success of this initiative, which has been backed by the All India Football Federation, could lead to similar schemes throughout the country, and the establishment of a permanent India-based United football school to add to those already in countries such as South Africa, Canada and Hong Kong.
McClair, 43, says he is excited by the potential he has seen.
"In India there has been massive investment in sports like cricket and hockey for years. Sport is a way of life in India, and now there are signs that football can also be a big part of it too. It will grow, I am hopeful eventually we could have Indian players in the Premiership, although this could take five to 10 years."ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000;document.write('');
Dale Hobson, Manchester United Soccer Schools' inter-national development director, adds: "If you had just one Indian in the Premier League, football would go into the stratosphere there. The scope of Indian football could be colossal."
McClair says the growing popularity of the sport is evident in Goa, where the strong Portuguese influence makes it more likely you will see kids wearing a Ronaldo shirt than a Rooney one.
"You see the majority of youngsters - and a lot of adults too - walking around in football shirts. Not just Manchester United but other top clubs and other countries, notably Portugal, but the Premiership is by far the most popular."
The youngsters who took part in the project were aged between 10 and 16. "Obviously the skills we evaluate are quite basic, but football is played in schools, and I visited a couple where there was quite skilful manipulation of the ball. They seem to have a natural balance and flair.
"Historically, youngsters in India, and to some extent those from the Asian communities in Britain, have focused on other sports. But over the next decade this is likely to change."
Sir Alex Ferguson agrees. "This club has a tradition of nurturing young talent, and if we can play a part in accelerating the development of young footballers in India I'll be delighted."
Looking at past Sunil Chhetri 15 Aug 2008 Times of India
Sun shines on Sunil Chhetri
NEW DELHI, August 14: Sunil Chhetri never shies away from questions - posed by journalists or defenders twice his size. He confronts them with ease as he showed with such elan at the Ambedkar Stadium on Wednesday evening.
A soon as he slammed in his third and India’s fourth goal against Tajikistan in the AFC Challenge Cup final, he attained a unique landmark in Indian football - it is a rare feat to score a hat-trick, and more so in the final of an international tournament. The stupendous 4-1 victory also put India in the 2011 Asian Cup after 24 long years.
"It’s the best performance of my career so far," Chhetri told TOI on Thursday. "But we were all very charged up and strangely very confident before the final."
This confidence saw them knock down Turkmenistan on a soggy pitch in Hyderabad and also peg back the Tajiks within the first 30 minutes in the final. "It’s perhaps the biggest change that Bob Houghton (coach) has engineered. He has made us believe that it’s all about the whole team and it’s all about confidence," Chhetri said.
The striker, who will don the red-and-gold East Bengal shirt this season, is a transformed personality since his days as a struggling, baby-faced 17-year-old at Mohun Bagan.
Chhetri took the setbacks in stride and moved on to JCT where the demands were more reasonable. "I’ve matured since my Bagan days. In hindsight, I feel the move to JCT came at the perfect moment." Under Sukhwinder Singh at JCT, Chhetri became a name to reckon with as a dreaded striker.
And then Bob Houghton happened. "He is just amazing. It’s not only about his European experience or knowledge of the game. It is also about the way he motivates players who are young and not so young. His approach is more psychological and he commands respect."
Throwing light on the change his own game has undergone, the Delhi-based striker said, "I’m making less mistakes these days. I take a lot more responsibility on the field and I’ve learnt a lot from the seniors."
The reference obviously is to skipper Baichung Bhutia with whom he has formed a fine strike-force. So is it time Chhetri takes over the mantle? "Let me make it clear again - it’s not about one player. It’s not one person scoring and winning matches for India. When Bhutia will leave, we’ll all be ready so that his absence doesn’t hurt the team. We know, how big a task that will be though."
Chhetri will return to Kolkata this time as a hero. The days of disenchantment are behind him. "It’s time for the clubs to give Indian strikers more opportunities than the foreigners. No one improves warming the bench," was his parting shot.
NEW DELHI, August 14: Sunil Chhetri never shies away from questions - posed by journalists or defenders twice his size. He confronts them with ease as he showed with such elan at the Ambedkar Stadium on Wednesday evening.
