Indicast Podcast: Indian Footballers Homesick?

I was once more part of the Indicast Podcast's Sportsbench and we discussed international and Indian football. This time around the focus was on the AIFF IMG-Reliance deal, Mohun Bagan change of coach and the India preparations for the Asian Cup,

The podcast was moderated by Vikram Nanivadekar and myself as the guest of this episode.


Listen Online (64 kbps) : ~ 26 mins





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


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India's Friendly against Qatar cancelled

The international friendly match between India and Qatar which was supposed to be played on Sunday, December 19 in Dubai has been called off. This information was given by the AIFF yesterday, but only today the reason behind the cancellation was made public.

The reason is simply the issue of where to play. India has been holding their final preparatory camp in Dubai since early November and wanted the match to be played in the Emirate of Dubai; while the Qataris wanted the match to be played in their capital Doha as part of their preparations for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

An Indian team official told PTI, "We had our own plans, so we wanted to play the match in Dubai, our base. And moreover, the match was originally scheduled to be held in Dubai and not Doha."

The AIFF and the Qatari FA could not find a agreeable solution so in the end the friendly was cancelled. This I find very sadly as a lot of international attention would have been on this game as Qatar only a couple of weeks ago was chosen as hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and this is the first game of the Qatari national team after that decision in Zurich.

Meanwhile the AIFF and the local camp organisers are looking at finding a local club side from Dubai to play against on December 19/20 to test the team before India face Syria in their next international friendly on Sunday, December 26 in Dubai.

The AIFF needs a Chief Exec!

The All India Football Federation has come a long way over the last decade with the professionalization of its administration. Surely they aren't there where they need to be when you compare India with the best managed associations in Asia, but some vital steps have been taken; be it the construction of Football House with FIFA GOAL Project support, the creation of the post of a paid General Secretary, getting full time staff to run the different departments within the AIFF and making the I-League an own entity run by an own CEO with his staff.

But now the AIFF needs to think further into the future and what it needs to do in professionalizing their operations. They have a new General Secretary in Kushal Das, who will work to further organise and professionally run the administrative side of Indian football. But with president Praful Patel not only being the federation president, but also being the Minister of Civil Aviation and having a family business, he cannot spend time only on football.

And that is often the scenario if the president of the federation is an honorary post. He has to earn his bread and butter elsewhere. In such a scenario the federation should consider to create a new post that of a Chief Executive Officer, whose role it would be to run and manage the federation plus also work on the vision of the federation and future of Indian football, while the task of the General Secretary becomes more administrative and operational.

This is the way professional football associations around the world are often structured. The chief exec is there for the day to day job, while the president presides over important meetings like the executive committee or AGM. This way nothing important in the federation lies unattended when the president is unavailable for whatever reasons.

And who could or should be candidates if the job is created? Indian football being as complex as it is, you need someone who isn't a greenhorn neither should it be someone too old, as I think such a role would need someone who has a vision for the game and the capability to create a road map for the next seven to 10 years.

Maybe something to discuss in the next AIFF Executive Committee meeting...

FIFA World Rankings: India remain 142nd

World football governing body FIFA today released the latest FIFA 'Coca-Cola' World Rankings and INDIA remain 142nd amongst 208 ranked football nations. India now has 132 points, 13 less then last month, but their 1-9 hammering against Kuwait and the 0-5 defeat against the United Arab Emirates had little effect on the rankings as these were only international friendlies and most team from around the world lost points in the rankings.

India remain 23rd amongst the 46 ranked Asian nations. India is now joint 142nd with Caribbean island state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (just as info: with a population of 117.200) sandwiched amongst African nation Chad as 141st and Malaysia at 144.

India's 2011 AFC Asian Cup opponents all lost points and spots in the rankings. Australia remain number one in Asia but are now 26th (lose -1 place) in the world, South Korea remain Asian number 3 but also lose a spot in the global rankings to be 40th, while Bahrain are now seventh in Asia, down behind China who move past them, and lose six spots to be 93rd in the world.

