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And Why “Simla Young FC must be Champions of Asia”

Will Blatter show Green?The AFC Challenge Cup Report

Volume 1. Issue 6. March 2012.

PLUS!Sailen Manna,Adieu to Gawli and Climax,The Very Tough Indian Football Quiz,and much more.

COVE

R ST

ORY:

Amal Dutta Syed Nayeemuddin PK Banerjee Bob Houghton and a very animated Savio Medeira

Air India: Looking to Finish the Season on a High |pg29

Will Blatter show Green? |pg31

Bidding Adieu to Former Skippers Gawli and Lawrence |pg11

Pride of New India: Sailen Manna |pg13

Young Player Profile: Safar Sardar |pg10

Myths about Women crumble on the Soccer ground |pg 45

The Very Tough Indian Football Quiz |pg 38

AFC Challenge Cup: Part 1 Report |pg 40

“Simla Young FC must be Champions of Asia” |pg 42

CLICKED BAREFOOT |pg 4

Dear Reader,

The identity of a team is shaped by its coach/ manager. We associate the advent of the dia-mond formation with Amal Dutta and the Gators, the spirit exhibited by the big three under P K Baner-jee, and a hard-nosed rushing at-tack, particularly the option, with Syed Nayeemuddin. The success of the national team, for example, is attributed to Bob Houghton, who made the once forgettable team into an asian power. Given their impacts, it’s no wonder Savio Medeira occupies the ‘hot seat’ in Indian Football currently. In this issue we feature the contributions made by some of the best coaches in the post independence era.

We also profile Md. Sporting captain Safar Sardar in the young player section and Michiteru Mita, the experienced Simla Youngs coach who bares it all in a tête à tête with us.

We continue with the I League section in this issue and try to garner insights on how the league has been progressing. The issue thus contains the fourth part of the I League Story of the Month

as we focus on Mohun Bagan’s performances in this issue. Read-ers are also in for short reports on two of the best matches from the I League in February.

We also look at a tournament organized by the Leh Foundation which featured a mixed team of boys and girls, as it adds a refresh-ing new dimension to the way the game is being looked at.

There is more to look for-ward to read in this issue as we bid adieu to one of India’s great-est footballers Sailen Manna. We also have a feature on the Air India team. I hope that other regular sections like ‘Clicked Barefoot’ and ‘The Very Tough Indian Football Quiz’ continue to enthrall you, the readers, and make you fall in love with the game ever more.

Aniket Mishra Editor

Editor Aniket Mishra

Creative Head Neelesh Vineet Saran

Marketing Head Shubham Garg

Editorial Team Isha Panwar K.S. Yashaswini

Editor of Photography Syed Md. Hamza Abhishek Sah

Marketing Modhulika Bose Harshal Agarwal

Contributors Bharathan Chandrasekaran Md. Asim Shaan Novy Kapadia Sajin Padiyath Shounak Purkayastha Souvik Naha Wasi Manazir

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT:E 25 B, Vijay Nagar, Delhi 110 007.

barefoot@sportsjournal.in mail@sportsjournal.in +91 99118 85829

foot notes CONTENTS

Air India: Looking to Finish the Season on a High |pg29

Will Blatter show Green? |pg31

Bidding Adieu to Former Skippers Gawli and Lawrence |pg11

Pride of New India: Sailen Manna |pg13

Young Player Profile: Safar Sardar |pg10

Myths about Women crumble on the Soccer ground |pg 45

The Very Tough Indian Football Quiz |pg 38

AFC Challenge Cup: Part 1 Report |pg 40

“Simla Young FC must be Champions of Asia” |pg 42

CLICKED BAREFOOT |pg 4

COVER STORY THE MEN WHO HAVE SHAPED INDIAN FOOTBALLAt the Helm: Savio Medeira |pg 17Maligned by Officials, Loved by Players: Bob Houghton |pg 19Amal Dutta: India’s First Professional Coach |pg 22P.K. Banerjee: Five Decades of a Football Celebrity |pg 24Syed Nayeemuddin: A Successful Disciplinarian |pg 26

SPECIAL FEATURE THE I-LEAGUE SECTIONWill the Mariners reign Supreme? |pg 32Match Report: Air India v Chirag United |pg 35Match Report: Mumbai FC v Churchill Brothers |pg 36

INTERVIEWS:Savio Medeira p17Michiteru Mita p42

MATCH REPORTS:Air India v Chirag United p35

Mumbai FC v Churchill Borthers p36

CONTENTS

clicked barefoot

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photography by Syed Hamza

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photography by Syed Hamza

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photography by Syed Hamza

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young player profile

Safar Sardar: Young Player Profile

Bharathan Chandrasekaran writes about Mohammedan Sporting’s Captain and a promis-ing midfielder, Safar Sardar, after witnessing their match against PIFA Colaba.

On the 20th of February, a nondescript Monday afternoon, we ventured into the Ambedkar stadium to watch the I-League Division 2 match between PIFA Colaba FC (Premier India Foot-ball Academy based in Colaba, South Mumbai) and Moham-medan Sporting Club. Moham-medan had already qualified to the next phase and had been creating waves with news of their assured displays. The first goal was a long range piler from the edge of the area scored by midfielder Safar Sardar who also dons the Captain’s armband. Mohammedan went on to win the match convincingly by a 3-0 margin. Safar shone in the match with his assured passing and one was really impressed with the amount of time he had with the ball which bespoke strong possession skills. He has a style similar to Michael Carrick and in the match, showed it as he re-mained unhurried by the oppo-sition while passing the ball with astute calm to his strikers, Alfred and Stanley.

We met the young mid-fielder on the sidelines, after the match and had a chat with him.

When asked about his natural position he said that originally he was a centre back but was later converted to the centre midfield position. One might say his calmness with the ball might have resulted in this chnage. The Kolkata boy said that this outing was definitely not a display of his team’s talent and a greater occa-sion would test them even more. Remarking about the challenges that lay ahead for the team, he had said that the second phase of the tournament will be a tougher challenge with the likes of Royal Wahingdoh FC and Unit-ed Sikkim to be faced, in the fray. He says that a lot of work and effort would be required to over-come these competitive clubs yet is optimistic of playing in the I-League next year and hopes to help his club, Mohammedan Sporting, make it to the summit. Otherwise, he is hopeful that his displays might have been noticed by other I-League teams and that he could be invited to take a step, up. Either way the regular I-League fan would be happy to witness an immensely talented player plying his trade in the League.

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New Delhi was host to a formal farewell cum felicita-tion ceremony held in honour of two of India’s former cap-tains, Mahesh Gawli and Climax Lawrence, organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Mahesh and Climax have 82 and 81 International Matches, respectively, to their credit. They definitely are seasoned players, having tasted victory many a time. Mahesh has been a part of seven winning squads, including two Nehru Cups (2007 & 2009), two SAFF Championships (2005 & 2011), LG Cup (2002), Bristol Freedom Cup (1998) and the AFC Challenge Cup while Climax has been part of five triumphant squads, including two Nehru Cups (2007, 2009), two SAFF Championships (2005 and 2011) and the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008.

They were also part of the 2011 SAFF Championship

winning team.

report

Bidding Adieu to former skippers Gawli and LawrenceAs two more warhorses of the National football squad decide to hang up their boots, ac-colades flowed both ways in a farewell ceremony held by the AIFF attended by the entire squad and officials, besides the retirees themselves, who have done their bit to bring home laurels during their years of service for Indian football.By Isha Panwar (Based on Official AIFF Press release).

The AIFF General Secretary, Mr. Kushal Das, while handing over specially designed silver plaques and National team jerseys signed by all National team players to them said, “They have played 163 International Matches between themselves and have been part of so many winning squads. I thank both for their dedication and contri-bution to Indian football.” The administration and players were equally vocal in thanking the duo for their contribution to the sport. The National team players, due to leave for a Preparatory Camp in Dubai in the run up to the AFC Challenge Cup were present at the ceremony. AIFF

Mahesh and Climax have 82 and 81 International

Matches, respectively, to their credit.

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Player of the Year, Sunil Chhetri was all praise for the retiring se-niors. “When I first came into the National squad, both of them were established stars. But never for a moment did they throw any attitude. Rather, they were over-eager to help me out. They have been exemplary disciplinarians,” he said, about their years of play-ing and captaincy.

The stars of the day, too, had much to say about the current state of affairs of the game, in India. “There are a lot of upcom-ing and talented defenders in

India at present, including Arnab Mondal, Raju Gaikwad and Anwar Ali,” feels Mahesh. Refer-ring to a question that there not enough Indian strikers in India, Climax disagreed, “There is Sunil (Chhetri), Jeje (Lalpekhlua), Sabeeth, Sushil (Singh) amongst others. The YDP is in full flow. I compliment the AIFF for such an initiative,” further adding that the face of Indian football is fast changing and that the scenario has changed a lot from the time they first burst into the National squad. He feels that

more overhauling is due in the next five years. “Pailan gives a unique opportunity for talented youngsters to play regularly in the I-League. The present India U-23 team is the fruit of Arrows,” said Climax, praising the concept of Pailan Arrows, AIFF’s Develop-mental Team.