A soon as he slammed in his third and India’s fourth goal against Tajikistan in the AFC Challenge Cup final, he attained a unique landmark in Indian football - it is a rare feat to score a hat-trick, and more so in the final of an international tournament. The stupendous 4-1 victory also put India in the 2011 Asian Cup after 24 long years.
"It’s the best performance of my career so far," Chhetri told TOI on Thursday. "But we were all very charged up and strangely very confident before the final."
This confidence saw them knock down Turkmenistan on a soggy pitch in Hyderabad and also peg back the Tajiks within the first 30 minutes in the final. "It’s perhaps the biggest change that Bob Houghton (coach) has engineered. He has made us believe that it’s all about the whole team and it’s all about confidence," Chhetri said.
The striker, who will don the red-and-gold East Bengal shirt this season, is a transformed personality since his days as a struggling, baby-faced 17-year-old at Mohun Bagan.
Chhetri took the setbacks in stride and moved on to JCT where the demands were more reasonable. "I’ve matured since my Bagan days. In hindsight, I feel the move to JCT came at the perfect moment." Under Sukhwinder Singh at JCT, Chhetri became a name to reckon with as a dreaded striker.
And then Bob Houghton happened. "He is just amazing. It’s not only about his European experience or knowledge of the game. It is also about the way he motivates players who are young and not so young. His approach is more psychological and he commands respect."
Throwing light on the change his own game has undergone, the Delhi-based striker said, "I’m making less mistakes these days. I take a lot more responsibility on the field and I’ve learnt a lot from the seniors."
The reference obviously is to skipper Baichung Bhutia with whom he has formed a fine strike-force. So is it time Chhetri takes over the mantle? "Let me make it clear again - it’s not about one player. It’s not one person scoring and winning matches for India. When Bhutia will leave, we’ll all be ready so that his absence doesn’t hurt the team. We know, how big a task that will be though."
Chhetri will return to Kolkata this time as a hero. The days of disenchantment are behind him. "It’s time for the clubs to give Indian strikers more opportunities than the foreigners. No one improves warming the bench," was his parting shot.
Looking at past December 13 2007 Rediff News
Indian football's next star
The power of a superstar can never be underestimated. Viswanathan Anand [Images] did it for chess, Sania Mirza [Images] is doing it for tennis in India. Apart from making the game popular they have galvanised a generation to pick up the sport, infuse confidence, given a reference point.
Baichung Bhutia has been the face of Indian football for long. Now, a 23 year old who answers to the name of Sunil Chhetri looks ready to take on the mantle.
"It's a great compliment for me," says Chhetri, who was named Indian NFL player of the year last season after scoring 12 goals.
"I don't believe in all the comparisons but the expectations have definitely increased. There is the pressure to perform; it only pumps me up to do better whether I am playing for the country or club."
The suave, energetic player from Delhi, who speaks faster than he dribbles the ball, is, like Bhutia, a fleet-footed striker with a boyish face and floppy hair. Like Bhutia, he has his roots in the foothills of the Himalayas -- his forefathers came from Nepal.
"He has the talent to make it big," says JCT Coach Sukhwinder Singh.
"Whether he will remains to be seen," says Singh, whose team's colours Chettri currently dons. "We have to understand that people like I M Vijayan and Bhutia played consistently at that level for a long time. Chhetri has to do a lot and work harder."
"(As strikers) you can't compare Bhutia and Chhetri. Bhutia is more explosive; they are two different, class players."
Singh took Chhetri under his wing more than two years ago when he came to JCT after three seasons with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan.
"I didn't have to change around with his style; all I told him was what to do and what not to do with the ball. When you talk of skills, there are two parts to it: one is basic talent and second is decision-making. We have helped him in decision-making, the tactical side, and improving his concentration."
"He has football in him," added the JCT coach.
"I had football in my blood, since my parents also played it," Chhetri says.
"When I started playing football I wasn't aware of the format or what the future holds. It was just a passion; I didn't work too hard for it."
First it was the passion; when he played for Indian schools it was "for a certificate", and then it was the money and fame that made Chhetri stay with football.
"Five hundred bucks pocket money for a 17 year old is not bad!" he exclaims at the memory, when he was thrust into a professional set-up when he signed with Mohun Bagan in his teens.
"Till then I didn't know football was so big. When I was playing for Indian schools they (Mohun Bagan) saw me and called me for trials. That time it was just fun, but in the past two, three years I have started taking the game very seriously."
