Soccer - Foreign Remedy

Kushal Chakraborty

Accompanying Brazilian President Lula to India next month would be a six-member national football delegation of that country to India for betterment of Indian soccer. Not unusual going by the fact that Indian soccer is invaded by foreign players. The failure to create its own pool of talent is forcing India's football think-tank to peep outside its geographical borders, often in search of the players of Indian origin, who can salvage its pristine pride. Kushal Chakraborty traces the history of foreign invasion in soccer
Jose Barreto, Edmilson, Roberto Mendes Silva, Yusif Yakubu, Ranti Martins - this not a roll-call for an all-star world soccer team. These are some of the foreign players who are dominating the Indian football club rosters. In the Indian soccer scenario induction of good foreigners is vital to the success of a club. The craving for a foreign recruit has reached such a pass that the Indian football officials are now seriously thinking of giving Indian citizenship to some good foreign footballers. Japan is lending the cue with the success of Brazil-born Alex in its ranks.
The failure to create its own pool of talent is forcing the country's football think-tank to peep outside its geographical borders in search of the players of Indian origin who can salvage its pristine pride. With the country's present world ranking in soccer plummeting to 157, the mandarins of the sports are taking recourse to a relatively new legislation laid out by the sport's world governing body - FIFA. It is about the dual nationality of a player. In the Indian context the law would broadly read like this -- A player playing outside India but of Indian origin would be eligible to play for the country if he has not represented the country where is presently residing. Now with lot of the second or third generation Indian expatriates making their presence felt in different soccer leagues in Europe, the football administration is seeing its deliverance in the new generation of NRIs.
The need to excel in a highly competitive format spurred the Kolkata clubs to look outside the country for better talents. In this effort to outscore each other, two clubs - especially East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting - played the pioneering role. Mohun Bagan, being more conservative in principle, kept itself away from this process of hiring foreign players initially. Both East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting were regularly reaching outside the geographical boundaries to recruit players from of different countries. Still, the clubs had some self-imposed prohibitions. For example, East Bengal club did not recruit Anglo-Indian players till 1942. East Bengal broke this embargo with Fred Pagsali, an Anglo-Indian refugee from Myanmar. The player went on to occupy a prominent spot in the pantheon of the club's all-time stars with his exceptional skills as a striker.
This was time Mohun Bagan was beginning to realise the inefficacy of its stubbornness in not going for imports. It broke the convention finally in 1992 and did so in style bringing in Chima as its first foreign recruit. By this time East Bengal had made it their habit bringing hordes of foreigners every season. East Bengal had introduced another future star in 1986 picking up Emeka Ezuego from Aligarh Muslim University. After a brief stint in Kolkata and Dhaka, Emeka went back to his native country Nigeria and represented his national side in the 1998 World Cup. The stream of foreign invasion continued with the likes of Charles Appu, Chibuzor, Johny, Santos - who was perhaps the first Bazilian player to play in the country - joining East Bengal.
The cue was taken over by even smaller clubs, like George Telegraph, Port Trust, picking up foreigners in their roster. In the later years East Bengal further embellished its illustrious record of foreign recruitment reaching out to England from where they brought in the trio of Peter Maguire, Prindevelly, and Edmonds early in the 90s. Mohun Bagan picked up late but in the last 15 years it has caught up with the race along with other clubs in the country to make it a pan-Indian phenomenon.
Going by the performances of foreign players in Indian soccer, it can be said without any doubt that Africa-born players are more successful than the imports from the other continents. The last decade has seen the biggest proliferation in this phenomenon with the clubs in Goa, Kerala, Mumbai, and Punjab garnishing their squads with plucking from virtually all across the world. The past has seen the likes of Chima, Kenyan Sammy Omello, Ghanaians Sule Musha and Jackson Agygpong, Nigerians Emanuel Opoku, Bernard Oparanzie, Christopher among others. Now with Brazilians turning their attention to India, the clubs rosters have a healthy presence from the land of Samba. Led by Jose Barreto, who can easily be ranked among one of the foreigners to have ever played in the country, there are many other Brazilians who are tugging the fortune of the clubs in the country. The other successful Brazilian in the Indian conditions was Cristiano Junior, who met an untimely end on field in the 2004 Federation Cup final at Bangalore.
Surajit Sengupta, former Indian captain, says that most of the foreigners who come to play in the country are often of mediocre standards. "The only ones who are very exceptional compared to the Indian players can only make their mark. This is paradoxical situation where the talented foreigners often prefer good professional leagues in Europe and Asia (like in Japan and Korea), leaving only the ones without any option search the route to India," he says.
Tarun De, another international footballer, says the Indian clubs hardly make a quality check on the foreigners. To recruit a foreign player club officials need to be more professional in their approach. (TWF)****