Both had good wishes for the team, preparing for its next International tournament. “Last time, we were part of the trium-phant AFC Challenge Cup squad,” Climax reminisced. “I have full

faith in the present bunch of boys and hope to qualify again,” Mahesh added. While dismissing any ideas of a farewell match for him, Climax had this to say, “It is an honour to be felicitated by AIFF in such a manner,” and Ma-hesh couldn’t agree more.

“They have been

exemplary disciplinarians.

The felicitaion ceremony for the players in New Delhi.

-Sunil Chettri

MaheshGawli

Climax Lawrence

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das

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feature

Sailen Manna The Pride of New India (1924-2012)Wasi Manazir pays tribute to Padma Shri Sailen Manna, a man who inspired football fans and players alike both as a player and a coach. A sportsperson worthy of emulation, he brought honour to independent India with victories in international tournaments even as he scripted mind boggling wins in domestic and club football.

Sailen Manna was approach-ing his teenage when Gostha Pal played his last game in a long and illustrious career for Mohun Bagan. Gostha Pal undoubtedly was the greatest Indian player of his generation and can be safely called the first well known foot-ball stalwart of the Indian sub-continent. But just as he reached the twilight of his career, an even more accomplished footballer began his ascent to the throne - Sailen Manna. If Gostho Pal was the pre- independence hero of Indian football, then Sailen was its resurgent post-independence face.

Shailendra Nath Manna was born on the first day of Sep-tember in 1924 in Howrah, West Bengal, a state that was and still is the home of Indian football.

Popularly known as Sailen Man-na he went on to emulate Gos-tha Pal in popularity and even bettered him when it came to achievements on the field. Start-ing his playing career in 1940 with the team from his home town, Howrah Union, which he represented between 1940-1942, he went on to carve out a long and distinguished career with one of the biggest football clubs of the country, Mohun Bagan. During the course of his fulfilling career he went on to represent Bagan for a continuous period of 19 years.

A graduate of Surendranath College of Calcutta University, he was a defender with a steely resolve. He was part of the first ever official match of the Indian national team when he repre-sented India in the 1948 London Olympics when they lost to France 2-1, with the only Indian goal coming from Saranagapani Raman that incidentally was India’s first ever goal in an inter-national match. The story goes that after that loss to France, the British monarchy hosted a recep-tion at the Buckingham Palace for the team of a nation they had

During the course of his tenure at the helm

of the Indian team, the England Football

Association named him among the 10 best

skippers in its 1953 yearbook.

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colonised till just about a year ago. At the reception, the late Princess Margaret, younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II of England, asked the soft-spoken defender how he could defend so well against the tough Europeans while playing barefoot, to which Sailen Manna replied that the strength lay in the mind. He be-came the face of post-indepen-dence Indian football, leading India to the gold medal at the 1951 Asian Games held in Delhi, which was the first big success for the national team. During the course of his tenure at the helm of the Indian team, the England Football Association named him among the 10 best skippers in its 1953 yearbook, thus mak-ing him the first from Asia to be bestowed with the prestigious honour; he still remains the only one from the continent. Under his leadership India won four successive titles in the South East Asian quadrangular meet, a competition that featured India, Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka between 1952 and 1955.

An ever smiling, mod-

est human being, he never took money from Mohun Bagan for his services saying he was happy with the salary he got from his employer, the Geological Survey of India. During his 19 year long stint with Bagan, he won many a laurel that includes eight Cal-cutta Football League titles (the last of which came in his farewell season of 1960), four IFA shields, a Durand Cup in 1953 and a Rovers Cup in 1955. He cap-tained the Mohun Bagan side from 1950 to 1955. He also won six Santosh trophies for Bengal, a team that he captained from 1949 to 1954.

After hanging his playing boots he was drafted as National coach and he guided India to win the Merdeka Cup in 1961, on his first major assignment as a coach. He even coached the In-dian team for the 1968 Merdeka Cup. He later joined the Mohun Bagan administration, where he rose to the position of Assis-tant Secretary. In recognition of his contribution to the sport in India, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in

During his 19 year long stint with Bagan, he won many a laurel that includes eight Calcutta Football League titles (the last of which came in his farewell season of 1960), four IFA shields, a Durand Cup in 1953 and a Rovers Cup in 1955.

1970. Recognizing the impact he made in the course of his career, he was named the Best Footballer of the Millennium by the All India Football Federation in 2000. He was also conferred the Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2001. Amidst all the talk about award-ing Bharat Ratna to the sports-men of the nation, there is no doubt if ever that award was to be bestowed upon a footballer, Sailen Manna would be its right-ful recipient.

The man, who typified the resurgence of India as a footballing nation after inde-pendence, breathed his last on 26th February, leaving a lasting legacy and records that will be difficult to emulate. Today, Sailen Manna may no more be with us but he will forever be remem-bered for his contribution to football.

(Sailen Manna passed away after prolonged illness on the 27th of February, 2012 at a pri-vate hospital in Kolkata. He was 87 and is survived by his wife and daughter. The reason for the demise was old age complica-tions, as cited by the doctors at the AMRI Hospital.)

SailenManna

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Ever since the demise of the stalwart, condolence messages have been pouring in from all quarters which is an indication of the respect he commanded among his peers and the admin-istrators of the beautiful game.

FIFA president Joseph Blat-ter, in his condolence message, said Manna was an “inspirational leader” whose contribution to Indian football was justly rec-ognised during his lifetime. In a letter to the All India Football Federation president Praful Patel, Blatter wrote, “Whether as a player, captain or coach, Sailen Manna was an inspirational leader whose contribution to Indian football was justly recog-nised during his lifetime and will continue to live on in our memo-ries.”

Asian Football Confedera-tion’s acting president Zhang Jilong said Manna’s death marks the end of an era. “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to offer my sincere condo-lences on the passing away of Indian football legend Manna,” Jilong said.

The inaugural Asian Games gold medal winner will now have a football academy set up

in his home state in his mem-ory as announced by the West Bengal sports minister Madan Mitra, who declared, “A football academy will be set up in the state in his memory. The state government will also introduce scholarships in his name for football players.” Extending his condolence message the minis-ter added, “I am shocked at the news. It is an irreparable loss to Indian football. He was an idol to all soccer players not only for his football skill, but also for his ami-able nature towards his fellow and junior players and love for the game.”

Former India captain and coach P K Banerjee, who was also coached by Manna dur-ing his spells with both Mohun Bagan and the Indian team, said

“Mannada, who played in 1948 Olympics besides leading the country in the next one in 1952, was a colossus in the soccer field of the country. I had an oppor-tunity to play with him. He was a father figure to all of us.” PK further added, “Mannada was an ideal sportsman and a perfect gentleman. He never commit-ted a foul on the pitch. Though he was not a great tackler, his

anticipation was brilliant. So much was his influence that every player in the country used to address him as ‘captain’.”

Samar Banerjee, popularly known as ‘Badru’, who led the country in the Melbourne Olym-pics in 1956 and represented India along with Manna in the Asian quadrangular tourna-ment, said, “Mannada was the main pivot in the defence of the Indian team. He was also famous for his free kicks from which he scored many goals.”

Subrata Bhattacharya, who also represented the coun-try in many tournaments and is currently technical director of Mohun Bagan, said, “Mannada was not only a great player, he was also our teacher. As a foot-ball player, he was our idol.”

Snubbing the request of the Bagan officials, who requested them to bring Manna’s body to the club, due to the apathy that the club showed to him in his later years, he was cremated at the Keoratola Burning Ghat. The leg-end may be dead, but his legacy will live on forever.

Condolence MessagesSailen Manna

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COVERSTORY

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cover story

At the helm: Savio MedeiraThe man of the moment, riding high on the national team’s recent triumph at the SAFF Cup talks about his stint as Coach which started in October, last year, to Aniket Mishra and keeps an optimistic outlook for the 2012 AFC Chal-lenge Cup, due to start this month.Interview by Aniket Mishra.

How has your experience in coaching the national team been, so far?

Savio: Well, it has been a big responsibility. Essentially, it is the whole country that I repre-sent. My coaching stint started with two matches against Ma-laysia. We won the first one and drew the other. That was a huge confidence booster. The matches versus Zambia were a good experience, too. I would say that the SAFF win was a turning point for me. We are gearing up for the AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal. I hope that the Indian team man-ages to emerge victorious there and qualify for the Asia Cup, again.

Comparisons with Bob Houghton and Armando Colaco are inevitable. How would you react to them?

Savio: Each coach has his own philosophy and coaching methods and I am no different. I learnt a lot under Bob (Hough-ton). He instilled a lot of belief in the boys and made them realize their potential. I hope I can con-tinue doing the same.

Losing experienced players like Bhutia, Gawli and Climax to retirement, do you think your team will be a little handi-capped at the upcoming AFC Challenge?