Just like the club call-up, an India call-up happened to Chhetri early.
"That felt like a dream come true. I think wearing an Indian jersey, whichever sport you play, gives a different high. Playing in the senior team is a great change, the teams are tougher -- that's where the big boys play!"
"Earlier, I used to be too excited and thrilled and nervous just to be playing in the team. But now that the expectations are greater I am working harder."
For a person whose "dream came true" at 17, he is startlingly realistic. Ask him about his European (the ultimate in football) ambitions and he replies sheepishly, "Indians can't choose! I'll take whatever they give me."
After some pushing, he comes up with an answer: "Barcelona!"
"I am not thinking too much about it. I want to go out for sure; I am preparing a CV to send out. There are so many things to learn."
Though he laments that not many people recognise football players beyond traditional centres Kolkata, Goa [Images] and Kerala [Images], Chhetri says it is time the players, media and public give up the blame game and come together.
"The Nehru Cup was a huge tournament. Football is not very popular from where I come, but the stands were full during the matches. Every time I scored the crowd would go crazy. Zee Sports did a great job telecasting that tournament. It just shows that for football to develop everyone has to come together."
"We are all to be blamed for the condition of the game in India. Football is the best game, it's enjoyed all over the world, but it's not given due respect in India."
"If people stay awake to watch a Chelsea versus Manchester United game late at night, I am sure they'll appreciate if we play good football. Even I would love to stay awake and watch Baichung Bhutia play. We need the right players, the right media, the right television coverage, grounds, jerseys; combine all departments to do well."
Apart from his obvious ball skills, Chhetri's understanding of the arena he operates in is different from the normally myopic football vision. He voices his concerns without an edge of cynicism, and is ready to work on the solutions.
He has the game, the attitude and the marketable 'X' factor.
Move over Bhutia, Chhetri is here!
Looking at past Sunil chhetri May 29, 2007 The Hindu
Crafty Chhetri a striker to watch
KOCHI: He's not very tall, has a baby face and is a self-confessed dreamer but Sunil Chhetri is currently the hottest thing in Indian football.
The National Football League has almost always been a story of foreigners when it comes to the scoring act but this time, the 22-year-old has given many of the African and Brazilian strikers who ply their trade in the country a run for their money.
For a country which has been anxiously searching for quality strikers the last few years, young men who could step into the boots of Baichung Bhutia, the Delhi-born Chhetri has offered fresh hopes.
With 12 goals, the JCT star was fifth in the ONGC National League's goal-scorers' chart, a list that is packed with foreigners.
He was the best Indian by a big margin too. The superb performance brought him the National League's best player award and the best forward title in Gurgaon on Sunday night.
Scintillating form
Chhetri's scintillating form this season lifted JCT to a surprise runner-up position in the 10-team NFL. And many big names, including Brazilian Jose Baretto and Baichung Bhutia, were way behind the Delhi youngster in the scorers' chart. Surprisingly, at a time when coaches have been hunting for tall players to redeem Indian football, the diminutive Chhetri has remarkably risen to the occasion, against many odds, and emerged as the country's best striker.
"Sometimes, it's doesn't matter if you're short or tall. I have a good jump and it makes up nicely," said the confident young man.
"In fact, 40 to 50 per cent of my goals this season have come through headers."
His best goals, including two in JCT's 3-2 victory over NFL champion Dempo and another sparkling pair in the team's comfortable victory over Mohun Bagan — which won the Super Cup in Gurgaon on Sunday night, have come against strong opponents.
"He has good ball control, great footwork and he covers with his position nicely," said JCT's former Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh.
Artful dodger
He is quite fast too and is an artful dodger as he runs through the rival defence, often leaving it napping.
As a little boy, Chhetri was introduced to football by his dad as they kicked around at home. "Dad was in the army, so we travelled a lot, Srinagar... so many places. But my most important years were in Delhi. And my great granddad hails from Nepal."
He was quick to impress some of the country's biggest clubs. "After my 12th class, I joined Mohun Bagan and for the last two years I've been with the JCT."
Chhetri soon found his way into the Indian team
So, is he something big? Is he the striker we're all waiting for? Can he be another Bhutia?
