Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School in India!

The ten day-camp will use Italian Youth Soccer Development Methodologies to influence positive technical-social growth and involve players of all ages.

Sep 01, 2008 – This November children from India will attend the Italian Scuola Calcio (Soccer School) program run by top Italian professional soccer instructors.

This International program is been made possible by a relationship between Deeksha Sports Management (DSM) a HTC Group Company and Scuola Calcio, Italian Premier Soccer School a Soccerkix Company.

“This is very exciting to have Italian Professional Soccer Coaches come to India for the first time to teach our children and our coaches some of the best youth soccer development methodologies in the world” said, Hemanshu Chaturvedi, DSM President and Managing Director HTC Group.

The Italian Coaches will be working with children of all ages and their coaches from various school teams.

“There is been an overwhelming response already from the schools here” said Mr. Chatuverdi.

India has not yet a system in place to identify and train youth soccer players at a younger age. There is no infrastructure in place for promoting the best game in the world. “In Italy, soccer clubs got what they call “youth farm systems” for developing young soccer talent. In India, even big clubs do not yet have such facilities” said Bruno Redolfi, Scuola Calcio Instructor, “and we are looking forward to this fantastic experience”.

The ten day-camp will use Italian Youth Soccer Development Methodologies to influence positive technical-social growth and involve players of all ages. The Scuola Calcio, Italian Premier Soccer School has partnered with DSM and the HTC Group to stage the first ever Italian Soccer Camp in India. “We look forward to working together on the first of many activities to target many youth soccer players” said Antonio Saviano, Scuola Calcio Coordinator.

Scuola Calcio is one of the most respected provider of Italian Soccer School Programs in the world, it is a full Italian Cultural immersion program and players of all ages have the opportunity to participate. The Scuola Calcio program encourages players to reach new levels of achievement through expert instruction and has given many players already an opportunity to show case their talent. Some of these young players have had the opportunity to play at a professional level.

“The Scuola Calcio Technical Staff are very confident that this event will be a success. Our Instructors will come directly from Italy to deliver the best Italian soccer program in India”, said Mr. Saviano. He went on to say, “The Scuola Calcio Instructors will also work very close with local coaches from different schools to the Italian Youth Soccer Development Methodology”.

For more information on the Scuola Calcio, Italian Premier Soccer School email: info@soccerkix.com
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About Scuola Calcio
Scuola Calcio, Italian Soccer School offers programs such as:
All-Year Soccer Boarding School, Three weeks Soccer Camps in USA and Italy, Soccer Coaching Symposium, International Soccer Team Tour Travel, Monthly Professional Soccer Training, and much more are all offered to serious soccer players and coaches. The Italian Scuola Calcio (Soccer School) has consolidated the experience developed from its technical staff and the experience acquired within the last few years from Ascoli Soccer Academy, A.C. Perugia Soccer School and A.C. Parma Soccer School program’s technical staff. The Italian Scuola Calcio has built a network of more then 100 affiliated soccer schools, some of which in Italy and other abroad (North America) and other foreign countries such as Ghana and Brazil, and an organization of 80 professional scouts-observers, 20 regional coordinators and 5 International Coordinators.

Indian Football: ups and down

By Tanmoy Ghosh

Football is not just a game in India but it was involved in the independent movement of India too. Football became part of Bengal’s part and tract when Mohun Bagan (the national club of India) routed East York (the English Team) in the IFA Shield final of 1911.

This victory became a part of Bengal’s nationalist mythology because eleven Indian had defeated a team of white players after being dominated by them over 200 years. Moreover, ten of the former had played barefooted while opponents had been in boots.

It was never easy playing barefoot against players wearing boots. It was one of the historical achievements, which was written, in golden words in the history of India.
The year 1911 is significant because it marked a low point in Bengal’s history politically: the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.

It was quite symbolic victory against the British team on football ground. Before independence football matches against the British not merely a match but a struggle against racial differences.

The trio of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting led the field and first two team remain the traditional rivals, from the time of independence. But soccer fans were non-partisan in their choice of heroes and good footballer was esteemed and adored irrespective of the club he played for. The Fifties and Sixties represent the golden age of Kolkata football and players were key figure in India’s victory in the Asian Games and the Merdeka Cup.

In most part of the world and in all games, increasing profesionalization has led to a definite improvement in standards. But in comparison Indian football doesn’t developed that much. Though today there are many individual outstanding football players but the overall standard is poor and football above everything else is a team game.

There are many factors behind this – one factor could be stamina and fitness. Though during the time of sixties and seventies the game was not 90 minutes. Fitness levels, despite rigorous coaching, are nowhere near international level. This may be due to the physique and diet of Indians. The cricket mania was another factor, which holds a higher place in the sporting imagination of the cities sports loving people.

Big companies, sponsors and media prefer cricket than any other sports which made our countries football rank much below day by day. Moreover, lack of international exposure was another factor for the degrading of the sport.

IFA and AIFA the organizing football body in India totally failed to pull the standard of Indian football, nor do they show any improvement to organize any tournament where genuine good foreign football teams can play and we can up grade our performance.

The Indian team or clubs should play in abroad for better exposure.
Despite all this, a match between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal still draws out the fervent loyalties of their respective fans and heated arguments at every tea stall over post match recaps is a common scene.

Hope one-day football will regain its lost glory. Its quite praiseworthy that many clubs from other states are also emerging not only that players from different states are coming to this sports. Football, the craze of the mass; the game people die for; the game that is watched with such frenzied and fanatical loyalty, is undoubtedly emerge in India too.