Savio: There are a lot of play-ers who are very talented and are trying to get to the top. Only time will tell if they can prove their mettle at the biggest stage. They do need to play more and more matches. There is no sub-stitute for the experience they will acquire, in the process. And there still are a lot of seniors in the squad who should be able to guide the juniors. It is a nice blend of senior and junior play-ers that exists in the squad right now and I hope this combina-tion works out for us.

“I would say that the SAFF

win was a turning point

for me. -Savio Medeira, India Coach.

17

How was your transforma-tion from a player to a coach?

Savio: It was not difficult but very comfortable as I like coach-ing. The transition did not take so much, because being a player helps, thanks to experience gained on field.

Tell us about your highest point as a coach.

Savio: It has to be the SAFF Championship as that was the first time I was made coach. Play-ing against Bayern Munich was

an opportunity of a lifetime. The game featured World Cup stars and we managed to convinc-ingly compete against an amaz-ing set of players, especially with reference to our performance in the second half. It was definitely an achievement for us.

How would you compare the current crop of players with the previous batches?

Savio: It all depends on that particular day (of any match). We cannot compare two genera-

tions of players. The team has to perform and that is what mat-ters.

What is your take on the do-mestic scenario, especially the I-League?

Savio: Ideally, the I-League should be spread over a 7-8 month period, between the Fed-eration Cup and the Durand Cup, with matches played on week-ends only. This will allow players to recover by allowing sufficient gaps between matches.

-Savio Medeira, on former India Coach

Bob Houghton

“He instilled a lot of belief

in the boys and made them

realize their potential.

“Ideally, the I-League should be spread over a 7-8 month period, between the Federation Cup and the Durand Cup, with matches played on weekends only.

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cover story

Maligned by Officials, Loved by Players:Bob HoughtonThe former India Coach was most strategically removed from the management. Souvik Naha reports, based on collective evidence on the same issue.

Easily the most controversial among India’s foreign coaches, Bob Houghton achieved some-thing that none of his peers could - three international trophies in five years and strong support of the footballers whom he coached. After a brief stint with the Chinese club Changsha Ginde, Houghton was appointed head coach of India in June 2006. He started on the right note as India won the Nehru Cup in August 2007. The following year India surrendered to a shock de-feat against Maldives in the final of the SAFF Championship even after winning every match in the group stage. However, India won the AFC Challenge Cup beating Tajikistan 4-1 in August 2008, se-curing a berth for the Asian Cup 2011 in Doha. A second consecu-tive Nehru Cup trophy win came in 2009. The fairy tale journey ended there. Despite the three

trophies, India hovered between ranks 140 and 165 in these three years. At the Asian Cup in 2011, India lost all three of their group matches to Australia, Bahrain and South Korea. As expected, the AIFF deplored the outcome of years of investment, and the technical committee officially suggested the executive com-mittee to sack Houghton. On 23rd April 2011, Bob Houghton resigned as the Indian national team’s coach, a move which the AIFF accepted.

A number of previous national coaches, especially the Indians, had been critical of Houghton, saying that the for-eigner achieved little compared to the exceptional salary and fa-cilities he received from the AIFF. Syed Nayeemuddin was quoted saying, “Bob Houghton is getting all facilities like having exposure trips to Portugal, Dubai, hosting

foreign teams like Chinese Taipei for preparation but after getting all such facilities the Indian team is performing miserably.” Many Indian coaches called for Hough-ton’s head when India failed to win the SAFF Championship in 2008. Stephen Constantine was the only former coach to have praised Houghton when he led India to its first Asian Cup in 24 years despite the difficulties posed by poor organization and ‘political nonsense’ surrounding the game in India.

The dispute between Houghton and the IFA came to a head in 2009 when the coach refused IFA General Secretary Ut-pal Kumar Ganguly’s request to release players from the national camp on 11th December instead of the scheduled date of 13th December. Ganguly complained that Houghton insulted him, questioning his efficiency to run

19

a football organization. Ganguly then wrote an open letter to the AIFF President Praful Patel asking immediate action against the Coach, but Houghton remained unperturbed.

The AIFF did not approve the British coach’s tirade against the lack of infrastructure in Indian football either. In 2009, former Sports Minister MS Gill had slammed the national team stating that they would lose to even an Australian school team, to which Houghton retorted by asking him to install proper facilities before making cyni-cal comments. He called for a revamp of the ‘unprofessional’ organisation of ‘outdated’ do-mestic tournaments including Santosh Trophy and the I-League. Most club teams, he said, didn’t have doctors, trainers, assistant coaches, physiotherapists, goal-keeping coaches and training grounds. Indian footballers, he protested, were expected to play on surfaces “no self-respecting top player would play on.” His

outspoken criticisms of the foot-ball associations for sitting too idle while the world moved on vexed nearly every official in the country. His clash with Mohun Bagan on release of players was widely covered.

Houghton resigned in 2010 after not being offered a new contract deal. Although his con-tract was later renewed till 2013, his frictions with the AIFF and IFA continued. The news media hinted that the termination of contract had been hindered only by the compensation clause. A charge of racially abusing an In-dian referee finally gave the AIFF a potential weapon.

Houghton was accused of using racially abusive lan-guage against the fourth referee Dinesh Nair in the match against Yemen in October 2010 which was part of the national team’s preparations for the 2011 Asian Cup. India lost the match 3-6 in Pune. Former Team India man-ager Pradip Chowdhury had backed Dinesh Nair’s claims.

Based on Nair’s written com-plaint, a show-cause notice was issued on 26 March 2011 alleg-ing him to have racially abused Nair and for having made “de-rogatory” remarks against In-dian football. It is said that the Federation had started seeking legal advice if his contract could be terminated without payment of compensation, and used the racial abuse complaint as the bargain to force Houghton to ac-cept the terms, though officials such as General Secretary Kushal Das denied it at a press confer-ence. Later, Houghton issued a press release through his agent Simon Thomson, describing the charges as “nonsensical”. In the first hearing of the panel on 11 April, Houghton maintained his stance.

In an unprecedented show of solidarity, all the 23 national players, who were in Doha for the Asian Cup, and the support staff sent a signed letter to the AIFF president Praful Patel, say-ing that Houghton argued with

Stephen Constantine was the only former coach to have praised Houghton when he led India to its first Asian Cup in 24 years despite the difficulties posed by poor organization and ‘political nonsense’ surrounding the game in India.

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the referee regarding the wrong addition of injury time and had not used any racially abusive lan-guage. Apart from the national players, assistant coach Savio Medeira and goalkeeping coach Marcus Pacheco signed the letter too. In a tweet on 19 April, Sunil Chhetri thanked Houghton for his “world class” contribution to the team and expressed his dismay at the possibility of the latter’s unceremonious ouster.

The tweet irked AIFF, which threatened action against Chhe-tri for making unnecessary com-ments relating to AIFF’s function-ing. Chhetri clarified in a second tweet that he had not shown dis-

respect to the AIFF, and was let off with a warning. Based on the report of the inquiry committee, the AIFF acquitted Houghton for want of conclusive evidence, and withdrew all charges and allegations made against him. Houghton, for his part, resigned from the job citing personal rea-sons. He was paid four months’ salary (approx. Rs 54 lakh) in lieu of his resignation.

Following Houghton’s re-moval, NP Pradeep criticised the Federation on a social network-ing site, and Joachim Abranches reacted strongly in a newspaper in Pune. Taking strong excep-tion to these outbursts, AIFF

asked Pradeep to give a written explanation. The association of referees’ were not happy either. It blamed the AIFF for using the racial abuse as lever-age to expel Houghton, instead of taking a strong step against racism on the football field. A shift was sounded as Armando Colaco was called in to manage the national side on an ad hoc basis, but the AIFF once again appointed a foreign coach, Rob Baan, as the technical director of AIFF, confirming that European coaches are still the most reliable.

Indian footballers, Bob protested, were expected to play

on surfaces “no self-respecting top player would play on.”

BobHoughton

BaichungBhutia

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cover story

Three stalwartsof the days past

In this section, Novy Kapadia writes about his three favourite figures in Indian football, in an attempt to immortalize the doyens of the game in the annals of sporting history. Amal

Datta, P K Banerjee and Syed Nayeemuddin, each, find a worthy mention as the stalwarts who have given Indian football much to be proud of, much before the present day, in their

own characteristic methods of play.

The short-statured but large hearted Amal Dutta was a Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde type of character: inspiring, intelligent and successful, but often self destructive. He rose to fame for becoming India’s first pro-fessional coach, a courageous move at the time but one that paved the way for future gen-erations of full-time, well paid coaches. His profile in the game was enhanced by media interest in his long-running rivalry with fellow coach P.K. Banerjee. It is for his innovation and courage in bringing new tactical systems to Indian club football, however, that Dutta’s influence on the game ought to be appreciated.