Australian eye on World Cup

S S Ramaswamy

None currently in world cricket can excel defending champions Australia in this respect which makes them the favourites for keeping the World Cup in their graps despite suffering some serious setbacks of late.
Self-confidence can make people surmount what appears to be an impossible-to-scale challenge. And none do it better than Australia who may have lost some of their past aura but are still strong enough to make it an unprecedented three-in-a-row.
Their title-runs in 1999 in England and in 2003 in South Africa were not smooth sailing all the way, but the winning habit they had cultivated since 1995 when they overturned world champions West Indies in the latter’s backyard to scale Test cricket’s pinnacle gave them the extra confidence and will power to overcome the obstacles.
A lesser team in determination and resilience than Steve Waugh’s Australia of 1999 or Ricky Ponting’s side four years later would have succumbed to the intense pressures.
Thus, any team, including the resurgent and high-on - confidence India, needs to play far above its potential to get past the two-time champions in the race for the top prize in the West Indies.
India, two - time Cup winners and hosts West Indies and South Africa currently the world’s top-rated one-day team, do have the players to challenge Australia’s supremacy.
The vital question is, can they hold their nerves like the Australians do in times of serious difficulties ? Do they possess that extra vitality, fighting spirit and never-say attitude to even come back from the dead and clinch the Cup like Waugh and his men did against South Africa in 1999?
Australia certainly have been hit hard by the ankle injury sustained by speed ace Brett Lee, which has ruled the blond New South Welshman out of the tournament, and the biceps tendon injury suffered by the highly talented but unpredicatable Andrew Symonds.
But the quality of the domestic cricket in Australia is much higher than in the rest of the world and that’s the reason they have been able to find a fine replacement in Stuart Clark, a gangling bowler in the Glenn McGrath mould, for Lee and it would be surprising if he fails to fit the bill.
The injury to all rounder Symonds is the bigger concern for Australia who, at present, do not have so many players who can do multi-tasks like say India or Sri Lankan players.
Symonds is expected to take part in the later stages of the tournament, and his absence could be felt in the earlier stages too.
Australia, grouped ironically with South Africa, Scotland and The Netherlands in pool A, should not have much trouble in reaching the Super 8 stage, but could face unforeseen difficulties in the second stage if Symonds remains unfit to play.
But one only needs to go back to 2003 to see how Australia had bounced back after losing Shane Warne’s guiles after landing in South Africa.
Warne then had been declared to have failed a dope test conducted at home before the team’s departure and write off Australia at our own peril.
Most other teams would have been devasted by such a big blow to their hopes but Ponting and company took the severe setback in their stride and rode home all the way.
South Africa should also expectedly make it to round two along with India, Sri Lanka (group-B), New Zealand, England (group C) and Pakistan and West Indies (group D) from the preliminary stage where mismatches look likely to be the order of the day.
Coming to India’s chances in what’s widely believed to be an open Cup, they are as good as any other team’s barring perhaps Australia’s.
The sound blend of experience and youth, the depth and class in batting and the varied skills of a number of players surely gives Rahul Dravid’s team a classy look and a team which does look to have the ability to bring back the Cup to India after 24 years.
But generally India do not perform well away from home as was shown in the West Indies on their last visit in April 2006 and in South Africa, the main culprits being the wickets.
In the Caribbean the slow wickets affording low bounce stymied the team’s stroke players and it also missed the calming influence of Sachin Tendulkar who is present now and will surely boost the middle order.
Among the other serious challengers, South Africa’s batting looks a bit brittle and they also lack a good spinner. Their ability to handle pressure well in the past also puts a question mark against them.
Pakistan appear to be in total disarray with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohd Asif dropped because of ‘‘injuries’’ though there are talks that the duo have failed a privately held dope test. However, they have always been a totally unpredictable lot and still can come up with something spectacular out of the blue and regain the crown.
Sri Lanka have realistic chances of winning the Cup but they depend a lot on the top-order strike prowess of Sanath Jayasuriya as was shown in their last series in India. But the return of veterans Chaminda Vaas and Muthiah Muralitharan gives the team a healthier look.
England had a terrible Ashes series in Australia but bounced back well to surprise the World Cup holders and win the tri-series late, but cannot be said to be truly front-runners for the cricket’s most coveted prize.
New Zealand, who have also not won the Cup, are sailing in the same boat-good at home but not so impressive away from familiar surroundings.
That leaves the West Indies who had finished runners up to Australia in last year’s ICC Champions Trophy held in India.
The winners of 1975 and 1979 would depend a lot on the trio of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Brian Lara in batting. They have a good mix of bowlers, fast and slow medium, to trouble a lot of batsmen, along with the effective spin of Gayle and Marlon Samuels.
If the Calypso charmers do so it will certainly inject new life into the game in the Caribbean where its popularity has waned considerably. PTI Feature