But what is most urgently required for Indian football’s up gradation is investment of multinational companies into this game. Like wise in Europe and America the game was hyped due to tremendous participation of multi national companies. India ranked far behind than top hundred countries. In order to come among the top football playing nations India need good infrastructure, may be foreign coaches.

The player should get proper training in order to compete with better teams. Physical fitness is one of the most concerned areas where Indian players have to work harder and harder in order to compete with international level of football.
Well u cannot say that, a coach is a rare phenomenon that a nation of over 100 crore people with unparalleled heritage of thousands of years cannot provide.

In fact, only minnows need a coach. Media should start paying more attention to science and creative arts rather than wasting time and energy on trivialities.
Moreover coaches can be found among the retired players. An Indian, can only realize the pulse of the players than a foreign coach.

Globalisation has become an order of the day. In all spheres of economic activities, except for a few select areas concerning national security, several countries have started hiring foreign professionals, in order for the development of the sports. If the exercise should be result oriented, then there is no hard in hiring foreign coaches.

In our country, where 70 per cent of the population lives in villages, from where most of our players come, the standard of education is not all that good. Moreover the Indian players does not understand English, so appointing a foreign coach to train our players will not fully serve our purpose, as it will create a huge communication gap between the players and the coach.

What we need to do is stop the interference of politicians in selections and let the players emerge for the national team accordance to their performance. Only then can he motivate and train the players better.

This country has produced some legendary sportsmen on its own, so the question somehow rose by the critics that are the need to appoint a foreign coach. These coaches not only consume more funds and they hardly knew about our culture and geography of India. Briefly in order to revive the lost glory Indian football need total change which can’t be gone without investment of multi-national companies.

Article origanally published in Universal Journal

Indian-origin football players aim to score big with local clubs

It’s not just sectors that sport suits and ties, many local sports teams are attracting the Indian diaspora, too

Izumi Arata is only half-Indian but that was just enough for the recruiters of Indian football. Last year, the 25-year-old moved from his native Japan to play for East Bengal Football Club. Now, he’s moved onto Mahindra United in Mumbai, which is pinning its hopes on the striker and midfielder to help the team retain its national championship title.

Turns out that the return of the Indian diaspora is not limited to the sectors that sport suits and ties—many sports teams want to cash in on the trend as well.
Arata, born to an Indian father and a Japanese mother, is the face of an initiative by a group of Indians in Germany and the UK to link talented players with Indian roots to clubs here.

The programme is seen as one way for India to up its game, while giving players, who might see little field beyond the bench in Europe, a taste of the pros.

At least two soccer-related websites—Indianfootball.com and Soccernetindia.com—ha-ve posted invitations to PIOs, or people of Indian origin, to play in India, joining the ever-swelling ranks of foreign players, such as Brazil’s Jose Ramirez Barreto, already turning out for local clubs.

Last year, the sport’s apex administrative body in the country, the All India Football Federation (AIFF), allowed local clubs to induct one PIO player each, in addition to the three foreign nationals already allowed.

As in other companies that have allowed returnees to leapfrog into corner offices, those who’ve ventured to Indian shores—besides Arata, fellow Indian-origin footballer Nichlas Nath of Sweden played for a Goa club last year—tend to be second-tier players. Before coming to India, Arata played professionally for Albirex Niigata in Singapore’s mediocre S-League, and Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima club in the second division of Japan’s J-League.

Football’s repatriates, if you will, are a new development, as generally, successful athletes tend to flee India for better support, sponsorships and salaries.

For years, Indian cricketers have played in the English county leagues, both for experience and money. Of late, hockey stars have begun heading to Europe to play in the Dutch, German and Spanish leagues. Basketball players, too, head for countries such as Germany and Australia, including women hoopsters: Geethu Anna Jose plays in the Big V pro league down under. And a few years ago, footballer Baichung Bhutia signed up with second division English club Bury FC for a season, as well as Malaysia’s Perak football club.

“I came here as India is one of my countries,” says Arata, whose Indian name is Neelkant. But he also admits despite the Indian rupee being weaker than the Singapore dollar (one Singapore dollar is worth a little over Rs26), he’s being paid “much more” by Mahindra than Albirex.

NewsCourtsey:LiveMint.com

India’s New Soccer Love

The growing craze for football in India has left TV channels fighting for 2010 FIFA telecast rights

Football, the world’s most popular sport, kept its promise as a big revenue earner during Euro 2008. The exciting set of 31 matches is estimated to have generated ¤1.3 billion (Rs 8,710 crore) for its governing body Union of European Football Association (UEFA), mainly through the sale of telecast rights and sponsorships. This is nearly 50 per cent higher than what Euro 2004 generated in Portugal.

Besides UEFA’s takings, the football craze is believed to have pumped up an additional ¤2 billion (Rs 13,400 crore) in business from hotel bookings, and other tourism-related activity. Though hosts Austria and Switzerland went out early in the league rounds, they seem to have been the main beneficiaries from the two-week football boom.

Interestingly, much of UEFA’s earnings are ploughed back into the development of the game. UEFA General Secretary David Taylor has announced that while ¤600 million was spent on staging the event, as much as ¤450 million would go to UEFA’s member associations to raise football to higher levels.

In India, despite the domination of cricket and a heady IPL season, international football has gradually made inroads and become the second- biggest sports entertainer. The Dubai-based Ten Sports television network, recently bought by Zee, was launched in the Indian subcontinent in 2002 on the back of live telecast of the FIFA World Cup played in Korea and Japan. That year, Ten Sports paid just $3 million for the telecast rights, while FIFA’s 2006 World Cup tourney sold for $9 million. The rapid increase in international football’s popularity can now be gauged from the fact that Ten Sports and ESPN-Star Sports are locked in a close bidding battle for 2010 FIFA telecast rights, wherein the closing bids for India are believed to have exceeded $40 million (Rs 168 crore).