A refreshingly innovative coach, recognised as the finest thinker of the game in India, his attitude to life has been bold and ahead of his time. In the early 1960s he defied the archetypal Bengali middle class dream of a secure government job, retiring from the Indian Railways to become a full-time coach. At a time when socialist thinking prevailed, the economy was struggling and football offered little financial remuneration, this was indeed a bold step.

His famed tactical innova-tions were also bold. In 1969, as Mohun Bagan’s coach, he intro-duced the 4-2-4 formation in the country despite opposition from

within the club. In 1988, as Tech-nical Director of the Indian team, he made the national squad play in the 4-4-2 formation for the first time. In the twilight of his career, he experimented again in 1997 and using a three back system, having Mohun Bagan play in the celebrated ‘Diamond’ 3-4-3 formation. All these new formations were used to extract the maximum potential from his players, and signalled his deter-mination to ensure India kept up with global changes in tactics, methods and styles of play. His attitude was always one of defy-ing tradition and being willing to explore new territories, a view of life and football with which

NovyKapadia

1. Amal Dutta// India’s First Professional Coach

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not everyone around him always empathised.

A competent midfielder with East Bengal in the 1950s, he represented India in the 1954 Asian Games at Manila. After his playing career was over, he went to England for a one-year FA coaching course, where he was taught by the renowned Walter Winterbottom. On returning to India, his first major assign-ment was to coach Railways in 1960 for the Santosh Trophy (the senior National Football Cham-pionship of India). In 1963 came his first position with a big club, when he joined East Bengal mid-way through the Calcutta league. In the first half of the season, his team had been beaten 3-0 by bitter rivals Mohun Bagan. In the return leg, under Dutta’s tutelage, however, they avenged this loss with a 2-0 victory, their

Calcutta’s leading stars in those days. Top players like Jarnail Singh, Peter Thangraj, Ashim Moulick and Ram Bahadur re-ceived Rs. 8-12,000 per annum (about £115 to £175 per annum on current exchange rates). Except for Jarnail Singh, all other players depended on their employment in banks or public sector firms. Explaining why he was more inclined to take the risk, Dutta said, “Football was my passion. My dream was to start a football academy and groom youngsters and make them in-ternational class players. To leave a secure job was a risk, I was newly married and was not sure how I would support my family. I often showed football videos to neighbourhood children and charged them a small amount to augment my income.”

“I am known as a Harley Street specialist. When the patient has been treated by all doctors and not recovered, they come to me.”-Amal Dutta

goals coming from Ashim Mou-lick and Noor. Such examples of rescuing a team in adversity have been a regular feature of Dutta’s career. As he once jocu-larly remarked: ‘I am known as a Harley Street specialist. When the patient has been treated by all doctors and not recovered, they come to me’.

He remained as coach with East Bengal in 1964 but a year later, he took the first of several bold steps in his chequered career. He quit the security of his job in the Indian Railways and opted to become a full time football coach, the first-ever in India and a feat for which he has received little recognition. The magnitude of such a step in the mid-1960s can be put in perspective by examining the remuneration received by

It is for his innovation and courage in bringing

new tactical systems to Indian club football,

however, that Dutta’s influence on the game

ought to be appreciated.

make the Indian team play with either retracting wingers like Babu Mani or Uttam Mukherjee or with all-purpose midfielders. In the 1988 Nehru Cup at Siliguri, India played inspired football against formidable East Euro-pean teams.

After his abrupt dismissal from the Indian team he re-turned to club coaching. In the 1997 season Dutta created an-other sensation with his tactical innovation the ‘Diamond system’, basically a 3-4-3 formation, with a defensive midfielder playing as a screen ahead of the central defender. Bagan used the three

After years of success with leading clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, Dutta was made Techni-cal Director of the Indian squad in 1987, with Syed Nayeemuddin as the chief coach. Planning meticu-lously, he enjoyed his tenure and introduced the In-dian team to a new 4-4-2 formation. He was the first to

23

back system with midfielder Debjit Ghosh playing as a de-fensive screen. This new system aroused spectator and media interest especially after Bagan’s 6-0 demolition of Churchill Brothers in the KBL Federation Cup quarter-finals. The crowds flocked back in the hope of wit-nessing attacking football. The

1997 KBL Federation Cup semi-final between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan attracted a record crowd of 131,000 at the Salt Lake stadium Calcutta. The match was a setback for Dutta and his system. Baichung Bhutia’s hat trick enabled East Bengal to win 4-1. Despite trenchant criticism Dutta persisted with his system

and his single-mindedness even-tually paid off. Bagan played some memorable matches that season, winning the Calcutta league, finishing runners up in the Durand tournament and an-nexing the DCM trophy for the first time.

2. P.K. Banerjee// Five Decades of a Football Celebrity

In the 1970s, there was a popular saying in Indian football, ‘Where P.K. goes, the trophies go’. Such was the success rate of this charismatic coach, renowned for his oratory skills and astute read-ing of the game that any club he coached excelled. Pradeep Kumar Banerjee, popularly known as ‘P.K.’ became India’s first coach to have a glamorous media image. It was he who first made clubs realise that the role of the coach is indispens-able and gave coaches a certain status. Prior to P.K., great coaches like Rahim and Amal Dutta were revered but were neither larger than life personalities nor the darlings of the media. Their brilliance was only recognised in football circles. Rahim, who grew up in British India, tended to be reserved, quiet, full of intense concentration, and was not inclined to show his feelings in public. In contrast, P.K. had the personality to give football coaching both glamour and respectability. He belonged to

a new generation, not afraid to show his emotions on the field, the gesticulations and incessant instructions revealed his intense involvement with coaching, and he quickly became a favourite of the admiring crowds (despite switching between rivals East Bengal and Mohun Bagan).

Born in Jamshedpur in 1936, P.K. was a precocious prodigy. He played as a right winger for Bihar, in the Santosh Trophy at the tender age of fifteen. In 1954 he migrated to Calcutta to develop

his football career and started with

Aryans F.C. The following year he took a job with Eastern Railway and stayed with them throughout his career, resisting moves to either East Bengal or Mohun Bagan. A dashing but tricky right winger with a blister-ing shot, he first played for India, as a nineteen year old, in the 1955 Quadrangular tournament in Dhaka. He became an Olym-pian in 1956 at the age of twenty and later captained India in the

Perhaps his most signifi-cant achievement was to make the clubs and the media take the role of the coach more seriously.

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PK Banerjee

Shyam Thapa

1960 Rome Olympics. When India won the gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games, he scored in the final against South Korea and was chosen as Asia’s best winger. Recurring injury prob-lems caused him to retire from international football in 1967 and gradually his playing career ceased. After his playing career ended, he opted to become a coach and undertook several courses at home and abroad.

P.K. had a natural instinct for coaching and since the late 1960s he has been involved in training a range of teams. Over three decades later he is still pas-sionate about the game: even in 2002, at the age of 66, he was Technical

Director of the Indian U-16 team, previously in July 2000 he was Technical Director of the Indian national team for the in-augural tour to England. He has been associated with the Indian team at every age-group level, sub-juniors, juniors, Olympic un-der-23 in the 1999 pre-Olympics and the senior national team. His involvement with coach-ing the national team started in the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games, when he shared the responsi-

bilities with the late G.M.H. Ba-sha. Their team won the bronze and this was to become the last medal won by an Indian team in a major international competition. P.K. has coached India in four Asian Games: in Bangkok (1970), Tehran (1974), Delhi (1982) and Seoul (1986). The Indian team also performed cred-itably at the 1982 Asian Games under his guid-ance, losing by a ninetieth min-ute freak freekick goal to Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals. In the 1986 Merdeka international tournament, at Kuala Lumpur he took India to the semi-finals, including a memorable 4-3 win over South Korea.

His club-coaching career started with the Calcutta first division sides Bata Sports and

Eastern Railway. His involvement, excellent game reading and motivation soon became appar-ent and East Bengal acquired his services for the 1972 season. His well organised, highly moti-vated squad were sensational in their first season, and became the first and only team in the post-Independence era to win

The gesticulations and incessant

instructions revealed his intense

involvement with coaching, and he

quickly became a favourite of the

admiring crowds (despite switching

between rivals East Bengal and

Mohun Bagan).

He became an Olym-pian in 1956 at the age of twenty and later cap-tained India in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

25

the Calcutta league without conceding a goal: certainly a memorable debut season for the new coach. Besides the Calcutta league, East Bengal won the Du-rand tournament and IFA Shield and were joint champions with Mohun Bagan in the Rovers Cup. East Bengal, like all teams later coached by P.K., had an organ-ised defence, relied on quick counter-attacks and displayed great tactical awareness. Except for brief periods when he was either involved with the National team or for three years (1993-96) when he became the Techni-cal Director of the Tata Football Academy, he remained active as a club coach.

