The Curious case of Indian Football

Another edition of the world’s most popular game ends (I’m talking about Football, just in case....), and as usual, India a country of 1.2 billion people hardly makes it presence felt. As a kid, ever since I started playing and watching football, I wondered when, like cricket, India and Indians would actually take to football. Back in the 90’s, cricket was booming and the BCCI had just begin to build its muscles. Football was on no one’s priority list except when there was an East Bengal-Mohan Bagan derby.

I myself was never interested in Indian football till about a few years back. Heck I wasn’t even interested in club and European football till about the early 2000’s. International football and world cup was good enough for me. But though the European format of the game caught my imagination (and of a lot others among my generation), the Indian football game never took off.

Why is it that if we as a country have adopted the game of cricket with much flair and class, we’ve crash and burned in football?

It’s not like we Indians don’t like football. I’ve seen enough Super Sundays where people are just going bonkers on whether Arsenal were good enough or Chelsea were boring to watch or whether Liverpool are a spent force. The world cup just showed me people thronging cafes and pubs in hundreds to cheer their favourite teams while wearing national team jerseys of countries they’ve never been to and making merry. And the internet is abuzz with young people discussing the game and cheering a sole Indian Sunil Chettri in the Major Soccer League.

Well over the years I’ve read and heard a lot of arguments about the same. The most common factor heard is that the game is not yet developed at the grass root level. That at the most basic stage quality coaches aren’t there to train a young boy who kicks a ball 20 yards out into the goal with the wrong technique. That the equipment provided is sub standard and the diet and fitness of a young lad starting out is messed up by stuffed aaloo ka parathas.

However, my take is that the quality of football might just improve at the grass root level if the existing team provided enough entertainment and class to hook the Indian people onto them. What was cricket before the World Cup victory in 1983? It definitely wasn’t a national obsession like it is now.

Indian football fans have nothing to look forward to except the occasional world cup qualifying match or the Asian Cup qualifiers. For the past two years the Nehru Cup has been re-started on the insistence of the national coach bob Houghton, but victories in the Nehru cup are nothing more that injections for self-confidence. They don’t provide a genuine challenge to the team.

But that’s the national level. What about the game at the domestic level? Ask any Indian vaguely informed about Indian clubs and pat comes the reply, “Mohan Bagan & East Bengal”. And that’s just because they might have “heard” of them. Domestic football in India has largely remained boring, un-inspiring, with a view of empty stands and crumbling stadiums.

Recently the top dog of the I-League, Mahindra United (fancifully modelled on the gigantically popular Manchester United) got disbanded and declared they would no longer be part of domestic competitions. The team which was sponsored by Mahindra & Mahindra could no longer cope with the unrealistic losses being churned out in the Indian circuit. Nobody blames them though. Empty stands, zero-viewership and zero fan following made their losses sky rocket like the Burj Khalifa and Mahindra decided to concentrate on Basketball! Sheesh!

The need of the hour for domestic football in India is fan based clubs like Shillong Lajong and Pune FC. Shillong Lajong has recorded average attendances of 30,000 in most of their games after being promoted to the first division. There is genuine fan following among the crowds donning the team jerseys and waving the club flag.

Pune FC is owned by a combination of corporate hunks but named and modelled after a city. It’s a brilliant idea because it brings in the loyalty, sense of belonging and fan following of the local Pune folks. When the fans of Shillong and Pune see that a team playing for them is slogging it out in the field, they come out and support their boys. And we definitely need more of that spirit. Corporate sponsorship is important but the owners don’t necessarily have to stick in their own names into the teams.

However that doesn’t guarantee team success on the pitch. Although Pune FC did finish a brilliant 3^rd, Lajong were relegated to the 2^nd division. So great quality of play is a must.

I’ve tried to watch I-League matches on television. Honestly I’ve been bored to death watching them. The AIFF have tied up with Zee Sports out of all the channels to broadcast all I-league matches. Problem is me and half of India has adopted TATA Sky as a member of our family which does not relay Zee Sports.

Then the matches I do manage to see courtesy of Ten Sports are honestly quite disappointing. Apart from not being quality football, the cameras are placed strangely on a sideline view making it weird to watch. The stands are empty, primarily because matches are played on weekdays during daytime when people are either at work or studying. The commentators range from being dead to in a coma.