Computers ‘Rule’ cricket umpiring

G V Joshi

The 14 Leg Before Wicket (LBW) decisions at Lord’s Test and Simon Taufel’s decision at Trent Bridge in UK to give Tendulkar LBW out has generated enough debate. Tendulkar might have scored a century which would have added one more feather to this already overcrowded cap. Taufel later admitted that his decision was incorrect. All his only points to a recent trend that the use of computers supported by electronic cameras and associated software, to make every decision in cricket is coming soon. Result: Many test umpires in International cricket could be under scrutiny or out of job in a few years time. Developments in computer programming have reached a stage when all key decisions that were once the privilege of field umpires, third umpires as well as match umpires would be resolved by television replay and computer programs like Hawk Eye.
Computer wizards have developed programs to resolve such doubtful issues as LBW appeals or whether the ball brushed the bat or the glove on its way to the wicketkeeper. Most decisions like No Ball, Wide Ball, Catch, Catch Behind Wicket, stumping, boundaries, and sixers are easy and TV replay has been helping the third umpire to decide any doubtful decision. It has already reached a stage that the third umpire is at times more important than the two umpires on the field. But a LBW decision is the most disputed part of cricketmatches. It involves a keen eye sight and a lot of personal judgment and that too taken in a very short time by the umpire. What is LBW? To a common cricket fan, LBW is simply leg before wicket. The umpire will consider an LBW decision if he believes the ball would have hit the stumps had its path not been obstructed by the batsman’s pads or body. But the umpire also has to take into consideration a number of other factors before making a decision. LBW appeals come within the space of two seconds, often less. During that time the umpire has to assess numberous factors before arriving at the right decision. TV viewers can see a ball and the bat from a number of angles. But the umpire has only one position, one chance and few seconds to decide correctly and at times he is not right. As of today, his word in final.
Dr Paul Hawkins, a British computer wizard has perfected a computerised state-of-the art technology to determine without any doubt, if a batsman is LBW out or not.
It has been aptly named Hawk-Eye (HE). Based on the missile-tracking technology, it can decide within two seconds whether a batsman is LBW or not. Special cameras are placed all-round the ground to provide three-dimensional images of the ball during its flight from the bowler’s hand to the player’s bat. Within a second, he calculates where the ball pitched, its sideways movement in the air and off the pitch, its speed and bounce. Finally, it pinpoints where exactly the ball had struck the batsman’s pad. The device then works out the path the ball would have taken, if the batsman’s pads had not come in its way, thus, deciding if the ball would have hit the stumps or not.
The system uses six cameras mounted on stands around the ground, two behind each set of stumps, and two at right angles (square) to the stumps. The four straight cameras workout the speed of the ball, how much it swung, where it pitched and where it hit the batsman’s leg. The remaining two support the system. The square cameras determine how much the ball bounced. This information is fed to a computer which works out a few facts to establish whether or not the batsman is out, (1) Did the ball pitch outside the off stumps? (2) Did the ball pitchoutside the leg stumps? (3) Did the ball pitch on the leg-stump, (4) Did the ball hit the batsman outside the line of the stumps? (5) Would the ball have gone on to hit the stumps? After considering the answers to the first four questions and if the answer to the fifth question is in the affirmative then the batsman is declared out. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has requested for a demonstration at the start of the season at the Lords in London. If the computer system is found to be one hundred per cent accurate, and better than the field umpire’s visual judgment, it could get an official go-ahead from the ICC, perhaps in a year or two. If this happens, cricket will be played with only the players on the ground and the only umpire for the match sitting infront of the Television and HE to give decisions. According to Dr Paul Hawkins, the brain behind ‘Hawk’s Eye’, “At least about one in five lbws that are given by the on-field umpires are incorrect.” HE can also be used in tennis to decide if the ball were ‘in’ or ‘out’. South African cricket authorities propose to use the ‘Red Zone’ and ‘Flight path’ systems to help them take LBW decisions.
They also use a device named “Snickometer” to detect if a batsman had hit the ball, but these, like the LBW aids, are not yet available to officials. They are also being refined to establish whether wood or any other materials have generated the sound. According to Dr Hawkins, “He has never imposed HE on any sport, whether cricket or tennis. It is a decision-making tool to resolve the tightest calls, in place where human judgement is no longer enough.” A former umpire Dickie Bird feels the technology is leading the game down the garden path. In his words, “HE is rubbish. Allit has given the game is controversy, and put umpires undermore stress.” Mr Jayaprakash, an Indian umpire says: “It is an innovative tool, no doubt, and may be what it has done isto readjust the line of sight of umpire. This prompts umpires to give more front-foot LBWs because they’ve seen that HE shows the ball hitting the stumps anyway.” However, there will always be a need for somebody to supervise the behaviour of players and their sledging on the ground. Sledging in cricket involves insulting opponents to break their concentration and cause them to make mistakes.
(PTI Feature)