It is still far short of what television networks pay for cricket rights. To put it in perspective, $50 million is what Doordarshan paid for four years of BCCI’s rights in 2000.

It is not for nothing that television networks are willing to pay so much for the India rights of big international football events. Euro 2004 attracted huge viewership from the country’s football markets, with Kolkata and Kerala notching up 6.48 and 3.71 TVRs (television rating points), respectively. FIFA World Cup 2006 did even better with 9.1 TVR, or a cumulative audience of 627 million, comparable to top soaps and 50-over cricket matches. Though some of the Euro 2008 matches were telecast past midnight in India, the growing football craze has not gone unnoticed by UEFA. Philippe Le Floc’h, marketing director of the European soccer body, went on record to say, “We expect India to be amongst the biggest viewers of Euro 2008 football outside Europe.”

And, it is not just about international football. In the streets, the game has always had a cult following, and many sports commentators acknowledge domestic soccer outperforms domestic cricket in India. A final league match between Mohan Bagan and East Bengal in Kokata’s Salt Lake stadium attracted 130,000 fans.

On the other hand, in quality and standards, the game is as dead as a dodo. Until 1960, India regularly qualified for the Olympics and was invited to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, but the long sea journey and the team’s insistence on playing bare-feet kept them out. Today, India is ranked 143rd in world football, and has not been able to qualify even for the Asia Cup. Sports journalists who have investigated this strange mismatch between the grassroots passion for the game and the abysmal performance on the field, say it is a problem of poor infrastructure.

After ESPN-Star Sports went through a barren patch without international cricket rights, it tried to develop league hockey in India. With too many sports channels chasing few good cricket matches and other sports properties, funding the development and marketing of domestic and league football in India could provide good alternative content and be a long-term investment.

FIFA, which has a toe-hold in India through the All India Football Federation, should plough back some of its huge takings from telecast and sponsorship rights into India. If football standards take a leap, there are a billion eyeballs in the country waiting to be drawn into the game. That is six times the size of football-crazy Brazil.

Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi is also a patron of the FIFA-backed football association. The synergy he commands between the ‘visibility’ ministry and the sport should not be wasted.


Article published in Business World

In today's India, soccer finds no place

India's overheating economy along with China's is the topic du jour nowadays in the global economy. Overnight, the IT revolution and outsourcing has created the world's biggest nouveau riche group, India's middle class of more than 300 million people. To many investors, this represents potentially millions of new customers clamouring for everything, from cell phones to cheap air tickets.

India's FDI now tops more than $70 billion a year, an increase of 116% over last year. Factories in India are finding it hard to keep up with demand. There is now a waiting period for cars and motorcycles. The Indian economy has seen an impressive almost double digit rate of growth in the last decade or so. Deregulation in the early 90's has led to the global market immersing itself in the Indian economy.

In this context it is not surprising that India's new rich has turned to golf as their choice of sport. Literally, thousands of school going children are taking lessons in New Delhi's dozen golf courses. Indians golfers Arjan Atwal, Daniel Chopra, Jyoti Randhawa, and Jeev Milkha Singh, have found success in the PGA and Asian tourneys inspiring many budding golfers to emulate them. And beyond them, we have a bonafide star in Vijay Singh, whose Indian roots are a
source of pride.

Golf is a sport with bountiful prize monies, attracts hundreds of sponsors and endorsements, can be played well past retirement age, and at the end of the day requires less physical fitness than most sports. Moreover, golf is increasingly an essential part of a business profile, an attractive add on that enhances your marketability. In short, golf embodies the new individualistic and corporatist India.

Soccer's origins smack of Nehruvian socialism in this new India. The ascendant days of Indian soccer in the '50s and '60s were partly due, in fact, to the large PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings), the industrial behemoths like SAIL, BHEL, Indian Railways, who were in position to invest in soccer infrastructure, had teams as did the defense forces. In those days, soccer was primarily played to keep unruly states, newly integrated, in the Indian union.

The quaint anachronism that is the Santosh trophy reflects those past vicissitudes. In today's context the Santosh trophy assumes that there is a visceral attachment to an abstraction such as statehood, when clearly we have moved on, as evinced in the empty stadiums that bear witness to matches between W.Bengal and Punjab, or more recently Manipur. In England a player is beholden to his club and country, not county.

Fans gravitate to a more local affiliation, the club, which in many cases was started by a group of them, reflecting a historical and societal dynamic. We see it in the Bengal and Goa clubs (a wonderful history of Indian soccer can be read in Goalless, the Story of a Unique Footballing Nation).

Unfortunately, this part of Indian soccer has woefully languished beyond the usual power centers of W.Bengal, Goa, Punjab, and Kerala, which is where most of these clubs are located. The Santosh trophy reflects Nehru's policy of the primacy of the state and its enterprises, creating an elitism, that has done little to enhance the development of soccer but preserves the bragging rights of exactly four states.

This is not to say that the advent of globalization has not touched Indian soccer. On the contrary, it has led to the formation of the National Football League (NFL), provided the players enough money, sponsored kits and equipment, and made the NFL rich many times over with lucrative TV and merchandising rights. Indian soccer is rolling in the money. But globalization cuts both ways.

