Interview With MB Coach Karim Bencherifa

After leading Mohun Bagan to their first title this season by winning the local Kolkata league, Coach Karim Bencherifa speaks on the same and the upcoming I-League.

How would you summarize your time with Mohun Bagan so far?

Karim: It has been a wonderful time, things were smooth; healthy environment and working atmosphere is based on respect and professionalism and that is exactly what’s happening around the club. Also I enjoy my working time on daily basis with the wonderful players not only as professionals but as good human being.

Did you expect at the start of your new tenure to win the Kolkata League? Or has it surprised you?

Karim: From the start I had no doubt that we will be among the top sides and we will compete for the championship. On the other hand when I accepted the challenge to coach Mohun Bagan, I knew I am in a result orientated club which mean all is done to be number one and anything below that isn’t accepted.

As a foreigner, what do you make of the passion surrounding the Kolkata derby against East Bengal, or what they call as the 'BIG Match'?

Karim: It is simply amazing! The passion, the love of the game, the build up day before the match... its unique, its 'tasty' and ‘spicy’! I was involved in two derbies and I enjoyed both of them especially that we won the first one and we got the league in the second.

How different has your time been so far from the one spent at Churchill Brothers?

Karim: Football is the same everywhere but the working environment is different, each club has its own culture so it is very much different in the sense of set up and functioning. But from my position as a coach I enjoyed my work in both clubs; both set of players are wonderful and quality, both club's officials did support me and took care of me so no complain what so ever.

If I ask you to pick some of the best teams you had to face from the Kolkata League they would be…

Karim: We had many tough games; East Bengal with the top quality players they have, Mohammedan with their attacking fire power. The team that impressed me most is George Telegraph; very fit, organized and play quality football.

Last year too Mohun Bagan won the Kolkata League but when on to perform poorly at the start of the I-League. What are your plans to avoid the tumble?

Karim: We cant compare as there is a different set of players with different ambitions, we have a lot of youngsters who are hungry to prove and the likes of Bhaichung and Baretto are more exited than ever for success, so we have enough ingredients to perform. The team will have two days rest following which we head to Jamshedpur for a camp till September 21st. We will do the final preparation in our home ground at Mohun Bagan club.

Injuries have enshrouded the big teams in Kolkata this summer. Any Players crocked right now?

Karim: Kolkata league took its toll on the players - the harsh weather, heavy grounds and tight schedule of games did harm badly many players, and we paid also the price for that by having many players suffering different kind of injuries. One of the objectives of the camp that I schedule next week is to recover all the injured players to be fully fit at the start of the I-league.

It seems that you have been able to use the 'magic wand' at Mohun Bagan as well as you did at Churchill Brothers. What's the secret?

Karim: You know only hard work make the 'magic wand' and only hard work give more luck... but as I always repeat that there no secret, only good communication between all parties involved in a club, respect, professionalism and hard work. But most credit should go to the players of both teams for the honest effort to help the clubs to glory.

Kolkata is known to have a history of officials who interfere in the team selection. Did you encounter this?

Karim: During my career, I built a reputation based on respect of the official’s good working relationship with players and a professional collaboration with the media. My contract with Churchill Brothers as well as Mohun Bagan was based on the sense that I took full responsibility of the team on the field (selection, tactics, choices, scheduling...). My job is based on principals. I know where my responsibilities start and where it ends. This does not mean that I have a closed mind minded as I am always open to discussions with my staff and any idea that I see beneficial for the team is incorporated. I take it and the final decisions in the technical area of the club are mine.

Any advice for the Kolkata fans who have recently indulged in violence...

Karim: All what I have to say is the Kolkata fans, in general, are wonderful as they support their team with style. Of course as everywhere there is a small section that goes over the limit sometimes and it has to stop. Indian football is improving on and off the field and the fans have to follow, for this you need volunteers to start organizing and educating the fans through fan associations and meetings so the cheer will be more colourful and united. It would also avoid any nonsense activity.

Chasing a dream

Thanks to his determination to produce world champions using his own methods, Jagdish Singh was able to overcome all hurdles and become successful in his mission. He never cared for his critics — in fact, he doesn’t care to know their opinion about him even now.

Basking in the glory of his ward, Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh, Jagdish, who started the Bhiwani Boxing Club (BBC) in 2003 with bare minimum facilities, is now planning to renovate the club. He wants to turn it into a world-class complex and produce more Olympic and World champions.

“I have fought against the system, my detractors, land mafia and other vested interests to come this far. I believe that athletes who have the hunger for success can be nurtured into world champions with proper training,” Jagdish said.

From 40 students to 120, including 15 girls — the number of trainees at BBC, which imparts “free” coaching, has increased appreciably in five years. Jagdish, who is also a Sports Authority of India coach, claims that he has produced 161 medallists at the international level and 312 medal winners at the National level.