Performance is the mantra

Joaquim Carvalho, popularly called "Jack" by his friends, was part of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic squad and considered one of the strongest ever to leave the Indian shores. As Chak De spirit sweeps India and the team prepares for the Beijing Olympics next year, the head coach of Indian hockey speaks to B Arindham in an exclusive interview
What changes you brought about in the team that retained the Asia Cup?
The changes I made were simple and straightforward. I asked the players to run hard, retackle, be aggressive in attack and solid in defence. The stress was also on discipline, teamwork and honesty…it was about giving 100 per cent. Another thing we did was making the video analysis programme more planned and fruitful….we scouted for the opposition's strengths and weaknesses and planned accordingly.
How is the team shaping for Beijing Olympics?
Presently the team is in Germany. After they return we will have a month-long camp from the first week of November where we will concentrate on the skill, fitness and strength part. The mental aspect of the game would also be looked into. We cannot take Great Britain lightly especially after the influx of a few players from Scotland and Ireland into their ranks. I am very optimistic. I never give up.
Who are the players you look forward to for delivering the goods?
All the players are important for me. I am concentrating more on the team than on any individual. So it would be unfair to single out anybody. We have a very talented bunch of youngsters and some very committed seniors. It's a well balanced side.
What was the inside story behind Sandip Singh being dropped? There are polls for Sandip Singh….
People who conduct these polls are not aware of the facts. I am not going to compromise with discipline and commitment…stardom and past laurels means nothing to me…no individual is more important than a team. He is supposed to be a penalty corner specialist and for that one needs to practise day in day out. He was missing practice in camps and that is not acceptable. I dropped Raghunath in spite of him being a drag-flick specialist. This is because he was not performing. So there is no bias…performance is the only mantra.
How would Ric Charlesworth's inclusion help you?
Ric is a legend in his own right. He is one of the most experienced coaches. But here his job is off the ground. He is the technical director. He gives suggestions and the ones we deem fit will be taken. There will be no interference in day to day coaching.
What is your definition of modern hockey?
Modern hockey is all about playing according to the necessity of the match. The top notch teams like Australia or The Netherlands do not play fancy hockey. They play effective hockey. We need to use the substitutions to the core, play hard effective hockey and translate the individual skills into group skills.
Has Premier Hockey League helped Indian Hockey?
It has surely built the hype. The media coverage has brought in money. The visibility factor is a big thing. It creates support base…the inclusion of the foreign players gives a chance to the junior players to rub shoulders with the biggies. Youngsters come to know that there isn't money only in cricket when they see a player like Dilip Tirkey make Rs five to six lakh from one tournament.
How would you describe the protest after the Twety20 victory celebrations?
First I would like to clear one thing. I have nothing against cricket. In fact I watched the final myself and was supporting Dhoni and company…was biting my nails. I celebrated too. Most of the cricketers are my friends. But what I found very odd was that the state governments were vying with one another to reward the players but not a word of congratulations came for my boys who are the champions of Asia in a very high voltage and tough tournament. It was as if cricket was the only sport and all other sports were pushovers. I was protesting this apathy from the administration. This protest was a precedent set for the later generations.
What are two things that you would like to change if made the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) boss?
I would like to make the administration more professional and strengthen the domestic structure. The second thing I would like to do is build on the infrastructure for the game in the country and creates awareness.
Has "Chak De India" created a renewed love for the game?
The film was well made and has certainly raised a few eyebrows with the amount of media coverage it got. For the boys it's still a lot of hard work and a commitment to continue winning. The best thing that Chak de has done is that it has given an idiom for winning in the name "Chak de".
How would you like to be remembered as a coach?
I will be satisfied if the boys give 100 per cent in every game. The results don't worry me. Having said that I would like to keep my winning ways uninterrupted (Laughs). (TWF)