The airing of Premiership, La Liga, UEFA cup, the Euro and the World Cup, means the average Indian soccer fan can watch his favourite player, Ronaldinho in action and follow his favourite proxy team which unsurprisingly happens to be Brazil. The long dry spell in Indian soccer has left no soccer heroes that this generation of fans can look upto.

Gone are the days of Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, Shyam Thapa, Prasanto Bannerjee, Neville D'Souza, and Peter Thangaraj, their exploits etched in history while being supplanted by European and Latin American soccer stars in the new global India. Even a bonafide star such as Baichung Bhutia enters the twilight of his career, his considerable talent inadequate to carry India on his back, without the tangible support of the rest of the players.

The NFL has been unsuccessful in creating any indigenous heroes while it has become a magnet for third tier Nigerian and fourth tier Brazilian players. It has also failed to carve out an existence beyond the big Indian metros and its average attendances artificially inflated by the Kolkata club derbies, in actuality show a decline. The NFL is simultaneously, a beneficiary and a victim of globalization. Enriched by it but abandoned by an audience that has many choices, including golf.

What we need is a Gandhian approach to developing soccer and this means getting soccer out from the urban centers to the smaller cities in the hinterland. We can derive inspiration and ideas from how Japan managed to make soccer the number one sport in their country. The J-League after a fast promising start in 1992 also faced the same dilemma, with dwindling audiences after the first few upbeat years.

But the J-League was blessed with visionaries who saw that circumscribing soccer in the confines of the big metros was surely its death knell, and they took to developing the secondary and tertiary centers of soccer in smaller cities and towns who built these clubs successfully from the grass-root level, leading to the formation of the J2 League. The J. League designated the core activity areas of each club as that club's home town.

What this means is that the J. League expects each club to develop as an integral part of its community and engage in the promotion of football and other sporting activity within it (J. League Regulations, Article 21).Clubs from towns like Oita, Kofu, Sendai, Omiya, and Niigata formed the initial nucleus of J2 clubs, which has now grown to 13 clubs. The development of the J2 league is the prime reason why soccer has flourished in Japan.

India does have a NFL second division of six clubs. The premier cup competition in India, the Federation cup is open to 16 teams, ten in the first division and six in the second division of the NFL. Out of the 16 teams, four come from Kolkata, five from Goa, 2 from Kerala, 2 from Maharashtra, and one each from the Army, Karnataka, and Punjab. Sixteen clubs represent the soccer aspirations of a country over a billion strong.

Even more shocking, these six second division clubs again represent that tiny group of states that have a traditional lock on Indian soccer. The NFL has introduced a fledgling 3rd division and if this succeeds then more clubs in other regions of India will get a chance to compete. However it appears that these teams are mostly from the para-military and other state organizations, whereas, the NFL 3rd division should be concentrating on developing coomunity based clubs. Compare this to the English FA Cup which invites not only the Premiership clubs and other Football League division clubs but also non-league clubs. The 2006-2007 season saw a record 687 entries.

Lower clubs go through preliminary qualifying rounds to get to the next level. This egalitarian exercise involves the whole nation and its clubs, both professional and amateur, through the football season, and in the past had produced some of the most thrilling upsets of the more storied clubs. Amongst the more memorable ones, in 1991, 4th division Wrexham beat 1st division Arsenal, 2-1 and more recently in 2003, 3rd division Shrewsbury Town beat Premier League Everton, 2-1.

The AIFF can introduce a limited version of the FA Cup by increasing the number of clubs playing the Federation Cup, outside of the NFL and from other states, develop multiple regional venues that can host these games, get sponsors to provide kits, transport, and equipment, and get extensive media and TV coverage, market the event extensively, and truly make soccer a sport that touches millions of Indians.

Imagine for a moment, the folklore history created by an unheralded club from Rajasthan, the Khetri Copper Mine Soccer Club that beats Mohun Bagan, the giant Kolkata club, and how powerful this giant killing feat could be in developing soccer outside the metros, in small cities and towns, perhaps creating an audience that is still unspoiled by the vagaries of globalization. In the Dominican Republic, lies the small town of San Pedro de Macoris, a sleepy sun soaked paradise known for its beaches and sugarcane.

It is also legendary in the world of baseball for producing some of its finest players, including Sammy Sosa, Alfonso Soriano, and Robinson Cano, to name but a few. Who knows which small town will turn out to be India's San Pedro De Macoris in producing soccer stars?

Origanally written by Shourin Roy

Blog Courtsey: Soccerblog

Soccer-Challenged, but Not Soccer-Deprived

The World Cup, soccer's greatest showpiece, which opened in South Korea and Japan yesterday, is certainly a global sporting phenomenon, possibly even bigger than the Olympic Games. To millions around the world soccer offers reassurance that their countries can take on the best. Across much of Europe and Latin America soccer is more a national obsession than a game. In countries like Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy and England soccer teams have become symbols of the nation, and their illustrious track records in the World Cup a source of great national pride.

America is the well-known exception. While more than 15 million Americans play soccer, not even 15,000 turn up for the average Major League Soccer game. But what about a country like India?

People are crazy about soccer here, but India has never played in the World Cup. Our team is ranked 123rd by FIFA, soccer's world governing body. And there is little hope that India will be good enough to make it into the World Cup any time soon.

India's soccer team was slightly better off in the 1950's than it is now -- it came in fourth in soccer in the 1956 Olympics. Since then, however, the game has moved on and Indian players have not. Over the last 40 years players in India have not developed soccer skills comparable to those of players in other nations. While Indians have held their own in the international arena in sports like cricket, we have traditionally fared poorly in contact sports. With little to show in performance at the highest level, Indian soccer stars have not become role models for kids in India.