From 1972 until his last spell

with Mohun Bagan in 1999, P.K. has coached either East Bengal or Bagan, a remarkable feat of consistency. In club football, P.K. has won every major tourna-ment in India. In the 1977 season he guided Mohun Bagan to a historic feat, winning the IFA Shield, Rovers Cup and Durand Cup respectively to achieve their first-ever triple-crown triumph in one season. Yet, his great-est hour came as East Bengal coach against two North Korean club sides, firstly in the 1973 IFA Shield final in Calcutta, and sec-ondly in the DCM finals at Delhi in the same year.

Astute substitutions, clever change of tactics and varia-tion in approach of play made

P.K. Banerjee’s teams attractive to watch. His teams could play either defensive or attacking football depending on the situ-ation. Throughout his career he was a pragmatic but charismatic and successful coach. His ability to handle star players was out-standing, combining tact with discipline. P.K’s management style was modern as he realised the role of star players and encouraged individual brilliance. But perhaps his most significant achievement was to make the clubs and the media take the role of the coach more seriously.

During his playing days, Syed Nayeemuddin, born in 1944 in Hyderabad, was one of the most accomplished defend-ers in the country. His ball skills, anticipation and clever passing were brilliant to behold. The versatile ‘Nayeem’, as he was popularly known, has played in defence, midfield and even as a forward for both club and coun-try. He was selected to lead the

first Indian team for the Asian Youth Football championships in 1963. He represented the senior national team, regularly from 1964 to 1971 and was captain of the Indian team in 1970 when India finished third in both the Merdeka tournament and the Bangkok Asian Games. In 1967, his talents were recognised when he was chosen to play in the Asian All Stars team. His ca-

reer developed with Hyderabad City Police (known in the 1960s as Andhra Pradesh Police) which he joined in 1963 and where he learnt his football skills under the tutelage of the legendary Rahim. In the 1966 season he shifted to East Bengal, Calcutta and remained in the ‘City of Joy’ until the end of his playing ca-reer. He also played for the other two popular Calcutta clubs, Mo-

3. Syed Nayeemuddin// A Successful Disciplinarian

Syed Nayeemuddin wascalled the ‘Dev Anand of Football’

by his East Bengal supporters.

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a player’s form, Nayeem quickly transformed the fortunes of Calcutta’s glamour club. They re-mained undefeated for the rest of the season and won a unique triple-crown of the IFA Shield, Durand and Rovers Cup, a rare feat achieved only once before in Indian football by arch rivals Mohun Bagan in 1977. A strict disciplinarian, Nayeem’s focus on small details and personal at-tention to players improved East Bengal’s game that season.

Nayeem brought a new dimension to Indian football, by compelling his players to do weight training and even sand running, as part of their regular training sessions. He persuaded the East Bengal officials to build a gymnasium for the players. With this emphasis on fitness, nutritive diet, proper rest and adequate medical care, East Bengal became the fittest team in India for the two seasons that Nayeem was in charge.

In the 1991-92 season he won another three titles- Du-rand, IFA Shield and Calcutta league- with East Bengal. The 1991 Durand triumph was memorable as it enabled East Bengal to emulate their rivals Mohun Bagan and win India’s oldest tournament three years in a row. Earlier Bagan had man-aged this feat twice, 1963-65 and 1984-86. After a dispute with club officials, Nayeem departed to Mohun Bagan for two seasons from 1992-94. His Midas touch again prevailed and the club won ten trophies in two seasons, Nayeem’s greatest hour in club football was, however, in 1994. He was asked to take over from

hun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting. A trendy dresser and classy player, Nayeem was a pin-up boy of the 1960s and early 1970s. Supporters of the East Bengal club nicknamed him ‘Dev Anand of football’, after India’s most popular Hindi movie star of the 1960s.

He gained prominence as a coach in the 1990s achiev-ing much success with both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Between 1990 and 1995 he won 25 trophies in club football and guided Bengal to three succes-sive triumphs, 1993- 95, in the Santosh Trophy. His coaching career can be divided into two phases. In the early 1980s he started with Mohammedan Sporting and made an impact through his attention to physi-cal fitness, proper diet, ample rest, personal discipline and gruelling practice sessions. He

became assistant coach to the national team in 1983 and was junior national coach from 1984 to 1986. From 1987 to 1989 he was national coach in the Jawaharlal Nehru international tournament, the South Asian Federation Games at Calcutta in which India won the gold medal, and the Asia Cup. His first stint as national coach was not very memorable, as he was overshad-owed by Amal Dutta who was the Technical Director from 1987 to early 1988.

Nayeem blossomed in his second stint as club coach, which started in 1990 becom-ing renowned as the man for a crisis. His rise to fame started in August 1990, when he took over from Shyam Thapa as coach of East Bengal because the team was struggling. Through his professional endeavour, tactical acumen and understanding of

His rise to fame started in August 1990, when he took over from Shyam Thapa as coach of a struggling East Bengal.

27

Shymal Ghosh, East Bengal’s coach that season, just two days before the prestigious Rovers Cup tournament in Mumbai. East Bengal had been floun-dering, and had failed to win a single trophy that season. Yet within the space of one month, Nayeem helped East Bengal to win both the Rovers Cup and IFA Shield. Realising that his midfield was fragile he opted for the 4-4-2 formation instead of the custom-ary 4-3-3 system. In doing so, he once again demonstrated a successful acumen for tactical change.

In 1997, Syed Nayeemuddin was appointed national coach

until the conclusion of the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. He devel-oped a physically fit, tactically alert, cohesive and confident national team that dominated regional competitions during his tenure. In the 1997 South Asian Football Federation champion-ships in Kathmandu, India beat Maldives 5-1 in the final and won $50,000, the highest ever prize money. His teams played in a flexible 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 system. Yet the AIFF treated Nayeem shab-bily and ignored all his pleas for foreign exposure ahead of the 1998 Bangkok Asiad. Prior to the Asian Games, held in December 1998, India did not play a single

practice match from Septem-ber 1997 to November 1998. A fortnight before the start of the Games, India played two friendly matches, in Delhi and Calcutta, against Uzbekistan.

As a coach, Nayeem has always wanted total control especially as regards diet, rest, fitness and team selection. This quest for perfection and reluc-tance to communicate with the media has made Nayeem more sinned against than sinning. He remains a much-maligned coach, whose invaluable services, have neither been fully utilised nor appreciated by the AIFF.

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feature

Air India: Looking to finish the season on a highSajin Padiyath takes a look at Team Maharaja’s performance, suggesting that there is enough positivity in the team to do much better in the coming days.

Going into the month-long break at 9th position in the I-League table, Air India find themselves disappointed not to be sitting higher. This in itself is an indication how impressive the start to the season had been.

“We had a couple of draws and losses that didn’t go our way, else we could have been 3rd or 4th”, says their assistant coach Anthony Fernandes.

Rewind 12 months, and the situation for Air India was com-pletely different last season. Fol-lowing a poor start to the season, Air India was staring at relega-tion with just 3 points from 6 games. A change in manage-ment followed, with an inexpe-rienced Santosh Kashyap tak-ing charge of an I-League club for the first time. “Many things

changed when he came in. He made some changes in both tactics and in the squad and our performance improved. And that is the benefit that you get by bringing an AFC ‘A-licensed’ coach to the team” conveys Fernandes.

With a fifteen-minute cover-age in a recent episode of the globally acclaimed FIFA’s official

“Futbol Mundial” weekly maga-zine show, Air India became one of the few Indian professional clubs to be featured on it giving a much needed face-lift for both the club and the I-League. Fer-nandes expressed the same, “It was a huge morale boost for the team. The club’s Media Manager, Simon D’Souza was contacted by the show. They had thorough knowledge of the club’s results,

budget and the finances and had done their homework well.”

Their chief coach Santosh Kashyap mentioned in the show that the club saw itself as a plat-form for young players to shine and go on to play for the bigger clubs. When asked why they do not aspire for greater glory, Fer-nandes explains “The big teams have around 45 players in their pool out of which they register around 30. So the replacement (for the first team) that they bring in is of almost the same quality. We have around 30-35 and cannot match the same quality with our replacements. So it is not practical to aim for a higher finish.”

Air-India being a PSU side offer only 11 month contracts to the players, and the maxi-

With a fifteen-minute coverage in a recent episode of the globally

acclaimed FIFA’s official “Futbol Mundial” weekly magazine show, Air

India became one of the few Indian professional clubs to be featured on it.

29

mum pay for an Indian player is around Rs 90,000 per month while private clubs pay up to Rs 3 lakh per month. Adherence to such policies mean it is a lot more difficult to bring players into the club, added Fernandes.

Collin Abranches and Manandeep Singh from the side have been called up for the India Under-22 camp. The club feels even Pawan Kumar, their goalkeeper and one of their best players this season should have joined them. Fernandes says, “I am also disappointed that Sand-esh Gadkari has not been called up for the senior camp. He has been in excellent form and has scored a lot of field goals and not just penalties, unlike many other forwards. But our matches

are not telecast unlike the Goa and Kolkata teams, which is a big hurdle for our players.”