Cradle of Cricket

Raju Bhartan

A tattered, yellowing tent. An old mali wearing an outsized khaki shirt and shorts. Weeds growing all over the outfield that would embarrass any amateur week-end gardener. A rickety score-board. A quiet drizzle. And a crowded ground, with many matches on at the same time, where the third slip in one match has only to turn around to become mid-on in another, and third man in the third. It seems chaotic and disorderly, but in the anarchy there seems to be a purpose.
In the tent, as on the field, are some of the keenest, most eager young cricketers one can find. They look scrawny and bony, but when they grow up they could become a Sunil Gavaskar, a Dilip Vengsarkar, an Ajit Wadekar, a Dilip Sardesai, a Ravi Shastri, a Sanjay Manjrekar, a Sachin Tendulkar and a Vinod Kambli. Along with Praveen Amre and Vinod Kambli, Manjrekar and Tendulkar led a powerful revival of the traditional Dadar-Shivaji Park domination of Indian batting.
If the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton and Harrow, battles at Lord’s or Bridgetown have been saved and won due to the playing fields of Mumbai’s Shivaji Park and Dadar Union. For the batsmen who have emerged from these clubs with no facilities but loads of history and tradition, are full of grit. They give Indian batting its spine. Says Milind Rege, former Mumbai player: “Mumbai produces the country’s gutsiest cricketers”.
From the moment they open their eyes they think, dream, and hear cricket. As does anyone who lives near Shivaji Park. From seven in the morning, every day of the week, the reassuring thuds of the willow reverberate in the vast ground in central Mumbai, and the air carries the smell of leather, even as RSS men perform their daily exercises and the statue of Shivaji looks on vigilantly.
All over the ground, hundreds of schoolboys, donning flannels, bat and bowl at the eleven nets with determination, their minutest error spotted and corrected by eagle-eyed coaches like Vasant Amladi and Vithal Patil.
Over the years, Shivaji Park has become the metaphor for the country’s cricketing nursery. There are other grounds too in Mumbai—the Tairsee nets in downtown Mumbai where Vinoo Mankad used to teach, or the sylvan MIG ground in midtown Mumbai, where Vasu Paranjpe, who played for 35 years for Dadar Union, still teaches—but nothing as symbolic of the city’s cricketing prowess as Shivaji Park.
Those practising there follow a tough schedule: bowlers bowl two hours at a go and many of today’s Test stars say they used to practise six hours a day in their formative years. Cricket maniacs like Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli during summer vacations, used to practise from 7 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. then play a game through the day, and then be at the nets again till 7 a.m.
As the days get warmer, the tents at Shivaji Park become a beehive of activity, as young aspirants rub shoulders with Test stars and a few veterans. The youngsters are all eyes and ears as the old-timers like Vijay Bhosale recall the days of Shivaji Park alumni and their glorious deeds: how Sunil Gavaskar batted even when he was ill and carried his bat through the innings, or how Padmakar Shivalkar bowled like a man possessed.
Special lightweight pads, since both of them are of short stature, after Tendulkar hit a century in the match. Then in England, Gavaskar advised Tendulkar: “Everything you’re doing is fine. But don’t go for the ball; let it come to you.” Recalls Tendulkar: “I thought about it and followed it in the next innings.” It was an innings that gave Tendulkar his first Test century.
Some critics feel it is the Maharashtrian ethos which has produced the run-hungry machines. Mihir Bose writes in A Maiden View: “What is this Maharashtrian against? Why is the Shivaji Park ingredient so crucial? It is wronged nationalism. Somewhat similar to the one felt in Yorkshire but infinitely more powerful. One that believes that the true merits and genius of Maharashtrians have not been acknowledged. Shivaji Park is the symbol of that feeling”.
But club loyalties are now waning. The days when Gavaskar would fly back from a tour and turn up the next morning for Dadar Union are gone. Says Sandeep Patil: “Sunil was the only guy who was devoted fully to the game. All of us—including myself—were content to be happy-go-lucky.”
But Tendulkar and Manjrekar have proved that despite being overcome by slackness, this nursery continues to nurture talent. The crowd of Shivaji Park teenagers struggling to get into the Indian team shows that the turf still sprouts talent.
Different sets of heroes continue to emerge from the playing fields of Shivaji Park. Gavaskar taught Indians tenacity, and now hardly any Indian fights shy of facing hard, fast bowling. One day Tendulkar will have left behind a lesson: loose deliveries must be hit with the contempt they deserve. That would be a fitting tribute to the Shivaji Park ground, even if it is filled in the evening with Shiv Sainiks and Congress workers who’ve converted the ground into a battleground of political ideologies.
The blades of grass sway not to the rhetoric of the Thackerays the Pawars; but tingle with excitement each time square cuts whistle by. (INAV)