"Too early to say or compare with players like Bhutia. But if he maintains his form and remains serious, Chhetri could be... we'll know in a season or two," said Sukhwinder.
Chhetri appeared confident too. "Brother, wait and see... and watch me."
KOCHI: He's not very tall, has a baby face and is a self-confessed dreamer but Sunil Chhetri is currently the hottest thing in Indian football.
The National Football League has almost always been a story of foreigners when it comes to the scoring act but this time, the 22-year-old has given many of the African and Brazilian strikers who ply their trade in the country a run for their money.
For a country which has been anxiously searching for quality strikers the last few years, young men who could step into the boots of Baichung Bhutia, the Delhi-born Chhetri has offered fresh hopes.
With 12 goals, the JCT star was fifth in the ONGC National League's goal-scorers' chart, a list that is packed with foreigners.
He was the best Indian by a big margin too. The superb performance brought him the National League's best player award and the best forward title in Gurgaon on Sunday night.
Scintillating form
Chhetri's scintillating form this season lifted JCT to a surprise runner-up position in the 10-team NFL. And many big names, including Brazilian Jose Baretto and Baichung Bhutia, were way behind the Delhi youngster in the scorers' chart. Surprisingly, at a time when coaches have been hunting for tall players to redeem Indian football, the diminutive Chhetri has remarkably risen to the occasion, against many odds, and emerged as the country's best striker.
"Sometimes, it's doesn't matter if you're short or tall. I have a good jump and it makes up nicely," said the confident young man.
"In fact, 40 to 50 per cent of my goals this season have come through headers."
His best goals, including two in JCT's 3-2 victory over NFL champion Dempo and another sparkling pair in the team's comfortable victory over Mohun Bagan — which won the Super Cup in Gurgaon on Sunday night, have come against strong opponents.
"He has good ball control, great footwork and he covers with his position nicely," said JCT's former Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh.
Artful dodger
He is quite fast too and is an artful dodger as he runs through the rival defence, often leaving it napping.
As a little boy, Chhetri was introduced to football by his dad as they kicked around at home. "Dad was in the army, so we travelled a lot, Srinagar... so many places. But my most important years were in Delhi. And my great granddad hails from Nepal."
He was quick to impress some of the country's biggest clubs. "After my 12th class, I joined Mohun Bagan and for the last two years I've been with the JCT."
Chhetri soon found his way into the Indian team
So, is he something big? Is he the striker we're all waiting for? Can he be another Bhutia?
"Too early to say or compare with players like Bhutia. But if he maintains his form and remains serious, Chhetri could be... we'll know in a season or two," said Sukhwinder.
Chhetri appeared confident too. "Brother, wait and see... and watch me."
Interview with Sunil Chhetri
Goal.com caught up with the rising star of Indian football Sunil Chhetri and discussed AFC Challenge Cup football and much more…..
Interview carried by Rahul Bali
India are gunning for glory in the AFC Challenge Cup’08 that is to start in Hyderabad on Wednesday and Goal.com’s man at the scene Rahul Bali has been catching up with several of the key players in the Indian national football team.
This time he spoke to the star Indian striker Sunil Chhetri, who is visibly and understandably optimistic about his team’s chances in the competition.
But at the same time Chhetri doesn’t underestimate India’s Wednesday’s opponent, Afghanistan, whom they play in their Group A encounter on Wednesday.
He said, “Afghanistan are a very good side. I watched them in the SAFF Cup semi-final against Bhutan. They played well but lost in the end.”
When asked about the ground facilities available to the players at Hyderabad for preparation of the matches, the East Bengal striker said, “I am saddened by the state of the ground conditions here. Even the third division grounds in Portugal are better than these grounds.”
The conversation consequently turned towards the three friendly matches that India played very recently in Portugal.
All of those matches were against lower division sides but Sunil Chhetri is very much impressed by the conditions of the grounds in which these lowly placed clubs in Portugal play.
Recounting the facilities that they received in Portugal, the 23-year old said that some of those third division sides had two grounds! He also mentioned that each of these grounds were attended to by eight or nine groundsmen.
Chhetri also remarked that there are around 1300 clubs whose stadiums are better than the stadiums than they played in Portugal, which are in turn better than the best stadiums in India.