As a result, nationalist fervor over soccer as an Indian sport (played in India by Indians) has not taken root in the collective consciousness as the passion about cricket has. But the appeal of international soccer in India is a different story. Across the country, from big cities like Calcutta to small villages in the outback of Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, the pulse of soccer is throbbing in every vein. In the run-up to the World Cup, sales of color televisions have shot up. The matches are on all day here, so many will take leave from work to watch them, gathering at street corners to cheer.

On the streets of Calcutta, young men paint pictures of their heroes from Brazil and Argentina on the sides of buldings. In Calcutta, the heroes are inevitably from Brazil or Argentina. The people here seem to identify with the feints and the dodges, all the artistry of Latin America, rather than the cerebral, machine-like soccer of European nations. Could it be that our soccer fans find it easier to root for teams from financially depressed, often politically troubled countries, as opposed to those from affluent places like Germany or France?

This enthusiasm about the sport, which used to be restricted to club games at the local level, is a result of the new culture of globalization. Satellite television has made soccer a global game, taking it into living rooms around the world, even in India. (If there is one modern technology that has proliferated in India in the last few years, it is satellite TV.) And with the explosion of global marketing, popular interest in soccer and all its accouterments has grown with amazing speed.

Over the years, people here -- especially young people -- have become terribly brand-conscious consumers. And television has taught us how brands like Coca-Cola and Adidas are inseparable from the game. Being in step with world soccer has come to denote a certain kind of internationalism, being in step with a trendy, global culture, as much as eating at McDonald's or wearing a Nike T-shirt does.

So when people in places like Calcutta worship soccer stars like Zidane and Ronaldo, they are not just declaring their devotion to the game; they are also confessing their loyalty to Soccer Inc.

Written by Soumya Bhattacharya ,he is an editor at Hindustan Times.

NewsSource:Hindustantimes.com

Indian Soccer, the Suck That Is

I'm of Indian origin even though I was born and brought up in Bahrain, a tiny country nestled in the Arabian Gulf. And growing up as a sport loving Indian has had its trials and tragedies, from the youth system all the way up to international sporting events.

India has traditionally been, and continues to be, an underachiever on the world stage, churning out dismal performances at the Olympics and various World Cups in different sports.

In soccer it fares worse than countries like Uzbekistan and Bahrain!

Why this is happening in a population that has a pool of over a billion to choose from is beyond most people.

But not me.

The fact is simple—India is bogged down by red tape and an uncaring population that has been dilated with cricket and field hockey, while keeping ancient protocols within an aged governing body that is comprised of a bunch of big headed farts that know everything about the scent of a rupee but not the soccer pitch.

And it pisses me off.

Why? Because a country like India with its majority well-off middle class population and enough money to buy Belgium just does not care about sports. Yes, we give a damn about cricket, but in India, cricket is not a sport, it's a religion with cricketing "gods" like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar worshipped on a daily basis.

India losing in a cricket World Cup causes mass riots. India not qualifying for the FIFA World Cup causes... well nothing.

Currently, according to FIFA rankings, Argentina plays the best football on this side of the galaxy. India on the other hand, has a better chance of getting the first elephant into space than winning a soccer game, sitting rather too comfortably in the 154th position, below a war torn Iraq (70th), a no name squad in a poor country like Botswana (113th) and way below one of their greatest cricketing rivals, Australia (43rd).

Within the Asian zone, the Indians don't even figure in the top ten!

In fact, the Indians could learn a lot from the Aussies, since both nations pride themselves on their ego. The difference is the Australians strive to do well on the sporting field, simply because this unites the country behind a common ground and gives Aussies everywhere a chance to brag about something other than politics and money.

Excelling at sports is something the Aussies tend to whip themselves towards.

India has had its fair share of talent, and I am grouchy because I've played soccer during my brief vacations to Goa a (south-western province in India) with some players that could make Cristiano Ronaldo look like a school girl. I'm as honest as can be when I say that.

Goa has some of the best flair soccer players in India, and our state provides the nation with some amazing teams from Churchill Brothers to Dempo, and I can safely say that we have some truly amazing talent coming up through the ranks.

Only to dilute down to waste due to some rather abject administration. The few that make it obviously move abroad to the Arabian leagues to make better money and the few amazing talents make it as far as Europe.

Baichung Bhutia made it all the way to Bury [after being courted by Fulham and Aston Villa] and he improved his game a lot, moving back to Mohun Bagan, the Manchester United of Indian soccer.

Michael Chopra anyone? (On a side note, Chopra was born and brought up in England and never actually played in India.)

With its huge coffers of cash that is spent in the name of sport, it is an amazing feat of misgoverning that any natural talent found is not nurtured and developed let alone encouraged to maximize potential.

We have absurd policies (basing selection on popularity and personal favours rather than talent) and rather biased selection processes that are geared to feting the popular teams and persona.

Our coaches are garbage, we even still employ the 4-2-4, something that hasn't been seen since the 1962 World Cup!

While other nations continue to develop wide ranging and extensive sport education academies and school curriculum's, we are stuck doing stupid drills and ineffective cardio workouts that would make the Teletubbies laugh out loud.

Well I for one am not laughing!

Match-fixing and cheating is rife and incompetence and lethargic governing has given way to an even worse failure as the years go by. Soccer pitches are poorly managed, soccer teams are not adequately financed and don't even get me started on availability of equipment.

Huge crowds and support in states like Bengal and Goa have not been converted throughout the nation and has not been transplanted into a progressive development system. Everything about soccer in this country screams amateur.