The giant and gentleman

Jayant Muralidharan

India's current test captain 37-year-old Anil Kumble is one of the finest players of the game. Quiet, dedicated, humble to a fault and rather decisive for a Libran, is as well-known for his penchant for privacy as for his performance on the pitch. For the Bangalorean, life is a balancing act between action and accolades; family and fame. From a typical Kannadiga Brahmin family, where right education was the hallmark of a person's capabilities, he managed mechanical engineering and gully cricket with a finesse still associated with his performances.
The self-effacing leg spinner, with a surprisingly guttural, sexy voice, brushes off compliments, "As long as you are honest and committed, you will end up a winner. Anyway, I have never planned anything in my life. Things have just happened. Of course, there have been times when I've had to take decisions, and I've always stuck by them."
Like he chose to sweat it out-on and off field-when his peers were burning up the dance floors. His single-minded devotion paid rich dividends and he rose from the Ranji team (Karnataka) to the national cricket team. He debuted at 19, dazzling everyone with his first five-wicket haul against South Africa at Johannesburg, just two years later. Kumble's 17-long-years in international cricket are peppered with a clever mix of top-spinners, googlies, leg-breaks and a variation of pace that has outwitted many a batsman. And of course, the ever-dependable Kumble doesn't blow his own trumpet by reminding you of his latest record that of being the first Indian to have reached the 546-wicket tally in Test cricket. Hardly surprising, if one considers his earlier feats on the field-in early February 1999, he single-handedly upstaged the Pakistan team to become the second bowler and only Indian in Test match history to capture 10 wickets in an innings. In 2002, in a Test match against the West Indies at Antigua, (and with a fractured jaw to boot!) he bowled 14-overs with his face bandaged. And for the 6'2" tall Kumble, his 10-wicket haul is his most prized accomplishment. "I still have the ball," he smiles.
All work and no play? It does seem like it. "Where was the time?" says the cricketer who would have us believe that his first and last love is his wife! Rather difficult to stomach, considering the scandals that surround his colleagues! But, even considerable digging around didn't reveal any clandestine affairs!
Well, what you say about a guy whose favourite place is home, fave colour blue, hot girl, his wife, and he listens to "nice, soothing music!" We rest our case and declare him a good guy!
Is cricket then his first love? "There's no way I would have swapped cricket for the job of a mechanical engineer," he says. Kumble attributes his success to team members, supporters and to his education. "I wouldn't have been as successful but for my education." Do you then wonder at his penchant for precision and accuracy in line and length?
The strength of their relationship is evident from the fight Kumble and Chetana put up together, for Aaruni's-Chetana's daughter from her earlier marriage-custody. "It was a huge relief when we finally won the case," states Kumble. Now his family is complete with 11-year-old daughter Aaruni and two-year old son Mayas. Has the father-daughter relationship been smooth right from the beginning? Kumble feels it is quite fine as "Chetana did a lot of work in this regard". Talk about Mayas and his face breaks into another happy smile, "At this age, he is quite a handful. He has so much energy! Now he is old enough to realise that I am not present 24 hours. So whenever I am at home, he ensures that I spend maximum time with him."
A lesser-known fact about Kumble is his fondness for photography and his felicity with his camera, a Canon Digital EOS 5D, no less! Of course, he has taken some candid shots of his teammates but is loathe sharing them. Kumble feels, "Certain photographs are very special and I don't think my colleagues will want me to share them with everyone!"
The more daring pictures are of course those of animals in the wild. He is particularly fascinated by tigers and has travelled to tiger reserves at Bandipur and Kabini. "But I have never seen a tiger in my life," he admits, adding that he is planning a coffee table book with his collection of photographs.
Money, name and fame. Anil Kumble has it all. However, the trappings of success don't really impress him much. His luxurious house, his fancy Ford Endeavour are just brushed aside with a simple "Certain things are just there, but I hardly use them", almost like they don't matter to him. For this vegetarian (he hates the idea of killing an animal just to eat it), simplicity rules. (INAV)