Air India, based in Mumbai, has been playing their home games at Pune this season hence virtually making the entire season a schedule of 26 away games. “It’s a very big loss for us. When it is a home game we can choose from a pool of 30 players for the match squad of 18 and hence gives us the option of keeping the tactics flexible. But with matches being held in Pune, we carry a fixed squad of 18 for all games, home and away. Also, not a single soul watches the game at Pune while games in Mumbai are watched by a small but knowledgeable crowd. Even 500 people can seem like

thousands when you have a pas-sionate audience”, he points out.

Looking ahead to the last 6 games of the season, Air India targets 10 more points, a 4th-5th position and break the club re-cord of 30 points. “Players them-selves have a target in mind and that’s a very good sign. We were in 5th position (after Round 11), but staying on top is more dif-ficult than getting there. Frankly it is disappointing that our level of performance has gone down. With 4 home games remaining, we certainly fancy our chances against Mohun Bagan, Prayag, Sporting and Pailan Arrows”, con-cludes Fernandes.

Action from Air India vs Mumbai FC.

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feature

Will Blatter show green?FIFA President is to arrive soon to examine the country’s preparedness to bid for the U-17 World Cup. Shounak Purkayastha reports on the issue.

Controversial FIFA president Sepp Blatter will be visiting the country later this month. In what is being regarded as a watershed visit, the president of the world’s largest football organization will carefully examine the devel-opment of the country’s infra-structure ahead of their bid for the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup. Blatter is due to meet the ex-ecutive body of the AIFF which will update him on the various projects being undertaken in the country.

The AIFF seems to be work-ing overtime in order to prepare the country for the bid. If India was to win, the event will be the country’s biggest international footballing event. More impor-

tantly, it will give India a direct entry to the tournament which, in turn, will give a huge incentive to the country’s youth to take up the sport.

Despite its low ranking, India has received a lot of atten-tion from FIFA of late. The sport’s governing body has planned to set up four academies in the country, in Kolkata, New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. The academies are to be headed by a face familiar to avid ESPN watchers in the country, Scott O’ Donnell.

Blatter had earlier visited India in 2007 on the occasion of AIFF’s Platinum jubilee celebra-tions and he also witnessed National Football League derby

between East Bengal and Mohan Bagan in Kolkata. He is set to visit India on the ninth of March before he heads to Nepal for the AFC Challenge Cup. He is also likely to visit Bangladesh.

A right to host a World Cup could serve as a turning point in India’s footballing sojourn. Prepped up venues will benefit the country many years after the event. However, political honchos in sports administra-tion have never been a good blueprint in our country, read Commonwealth Games. The ball is now in the AIFF’s court. India stands on the cusp of footballing revolution.

Hosting the Cup will give India a direct entry to the tournament which, in turn, will give a huge

incentive to the country’s youth to take up the sport.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter on his way to the Salt Lake Stadium before a derby clash of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, in April 2007.

31

Will the Mariners Reign Supreme?

Mohun Bagan did not have the most auspicious of starts with a first round exit in the Federation Cup and a resultant change in management with Prasanta Banerjee replacing Steve Darby. Questions were being asked if the marquee sign-ings of Sunil Chhetri and Odafe Okolie were just white elephants.

Facing minnows Pailan Ar-rows, Mohun Bagan was ex-pected to record a facile win but against all logic Pailan scored and at half time Mohun Bagan were facing another disap-pointing day in the office. In the second half, Odafe justified his hefty price tag with a wonder-ful hat-trick and a victory for

Mohun Bagan, enabling him to silence critics. Bagan never got to reminiscence on its good performances as it always let itself down with shock defeats in between. Victories against the likes of East Bengal and Churchill Brothers counted for little as they were interspersed with defeats against Prayag, Pune, Dempo and mind you, Prayag even managed to do the double over them with an organized and composed manner of play. So why are we focussing on Mo-hun Bagan? It is because even though they have had a far from consistent campaign, they have been helped by Dempo’s fatigue, Salgaocar’s poor start, East Ben-

gal’s injuries and Prayag’s draws to remain formidable challeng-ers in the race for the title. A team brimming with so much challenge, if managed rightly, can do wonders. One supposes that Prasanta has the same prob-lem that Roberto Mancini has while putting up a first eleven and in such a situation perhaps keeping it simple is the best op-tion.

In a detailed analysis of the Mohun Bagan team that follows I will come up the best combina-tion I can think of. In the goal keeping position, Mohun Bagan has the experienced Sangram Mukherjee whose experience

special feature

Bharathan Chandrasekaran roots for Mohun Bagan this month, in an attempt to convince the doubtful I-League

follower that despite their recent lack of consistency, an ideal mix of players when allowed to play in their best positions, under a new manager, can emerge as the

frontrunners for the title, even as Dempo seem to loom close to victory.

THE I-LEAGUE SECTION

Story of the Month:

A team brimming with so much challenge, if managed rightly, can do wonders.

|32

is of importance to the team especially in marshalling an experienced back four when someone like Anwar Ali is miss-ing. They have young Shilton Paul to back Sangram. Defence is the area where Bagan have seen the most rotations. Ideally they should have the towering Anwar Ali partnering the versa-tile Kingshuk Debnath in central defence with the young Sourav Chakraborty, Rakesh Masih and Daniel Zeleny as back up. In the left back position, Bagan have a problem of plenty. They have seasoned campaigners like Dhanarajan and Daljit Singh, the versatile Syed Rahim Nabi along with youngster Mohanraj. The left back slot has great connec-tion with the left half slot. With

Bagan having to go for the kill every time in the remaining I-League campaign to catch up with Dempo, Nabi should slot in the left back position. He is solid and great in linking on the overlap. He has also gelled well with the team and is brimming with confidence after impressive Team India displays. The right back position should be a no brainer with the marauding Sur-kumar Singh at right back with Kingshuk as able backup.

Bagan’s midfield is a treat to watch. One of the bright spots for the season is the emergence of Jewel Raja as a consistent creator of chances. He is emerg-ing as an able alternate to a legendary José Ramirez Barreto

who has been kept out of ac-tion due to injury for parts of the season. His greatest asset is that he is able to slot easily in the centre of midfield and the right half position. At the defensive midfield position, Daniel Zeleny has emerged as the undis-puted choice ousting veteran campaigner Pradeep though with persistent injuries at the back and continuous change of tactics his services might as well be used in the centre back position. As back up in the defensive midfield position, they have Rakesh Masih and Subash-ish Roy Chowdhury. In the play maker’s role they have Brazilian José Barreto who is looking a bit out of sorts this year due to fatigue and injury but one can

Barreto vying for the ball as Chirag United players close in on 30 feb 2012

33

never rule him out of an Indian summer and the break from I-League might just refresh him. In the left half, they have the pacy Snehashish Chakraborty whose linkup play with Nabi is really good. Hudson Silva’s dead ball skills are amazing and he can be the next replacement for Barreto in that role.

Mohun Bagan’s strike force is bountiful with the prolific Odafe Okolie who has single handedly kept Mohun Bagan in the running for the title with his goal scoring. No one seems to be close to him in the goal scoring charts for Bagan. His absence in any match has hurt Bagan immensely, taking for in-stance, the game against Dempo

where they were thumped 5 -0. His ability to run at defenders, work the channels, give balls in the area and lead the line make him one of the most complete strikers in the I-League and he would require great support if Bagan have to win the title. Why ask for support if you have India international and not-so-long-ago Glasgow Rangers candidate Chhetri in your team? It is because, sadly, Chhetri has not started on all cylinders and injuries have blighted his campaign. The Mariners would require Chhetri to be fully fit and in form to remove the workload from Odafe’s shoulders. To com-pliment the two, Bagan have a willing runner in Ashim Biswas

who can either lead the line or play in the flanks.

If Bagan play with a 4-4-2 diamond formation with San-gram Mukherjee as goalkeeper, Nabi as left back, Surkumar Singh as right back, Kingshuk and Anwar Ali at centre back, Daniel Zeleny playing a holding midfield, Hudson Silva playing at left half, Jewel Raja playing in a free role meandering towards the right with José Barreto play-ing in the hole behind the two strikers Chhetri and Odafe and if they are lucky to be free of injuries, this team will be irresist-ible and can run the final stages of this I-League marathon with great vigour and give Dempo a real run for their money.

Mohun Bagan’s strike force is bountiful with the prolific

Odafe Okolie who has single handedly kept Mohun Bagan

in the running for the title with his goal scoring.

Mohun Bagan’s Odafa vies for the ball against Mumbai FC’s defence.

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special feature

MATCH REPORTS

Minnows Mumbai Serve a Shocker to Churchill

(based on AIFF Reports)

In what turned out to be an unexpected shock for title contenders Churchill Brothers SC, Mumbai FC won their first game in seven matches. An event likely to shake Churchill’s contention for the title, in the 19th round I-League match held at the Bale-wadi Sports Complex in Pune on 6th February, the win has only served to inspire the lag-ging Mumbai team. The 2-1 win for Mumbai FC is likely to keep them out of relegation, if Chirag United Kerala manages to fare badly enough. As the I-League inches to a close, Churchill have, most probably, lost their com-petitive edge over the other top teams. They remained at 33 points after this loss and need to pull their socks up if they have to come level with Dempo SC.