Everything.

And what's even worse, anything remotely encouraging is greeted with cynicism, ageism and cronyism. Indian soccer continues to wallow in its pig-pen of suck-ism.

Much can be done. India is NOT poor on the monetary front but the people in charge of the sport in the country need to rally the troops and advance the beautiful game.

As far as soccer goes, India is an ugly duckling being left behind and these are sad times indeed.

Origanally written by Shawn-Sieiro and published in Bleacher Report.

India stun UAE in World Cup soccer qualifier

9 Apr 2001 ,BANGALORE: A determined India recorded a dream victory to begin their Pre-World Cup campaign on a rousing note. Star striker Baichung Bhutia provided the final touch to confirm that miraculous match-winner after Jules Alberto flicked the ball towards the goal following a I M Vijayan pass. That came in the 71st minute and the United Arab Emirates crashed to a shock defeat at the Sree Kanteerva Stadium here on Sunday.

This was the first match for both teams. Yemen and Brunei are the others in the fray in this Asian Zone Group 8 qualifying round for the 2002 World Cup to be co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

Although, the goal was officially credited to Jules Alberto, television slow-motion replays confirmed that Baichung got the final touch before the ball crossed the line.

In a match that was played at a rather slow pace, UAE saw more of the ball for long spells without looking really dangerous. It was possession which brought nothing. That they were able to because the Indians allowed them the space to function. Also, the Emirates pushed in more men in midfield and had more passing options. But they never really translated it into anything concrete.

Wing play was rarely seen. Central thrust was adequately taken care of by some inspired display by the defenders Sur Kumar Singh, Deepak Mondal, Mahesh Gawli and Dhanesh. With Virender Singh ruling the penalty box with authority, UAE never really got going in the vicinity of the Indian penalty box. The five of them played a closely knit game to keep their opponents at more than arms length right through.

As was to be expected, Baichung Bhutia, the country first player to play as a professional in European environs, was kept on a tight leash. Jaleel Abdul Rahman Mohammed was given that task and he did do a good job though the Indian wriggled free with some dashing runs. R. C. Prakash, Jules Alberto, Khalid Jamil, Joe Paul Ancheri and Rennedy Singh did the destructive job effectively and with gusto too. That denied the UAE the space they sought and except for a couple of chances that came their way, they never really opened up the defence.

As they struggled to create avenues to the goal one wondered why they were paying the French coach Henri Michel as much as 50,000 dollars a month. Of course, Yaser Salem Saleh Ali and Mohammed Omar looked dangerous on the rare occasions they had work to do. But then both appeared to have left their shooting boots back in the dressing room as they surprisingly blasted the ball wide of the goal once each, that too within the first quarter of the game.

As the Indians trooped out with their heads held high, they promised to hold it higher on their return and they did just that.

Midway through second moiety, India forced a throw-in. Khalid Jamil had been throwing them long. He suddenly decided to push one in short. He found Vijayan, who came in place of Prakash, making room for it. Vijayan controlled and tried to centre even as he lost balance and fell. It hit Jaleel and rose up. Jules Alberto, stationed nearby, steered it towards the goal with the outside of his right foot even as he hopped on the other foot. With Mutaz drawn to the first angle, the ball travelled to the far corner. UAE stopper Mohammed Qassim rushed in to clear but Baichung dashed in to stub it home with his left foot before it crossed the line.

UAE then made concerted efforts to restore parity but the Indians held on grimly.
The Chinese referee Sun Baojie did a fine job and booked India Baichung Bhutia and UAE's Mohammed Qassim for dangerous play. He also flashed the yellow card to Yaser Salem Saleh Ali for play-acting as he `dived' into the box in the hope of earning a penalty. In a way, the yellow card meant that he did exactly that.

NewsSource:Timesofindia.com

Global appeal of Premier League

As money floods in to the Premier League from around the world, English football clubs are becoming global brands. But is that a good thing for football elsewhere in the world? The national football coach of India, who is English, thinks not. Correspondent Chris Morris reports from Hyderabad.

Audio Link--Click here

NewsSource:BBC.CO.UK

What's holding back Indian football?

With a population of more than 1bn one might expect India to be among the world's footballing superpowers.

But India is not even one of the leading teams in Asia, ranked a lowly 28th behind relative minnows such as the Maldives, a tiny chain of islands off its southern coast with a population of just 318,000.

As Leicester prepare to host East Bengal in a friendly designed to boost the game's profile in the sub-continent, BBC Radio World Football's Mike Geddes investigates why India lags behind its larger neighbours.

Domestic football in India is far more popular than domestic cricket, and many teams in the country's National Football League trace their origins back to the 1880s, when the game was introduced by British colonials.

Most Indian kids have a passion for football but there are not the qualified coaches at the grass roots level to help them--------------------India captain Baichung Bhutia



Indeed, league football was being played in Calcutta long before Real Madrid or the world governing body Fifa even existed.

The country qualified regularly for the Olympics until the 1960s, and were invited to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil but the problems of a long sea journey and the fact that they still played in bare feet prevented them from appearing.

Now, ranked 143rd in the world, unable to qualify for the ongoing Asian Cup let alone the World Cup, those days are distant history.

Englishman Steven Constantine, who coaches the national team, says the problem is the lack of a proper grass-roots infrastructure.

"You see kids playing football in the street with no shoes everywhere in this country but there's no development at youth level. That, and coach education, are reasons why we are not as advanced as we should be.