Adieu Indian Hockey!

Krishna Mohan

In a matter of just a few days the headline writers in the country have exhibited a full range of emotions. The victory in the triangular one-day cricket international series in Australia sent them into ecstasy with some gloating headlines raising visions of a 'resurgent' youthful Indian cricket team becoming number one in the world! Even before this euphoria had died down came the abysmal news of the defeat of the Indian hockey by Great Britain in Olympic qualifying round matches in far way Chile. The defeat eliminated India from participating in the hockey event at the Beijing Olympics. It was an unprecedented humiliation for Indian hockey.
The defeat was unanimously described as 'shameful', which would perhaps erroneously lead some to believe that the Indian hockey team that played in the qualifying rounds in Chile was capable of winning. The 'shameful' chapter had indeed begun a few days prior to the final surrender before Britain when the same country had handed a drubbing to the Indian team. The fact is that the Indian team that participated in the Olympic qualifying round matches was ranked lower than Great Britain.
There was no dearth of head-hunters in India after the decisive defeat in Chile. The media was at its carping best and the hockey fans were dumbfounded. The politicians joined the two in demanding heads-of the bosses of the long discredited Indian Hockey Federation, particularly its chief, aged 'super cop' K.P.S. Gill. The latter arrogantly refused to step down, saying "IHF is not a coffee machine that could pour out instant coffee!"
While there were accounts analysing the weaknesses of the team that played the final round in Chile, the overriding theme in the criticism was that Gill must go at once for the sake of resurrection of the Indian hockey. The demand for his removal has been a constant refrain almost from the time he became the chief of the IHF in 1994.
One does not know why, but the fact is that 14 years have passed and nobody has been able to dislodge Gill if that was considered to be the first step towards restoring India's lost hockey pride. There can be no question that Gill has outlived the IHF hospitality. But in demanding his scalp certain other facts are sometimes overlooked.
Granted that much of the muddle in the Indian hockey team can be traced to the IHF and its chief. But when talking about the decline of hockey it may also be necessary to talk about the clear downward trajectory of Indian hockey from about the mid-1960s and the corresponding ascendancy of the European style of hockey, which has contributed in no mean manner to the decline of Indian hockey.
The world switched from grass to astro-turf for playing hockey long time ago. The debacle of the Indian team at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 was attributed to the team's lack of practice on the astro-turf. More than 30 years on, the country is still short of astro-turfs grounds. Big cities like Delhi and Mumbai may claim one or two astro-turfs but in smaller towns where probably there is still an abundance of hockey the game continues to be played on grass. In fact, most schools do not have adequate playgrounds.
India was a force to reckon with in hockey for a long time, from the time the men led by legendary Dhyan Chand pulverised the world in the decades after the first world war. India bagged gold medals in eight Olympic Games. The last one was at Moscow where the quality of participation was questionable because of boycott by the western countries upset over Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
The skills of the players can be honed by the coach. The history of the Indian hockey team's coach is akin to a revolving door policy. The coaches have been coming and going at frequent intervals. A defeat in a major international tournament is a sure signal for their hasty exit. The coach of the team that has just lost in Chile, Joachim Carvalho, did not complete even a year before he resigned following the Chile defeat.
The International Hockey Federation, reportedly concerned over the decline of men's hockey in India, had appointed Australian Richard Charlesworth, a four time Olympian, as the India team's technical director. He was not with the Indian team in Chile. According to the grapevine Carvalho did not want him around.
It is believed that the Indian hockey bosses are not keen on foreign coaches. In 2004, a German coach, Gerhard Rach, was sacked after one of the regulation Indian defeats. His parting shot against the Indian hockey bosses: 'It (Indian Hockey Association) is an association run by mad people.'
It is not very difficult to make the players and the coach the scapegoat after a defeat. That will prove to be futile if the hockey bosses continue to be immune from accountability of any sort. There are guidelines for the tenure of the sport bosses. But these guidelines have been held in 'abeyance' for the last five years. Why?
The Government may not be in a position to directly intervene in the administration of an autonomous body like the IHF but it does not make sense that there is absolutely no way to get rid of the hockey bosses when their record has all along been dismal and disappointing. The bus to Beijing Olympic has been missed but there is still time to prepare for boarding the bus for a host of other important tournaments in coming years-the Asian Cup, the Commonwealth games, the World Cup. (Syndicate Features)