Amongst the top global five there has been only one change. As world champions Spain remain top and runners-up the Netherlands are two, Germany are now the new third switching places with Brazil, while Argentina complete the top five.

No Michael Chopra for India in Asian Cup

English Championship club Cardiff City FC striker Michael Chopra will not be playing for India in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup next month in Qatar. Sadly the AIFF top brass didn't make any pro-active attempt to fast track British citizen Chopra getting an Indian passport to be eligible under Indian law to represent the country.

Team India captain Baichung Bhutia when recently asked about Michael Chopra had said, "there aren't too many players at that level eligible for India." And Baichung's team mates thought similar that a player of Chopra's quality would surely help the national team in a tough competition like the AFC Asian Cup. And through the Football Players Association of India they tried to get something going, but it did not happen.

This was simply because the AIFF thought otherwise. AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das had said earlier this week, "One player cannot win a football match, it's a team game and Michael Chopra is no Lionel Messi, though he plays in England."

AIFF president Praful Patel had also said that getting Michael Chopra an Indian passport wasn't a top priority for the All India Football Federation. If not getting the best "Player of Indian Origin" a passport to represent India at the continental level, what would be?

I fear this is a lost chance for India to integrate a top talent into our national team set-up. Surely Chopra is no Messi but for Indian football he could surely be an asset in the years to come. Now lets hope after the Asian Cup is played the AIFF realise their mistake, they then take a more pro-active and welcoming approach to integrate Chopra. Then Team India will have to regroup after the Asian Cup with numerous senior international players set to retire and Chopra has stated that he is willing to play for India even if not getting a passport quick enough to play in the Asian Cup.

AIFF - JSW Steel tie-up in Indian Stadium redevelopment

There is more good news for Indian football on this day. The All India Football Federation president Praful Patel informed the media that the federation has tied up with JSW Steel Limited to redevelop and manage football stadiums in Kolkata and Bangalore.

"We have got the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium for a 30-year lease from the state government and JSW will start the renovation work in the next three-four months. JSW will also take over the Bangalore Football Stadium," said Praful Patel, after the federation's Annual General Meeting.

This means that Kolkata will soon have a stadium in the city, which would help the Indian Football Association (West Bengal) and the cities big clubs Mohun Bagan AC, East Bengal Club, Chirag United SC and Mohammedan Sporting Club in their match scheduling.

The Bangalore Football Stadium is currently being upgraded through two separate FIFA projects. Under the FIFA GOAL project the missing fourth stand is being build as a national training centre facility to make the stadium complete, while under FIFA's 'Win in India with India' program the stadium is getting an artificial turf field.

The Bangalore Football Stadium is owned by the Karnataka State Football Association, one of only two stadiums currently owned by state football associations, and the venue will in future be managed by JSW Steel Limited.

In even further good news Praful Patel informed the media that Mukesh Ambani had shown his interest in developing infrastructure at Mumbai's Cooperage ground, which is embroiled in a public interest litigation. "The PIL is nearing its end and Mr. Ambani has personally shown interest in developing infrastructure at the Cooperage," Patel added.

AIFF & IMG-Reliance sign 15 year contract!

Negotiations have been ongoing for many month's, but finally today the All India Football Federation and IMG-Reliance signed on the dotted line for a 15 year contract with the goal of maximizing the sporting and commercial potential of football in India right from the grassroots up to the professional level.

By signing the deal with the AIFF, IMG-Reliance (a joint venture between IMG Worldwide & Reliance Industries) has acquired all the commercial rights to football in India which include sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising, film, video and data, intellectual property, franchising and new league rights. Through such a long agreement the AIFF and IMG-Reliance have the time and hopefully the financial strength to improve, popularize and promote the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level.

The AIFF has also mandated IMG-Reliance to develop the branding and marketing aspects related to Team India, domestic competitions and participating teams. It would also look at scheduling, restructuring and reformatting of domestic competitions. In addition, IMG-Reliance plans to develop, operate and administer a new professional football league in the country. Through the AIFF, IMG-Reliance will also work with their state associations in developing these various proposals.