Carrying on with the discussion of footballs stadiums, Sunil Chhetri then spoke on the stadiums in Qatar and Maldives. Chhetri said that when he was in Qatar during the Asian Games, he observed that there were 20 grounds on one side with sand on the other.
Chhetri then described the situation in Maldives. He said that when the national team of Maldives plays in any of their stadiums, a huge crowd comes to cheer them on. When Maldives played Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the SAFF Cup, 7000 people from Maldives flew in to Colombo to watch the match and overwhelmed the stadium in red.
But Chhetri is confident that the situation in India is going to be similar. He does admit that Delhi would have been a better choice for the AFC Challenge Cup given the high standard of the stadiums there and the good crowd support but exudes hope that winning the competition would still be a huge motive given that the winner qualifies directly 2011 Asian Cup and, Chhetri says, this will give the Under-16, Under-19 and the senior Indian national side a good lot of time to start preparing for the mega event.
Sunil Chhetri emphasizes on the “right utilization” of the resources that India already has. The young man is very much buoyed by India’s performances in recent times and is confident that they can achieve their ambition in the competition.
Interview carried by Rahul Bali
India are gunning for glory in the AFC Challenge Cup’08 that is to start in Hyderabad on Wednesday and Goal.com’s man at the scene Rahul Bali has been catching up with several of the key players in the Indian national football team.
This time he spoke to the star Indian striker Sunil Chhetri, who is visibly and understandably optimistic about his team’s chances in the competition.
But at the same time Chhetri doesn’t underestimate India’s Wednesday’s opponent, Afghanistan, whom they play in their Group A encounter on Wednesday.
He said, “Afghanistan are a very good side. I watched them in the SAFF Cup semi-final against Bhutan. They played well but lost in the end.”
When asked about the ground facilities available to the players at Hyderabad for preparation of the matches, the East Bengal striker said, “I am saddened by the state of the ground conditions here. Even the third division grounds in Portugal are better than these grounds.”
The conversation consequently turned towards the three friendly matches that India played very recently in Portugal.
All of those matches were against lower division sides but Sunil Chhetri is very much impressed by the conditions of the grounds in which these lowly placed clubs in Portugal play.
Recounting the facilities that they received in Portugal, the 23-year old said that some of those third division sides had two grounds! He also mentioned that each of these grounds were attended to by eight or nine groundsmen.
Chhetri also remarked that there are around 1300 clubs whose stadiums are better than the stadiums than they played in Portugal, which are in turn better than the best stadiums in India.
Carrying on with the discussion of footballs stadiums, Sunil Chhetri then spoke on the stadiums in Qatar and Maldives. Chhetri said that when he was in Qatar during the Asian Games, he observed that there were 20 grounds on one side with sand on the other.
Chhetri then described the situation in Maldives. He said that when the national team of Maldives plays in any of their stadiums, a huge crowd comes to cheer them on. When Maldives played Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the SAFF Cup, 7000 people from Maldives flew in to Colombo to watch the match and overwhelmed the stadium in red.
But Chhetri is confident that the situation in India is going to be similar. He does admit that Delhi would have been a better choice for the AFC Challenge Cup given the high standard of the stadiums there and the good crowd support but exudes hope that winning the competition would still be a huge motive given that the winner qualifies directly 2011 Asian Cup and, Chhetri says, this will give the Under-16, Under-19 and the senior Indian national side a good lot of time to start preparing for the mega event.
Sunil Chhetri emphasizes on the “right utilization” of the resources that India already has. The young man is very much buoyed by India’s performances in recent times and is confident that they can achieve their ambition in the competition.
Know your Stars : Sunil Chhetri (East Bengal)
Sunil Chhetri (born August 3, 1984 at Delhi, India) is an Indian professional football player. He plays in the Forward position and is known for his high work rate, ball control and shooting. Chhetri started his football career with the Delhi based City Club. Since then, he has represented Mohun Bagan & JCT FC. For the current season, he has signed with East Bengal Club. He was selected the AIFF Player of the Year 2007 for his excellent performances for his club and country.
Club career
After starting his career for the Delhi based City Club, Chhetri shifted to Mohun Bagan and remained there for three seasons. Subsequently, he moved to JCT FC and has impressed in both his stints. His most notable performance for a club till date was against Sao Paulo FC for JCT FC in the Super Soccer series in 2007. At the end of the 11th NFL, Chhetri was awarded the league's best player award as well as the best forward. He scored a total of 12 goals in the league.[2] For the current season, he has signed with East Bengal Club.
