VIDEO: Team India's goals in 2011

Under the title of An Introduction to Indian Football someone has uploaded onto YouTube most of the goals that Team India scored in the 2011 calendar year. A nice video to watch and some really good goals in there as well!!!

My Indian football Highlights in 2011

2011 ends later today and I wanted to take a look back at the year gone by in Indian football. It was another year which promised a lot, but did it keep up to its promise or let us down? A difficult question, which does not have a definite answer. Read and make your own opinion...


2011 AFC Asian Cup

The year started with India playing at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, 27 years after its last appearance at the continental champions. India coached by Bob Houghton were drawn in the Group of Death along with Australia, South Korea and Bahrain. We lost 0-4 against Australia, 2-5 against Bahrain and 1-4 against South Korea. 3-13 goals speak a clear language, but if one knows the gulf in standard between the best in Asia and a developing football nation like ours then it was an overall a good show by Team India.

The tournament also marked the career highlight for a generation of Indian footballers led by striker Baichung Bhutia, who was mostly injured and so could only play the final 15 minutes against South Korea. The others were Mahesh Gawli, Deepak Kumar Mondal, Samir Naik, Climax Lawrence, Renedy Singh and Abhishek Yadav; who all have done their bit for Indian football.

But one should not forget the fans. India had the best crowd support in Doha! It was like a home tournament for us...


The Sacking of Bob Houghton

Englishman Bob Houghton did a credible job to qualify India to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and thereafter at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in March 2011 in Kuala Lumpur he started to rebuild his team for the years ahead. But that was cut short by the All India Football Federation as the national body was not happy with the fact that Bob openly criticised the infrastructure and administration as the reason of India's non-development in football. Especially at the Asian Cup in Doha Bob was vocal about the problems that Indian football faces.

The end of the story is a complete disgrace. The AIFF labelled false charges of racism against Bob Houghton for statements he is said to have made against Indian fourth official Dinesh Nair in a international friendly match last year in Pune.

In the end Bob looked fed-up and left the country in haste after the AIFF dropped the charges in April 2011. After nearly five years of being India coach Bob certainly didn't deserve a send-off like this.


I-League: Salgaocar SC champions

The surprise champions of the 2010/11 I-League with 56 points were Salgaocar SC under the able guidance of Moroccan coach Karim Bencharifa. The Goans surprised everyone with their football and after snatching the lead from early leaders East Bengal Club, they never really looked back as they won the championship in style. Their foreigners in Luciano Sabrosa, Ryuji Suoeka and Yakubu Yusif were top besides young Indian talent in Gilbert Oliveira, Francis Fernandes and Anthony Barbosa emerging plus seasoned Karanjit Singh, Jaspal Singh Parmar, Khelemba Singh and Rocus Lamare playing their part.


I-League: JCT relegated, close down

Punjabi side JCT, who have been fighting relegation for the last few seasons, finally went down at the end of last season as they finished 13th amongst 14 teams. It not only ended their stay in the NFL/I-League since the launch of the league, but their management decided to close down the football club overall to concentrate on the Academy and youth development.

It marks the end of an era, leaving Punjab and North India without I-League representation. JCT not only were the flagbearers of the North but also a club to develop talent through the JCT Academy. The players often moved from the Academy to the senior team and there made a name for themselves.

The closure of JCT follows a season after Mahindra United had decided to take the same drastic measure as the clubs say that they cannot sustain themselves without earning revenues. Still things don't seem to change with the clubs unable to generate revenues and other clubs could go this way.


2014 FIFA World Cup: India out at first hurdle

The qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil were over before they had really started for India. This time around seeded into the second Round of Asian qualifiers India had to face the mighty United Arab Emirates and progress would have meant a real upset.

But only 23 minutes into the match in Al Ain it looked all over for India after having goalkeeper Subrata Pal and defender Debabrata Roy send-off for two separate incidents with the team down to nine men and 0-2 behind. It ended 0-3 for the UAE, a credible result for India under the given circumstances, and India earned a hard-fought 2-2 comeback draw at a monsoon flooded Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi, but the overall aggregate of 5-2 speaks a clear language.


Indian Arrows become Pailan Arrows

Over the summer it looked like the Indian Arrows could be shutting shop due to the high costs involved in running the India developmental side in the I-League. But then Kolkata-based Pailan Group came forward and adopted the Arrows, the AIFF rebranded the team as Pailan Arrows and as such they will now play in the I-League in the coming seasons.