Seriously, we need quality televised coverage. One of the most important factors in watching a football match on television is the atmosphere. The noise of the crowd, the excited voice of the commentator, the flood lights.....ah! Alas it is not to be! The I-League officials seriously have to consider scheduling matches on weekends and during the evenings. Then they have to hire competent broadcasters like ESPNSTAR or somebody who can actually hire decent commentators and Tele-view camera positions.

The worrying part is India have qualified (through some self rewarding mumbo jumbo challenge cup) to the 2011 AFC Asia Cup. I’m just concerned that the Indian National Football team might end up making a mockery of themselves in Doha. Right now, the national players have been barred from playing in the I-League so that they can be forged into a potent national side. Hope Bob Houghton knows what he’s doing. Till that time, fingers crossed and GO INDIA!!!!!

Time to convert it into a biggie!!!

And the spectacle ends....

I don’t know if anyone’s gonna believe me, but I had a feeling that the final of the world cup might get a tad slow...and boring. I was right! A 1-0 result between Spain and Netherlands is hardly a score any world cup buff would want to see. I’ve been following the world cup since USA’94 and although that was a stalemate at 0-0 as well, we had the treat and the nerve cracking tension of a penalty shootout in that final between Brazil and Italy. I still pity Roberto Baggio for missing that kick.

Coming back to present day, we finally have the champions! Spain! First time winners are always good to see but all of 8 goals in the tournament have been a bit disappointing. Especially the trail of 1-0 wins since the round of 16. However the good thing that can be taken away from the Spanish side is the way they played. It was football like poetry and everyone loves to see that. Football telepathic brothers Iniesta and Xavi displayed skill which made me want to stand up and clap. And it makes Spain only the third team to be the European as well as the world champs at a single time!

The performance of the Netherlands though has been another story. Halfway through the game I wanted Spain to win. Not because the Spaniards were extraordinarily cool or because Argentina 9my favourite team) lost to Holland in the 98 world cup but because the Dutch were playing like douche bags. They should have been 3 players short by the end of the match. It’s a lucky thing it was only one player that was sent off. Their play was rough, ill-spirited and they lacked the tactical prowess they displayed in earlier matches. I’m not blaming the referee for the 14 yellow cards.

It was great to know that Diego Forlan was awarded the Best player of the Tournament. I loved the way he played in this world cup, full of speed and attack. The goals he scored against the Dutch and the Germans were top class. Uruguay must have discovered a new sense of confidence after their performance in this tournament. I just hope they can carry that in the Copa America and later Brazil’14.

All in all...I wouldn’t say this was the best world cup I’ve seen. I’m disappointed with the boring draws and low scoring results. Let’s just hope the next addition brings the best of Joga Bonito to us.

A win well deserved!

Hello New Champions!

I must confess. There was nothing more heartening to see the German football team pushing and panting against the Spaniards in their semi-final clash. I was even more elated when I saw the mighty Germans fall to the ground at the blow of the final whistle. I’m no sadistic sports fan, it’s just that when people tend to place a team like Germany almost near the pedestal of undefeatable, it automatically spells doom.

Germany for most of the tournament had eliminated teams with clinical precision using their strength and technique in counter attack. Klose, Muller, Ouzil, Podolski were almost un-markable by oppositions. It would be fair to say that they performed way better than their counterparts at this edition of the world cup. They were getting used to thumping four goals against most of their rivals. It is sad though that a team with the most final and semi-final appearances in World cups can’t go the full hog.

Watching the Spain-Germany clash I found out how easily the Spaniards were holding the Germans at bay. By controlling ball possession. It’s not rocket science. In fact, it’s one of the simple basics of the game. Kudos to Spain for nailing down what “stronger” teams like England and Argentina could not. The Spanish play for the first time in the tournament had flair, fluency and class. Words which are usually used to describe South American style of football. But this was like almost watching Barcelona play! (7 of the 11 players on the pitch do play for Barcelona :p)

I always go rooting for the underdogs. And I was sad when Uruguay lost to the Netherlands. It was almost like a dream run after decades. For someone like Diego Forlan, this could have been the last chance at making history for his country. But the South Americans can go into the third place match with their heads held high! They performed over and above everyone’s expectations and that takes some doing! Especially at the world cup!