Streets kids in Delhi play in a homeless league

"It's slowly changing but until the clubs do more to develop their youth. Its difficult for me to
scour the countryside looking for players for the U17 and U19 sides.
"We have 25 states but only two or three are doing anything with any success to develop youth."

Calcutta, capital of East Bengal, is the spiritual home of football in India, and it's also home to one of the biggest derbies in the world.

In 1997 more than 130,000 people packed the Salt Lake stadium to see the game between East Bengal and Mohan Bagan, whose rivalry matches that of Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow.

One man who knows all about that rivalry having played for both sides is East Bengal's Baichung Bhutia, captain of the national team and the undisputed superstar of Indian football.

Bhutia echoes Constantine's comments.

"I was lucky in that I got a scholarship due to football and we had coaches in school, but it wasn't the same as European kids get. Most Indian kids have this passion but without the qualified coaches at the grass-roots level.

"If only they could catch players at a young age because I definitely see a lot of talent here - even more talented than English players at a young age."

Today football is nominally under the control of the All India Football Federation, and its president Priya Ranjan DasMunshi, a committee-based body funded by Fifa.

But national youth football is traditionally controlled by a different body - the Sports Authority of India - which gets no money from Fifa.

Hindustan Times journalist Jaydeep Basu says this makes it difficult to implement a successful youth development programme because the people who run football are politicians, not professionals.

"The problem is the AIFF is amateur. It is of politics. I can name people in Indian football who are secretary or treasurer of different state associations who have been there for 40 years.

"So for them holding onto power is the main issue. Improving the game is never the issue. So you need a set up for professionalism. Indian football never had a set up of that kind.

"There was a time when India were twice Asian Games champions.

"But now the power base has shifted to Japan and Korea or the middle-eastern countries - Iran, Qatar, Saudi.

"India has failed to keep up with the professionalism that has been ushered into Asian football in the last 25 years."

Not surprisingly, DasMunshi rejects criticisms of the set-up - and says he has his sights on a World Cup qualification by 2010.

India's youth coaching set-up is haphazard

"Football should be managed by the chief executives of marketing or training. This is professionalism.

"That set up we will complete within six months. If I am the president and I have a professional chief executive and coach we have only to decide policy but the execution should be done professionally.

"The fact remains that we did not improve our youth development facilities since 1974.

"Though at some time in Asian level our youth development programme gained some momentum it fizzled out because of lack of club infrastructure in the country apart from Calcutta.

"So we have taken up the national youth development programme as priority for the last eight years. I'm very confident that we have launched a mission that India must appear in 2010."

There is no doubt the amount of untapped potential is huge.

In Delhi, there is even a league - the Street League - for homeless kids, set up by aid workers.

"There are 5,000 children who live on Delhi railway station," said Street League coach Bill Adams, of the privately-run India Youth Soccer Association.

"It was not hard to get a few of them to come along for training.

"That's where the really hungry players will be. So they're now getting cared for by these charities and we're giving them the chance to break out of this poverty.

"We find our street kids are 200% more determined to do well in football."

Facilities are poor

Source:BBC.CO.UK

Time For India To Decide: I-League Or EPL

The I-League is set to enter its second season today. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has scheduled all the games on weekends in its bid to give enough rest to the teams and attract more crowds to the stadium.

The league is being conducted in four cities or states – Goa, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hoshiarpur -having the games on weekends ensures a longer league, as opposed to be the crammed schedule of last season where the teams didn’t have breathing space between two games.

The players will get enough recovery time and the coaches will be in a better position with their selection issues and injury worries in the squad.

“This is a good sign as it helps us as a player to have more time before the next game. The coaches also can plan in a better way as they can focus on each opponent,” says Mumbai FC’s Abhishek Yadav.

With the games on weekend, a football fan in India will have to decide between the English Premier League (EPL) and the I-League. Take this weekend for example, Mohun Bagan face Mumbai FC at the Barasat Stadium while Manchester United take on Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

Most fans would opt for the latter option as it promises a good coverage, better quality football, and there is a good amount of promotion for it. Of course, for the I-League to match the standard of football in the EPL will take time; but what can definitely be done is that the game be advertised in every nook and corner.

Give an option to the football lovers in India and let them be aware that there is something called as an ‘I-League!’ I came across quite a lot of football fans who aren’t aware of the I-League and don’t know when the matches are being broadcasted.

National team coach Bob Houghton makes an interesting point when he says: “Blanket coverage of the English Premier League does not favour us. I have noticed that certain leagues in Asia have suffered because of Premiership domination and coverage. People here wear Manchester United and Chelsea shirts but not Dempo shirts.

”We would love to watch better games but to have five live games every weekend is not good. Comparison between the Premier League and the I-League does not favour us.”

My point is how would anybody buy a Dempo shirt if they don’t see them playing every week in and out. If they don’t know who is playing in Dempo, why would anyone be interested?

Most fans in India follow stars than the clubs. Generally when you ask someone which club you gun for, the answer would be, “I love Arsenal because of Fabregas or I love Manchester United because of Ronaldo.”

Bollywood personalities or, in American lingo, socialites have an opinion on almost everything. I saw an interview of a famous Bollywood star during the Euro 2008 where he mentions the names of ‘Bhaichung and Chhetri’ as amongst his favourite Indian stars.

I am pleased to know that Bhaichung and Chhetri’s names were noted but can they name any other player? Not that the Indian striking duo aren’t the best but they are the only recognizable faces and certainly, you would receive the same answer if you question another celebrity.