The good thing about the Arrows is the fact that their future for the next few years is secure and the youngsters will get a continued chance to play in the I-League with the team not to be relegated. This exposure is necessary and will do Indian football a great service in the future.


Baichung Bhutia retirement

Striker Baichung Bhutia was an upset man that he couldn't help his beloved Team India more at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in January in Qatar due to an injury. He tried a comeback ahead of the India vs Pakistan Series in the UK, but he had to pull out due to a never-ending injury and then Baichung decided and announced his retirement from international football in August 2011 in New Delhi.

Later on in October 2011 the India vs FC Bayern Munich match came around and it will give Indian fotoball the chance to give Baichung a fitting farewell on January 10, 2012 in New Delhi at the Audi Football Summit.


SAFF Cup: India triumph!

The year ended as it started with an international assignment for Team India. But this time around India wasn't the underdog, but rather the overwhelming favourite besides defending champions. And though the team had their problems in the tournament and faced some tough competition India did trash Afghanistan 4-0 in the SAFF Cup final though the result does not really reflect the match with the Afghans the positive surprise of the tournament.


International interest in Indian football

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation continue to say that Indian football has huge potential and international interest in the Indian market continues to grow, but the necessary development isn't seen as in my opinion a lot of effort goes in vain or is commercially driven rather then by the game.

Surely we have now tons of camps from European top clubs for big city children, but development needs to be taken to the smaller cities and the rural areas where talent lies uptapped.


These are my Indian football highlights from 2011...

AFC POTY: First shortlist announced

The Asian Football Confederation today announced the first shortlist of contenders for the coveted AFC Player of the Year award for this year. The list will be revised again next month after the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, Olympic qualifiers, AFC Champions League and AFC Cup matches.

South Korea and Iran have three players each in the list while Asian champions Japan have two. Iraq, UAE, China, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria have a player each in the 15-member list.

The players have been chosen by the AFC for their performances in the AFC Asian Cup, international qualifiers and continental competitions like AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup.

The AFC Player of the Year award will be presented at a grand ceremony on November 23, 2011, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


LIST OF CONTENDERS FOR AFC PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2011
(in alphabetical order; list as of today)

Deng Zhouxiang (China)
Farhad Majidi (Iran)
Firas Al Khatib (Syria)
Ghasem Hadadifar (Iran)
Ha Tae-Goon (South Korea)
Hadi Aghili (Iran)
Hasan Abdel Fattah (Jordan)
Ismail Matar (UAE)
Keisuke Honda (Japan)
Koo Ja-Cheol (South Korea)
Mohammed Noor (Saudi Arabia)
Server Djeparov (Uzbekistan)
Takashi Inui (Japan)
Yeom Ki-Hun (South Korea)
Younus Mahmoud (Iraq)

VIDEO: Prelude to the FPAI Indian Football Awards 2011

The third edition of the FPAI Indian Football Awards is set to be held in mid-September 2011. After Kolkata and New Delhi it looks that Mumbai is likely to be hosting the gala evening this year.

The voting amongst the players has already started while the Fans Player of the Year is set to happen very soon.

Last year striker Mohammed Rafi had been named as the Best Indian Player of the Year while goalkeeper Subrata Pal won the Fans player of the Year. I-League champions Dempo SC had two winners amongst them in Joaquim Abranches as the Best Young Player of the Year while Armando Colaco won the Coach of the Year, while for a second time Odafe Onyeka Okolie was also chosen as the Best Foreigner of the Year.

Here the promotional video for the FPAI Indian Football Awards 2011






Here the report from last years FPAI Awards Nite 2010 .

What Bob Houghton has done for our football

I have been surprised at the amount of criticism our now former coach Bob Houghton has received from the media and fans. Because I think one thing is for sure, Bob has done a lot of things which were and are important for the development of Indian football, but some facts are often forgotten or maybe not even known, while others just seem to criticise for the sake of doing so.

The nearly five year reign of Bob Houghton as coach of the Indian national team ended on Saturday, so lets focus on what Bob has done or tried to do for Indian football outside of Team India.

But lets first look at how it all started. In June 2006 while the whole planet was looking at Germany during the 2006 FIFA World Cup India appointed a new coach in Bob Houghton, who came with a pedigree of over 30 years of coaching experience from around the world. At the time Bob came to India, England under Sven Goran Eriksson took on his native Sweden at the FIFA World Cup in Cologne. Eriksson is one of the numerous Swedish coaches who where heavily influenced by Bob Houghton and Roy Hodgson, who coached in Scandinavia in the 1970s and we actually had a nice conversations about Bob's appointment and Sven had said it was a wise decision by the federation in India.