The Netherlands on the other hand gave a dominating performance which put all doubts to rest on their credibility to be in the finals. The team which nobody paid attention to before the competition has everyone’s eyes on them. If the win against Brazil left some doubts, then the win against Uruguay cleared em all. Sneijder and Robben are definitely going to be the key play makers. Dirk Kuyt will have to step up his game if he’s to make any kind of impression in the finals. Can they be third time lucky?

One player each from both teams, David Villa from Spain and Wesley Sniejder from Netherland are top scorers in the tournament. They are definitely the ones to watch in the final. Who will edge the other for the golden boot and the golden trophy?

One thing is certain though. Two teams who have never won the world cup before stand before us to make history. And we are going to watch it happen. It’s a win-win situation all the way!

Champions of the world this time?

Shocker!

Sigh! Gasp! Gulp! What just happened in the quarters?!?! Barely a day after my last post the results are out and how! Brazil self destruct, Uruguay scrape through by the corner of their eye, Germany on a rampage and Spain just got lucky!

So I admit. I was wrong about the Netherland! But I really do feel that they didn’t win the match convincingly. An own goal and a patchy header hardly tell the full story. Yet the Oranje held their defences and attacked when the moment came. And fortune favours the brave.

Speaking of brave...a notable mention must go to Luis Suarez. His single act of quick thinking slapping-the-ball-away has a) made him into a national hero b) inadvertently taken Uruguay to the semis. Ethical questions of his act will time and again be raised. But Ghana had their chance and they blew it! The questions remains...Are the South Americans good enough to give Netherlands a good fight in the semis?

I had expected Spain to mercilessly tromp over Paraguay. But Germany took that duty instead and annihilated the Argentineans. After a while, it was even a pain to watch. I was worried about the Argentina defence and so should have been Maradona. But Demichelis was never replaced and backline blunders cost Argentina dearly.

Paraguay on the other hand gave a tough fight to title contenders Spain in what was a boring match from start to end. Barring the quick penalties awarded to both sides (which they both missed) the match had nothing worth watching! Spain better pull up their socks or they are gonna be chewed by the Germans and spit out just as quickly.

But hey, I’m not makin any predictions this time!

Same old story!

Quarter Up!!!

So eight teams now remain to slug it out and get their grips on the beautiful world cup trophy. As I said in my last post a few names have been surprising. But that’s a cause for celebration rather than worry. It could also mean new entries into the record books. If Uruguay wins their match against Ghana, it would be the first time in three decades that they would make a semi-final appearance. It would be nice to see this team achieve this feat, since after being the initial superpower at world football, the Uruguay national football team lost its footing at the international stage. So much so that they could not qualify for four world cups since then!

In Uruguay’s way stand Ghana. The black stars are the only team representing Africa with millions of hopes pinned on them. They should probably have a chat with the Indian cricket team on how that feels like. Honestly, the initial hype surrounding the African teams before the World Cup turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Out of 6, only 1 managed to wriggle its way to the final 16. Anyway, if they do put up the greatest show on earth and do manage to make it to the semi-finals, Africa will erupt with joy.

It’s funny to think now that this could have easily been England’s semi-final spot. All they had to do was get top spot in Group C. And they would have had to deal with teams like Ghana and Uruguay and Germany and Argentina would have been U.S.A’s headache. But what’s not is not. Chokers are chokers and England bottled it!

Over to the next match-up, and it’s Brazil who look like the stronger semi-final contenders rather than the Netherlands. News of internal strife and ego clashes between top players (Read Van Persie and Robben) has not helped their cause. I may be wrong but throughout the tournament, Brazil though far more technical than we’re used to seeing them, have been very confident in their execution of play. However, the fact remains, that the team who wins this round, is definitely strong enough to defeat both Uruguay or Ghana and make a dash for the finals berth.

At the next fixture, Argentina and Germany have started playing the pre-match mind games. Play between these two teams has always been exciting. Even though I’m an Argentina fan, I do admit than the Argentineans do tend to play a rough match. And who can forget last world cup’s bust up between the two teams. That doesn’t seem to go well with the refined Germans. The Germans have been playing all guns blazing this summer. The worry for Argentina would be its defence and back line. No matter how could their front three (Messi, Tevez & Higuain) are doing, teams like South Korea & Mexico did exploit Maradona’s defensive line. And Germany is a way bigger threat. It’s a tough match to call, but this one’s gonna be an absolute cracker!