The club has only one ring and a few punching kits besides some training equipment. Even with such meagre facilities, BBC has managed to produce some good boxers. Three out of the four pugilists who represented India in the Athens Olympics and four out of the five boxers in the Beijing Games belong to the Bhiwani club.

What are the criteria for admission to the club?

“It’s purely on the basis of talent. Basically, I look for students from lower middle-class families. I believe, being deprived, they have the spirit to excel in life, they can go through the hardships to succeed in their mission,” Jagdish said.

But how does Jagdish handle so many students all alone?

“Some senior boxers assist me. Besides, athletics coach Jagdish Prasad takes care of the fitness part of the training. We maintain a flexible schedule.”

Now that Vijender has brought glory to the club, Jagdish wants to make it even bigger. “I know this is not the infrastructure with which Olympic gold winning boxers can be produced. There is this five to 10 per cent difference between winning a bronze and a gold.

“I want to have all the modern facilities, latest technical support, the help of a nutritionist, a library and CDs of all top boxers and the development of boxing. All this requires a lot of money. Recognition has started coming and I hope I will get some aid to build my dream centre.

“All the difficulties are coming to an end and I can see a new chapter waiting to open,” said Jagdish, who has been chosen for the Dronacharya Award.

When asked who has been his best student so far, Jagdish replied: “All those who have done well in the Olympics are good boxers.” He was, obviously, referring to Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar and Vijender Singh.

Does he expect bigger glory from his wards in the London Olympics in 2012?

“The performance should improve. There should definitely be a gold medal,” said Jagdish.

‘Vijender is a winner’

Vijender Singh’s father, Mahipal Singh, wants life to go on as usual for his son and his family despite the glory and fame

What used to be an alluring means of livelihood in Bhiwani, a small town in Haryana, has turned out to be the cause of national glory. After Vijender Singh’s Olympic bronze medal-winning effort, many of the poor young men, who enter the boxing ring in order to get a job in the Army, can now afford to dream bigger.

The quest for a better life led Vijender and his elder brother, Manoj Kumar, to boxing in their teens. A few years later, Manoj succeeded in his mission of getting into the Army thanks to his boxing credentials. He then became determined to support his brother.

“After Raj Kumar Sangwan got the Arjuna Award for boxing (in the late 1990s), a craze for the sport increased. Coming from a poor family, it was one of the main avenues to get a job. When we started in 1996, Vijender was in Class V and he joined the Sports Authority of India centre. He has been fortunate to train under one coach from the beginning as Jagdish Singh was then coaching the sub-juniors,” recalled Manoj.

“My father is a driver (Haryana Transport) and at that time he did not have enough funds to provide us good facilities. Both of us used to go for boxing on one cycle and even shared a pair of gloves. But things changed after I joined the Army in 1998,” he said.

Haryana has been a treasure house of boxers and a state-level winner here is considered to be a runaway favourite for a gold medal in the Nationals. In Bhiwani alone some 700 boxers train in various government and private academies.

Vijender won his first state championship in the sub-junior category in 1997 and went on to bag his maiden gold medal at the 2000 Nationals. The turning point, however, came in the Afro-Asian Games in 2003. Despite being a junior boxer, Vijender took part in the selection trials and was picked for the meet where he fought valiantly to win a silver medal.

“The Haryana Government awarded him Rs. seven lakh for his achievement and he never looked back after that. He has won medals in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and now the Olympics,” Manoj said.

Vijender’s house at Kaluwas village, on the outskirts of Bhiwani, wears a festive look these days. Big shots, the media and well-wishers throng this new hot spot everyday. The local administration has built a new road to Vijender’s house following his achievement in the Olympics. Not to be left behind, a few corporate houses have taken the opportunity to gain some publicity by putting up their banners in the temporary tent erected for the guests.

“You don’t see such celebrations even in a marriage. We have been endlessly attending to guests and the media and have not even slept properly for the last four to five days,” said Krishna, the proud mother of Vijender.

Vijender’s father, Mahipal, was overwhelmed by joy. “This is the second occasion I am feeling the honour of being Vijender’s father. When he got the Arjuna Award, I had been to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. That was a great moment in my life and so is this,” he said.

“After Bindra won the gold medal, I always thought may the Almighty help Vijender achieve the same glory. Thank god, it has happened,” Vijender’s father added.

Mahipal, however, didn’t feel let down by Vijender’s loss to Emilio Correa of Cuba in the semifinals. “He is a winner despite the defeat. He has done something which no Indian has ever done,” he said.

Mahipal, who has been asked by his employer, the Haryana Transport department, not to drive any vehicle any more and join duty at the bus yard, wants life to go on as usual for his son and his family despite the glory and fame. “Boxing has given him so much, he should not leave it. Rather he should try to win the gold next time. I also feel the same for me, I am ready to go on with life and drive vehicles as I used to do,” he said.




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