IMG-Reliance and the AIFF will also work together to develop Indian football talent, significantly impact the competitive level of the sport as well as attract high quality international players. This will include training facilities, modeled on IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida in the United States.

This agreement with the AIFF follows IMG-Reliance's recent similar announcement of acquiring the commercial rights to basketball in India, in cooperation with the Basketball Federation in India. But there IMG-Reliance was able to sign a 30 year deal, which they also wanted to do with the AIFF but this was turned down the AIFF.


"The AIFF has a vision for the sport of football in the country. Our engagement with IMG Reliance comes at a pivotal stage of this pursuit to enhance the quality of football and develop the sport across the country. IMG-Reliance brings together an unparalleled advantage of the execution capabilities of Reliance and the global expertise in marketing and development of sports of IMG. We have shared what we have learned from the past and agreed on the tasks at hand as we embark on this exciting journey with them," said AIFF president Praful Patel.

Commenting on the development, Mrs. Nita Ambani, Member on the Board, IMG-Reliance, said, "As the youth of India make a mark in the global stage, we need to invest in developing platforms which can help our talent to realize their potential. IMG Reliance is committed towards developing these platforms and the tie-up with the All India Football Federation is a significant step in this direction. I am thankful to Shri. Praful Patel and all the senior office bearers at AIFF and it is a privilege to partner them in the joint pursuit of developing Indian football to its truest potential."

"We are incredibly excited about the future of football in India," said Ted Forstmann, Chairman and Chief Executive of IMG Worldwide. "It is the second most popular sport in the country with a massive and passionate fan following. The excitement and exuberance that was evident in the streets of the major cities in India during this year's World Cup, as well as the estimated 110 million Indian television viewers of the games, is a good indication of potential for future success. With the cooperation and participation of the AIFF, IMG-Reliance is committed to making football a commercially exciting and successful sport in India. In a country with a population of 1.2 billion people and incredibly talented athletes, it's a realistic goal that India aims for a future World Cup berth. Together with our Indian Basketball deal, this gets IMG-Reliance off to a fantastic start," Forstmann concluded.

Team India leave for Doha tomorrow

Tomorrow evening Team India leave their training base in Dubai to fly across to the Qatari capital Doha ahead of two international friendlies against hosts Qatar on December 19 and old rivals Syria on December 26.

Qatar, who have been in the news over the last few days as they won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, are the hosts of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. And for the return to the continental Asian stage after a gap of 27 years India has been training abroad in Portugal and Dubai over the last five month's to prepare themselves to face Australia (January 10), Bahrain (January 14) and South Korea (January 18) in a very tough Group C.

But preparations haven't been going too well in recent weeks. First there were the terrible results in international friendlies against Kuwait (1-9) and the United Arab Emirates (0-5) plus the growing list of injured players. News out of Dubai is that Bob Houghton has asked the AIFF to send five/six players across to the Gulf to strengthen his list of probables as some of the 30 players are sure to miss the Asian Cup. Currently around 10 players are said to be injured. Already training with the squad is goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as Subhashish Roy Chowdhury and Arindam Bhattacharya have been carrying injuries on and off.

I-League: Finally to kick-off

The I-League, India's professional football league, is finally set to kick-off tomorrow across the country after having been delayed by over two month's due to the Delhi Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, and then the problem with TV rights and sponsorship. But though there are loads of problems off the field, lets focus on the football and there we are in for a very interesting season.

First there are 30 players missing from the I-League squads, who are part of the Team India probables for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar in January 2011. Some teams are more hit then others as champions Dempo SC miss a number of regulars, Churchill Brothers miss their key defender Gouramangi Singh, other clubs have players missing until January.

The clubs are ready for the fourth edition of the I-League to finally kick-off tomorrow. And most of the teams have invested heavily in their squads with some clubs having record budgets of upto Rupees 130 Million (Rs. 13 crores) this season. The clubs have been busy with local leagues, played the Federation Cup, also played in invitational tournaments like the Durand Cup to prepare and set their teams.


But who are the favourites???