Churchill expectedly began on a confident note, with an

early lead materializing, thanks to Henry Antchouet’s cross from the midfield into the box taken by a heavily marked Beto who cleared the ball to ND Opara, who, in turn, successfully scored the first goal in the 20th. Inci-dentally, Mumbai goalie San-jiban Ghosh’s miscalculation in leaving the post turned out to be Henry’s blessing.

Mumbai, now, had to break out of their reverie and sought to make amends. PC Lalawm-puia partnered Gbeneme Friday in the attack as the latter moved up in the right corner from where the Nigerian sent a mea-sured pass into the box which reached Lalawmpuia, whose push, though right on target, was deflected by Churchill keeper Arindam Bhattacharya only to see the ball go straight to Cavin Lobo. He brought his team

to level by scoring the equalizer in the 36th minute.

After half time, Mumbai FC began aggressively. Abhishek Yadav and his fellow central defenders Kingsley Chioma and Dhanachandra Singh did well to keep the opponents out; howev-er hard Churchill now tried, they couldn’t make the net. The hosts lost a valuable chance when Zohib Amiri caught Churchill off-guard to pass the ball to Friday who failed to connect and score. Henry suffered a cut on his head yet he went in to play after being heavily bandaged. Dhanachan-dra sealed Churchill’s fate in the 83rd as he converted a brilliant cross by Friday into a winner for Mumbai FC. The title of the man of the match was conferred on Cavin Lobo.

Mumbai FCvs

Churchill Brothers

Abhishek Yadav and his fellow central defenders Kingsley Chioma and Dhanachandra Singh did well to keep the opponents out.

By Isha Panwar

35

Chirag United Kerala came back from a goal down to se-cure three vital points in a bid to stave off relegation in an entertaining match. Air India will be more than disappointed to come out empty handed from the game.

Air India went into this Round 20 I-League fixture on the back of a win against HAL. Chi-rag United, on the other hand, were on a dismal run of form, having lost all of their last five matches.

The game started brightly when Sandesh Gadkari opened the scoring just 5 minutes into the game. The striker combined well with Ezeh Henry to put Air India ahead. This set the tempo for an exciting encounter, with

Keralites edge out the Pilots in an

entertaining encounter

chances aplenty for both sides. Chirag United, looking for a reply came close when Anil Kumar headed on to the cross bar from a corner. They found an equaliser from the penalty spot, when Vineeth was fouled by Bijay Basfore on the half-hour mark. Charles Dzisah coolly slot-ted home the penalty to put the game back on level pegging.

The teams went into the break a goal each, with the game about to explode in the second half.With only six play-ers on the bench for the home-side, Air India coach Santosh Kashyap brought on Allan Dias for Satwinder Singh at half-time. Air-India began the second half brightly, the same way they did in the first, but only this time

around they failed to hit the back of the net.

Sandeep Sangha, the liveliest player on the pitch for Air-India, produced a brilliant save from the Chirag keeper K Sharath off a long range effort. The keeper was called into ac-tion again when he tipped off a flick by Gadkari from a corner. Then out of nowhere, Chirag United found themselves in the lead having being confined to their own half for most of the second period. After the Air-India keeper Pawan Kumar cleared a 65th minute-corner, the ball went straight to the feet of Sukhwinder Singh and the midfielder volleyed the ball into the top corner from 25 yards. Air-India should have had a penalty

Air Indiavs

United Kerala

Air India claimed a clear penalty offence in the 75th minute, but the refree denied it to the hosts, leaving the

Pilots’ coach furious.

By Sajin Padiyath

|36

on the 75th minute, when after a goal mouth-scramble Ezeh Henry’s goal bound effort was handled on the goal-line by Charles Dzisah. But the referee did not award the home side a penalty, which left their coach fuming.

Air-India had another chance to go level, after Collin Abranches put in a cross from the left flank. Sandesh Gadkari controlled the ball well in the box, but put it wide on the turn. Sukhwinder nearly scored again in the 78th minute, hitting the post after a fine effort from out-side the box. He drove through

the Air-India midfield and un-leashed a low shot at the goal, only to see the ball hit the post. Air-India wasted more chances as they put in more bodies for-ward in search of the equaliser. They won a free-kick just outside the box in a promising position. Susbstitute Royston D’Souza put it over the goal.

With 5 minutes to go, a brilliant one-two between David Sunday and Vineeth almost sealed the win for Chirag United. Vineeth was put clean through on goal by a brilliant reverse lobbed pass by Sunday. But Pawan Kumar produced an

amazing save after the striker had lobbed the ball over him. The Kerala side eventually sealed the win in the 87th minute. Air-India, still pressing forward for the equaliser, were caught on the counter and David Sunday beat the offside trap as well as the keeper to slot home.

The win sealed three vital points and takes their season total to 14 points. Air-India would have been left ruing their chances having come out of their home game with no points.

The match ended 3-1 in favour of Chirag United Kerala.

37

QUESTION 3

This is the 2nd Bttln Middle-sex Regiment posing with the trophy in 1926 (the tournament was started in 1891). __________ became the first Indian team to win it in 1937. Identify the tour-nament and fill in the blank.

QUESTION 4X defeated Pas Club of Iran

in the 1970 IFA Shield Final, Korean club Piyong Young in the 1973 IFA Shield Final, Dok-Ro-Gang Club of South Korea in the Final of DCM football tournament in 1973, and Port Authority Club of Thailand in the Final of Bordoloi Trophy in the year 1978. It was one of the most productive eras of the club and the team was often labeled “The Immortal Sqaud”. Which team are we talking about?

QUESTION 1Founded in 1971, X was the

first Indian club to hire a foreign coach. It was also the first Indian club outside Kolkata to win the IFA Shield. In 2008, they got a tie-up with Wolverhampton Wanderers. Which club are we talking about?

QUESTION 2

He topped the scoring charts along with Bhaichung Bhutia in the 1997 National league. He currently manages 2nd division I league outfit: KGF Academy. Identify him.

know your game

The very tough INDIAN FOOTBALL

QUESTION 5

Identify this legend.

QUESTION 6Who did India beat in the

final of the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games to win the Gold Medal?

QUESTION 7Although India was invited

for the 1950 World Cup, they never really played qualifying matches. When and for which edition did India first play the World Cup Qualifiers?

QUIZ

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By Aniket Mishra

The very tough INDIAN FOOTBALL

QUESTION 8Long before Mohun Bagan

won the 1911 IFA Shield, another Kolkata Club became the first In-dian team to win a major tourna-ment when they won the Trades Cup in 1892.

Which team achieved this feat?

QUESTION 9________ was founded on

20th July, 2003 and started func-tioning in terms of player pro-

duction from 2004 onwards. The academy is based in the heart of the steel city of Durgapur that distances itself about 182 kms from Kolkata. Fill in the missing blank.

QUESTION 10Nicknamed the “dimuni-

tive striker”, his International debut came in 1989-90, and his last match for India was in the Millennium Cup in 2001. He also represented India in the President’s Cup in 1989 in Dhaka,

heading the Indian Under-23 team for the 1991 pre-Olympics, for the SAF Games in 1995 and 1996 and the Asia Cup in Malay-sia. He was the All India Football Federation player of the year when he played for Salgaocar Sports Club of Goa in the year 1996. Who are we talking about?

Answers on the last page. For more football quizzes and dis-cussions find us on facebook.

QUIZ

39

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report

AFC Challenge Cup: Part 1 Report

At the outset of the upcoming tournament, Syed Hamza gives us a report on the condition of the team and what to expect in the coming days.

The AFC Challenge Cup kicks off on March 8th in Kath-mandu, Nepal and the national coach Savio Medeira recently an-nounced the 23 member squad for the same. The list of players in the squad is as under:

Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh (Salgao-

car), Subhasish Roychowdhury (Dempo SC), Arindam Bhattacha-rya (Churchill Brothers).

Defenders: Nirmal Chhetri, Raju Gai-

kwad (Kingfisher East Bengal), Sameer Naik (Dempo SC), Gour-mangi Singh (Churchill Brothers), Anwar Ali, Kinsukh Debnath, Syed Rahim Nabi (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Gurjinder Singh (Pune FC).

Midfielders: Adil Khan (Sporting Clube de

Goa), Anthony Pereira (Dempo

SC), Reisangmi Vashum (King-fisher East Bengal), Rocus Lamare, Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Jewel Raja (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Lenny Rodrigues, Lalrin-dika Ralte (Churchill Brothers).