From those days it is known that Bob Houghton prefers to play a classic 4-4-2, which some would call old fashioned in modern day football though it is result oriented football and in the end results count the most plus it's also known in football circles that Bob mainly relies on a set group of players, he isn't a manager who makes too many changes to his squads. You go with it or leave it.

And when Bob arrived Team India was in a mess. Some players had resigned others like Baichung Bhutia where thinking about resigning and ending their international career, so Bob first had to convince key players to return or stay with Team India.

Some say Bob hasn't developed any talent. Then I simply ask them who where Subrata Pal, Gouramangi Singh or Sunil Chhetri when Bob came to India? None of these boys were anywhere near being key players in the national team. And the next crop of players would have been developed now after the Asian Cup, if given chance as the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers showed.

Bob also ensured extended foreign camps, the best available facilities and that the interest of the players were taken care off, so nobody would have to worry about anything. Things which weren't done in the past and therefore it isn't surprising that Bob was popular amongst his players, though he kept a distance but was there whenever needed and he treated the players like his own sons.

Bob also has been working on getting a youth development system in place. He got Colin Toal as technical director and Desmond Bulpin as coach of the Indian Arrows & Under-23 national side. Along with them he first created and then streamlined Indian football's youth development system. Against opposition from the federation who often said what's the use of spending money on such projects they got long duration camps, foreign exposure trips and better accommodation in place besides fighting for the Arrows to be integrated into the I-League.

The results of youth development work doesn't come overnight it will take time, but to end on an example most of the players in the Indian Arrows are a product of this development work of the last four years and maybe in another four/five years we can judge that work if it is allowed to continue.

You might not like it, but I believe that Bob deserves credit for all the work and whoever comes next has a tough job on hand.

Houghton resigns, AIFF drops racism charge

After the AIFF dropped their racism charges against Bob Houghton the Englishman resigned as national coach of India. The end came faster then one would have expected, but the end result wasn't a surprise anymore as Bob's departure looked the only option left after the AIFF and Bob could not work together anymore.

The federation bosses and Bob Houghton held a meeting in New Delhi today and finalised the exit of the Englishman after the federation made it known to the coach that there was no definitive and concrete evidence in the racism allegations against him, which cannot be sustained and therefore the AIFF agreed to withdraw all charges and allegations made against him.

Thereafter Bob Houghton tendered his resignation . It seems he finally was fed up with the AIFF and its ways of working after being in the hot seat for nearly five years. Bob Houghton had come to India in June 2006 during the then summer FIFA World Cup and has had done some really good work with India winning the Nehru Cup twice in 2007 & 2009 besides the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup which led to India playing in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

There at the Asian Cup in Qatar India had to face Australia, Bahrain and South Korea which resulted in three defeats with a goal difference of 3:13, something which the federation and its bosses thought was not a good result and account of Indian football. Also Bob openly criticised the infrastructure and administration as the reason of India's non-development in football.

This led to the federation digging up an old case of fake racism charges against Bob by fourth official Dinesh Nair in an international friendly last year. Interestingly this charge had been denied by Bob Houghton and then manager Pradeep Chowdhury, while no action was taken against Bob then. If any action will now be taken against the concerned match official will have to be seen.

While the AIFF has had its way of getting rid of Bob Houghton, the players surely won't as they have often openly supported their coach over the last few years.

And Bob not only has been working on the senior national team, but he has over the years been forcing the AIFF to develop a youth development system and strategy. The Indian Arrows was one of those ideas and long foreign training camps not only for the senior national team but juniors as well to prepare them better for tougher continental competitions are amongst those ideas.

Thanks Bob for all you have done for our football! And all the best with your future coaching assignments.

Chhetri surprised, upset by AIFF reaction

When Sunil Chhetri send out those tweets a couple of days ago, the India and Chirag United SC striker wouldn't have imagined what steer he would have created. Normally one would say a message of support and a public thank you is something worth a credit. But here things have gone totally wrong.

Could the AIFF have handled the issue in a better way? Surely! They could have simply contacted the concerned player, told him about their dislike of such tweets and asked him not to do it again; rather then make it public and make matters much worse.


These were the Twitter reactions from Sunil after the release was made public by the AIFF

press kaling me regarding my earlier tweet abt bob..alright I have nthing against the AIfF,n havnt said a single word against it whatso ever

Being a member of AIFF,y wud I say or do anything against it,

I just don't want any controversy.I just want peace,have received 200 kals in the last 6 hours!I didn't wanted to hurt any1

I ll bro,just sad with everythin

These latest tweets say it all. Chhetri as a player is not part of Team India but is also of the AIFF! And hopefully this issue can be sorted without much fuss...