Indian players aren’t well known. Please don’t blame the media as they have done their part. Almost all the major news dailies have had a good build-up for the I-League. But is that enough? There are no banners to be seen, no billboards, no posters and much more. The marketing aspect has been completely missing except for some odd ad on Zee Sports, the official broadcaster, with Sunil Chhetri and Alvito D’Cunha.

Zee Sports is primarily available only to those who have a Dish TV connection which automatically narrows the reach. Dish TV doesn’t provide Neo Sports, which broadcasts all the cricket games played in India. Cricket being the number one sport, there is no question that a sports fan wouldn’t opt for Dish TV unless he or she is completely hooked onto Indian football.

The question arises as to who would spend on the marketing and without saying, everyone would point the other. With such an attitude it would be hard to compete.

Everyone wants corporate investment in football. Why would anyone want to invest, if they don’t get the value for their money? The I-League will continue to have ONGC as its official sponsor and that will be it.

I am not being critical but if that helps then why not? Just an hour away from the kick-off, I hope everything is sorted for the better and I-League becomes popular. I am waiting for everthing to fall in it's place and I pray that this wait isn't as long as 'Waiting For Godot!'

I hope…

Source:Goal.com

The League of foreign coaches

In its 12 years of existence, the National Football League, now rechristened the I-League, has seen a plethora of foreign coaches. But when it comes to winning the biggest prize in Indian football, some mighty names have fallen flat. Marcus Mergulhao tells their story

Danny McLennan, George Blues (both Scotland), Walter Ormeno (Mexico), Francisco Tico, Carlos Roberto Pereira, Robson Mattos (all Brazil), Zecca Migletti (Portugal), Karel Stromsik (Czecholosvakia), Cheema Okorie, Clifford Chukwuma, Emeka Ezeugo (all Nigeria), Karim Bencherifa (Morocco), Amjad Sanjari (Iran), Gregory Tsetvin (Uzbekistan), David Booth (England), Philippe de Ridder (Belgium)

With the scope for error minimal and stakes high, foreign coaches are no longer an exception, but the rule. Take the English Premier League for example; the fabulous four - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - are all guided by foreigners who have won the biggest prize in good measure. Welcome to Indian football.

This sure is an interesting bit of information - no foreign coach has as yet won the National Football League crown in India for 12 years now. The line-up of those who tried their hands, and luck, at winning the biggest prize is jaw-dropping.

Danny McLennan made a big name for himself with Glasgow Rangers before embracing the madness at Churchill Bros; Walter Ormeno earned a bagful of respect in Mexico but when Dempo lost 0-4 to JCT Mills in the inaugural NFL he was stumped for words; Amjad Sanjari is a highly-respected coach instructor at the Asian Football Confederation but the Iranian presided over Dempo’s relegation in 1999; Karel Stromsik (FC Kochin) guarded Czecholosvakia’s goal at the 1982 World Cup and George Blues had an enviable coaching record across three continents.

Several foreign coaches made a world of difference to their teams and individual players. Mauricio Afonso, one of India’s craftiest midfielders, was pulled out of retirement by Mexican coach Walter Ormeno and he extended his career by three more years. Churchill Bros patron Churchill Alemao admits he will never get another coach of McLennan’s calibre even though the Scottish coach was famous for showing him the dressing room more than once.

So, why has the Indian football crown been so difficult to conquer for foreign coaches?

"Most foreign coaches think they can pull it off in India, but Indian football is such a maddening experience that by the time they come to grips with the system, they are already on their way out," explains Armando Colaco, who won a record three NFL titles with Dempo.

The key to success in coaching is continuity. However, with the rare exception of Chukwuma, most foreign coaches did not stay long enough to make an impact. Had Karim Bencherifa extended his stay a little longer at Churchill Bros, he could have probably enjoyed the fruits of his labour. "It’s easy for foreign players to adapt to the system, but for foreign coaches it’s an entirely different ball game. They have to understand the culture here, the habits, and most importantly the abilities of the players.

"They come to India with a different mindset as well. For example, a coach from Brazil will shake his head in despair when he finds out that our players pick up the wrong basics. Nothing of that sort upsets an Indian coach who has been here and done that," said Armando, who, intriguingly, picked his best lessons under McLennan when he was his understudy. Interestingly, at least three coaches sniffed the title, but stumbled at the final hurdle.

McLennan couldn’t pull it off against bottom-placed Indian Bank in 1996-97, allowing Sukhwinder Singh’s JCT Mills to walk away with the inaugural title. Last season, Bencherifa’s Churchill Bros were pipped at the post by Dempo and Clifford Chukwuma cannot quite explain why, and how, Sporting Clube messed it up against Mahindra United in 2006 when they were hardly known to put a foot wrong.

There is hope though with four out of 12 teams in the I-League counting on foreign coaches. Bencherifa’s Mohun Bagan seem the best bet for the title but the same cannot be said about Mumbai FC where Englishman David Booth who is into his second season after a two year stint with Mahindra.

Serbian Zoran Djordjevic has a talented bunch at his disposal at Churchill Bros but is less than a week with the team, while Chukwuma is no longer the soul of Sporting Clube.

For yet another year, it appears the league’s nationalistic credentials will remain intact.


NFL winning coaches

1996-97: Sukhwinder Singh; 1997-98: T K Chathunni

1998-99: Shabbir Ali; 1999-00: Subrata Bhattacharya

2000-01: Manoranjan Bhattacharya; 2001-02: Subrata Bhattacharya

2002-03: Subhas Bhowmick; 2003-04: Subhas Bhowmick

2004-05: Armando Colaco; 2005-06: Derrick Pereira

2006-07: Armando Colac; 2007-08: Armando Colaco

Source:Timesofindia.com