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri (McDowell

Mohun Bagan), Sushil Singh (Shillong Lajong FC – on loan), CS Sabeeth (Pailan Arrows), Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC).

|40

India plays their first match of the tournament against Tajikistan on March 9. Despite losing 5-1 to Oman and 3-0 to Azerbaijan in the recent Dubai camp, the performance of the Indian squad was satisfactory enough. The goalkeepers, espe-cially Subhasish Roy Chowdhury was brilliant with some breath-taking saves. When it came to the defense, we did not put up a very good show. But with Nirmal Chhetri returning and the likes

of Gouramangi, Raju and Nabi available, defense should not be a problem. The only worry is the absence of equally good substi-tutes in the case of an injury.

India were very good in the midfield region, though the score-lines point otherwise. The forwards should do well as Sunil Chhetri is back after an injury and Joaquim Abranches will also look to carry his rich vein of form into AFC Challenge cup as well. Oman and Azerbaijan both

being better opponents gave us a good test and it should prove beneficial for us.

With the announcement of the squad, the fans now await the start of the much coveted tournament where a win for the national team could get them a ticket to Australia 2015. And the team sure seems capable enough of doing just that.

41

interview

“Simla Young FC must be champions

of Asia”Mohd Asim Shaan gets chatting with Mr Michiteru Mita,

Coach of Simla Young FC on the club, the game in the country and more.

The future of football in India looks rosy with teams and players from the not-so-conventional football hubs of our nation (read Kolkata, Kerala, Goa and the North-East) rising and capturing one’s attention. This augurs well for the game of football in India.

Another team which is fast emerging s a force to be reck-oned with in the near future is Simla Young FC, which is based in the national capital- Delhi. The club is making excellent prog-ress and was recently officially certified by the AIFF to partici-pate in the 2nd Division of the I-League in January 2011. By entering the second tier of the I-League, it became the first club to reach the league from North

India, which is no mean feat. However it is to note that the club is not another ‘flash-in-the-pan’ sort of team, but actually boasts of a credible history and patronage.

It was founded in 1936 by a group of Britishers and Indi-ans to play for the Duran Cup, in Simla. However it shifted to Delhi in 1940 along with the Durand Cup venue being shifted to Delhi. Ever since it has been promoting the game with its base in Delhi. Its patrons include Mr Virbhadhra Singh (ex-CM of Himachal Pradesh), Mr Hakikat Singh and many other luminar-ies.

The club enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s when under coach B S Chauhan,

|42

it was ranked third in India, by when it had defeated power-houses like JCT, Mohammedan Sporting and had reached the semifinals of the Durand Cup in 1973. Since then it has been holding overseas trip for youth teams to help them gain expo-sure and has been nurturing precocious footballing talent in the capital.

Barefoot talked to the coach of the current team, Mr Mich-iteru Mita, who has taken the club to new highs and is trying to replicate and better the club’s glory days of the past.

When did you join the team as a coach and share your pre-cious experience?

Mita: I joined Simla Young FC in January 2010. Before join-ing the team as a coach, I was a coach working with the Sudan Youth Football Association.

“I believe in long term plans.

Youth development system is very

important for growth.

43

How has your experience been with the team so far?

Mita: The experience has been pretty good and i’m en-joying my job with the team. However, the infrastructure is very poor and the stadiums are in a bad condition. On the other hand, there is definitely a lot of talent to be tapped.

Tell us about your experi-ence at the League.

Mita: It has a very tight schedule. We prepare and train for 10 months and there are twenty days of vigorous football. This make it very tiring for the players, making them vulnerable to injuries. It should operate like the I-League, spread over the year.

What other crises have you faced outside the football pitch?

Mita: The infrastructure needs to be improved. We lack a lot of facilities. There are no sponsors for the I-League B Divi-sion and this resulted in a finan-

cial crisis for us. Talking about Delhi League, it is not planned well and is not competitive enough.

What points do you empha-sise upon, in training or other-wise?

Mita: I believe in long term plans. Youth development sys-tem is very important for growth. So is the development of coach, which affects the players. There is a lot of talent, as i said before, but it has to be harnessed. We need to develop more Indian players and get more youngsters into the game.

Any advice for aspiring footballers?

Mita: Work hard, do not suc-cumb to parent and peer pres-sure.

Where do you see your club

in the future?Mita: Well, I want to see it as

a champion of Asia someday.

As we nod “Amen” to that, Mr Mita signs off on that positive note. At Barefoot, we wish them the best and hope that more and more people take to the beautiful game.

MichiteruMita

|44

feature

Myths about women crumble on the soccer ground

‘Kick For a Cause’ stood true to its name, and Delhi’s women took to the game like never before on February 27th, Barefoot stood as a glad witness to the event.

Myths about women and girls went for a toss as over 100 people participated in a unique football tournament ‘Kick for a Cause’ staged by LEH LEH sports in collaboration with CARE India. The primary objective of this initiative was to focus attention on prejudices against women in connection with the forthcom-ing International Women’s Day.

Eight teams – comprising of three boys and three girls each and captained by a girl – partici-pated in the fun-filled amateur football tournament at the Mini Football Ground in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj to drive home the message that myths against women are unfounded and unacceptable.

The myths that were shat-tered in celebration of women were “It’s a Man’s World’’, “Girls Belong in Marriage, not School’’,

“She Asked for it’’, “Women are

too Emotional and Soft’’ and “Women can’t Lead.’’ To raise awareness among the partici-pants and the viewers, players kicked these myths – which hung in the goal nets as stickers – during penalty shootouts.

“Kick for a Cause is an initia-tive created by LEH LEH Sports in 2011 to use sports as a medium for powerful change. We were delighted to partner with CARE India in staging Kick for a Cause 2012 to promote the cause of

45

women’s empowerment”, said Siddharth Pandey, the founder of LEH LEH Sports.

“The football tournament involving women as team members and captains was a powerful symbolic gesture to highlight myths fostered by male-dominated society against women. There is no rationale for the perpetuation of myths about women who knock them down daily,” said Alka Pathak, Chief Advocacy and External Relations Officer. “There was fun and jovi-ality on the ground, but it was also accompanied by the mes-sage of women’s empowerment. It went well with the participants and viewers alike. We have sent a positive message that women are capable of doing anything,” said Pathak.

The sporting event hosted eight teams – Myth Busters United, Last Minute Stitch, CARE Unlimited, Underdogs, Tempta-tions, Empowering Athletics, DU Force, and Daredevils. All age groups and skill levels played for the cause.

Teams were mainly formed by the volunteers and ambassa-

dors of iCARE, which has already created a buzz among students in schools and colleges around the city.

“It is a good way for develop-ment and creating focus on so-cial issues. People come out with only suggestions with regard to social issues; we need solutions,” said Akanksha, a student of Na-tional Open University, who was a member of the team Under-dogs. “We should play more such

games to spread the message.”Nishita Kankariya, an iCARE

Ambassador and second year student from Kirorimal Col-lege said, “I have joined the programme because I want to empower my fellow students. Most of the boys in Delhi Univer-sity believe that girls cannot play such games. Today even that myth has been shattered.”

(With inputs from Jai Bankoti, LEH LEH Sports).

The CARE India Team

Team photo of the winners.

|46

When you say that you played college football with a lot of passion, verve and drive you still can’t come close to what the Bits Pilani Goa team has achieved. This is the team with the unique distinction to have played in the Goa Football Association Second Division. They are one of the few teams consisting only of players from their own college to rub shoulders with some of the best professional football clubs in Goa, a state that is known too well for its foot-balling exploits.

And their journey wasn’t without any hurdles either. To start with, being an engineering college didn’t help. The students had hectic routines and were constantly reminded that studies were undoubtedly their top priority. But,in the summer of 2010 Neeraj Kedar, former captain of the BITS-Pilani Goa Campus Football Team had a vision and BITS FC was formed as a professional club. It was carried forward by Shray Bansal, another former captain, with the support of Dr. Bharat Deshpande, Dr. Raghavendra, Mr. Chandu Lamani (Physical Director). A tie up with Salgaocar Sports Club , the reigning I-League champions didn’t hurt either.

To say they had their doubters as they entered the GFA 3rd division (Goa League) would be an understate-ment. And they didn’t fare too well either , ending the season with a single point. But they came back more determined and organized the next year under the cap-taincy of Ayush Sinha and they took the division by storm , garnering 7 wins and 2 draws. They faced a direct playoff for the 2nd Division against undefeated 3rd division giants RISING STARS SC, who had bulged the net 23 times in five league games. And they showed tremendous character to shut out their opponents in a 2-0 win that took them to uncharted heights.

The team will play the Second Division later this year and who knows what else they could achieve. More impor-tantly they have already shown that if you have the commit-ment and the enthusiasm for the beautiful game there is no saying where it could take you.

The BITS GOA F.C. Story

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had a good read? we’d like to know what you thought.

Answers to The Very Tough Indian Football Quiz1. JCT FC2. Raman Vijayan3. Rovers Cup, Bangalore Muslims4. East Bengal5. Krishanu Dey

6. South Korea7. 1985, for the 1986 Mexico World Cup8. Sovabazar FC9. Mohun Bagan SAIL Foot-ball Academy10. Bruno Coutinho.

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