The Twitter account of Sunil Chhetri is @chetri_sunil11 .

AIFF vs Sunil Chhetri: Indian football's first Twittergate

Twitter has become an international craze were people tweet about their ideas, what they do, etc. It has also caught-up with players of the Indian national team. One of them is striker Sunil Chhetri, who now might be in serious trouble for two of his tweets.

And there might be another problem arising between the AIFF and its international players after the federation send out a release which stated the 'AIFF may act tough on Sunil' after the striker wrote on Twitter two messages thanking what Bob has done the players and that it would be a great loss to Indian football.

The AIFF has interpreted the tweets as criticism of its stand against their own national federation, the release said, "The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has taken strong exception to Sunil Chhetri's remarks against the National Federation on the issue of National team coach Bob Houghton on twitter."


On Tuesday, April 19 Sunil Chhetri send these two tweets out into the world

thinking and analysing everyt. that bob has done for us,infact football in india, can't thank him enough!it ll be a shame if he has to leave

N even worse,we charge him for racism, havnt seen a gentleman like him,leave behind d world class coaching n vast knowledge...sorry bob!

The AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das reacted by saying, "The AIFF is extremely perturbed and concerned that National Team players are making such unnecessary comments relating to AIFF's functioning and on the issue of coach Bob Houghton as well."

"The matter will certainly be discussed at AIFF's next Executive Committee meeting and action may be taken, if necessary," Kushal Das added.

According to the AIFF Sunil Chhetri was one of seven players who had signed a memorandum accusing former Team India manager Pradip Chowdhury, and was then issued a warning by the AIFF prior to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Sunil Chhetri was also a signatory of a letter by players and coaching staff in support of Bob Houghton a few weeks ago.

Das stressed, "The AIFF is also in the process of strengthening the Code of Conduct for the players as well as the officials and it would be implemented very soon."

But the real question is what wrong has Sunil Chhetri done? He just thanked his coach for all the coach has done for him. And expressed his views on Bob leaving. Is freedom of speech no longer wanted???

AIFF postpones second Bob Houghton hearing

Today was earmarked as the second date for the hearing of Bob Houghton on the show cause notice send to him by the AIFF, but the federation postponed the hearing as the AIFF constituted panel hasn't been able to go through all the concerned documents.

On April 11 the first hearing had been held where Bob Houghton had appeared with his lawyer Anish Dayal. There the India coach presented his side of the three points mentioned in the show cause notice and handed in a document of 75 to 80 pages about the concerned allegations in detail.

The three points where: 1. Allegations of Racism by an Indian fourth official, 2. Under-performance by the national team at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, 3. Open criticism by Bob Houghton against the AIFF in the international media.

The AIFF will finalise the date for a second hearing once the panel has gone through all the documents and has their necessary answers in place. The AIFF hopes that that new hearing date would still be in April.


Here the blog entry: Houghton presents his case, final hearing likely next week .

Houghton presents his case, final hearing likely next week

Many thought it would be decision day in New Delhi when national coach Bob Houghton would appear infront of the three member AIFF Panel - Subrata Dutta, Ankur Datta and C.R. Viswanathan - with also General Secretary Kushal Das present. But today Bob only presented his side of the three point show cause notice with Supreme Court advocate Anish Dayal by his side. Dayal is a specialist in media, sports and entertainment law and has IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals are amongst his clients.

The hearing latest less then 30 minutes with Bob presenting his case in writing at Football House, so the panel decided to take a few days time to go through the documents and then fix another date of meeting. Tentatively the panel would meet again on April 20 with Bob Houghton also having to be present.

After the hearing advocate Dayal told the media, "We have denied all the charges levelled against the coach. We have submitted that all of the charges are baseless. We are expecting a fair decision."

"We have not mentioned anything about giving evidence against the charges. We will wait what the panel says in further proceedings," Dayal added.

Meanwhile the AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told the media, "They filed a written reply which expectedly denied any racist attack. The committee will examine the response and will arrive at a decision ahead of the second meeting in eight days time."

Houghton to face AIFF panel tomorrow

National coach Bob Houghton will face the AIFF set-up Special Panel at Football House in Dwarka, New Delhi tomorrow to present his case in the three point show cause notice send out to the coach last month. The Englishman is well prepared for the hearing and is set to present his side of the story on the three points which the federation holds against him.