Well, we come to the usual suspects and those who could cause an upset. The Goan biggies of Dempo SC and Churchill Brothers SC, the Kolkata Maidan giants of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, and maybe outside chances for a strengthened Salgaocar SC, last years surprise package Pune FC and the leagues dark horses Chirag United SC, who won their first national title in Durand Cup.

But after last nights Super Cup performance surely defending champions Dempo SC will be the first title contenders. Still East Bengal under new coach Trevor Morgan are a potential threat to the Goans, while other sides will have to prove their strength in the long running league.


And who are the candidates to go down???

One will have to mention the promoted sides Bangalore's HAL and Mumbai's ONGC, both teams of PSU's who are having difficulties to fulfill the club licencing criteria. Then there is the AIFF XI, the India Under-20 national side, who will debut in this seasons I-League. Most of the boys are still teenagers so the league will be a real test. The question which the AIFF couldn't answer is what happens if the AIFF XI is relegated? Will they stay in the league and someone go down or is the team shut down.

Others who could be involved in the fight for survival are Mumbai FC, Viva Kerala and JCT where one isn't sure how strong or weak these sides really are.


Matches in Round 1
03-Dec-2010: Pune FC - Mohun Bagan AC
03-Dec-2010: Chirag United SC - AIFF XI
03-Dec-2010: JCT - HAL, Bangalore
03-Dec-2010: Mumbai FC - Air India
03-Dec-2010: Viva Kerala - Salgaocar SC
04-Dec-2010: Churchill Brothers SC - Dempo SC
04-Dec-2010: East Bengal Club - ONGC

The I-League a difficult TV rights sell?

The fourth edition of the I-League is set to kick-off in three days and the AIFF still has no TV partner, who would do the live broadcast of I-league matches. And it is high time to sort out this crucial issue otherwise clubs are in a fix about TV coverage of the I-League, which wouldn't be liked by their sponsors.

The AIFF made a last ditch effort to find a TV partner at short notice for this seasons I-League by even posting the requirements onto the AIFF website, but none of the sports channels showed any interest. The only interested parties are three regional Bengali channels.

So who are the interested channels?

First there is news channel 24 Ghanta, who happen to belong to the Zee Group. 24 Ghanta has shown quite a bit of Indian football in the recent past. They have shown I-League matches, the recent Federation Cup knockout matches, the Bayern Allstars vs East Bengal Allstars match, and will show tomorrow's Super Cup match.

Then there is Rupashi Bangla, an entertainment channel launched in the summer, who had shown a football reality show in July and for that had brought down Romario, Branco and Diego Forlan. It ended with the reality show casted team taking on Mohun Bagan.

And the third bid is a joint approach by Kolkata TV and Channel 10. Kolkata TV have shown matches from the Calcutta Football League in the past.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told PTI, "We have received proposals for invitations of telecast rights but a decision will be taken after review by the (AIFF) finance committee and the rights holder."

With no alternatives available the AIFF might have to go for the regional Bengali option. But would any of these channels show any matches not involving Mohun Bagan and East Bengal? I would seriously doubt that as they also have to look at their TRP ratings. And only East Bengal and Mohun Bagan count in Bengal...

Team India: Two friendlies in December

Bob Houghton and his boys continue their preparations for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and in December Team India will play two international friendlies, which will be further tough tests for them. First India play the Asian Cup hosts Qatar on December 19; while then on boxing day (December 26) India face Syria, the team India beat twice to win the 'ONGC' Nehru Cup at home. Both the matches will be played in the Emirate of Dubai.

At the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, which will be played in Qatar from January 7 to 29, India have been drawn in Group C along with Australia, South Korea and Bahrain; who happen to be No. 1, 3 and 6 in the Asian rankings. A real tough ask for Team India.

Team India has been in training since July, first a two month camp in Portugal; then a series of friendly matches in Delhi and Pune; and now the Dubai camp since early November, but the last few weeks in Dubai haven't been the best when one looks at the heart-breaking results.