I’m not at all excited about the penultimate match of the quarters. Spain would not be worried against a side like Paraguay’s, but they would be definitely prepared. The South Americans lukewarm show against Japan only reinforces my view that Spain might have it easy. Paraguay better attack right from the start if they are to get anywhere close to bothering Spain.

So my verdict? Most probably it’s a Brazil vs Uruguay and Argentina vs Spain semi-final round-up. Let’s kick the tyres and light the fires!

Surprise, Surprise

So, the third and final stage of group matches in the 2010 Jabulani infused FIFA World Cup comes to an end with surprising results. Teams like South Korea, Uruguay, Ghana, USA, Paraguay that have qualified for the knockout stage are teams that, in my novice opinion, considered not much of a threat for bigger teams. Two former world champions and finalists the last time, Italy and France have disastrously been booted out of the world cup and that too with drama! And it was a decent scoring second & third round with at least some goals to watch. Overall, after matches like Argentina-Greece, Portugal-North Korea, Slovakia-Italy, it’s been a good turn around for a slow starting world cup.

Have teams like France and Italy seen an early exit because their players have more loyalty or seriousness towards their clubs than their countries. I doubt it. France literally shot themselves in the foot by washing their dirty linen in public. As if the off-field coach-players-support staff spat wasn’t bad enough, their on-field performance was de-motivated, dejected and depressing! Surely they’ll have a lot to answer back home.

I feel more sympathy for the Italian setup because while watching their final game versus the Slovaks I really felt that the Italians did make a desperate attempt to overcome their opposing force. Both scored goals were fantastic and a third disallowed as an offside, on their lucky day, could have seen them through to the last sixteen. But maybe that’s how Karma strikes, considering the basis on which they went through to the quarter- finals in the 2006 FIFA World Cup after beating Australia on flimsy grounds for a penalty. Let’s hope they can regroup and come back stronger as a unit.

Which brings me to the talk of countries like Japan, South-Korea, Ghana, Paraguay, Chile, Ghana and the United States. Did they wonderfully make it through to the round of 16 because they take world cup football more passionately than the bigger, already established teams? I think so. The players from these countries usually play in domestic leagues being deprived of international recognition and not many from these countries have gone on to play in the more lucrative Spanish and English leagues. It’s the thirst for national pride, for recognition, for achievement which I think makes them go the extra mile on an international stage. And all of this without the burden of expectations!

This tournament has gotten fresh! Let’s hope the end result is also worth the wait!

The Super Summer Begins...

The heat is up and on. The world cup is underway and 32 teams have their sight on the World Cup trophy. As exciting as the prospect of this drooling world cup might have sounded in the past months the start of the world cup has been somewhat of a whimper. Why? Well, it’s been a low scoring affair (barring the Germany-Australia clash), the quality of football in terms of skill and flamboyance has been a bit lacklustre, and there have been too many draw results.

Teams like USA, North Korea and Switzerland, which were considered to be a bit inferior coming into the world cup have shown their metal against class oppositions. Biggies like England, Italy and Spain have massively failed to impress. However, I would hate to get ahead of myself as only the first round of matches have been played so far and who knows, the players and teams might just gel together and find their rhythm. Add to that the constant pestering of players and officials with issues such as the Vuvuzela and the Jabulani match ball have taken the focus away from the main attraction. The game itself. So lets wait and watch. Former world cups have never failed to impress and this one might turn around too!

But the FIFA world cup now is not the only thing on my mind these days. The Canadian Grand Prix just got over and it’s a Mclaren one-two again! If somebody had told me before the Turkish Grand Prix that such would be the scenario, I would have dismissed the idea. But the brilliant work of the Mclaren engineers combined with the aggressive driving of Hamilton and the smart driving of Button is proving to be a match winner. Not to mention that both these drivers are now at the top of the championship table.

One can expect the Red-Bull team to come back with a bang in Valencia, but something tells me that their unwanted collision mishap in Turkey is still playing somewhere around team Red-Bulls minds. But that’s just me. Far worse things have happened in F1 and teams have looked ahead to the future. The one thing that Red-Bull cannot ignore though is the fact that Mclaren have discovered the secret potion of winning in this season and Redbull have to pull up their socks.

Works wonderfully well though for a F1 lover like me who would love to see the championship go down to the wire!

Making it count!