The AIFF Panel is set to contain Vice-Presidents Subrata Dutta and Ankur Datta as well as Treasurer Hardev Jadeja. Originally the panel was supposed to also contain the federations president Praful Patel, but if he will part of the proceedings is unknown at this stage. After the hearing the panel will give its recommendations to the Executive Committee to decide on the future course of action.

As things stand at the moment Bob Houghton has a contract still running for over two years until mid-2013. He is on a monthly salary of US$ 20,000 and if the AIFF fire him then normally there is a settlement which would entitle the coach to most of his pending salary, but with the AIFF bringing up the allegations and the show cause notice the whole issue has reached a whole new level. And Bob could ask for compensation due to false allegations. If not sorted out between the two parties then it could go to the AFC and FIFA, which would hurt our reputation.

The show cause notice was a letter containing three points, the first-ever such letter send out by the national federation to one of its coaches. The first point is alleged racial abuse against Indian referee Dinesh Nair, who was the fourth official in the India vs Yemen international friendly last October in Pune. After the game Nair alleged that Houghton had referred him as a 'Bastard Indian Referee' and therefore lodged an official complaint with the match commissioner. In the meanwhile the national team has send in a signed letter to the AIFF in support of Bob and against the allegations of Dinesh Nair.

Point two is India's poor performance in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and in earlier international friendlies in September/October 2010. India conceded 13 goals against Australia, Bahrain and South Korea in Qatar; which according to the AIFF Technical & Executive Committees isn't acceptable especially due to the high cost involved in the teams preparations.

The third point mentioned is the open criticism by Bob Houghton against the AIFF in the national and especially international media before and during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. The lack of infrastructure and professionalism in administration where the main points mentioned by Bob why Indian football hasn't developed over the years. And it seems the AIFF isn't happy about its deficiencies being exposed openly infront of the world media.

AIFF show cause Bob Houghton

It was a good week for Indian football when the newly formed Indian national team qualified without any real problems for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, but now it could become sour as it has become public that the AIFF yesterday mailed their coach Bob Houghton a show cause notice, which Bob would get in person once he returns to Goa later today.

Three key points have been mentioned in the letter due to which the show cause notice has been send out. The first one is alleged racial abuse against Indian referee Dinesh Nair, who was the fourth official in the India vs Yemen international friendly last October in Pune. After the game Nair alleged that Houghton had referred him as a 'Bastard Indian Referee' and therefore lodged an official complaint with the match commissioner. In the meanwhile the national team has send in a signed letter to the AIFF in support of Bob and against the allegations of Dinesh Nair.

Point two is India's poor performance in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and in earlier international friendlies in September/October 2010. India conceded 13 goals against Australia, Bahrain and South Korea in Qatar; which according to the AIFF Technical & Executive Committees isn't acceptable especially due to the high cost involved in the teams preparations.

The third point mentioned is the open criticism by Bob Houghton against the AIFF in the national and especially international media before and during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. The lack of infrastructure and professionalism in administration where the main points mentioned by Bob why Indian football hasn't developed over the years. And it seems the AIFF isn't happy about its deficiencies being exposed openly around the world.

Now Bob Houghton has been asked to appear infront of an four member AIFF committee on April 11 to present his own case and depending on the answers the federation would take a decision to dismiss or retain him until the end of his contract in 2013.

The writing is on the wall, the AIFF is taking the next step to try and dismiss their coach just after a successful qualification campaign. Surely one can discuss the third point of open criticism, but when you get a coach like Bob you should know that he is open, direct and honest in his views, while the first two points normally hold no ground.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming two/three weeks...

Indicast Podcast: The Derby is in Town

Nani managed to get a hold of me on my vacation in Kolkata. In this podcast, among other things, we talk through my rather rough experience of watching Indian fans in the stadium! Nani and I also talk about my Doha experience and how prepared is Qatar for hosting the WC 2022. Nani plays the eternal optimist hoping that India can make it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but if it does, I reckoned that it will be the most supported team considering the vast Indian contingent there.



Listen Online (64 kbps) : ~ 30 mins





Here the direct link to the Indicast Podcast page: Sportsbench Podcast


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India's lessons from the Asian Cup

The 2011 AFC Asian Cup is history, but for India the tournament marked the return to the continental stage after 27 long years. And there are important lessons for Indian football to take from it, work on them and try to qualify again for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia to show Asia that our football is developing and progressing.