I am Prepared for the
Kolkata pressure

Moroccan Karim Bencherifa, arguably the best foreign coach in India at this time, talks with B Arindham about his coaching in Churchill Brothers and his future with Mohun Bagan
How was your tenure with Churchill Brothers?
It was a great experience coaching at Churchill Brothers. When I took over it was a team of youngsters. I am lucky I got such a great bunch of players. I also thank all the players, with no exception, for cooperating with me to help achieve whatever success we enjoyed over the last seasons… All I want to remember now are the good moments I had at this club (Churchill Brothers). I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Churchill Alemao for treating me as part of his family.
The Alemao family gave you a letter wishing you luck…
Yes, they have been very nice to me. They treated me like their family and never let me feel the pressure alone. I had a wonderful group of players and I am taking with me some fine souvenirs.
What exactly happened between you and Okoli Odafa?
I believe in moving on and carrying forward the positives. So I will not like to talk about any bitterness. That is the past. Mohun Bagan is the future. Odafa is a fine footballer and that is all I want to remember.
When did you decide on joining Mohun Bagan?
After our last game, I first informed the management about my intentions. They asked me to reconsider my thoughts till the end of IFA Shield
What is the secret of your success when other foreign coaches have failed?
I don't want to comment on other coaches. As for me, I like to see each new assignment as a unique case. Each nation, club and side has its own culture, mindset and way of dealing with things. My effort is to understand it and then communicate my message in the best possible manner I can. When there is least miscommunication, success is bound to follow more often.
Are you aware of the expectations as Bagan's coach?
I know the club has a long history. It is the oldest club of the country and of late the cub has not done very well. My aim will be to bring back the lost glory of the club. If all hands join together to work in different directions success is bound to follow. When I say all hands I mean the coach, supports staff, players, administrators and even the fans. What you need is patience and hard work.
Are you aware of the pressure the job carries in Kolkata?
I am prepared for the pressure the job brings along with it. Even a club in Malta will have pressure to perform and the coach is as good as his team. I am not buckled down by pressure, it ignites me.
What about Mohun Bagan's game with Bayern Munich on May 27?
The topic came up during our discussions. It will be a rare opportunity and a great honour. But I will be joining the club in June only. But if the club wants some input from me they know how and where to contact me.
On India's bottlenecks?
The Indian players are hardworking and give their all when on the pitch.
The one area where Indian football is lagging behind and that is fitness and athleticism. You need them to be good athletes too. If you have to choose between a short talented boy and a tall, but less skillfull guy, go for the tall one as you can groom him.
Your comments on the recent decision to allow four foreigners in the clubs?
You see there is no league in the world without foreigners. Football is not just about the game, but about fans and sponsors too.
Foreigners add taste to the league. To resolve this issue, you need to have a big pool of local talent and increase the number of clubs competing in the I-League. (TWF)

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