Sunil Chhetri in AFC challenge Cup 2008
International career
He has represented his national team India since 2004. Till date, his best performance for India has been in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup against Tajikistan, when he scored a hatrick.[3] He was selected the Indian player of 2007 and found his way in NDTV's list of India's memorable sporting moments of 2007 at number 3.
International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 June 2005 Ayub Stadium, Quetta,Pakistan Pakistan 1–0 1–1 Friendly
2 17 August 2007 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Cambodia 4–0 6–0 Nehru Cup
3 17 August 2007 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Cambodia 5–0 6–0 Nehru Cup
4 23 August 2007 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Syria 1–0 2–3 Nehru Cup
5 26 August 2007 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Kyrgyzstan 2–0 3–0 Nehru Cup
6 8 October 2007 Saida International Stadium, Saida, Lebanon Lebanon 1–0 1–4 World Cup qualification
7 30 October 2007 Fatorda Stadium, Goa, India Lebanon 1–0 2–2 World Cup qualification
8 24 May 2008 Fatorda Stadium, Goa, India Chinese Taipei 2–0 3–0 Friendly
9 24 May 2008 Fatorda Stadium, Goa, India Chinese Taipei 3–0 3–0 Friendly
10 3 June 2008 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives Nepal 3–0 4–0 SAFF Cup
11 11 June 2008 Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, Malé, Maldives Bhutan 1–1 2–1 SAFF Cup
12 7 August 2008 Gachibowli Athletic Stadium, Hyderabad, India Myanmar 1–0 1–0 AFC Challenge Cup
13 13 August 2008 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Tajikistan 1–0 4–1 AFC Challenge Cup
14 13 August 2008 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Tajikistan 3–0 4–1 AFC Challenge Cup
15 13 August 2008 Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi, India Tajikistan 4–1 4–1 AFC Challenge Cup
AFC Cup: Home Want Semi-Final Place
Singapore’s most seasoned representatives in the AFC Cup will be looking to repeat their achievements of 2004 when they entertain India’s Dempo SC in their quarter-final second-leg encounter on Tuesday.
Home United represented Singapore in the competition in 2005 and 2006, but it was in the tournament’s inaugural year that the Protectors went the furthest, reaching the semi-finals.
90 minutes of football stand between them and a spot in the same stage of the Cup this year, and coach P N Sivaji says the fact that his charges are within touching distance of at least repeating history is enough to motivate them.
“In the first leg we were under tremendous pressure, especially in the second half," said the 56-year-old. "They threw everything at us and we had to deal with that pressure.
“We put in a good performance in India and we want to put in another good performance. We already have one foot in the semi finals but we want to put both our feet in there.”
Rosman Sulaiman’s all-important away goal in a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Hyderabad means his side need only shut out the Indian side’s attack to go through -- but if that first leg was anything to go by, they will have their work cut out for them.
Only stellar performances by members of the Home United rearguard limited the Indians to a single goal; national stopper Lionel Lewis was in particularly sterling form, while Sivaji’s decision to field Syed Fadhil and Tengku Mushadad in a defensive midfield paid dividends.
Foremost among the coach’s concerns will certainly be the need to contain the threat of Congolese striker Mboyo Iyomi, who notched the equaliser for Dempo in the first leg and was described by Sivaji after the match as “very strong in the air”.
Sivaji, however, intimated that his side will adopt a more offensive style of play for the game, while acknowledging the need to keep his defence watertight.
“We are not going into the tomorrow’s game playing with a defensive stance. We are going to play normally, how Home plays.
“We are going to go out there and try and win the game but we do know that 0-0 is also enough.
“We will be the marginal favourites as we have a away goal advantage and are playing at home.
“The first leg favoured Dempo and we have regrouped and have an opportunity to move to the next round. We have to take our chances up front and keep it tight at the back.
“It will be a good game.”
The Protectors, however, will be without skipper S Subramani, who broke his metatarsal in the first leg. In more uplifting news, midfielder Shi Jiayi, who missed the trip to India to get treatment for his ankle, has responded well to the treatment and is in with a chance of making an appearance.