Tournament matches isn't preparatory games

Many had worried that after the bad results in the run-up to the Asian Cup that India could get trashed by continental heavyweights such as Australia, Bahrain and South Korea. Surely we did get beaten by clear margins, but in none of the matches were we totally outplayed as in some of the preparatory matches. Plus the boys always gave their opponents a real fight and the sign of this are the three goals which we scored.


Continue to play international friendlies

Finally India played a number of international friendlies. From September to November 2010 we played more international friendly matches then in the last decade. Surely the results weren't the best, but what can you expect from a team which normally faces south Asian rivals, some better sides in the Nehru Cup every two years or local club sides wherever they train. We need to play five/six friendlies over the year 2011 to maintain that momentum and the level of exposure. And maybe even think about having a marquee match once a year against tougher opposition from Asia or even from Europe and South America.


International experience

The Asian Cup was international exposure for Team India at a new, much higher then their usual level. It showed that we lacked that international experience, e.g. in the game against Bahrain where we got the equaliser and went all out to get the second goal, but somewhat forgot to defend. This is all part of the learning process, which will help the team progress in the future.


Importance of AFC Challenge Cup

Only due to the fact that India won the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup we were able to qualify for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. If we had to qualify through the qualifiers we would have never made it to these continental championships. So the focus of the AIFF and Team India needs to be on the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, if we don't win it next year then we have another chance in 2014 to get to Australia.


Great fan support

India had great fan support in Doha! I would go on to say that we had the best fans in the Asian Cup with over 10,000 Indian fans coming to the three games on average. Especially delightful was to see our fans turn up in numbers for the last game against South Korea after the team was out and it was also raining heavily. This fan base which is there to support and watch Team India needs to be nurtured around the world.


International media exposure

Whatever Indian football does over the year it gets little to no international media coverage. At the Asian Cup we were one of the most covered national sides simply for the exotic factor and India developing so rapidly as an economic power. The global media genuinely wanted to know more about our football, which is a good sign even though the problems were touched on by Bob Houghton and the players. If it had been different then surely we would have been regularly playing Asian Cup.

India Players: In Bob we trust!

Widely travelled English football coach Bob Houghton has been the chief coach of the Indian national football team since summer 2006 and India having played at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup is a huge success for a football nation which currently is in a developmental stage.

If you talk to the Indian players you will often get similar answers that Bob has been fundamental in the development of the team and it has improved considerably over the last three/four years. If Bob really wanted then most of his players would walk through fire for him, then the level of trust goes that far.

India captain Baichung Bhutia said, "We were at the Asian Cup after 27 years. That is prove enough what Bob Houghton has done for Indian football. He has instilled confidence in us to face tougher opposition with a positive frame of mind."

As a coach Bob Houghton isn’t someone who likes to experiment with his playing system nor with the squad. Since Bob's arrival India have been playing a simple 4-4-2 system. And the squad hasn't seen major fluctuation, rather small changes here and there or forced changes due to injuries.

The Asian Cup started for India with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Asia's number one ranked side Australia. There had been fears that India could be walloped by the Socceroos, but Bob's boys would hold their ground and avoid a heavy defeat. As Bob said afterwards, "we had prepared for this as good as we could."

In their second group match against Bahrain India gave it all against Bahrain, but in the end lost 2-5. The result sadly does not reflect the game as it was at times much closer and a draw could have been possible if the defence had not made so many easy mistakes, while in attack India played one of their best matches against such tough opposition.

In their final group game India were often outplayed by the skillful South Koreans, but only lost 4-1 in a match which for many India players was a dream come true when they faced Manchester United star Ji-Sung Park.

These overall heartening results show that Bon Houghton's persistence with certain players plus his system and tactics paid off. It was clear from the onset that India playing in this group wouldn't be fighting for top position, but to show to Asia that Indian football is there and we are hopefully here to stay.

In a chat before the tournament started Bob had told me that the reason of numerous injuries to players was simply the workload. The players and their bodies had to prepare for the Asian Cup physically likely never before in their career and this lead to numerous muscle injuries.

But the trust goes the other way too. Bob just loves his boys, whom he regards as a great set of lads! Especially with Baichung Bhutia he has a special relationship as Baichung resurrected his India career after Bob became India coach as earlier Baichung had planned to end his international career.

Bob Houghton last year renewed his contract until 2013 with the All India Football Federation until the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Bob himself wants to stay and rebuild the team as senior players like Baichung Bhutia, Mahesh Gawli, Deepak Mondal, Climax Lawrence and Renedy Singh all are getting older and new blood will have to come in.

Indian midfielder Renedy Singh said, "I hope Bob stays many more years India coach. Only then can we improve further."

2011 Asian Cup - My personal Review

I was in Doha for the whole duration of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup - Qatar and made my personal observations during course of the tournament. Asia's premier football tournament, which was held from January 7 to 29, showed that football in this part of the world is developing but there is still a long way to go before Asian football can challenge the best in the beautiful game though some nations are much closer then others.

The tournament also reaffirmed the fact that the Asian heavyweights from the East - Japan, South Korea, Australia - are moving fast ahead of their rivals from the rest of the continent. The best matches in this edition of the tournament where those, when these three sides faced each other.

Japan became fitting champions in the end after a 120 minute final battle royale against Australia on Saturday, January 29, through a great strike by substitute Tadanari Lee after the Samurai Blue had overcome archrivals South Korea in a penalty shootout in the semifinals.

While Australia came to Qatar under German coach Holger Osieck with an experienced squad with many of their key players above the age of 30, both Japan and South Korea came into the tournament with rather young and inexperienced squads. The coaches Alberto Zaccheroni (Japan) and Kwang Rae Cho (South Korea) both said before the start of the championship that their teams should gain valuable international experience and if possible bring home the title.

Japan continued their domination of Asian football with their fourth Asian Cup title in the last six editions, while South Korea failed once more as they remain without an Asian Cup title since 1960. And the Taeguk Warriors will have to wait until the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia to try and bring the title back to the Korean peninsula.

With the Asian Cup taking place in Qatar a lot of expectations had build in the Gulf that an Arabian side could be the surprise element in the tournament like Iraq had been in the 2007 edition. But the sides from West Asia did not really set the tournament on fire. There were the upset wins by Jordan and Syria against Saudi Arabia, but that had more to do with the Saudis, who aren't as strong as they used to be as a national team and Jordan holding Japan in their opening game, where the young Japanese hadn't settled as a team. By the quarterfinals all teams from the region where out of the tournament.

And then there are the most populous countries on the planet - China and India - who came into the tournament with contrasting expectations. China came to Qatar as the highest ranked team in Group A and with hopes of at least progressing to the knockout stages, but after an opening win against Kuwait, a loss to the hosts Qatar was followed by a draw against Uzbekistan to finish third in their group, which meant elimination.

India meanwhile were drawn in the toughest of all groups, in Group C. Little was expected from the Bhangra Boys, who suffered a 0-4 loss to Australia, a 2-5 defeat against Bahrain and lost 1-4 against South Korea. It was the expected last place finish for India, but acceptable defeats for a nation who returned to the top of Asian football after 27 long years. Still India's fans need to be complemented as they came out in numbers and supported the team in a very positive way.

Overall Asian football didn't take the leap which many had hoped for to show that Asian football has really arrived, but as the tournament progressed the quality of football got better. Overall an interesting tournament, but very few fans attending continues to be a problem for the Asian Cup and the Asian Football Confederation. And it is unlikely to be solved in the next edition as Australia is so far away from the rest of the continent.

To end on a personal note. I enjoyed being in Qatar for the whole duration of the Asian Cup. It has given me a much better insight of Asian football and also the strength and weaknesses of football across the continent plus one could watch nearly all games as the five venues across Doha where easily accessable. And I hope to be back for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia...

VIDEO: CNN feature on 'Meet India's David Beckham'

This feature on Baichung Bhutia & Indian football was aired on CNN during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup last month, but I still thought it is of general interest so posting it on my blog for you all to view. Enjoy!







Here the CNN 2011 AFC Asian Cup round-up article: Five things we've learned from Qatar's Asian Cup

The Asian Cup Final: Australia vs. Japan

The 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar comes to an end today with the final between Australia and Japan at the Khalifa Stadium. The final between the three time former champions Japan and first timers Australia marks the end of the three week tournament.

The two sides had different paths to the final. While Australia waltzed past Uzbekistan in a 6-0 semifinal trashing, the Japanese needed a classy performance from goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima in the penalty shootout to get past archrivals South Korea.

But the final will be a new game altogether and it starts at 0-0 with both sides eyeing the title. What Australia has in experience, the young Japanese side make up in enthusiasm; but going into the game both sides lack the big match experience.

Australia are match fit with no injury worries with coach Holger Osieck likely to send out the same starting eleven as against Uzbekistan. That won't be to the liking of Blackburn Rovers star Brett Emerton, but Osieck will go with the line of "never change a winning team".