Brazilian vice-captain Peres de Oliveira, who will assume leadership duties in the absence of Subramani, was in confident mood ahead of the match, stressing that the Bishan-based side are well-prepared to face their Indian visitors.
“Dempo are a good side and a strong team.
“We have played them last week so we know what to expect from them. We are prepared to face them.
“We are prepared mentally and our tactics are good to give us an advantage in tomorrow’s game.”
Despite the psychological advantage that the hosts will take into the match, the tie hangs very much in the balance.
It is the first quarter-final appearance for Dempo, who previously bowed out in the group stages in 2005 and 2006, and will undoubtedly be just as eager to make the last four.
To coach Armando Colaco, who played for Dempo from 1976 to 1985, the tie is still very much alive.
“The advantage now is in Home United’s hands as they have the away goal.
“But the end result will be in our hands and the outcome won’t be known till the final whistle is blown.
“We are very motivated for tomorrow’s game. We want to continue playing where we left off in the first leg.”
Colaco, however, admitted that the artificial pitch at the Jalan Besar Stadium is going to further complicate what is likely to be a tricky match.
“All games in the AFC Cup quarter finals are going to be tough and this game is going to be no different. We are going to try our level best and we will be happy to if we perform to expectations.
“We will find playing on artificial grass tricky as we play on natural grass back in Goa but there is an artificial pitch where we trained before we came here to Singapore.”
The winners of the tie will face either Malaysian side Perak or Safa of Lebanon, with the Middle Easterners looking the more likely to progress at the moment, following their 2-0 win in Ipoh.
A paltry crowd of 200 or so showed up for the first leg in India, but Home United are likely to receive much stronger backing in Singapore.
W Ng
www.sleague.com
More on AFC cup 2008:Click on here
Dempo hopes to make history
Dempo will have to win or at least draw 2-2 to advance
Home United and Dempo had drawn the first leg
New Delhi: I-League champion Dempo, hoping to become the first Indian club to make it to the semifinals of the AFC Cup, would look to make amends for its profligacy in Hyderabad when it takes on Home United in the quarterfinal return leg tie in Singapore on Tuesday.
Dempo squandered a golden opportunity to win the first leg in Hyderabad.
It dominated the encounter could mange only a 1-1 draw. It can ill-afford to repeat that performance at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Strikers have to fire
“My strikers will have to convert the chances that come their way,” Dempo coach Armando Colaco said from Goa just before departing for Singapore.
Dempo will have to win or at least draw 2-2 to make it to the last four stage of the competition. A goalless draw will see the Singapore side through on away goal rule.
In case the match finishes 1-1 in regulation time, the issue will have to be settled in extra time as both sides will be on even keel on goal difference and away goals.
If the game is tied 1-1 even after extra time, penalty shootout will have to be enforced.
Ranty Martins and Mboyo Iyomi will have to utilise the service provided by Roberto Mendes Silva and Climax Lawrence.
Away win
Armando Colaco’s charges would do well to take inspiration from their 2-1 away win in the preliminary round over 2006 AFC Cup runner-up and this edition’s quarterfinalist, Al Muharraq of Bahrain, that put them on track for a last-eight berth after suffering two straight defeats.
Home United was in good form in the domestic league and was in second place, a point behind leader and another AFC Cup quarterfinalist Singapore Armed Forces.
The teams:
Dempo: Abhijt Mondal, John Dias, Climax Lawrence (capt.), Ranti Martins, Roberto Mendes Silva, Anthony Perreira, Clifford Miranda, Samir Naik, Valeriano Rebello, Mboyo Iyomi, Mahesh Gawli, Creson Antao, Nascimento Silveira, Joaquim Abranches, V.P. Sathish Kumar, Nicolau Borges, Dominic Noronha and Joe Rodrigues.
Home United: Mohammad Farhan, Indra sahdan Daud, Juma’at Jantan, Subramani Shanmugham (capt.), Valery Hiek, Kengne Ludovick, Syed Mohammad Fadhil, Mohammad Rosman Sulaiman, Tengku Mushadad, Lionel Lewis, Peres De Oliviera, Mohammad Rizuan Fatah, Shukor Zailan, MOhammad Nur Azreen, Ram Shankar, Mohammad Saiful Nasri and Mohammad Azhar Bib Sairuddin.
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