At the pre-match press conference Osieck was very relaxed and the German looked forward to meet Japanese players like Hasebe and Hosagai who played under him while he was club coach in Japan.

Japan meanwhile paid a heavy price for their semifinal win against South Korea. Young sensation Shinji Kagawa is out of the final breaking his fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. Kagawa has flown back to Germany and his club Borussia Dortmund isn't amused either as the 21 year old midfielder is likely to be out for the rest of the Bundesliga season.

In Doha meanwhile Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni didn't want to disclose whom he is set to field in place of Kagawa. He only said, "I have made up my mind on who I will play for Kagawa, but I won't announce it just yet. You will see tomorrow."


Australia's passage to the final

The Australians topped the group of death, Group C. They opened with an easy 4-0 against minnows India, where lucky to hold South Korea to a one-all draw before winning their crucial final group game 1-0 against Bahrain. Then they won in the quarterfinal 1-0 in extra-time against defending champions Iraq. This was followed by the 6-0 demolition of Uzbekistan.


How Japan made it to the final

Japan made a slow start into the tournament. They starred at defeat in their opening Group B game against Jordan but were able to get a late equaliser. In their second match they came out 2-1 winners against Syria though some controversial referee decisions went against them. And then they trashed a pathetic Saudi Arabia 5-0 in their final group game. This set-up a quarterfinal clash with hosts Qatar and Japan prevailed 3-2 in an entertaining, but often close contest. In their semifinal game Japan won 3-0 on penalties after the match had ended one-all in regulation time and two-all after extra-time at the Al Gharafa Stadium.

Comparing China & India in football

The 2011 AFC Asian Cup has reached the final stage and the worlds largest countries by population in China and India are long gone. And comparing the two new power engines of the world economy in the game of football would be unfair to both as what China all has in infrastructure, youth development system and coaching is mostly lacking in India.

But the football world hopes that both countries are set to play a bigger role in the beautiful game in the years to come. FIFA president Sepp Blatter recently had said after granting Russia the right to host 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar, "It's my philosophy to drive forward the expansion of football. The next regions that we need to conquer would be China and India."

That is good news for football in these two countries, but the ground reality is totally different in China and India. Indian national coach Bob Houghton, who also coached China and Uzbekistan in the past, said, "There should be comparisons between China and India as they are growing economic powers, but it is a difficult one in football.”

Comparing the two Houghton said, “When I was in China between 1998 and 2004 you could see this growth especially in football with stadiums and training facilities being built with top division clubs having facilities which are of English Premier League standard. But we lack these in India and have problems to run our I-League with stadiums not available."

If you look at the way the two sides came into the tournament and the results here in Doha, then there is a huge gap between the two nations. China came through the qualifiers second to Syria; while India qualified by winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, a second tier national team competition in Asia.

China who were above their group rivals in rankings coming into the Asian Cup but had a mixed tournament in Group A. They won their opening encounter 2-0 against Kuwait, but lost their crucial second game 0-2 against hosts Qatar while only getting a 2-2 draw in an interesting tie against Uzbekistan to finish third in their group, which meant elimination.

India meanwhile were drawn in the toughest of all groups, in Group C. Little was expected from the Bhangra Boys, who suffered a 0-4 loss to Australia, a 2-5 defeat against Bahrain and lost 1-4 against South Korea. India returned to the Asian stage after 27 long years and showed glimpses of talent in all their three matches, but they have a long way to go to catch up with the best on the continent.

Both sides will now be closely watched, but when these emerging football nations will become power houses of Asian football will have to be seen. Both sides will hope to be back in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.

AIFF releases own statement on media reports

The All India Football Federation yesterday also got into the act of denying of having fed the Indian media with wrong reports on statements made by Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Alex Soosay. And even more after the AFC made it clear that it was not happy in what was happening in India and it beig dragged into the whole controversy.


An AIFF statement to the media said:

AIFF has noted with concern reports in certain sections of the media quoting various AIFF officials on the performance of the Head Coach and disharmony amongst the players in the recently concluded AFC Asian Cup 2011 held in Qatar.

Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, categorically denies making any derogatory comments about any player or the head coach.
Performance of the Indian team will be reviewed by the Technical committee and the Executive Committee of the AIFF.
He also said that he was personally present in Doha and that players' spirit and unity was very good.
He further added that there was absolutely no suggestion by the AFC on replacing the current Chief National Coach Bob Houghton. The meeting with the AFC in Doha was held to discuss ways to improve the grassroots’ development programme in India for the betterment of the game.