After a gap of a year, India played their first international friendly in Bangkok against Thailand (0-1) on September 4; this was followed by another match against Thailand (1-2) and Namibia (2-0) at home in Delhi; then the matches shifted to Pune here India faced Hongkong (0-1), Vietnam (3-1) and Yemen (3-6); before India shifted their base to Dubai. First was a close game against defending Asian champions Iraq (0-2) in Sharjah, then the trashing against Kuwait (1-9) in Abu Dhabi and then followed by a heavy defeat against United Arab Emirates (0-5) in Dubai.

And last week India played two friendlies against local club sides. First a loss against Fujairah Sports Club (0-1) and then a win against Hatta Sports Club (3-1) to end the month on a high.

India win 3-1, return to winning ways

India's losing streak came to an end with a convincing 3-1 win against local UAE club Hatta SC at the Hatta Sports Ground. A double strike from substitute striker Abhishek Yadav and a goal from Sushil Kumar Singh gave India a crucial win after the series of losses.

Coach Bob Houghton once more had to do without Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Anwar, Syed Rahim Nabi and Arindam Bhattacharya. So Bob only made one change from the match against Fujairah SC with Baldeep Singh playing alongside captain Climax Lawrence in place of Mehrajuddin Wadoo in the heart of midfield.

After a goalless first half with honours even between the two sides, India came out into the second session more focused. Abhishek Yadav came on for Mohammed Rafi and that would do the trick for India. But it was first striker Sushil Kumar Singh who would give India the lead through a header of a Steven Dias cross. Only for Hatta SC to equalise in the 73rd minute, but their lead was shortlived as Abhishek Yadav would head home in the 75th minute to restore India's lead. Abhishek would ensure India's win in the 85th minute with his second goal of the day.

For Bob Houghton and his boys it was an important win to end the losing run though many will argue the win came against a lower level club side from the Emirates. But that doesn't matter for the Team India contingent as they continue their preparations for the Asian Cup.


INDIA

1-Subrata Pal; 17-Surkumar Singh, 19-Gouramangi Singh, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 12-Deepak Kumar Mondal; 8-Renedy Singh, 30-Climax Lawrence, 6-Baldeep Singh, 23-Steven Dias; 18-Sushil Kumar Singh, 26-Mohammed Rafi (46' 9-Abhishek Yadav)
Substitutes: 24-Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, 16-Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, 7-N.P.Pradeep, 13-James Lukram Singh, 21-Baljit Singh Sahni, 27-Mehrajuddin Wadao, 29-Jagpreet Singh, 41-Rakesh Masih

The AIFF's search for I-League TV partner

The fourth edition of the I-League is set to kick-off in less then a week and the AIFF still has no TV partner, who would be showing the matches of the I-League and the Super Cup on December 1. And it is time to sort this crucial issue otherwise clubs and sponsors are in a fix about TV coverage of the I-League.

"After ending our contract with Zee Sports, we are now looking for telecast partners. And on Monday we will formally invite bids for the telecast rights of the I-League and the Super Cup. The rights will only be for the 2010-11 season," AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told IANS.

And interested parties have until 15.00 IST on Monday, November 29 to send in their written proposal to the AIFF on interest to show the Super Cup/I-League. The contract is only for the 2010/11 season and it will be interesting to see how interested parties are able to put a whole production team together to cover the matches and which channel would be showing the I-League. Most slots on sports channels in India are currently blocked for the near future.

The following has been published on the AIFF website on what a TV partner needs to provide to the AIFF/I-League to get the telecast rights.


Invitation for proposal for Telecast rights

Minimum Requirements:

• 60 Matches live telecasts


• 8 Camera coverage


• Pre-match and post match preview and review of 30 minutes each


• Ensure title sponsor is mentioned in all communication / promotion- air and on ground


• Maximum promotion/ mileage to the title sponsor, AIFF and I League during commentary & pre & post match coverage


• Interview with Man of the Match/ Coach


• 300 Seconds of FCT per live match for AIFF


• 20 Seconds of promo after a gap of every 30 minutes daily till the end of the tournament


• Round wise analysis within 48 Hrs. within completion of the last match of the round to be shown on prime time with repeats


• Back drop with proper title in commentary box as well as in the studio


• Commentary team to be approved by AIFF for every match


• Product category exclusivity for title sponsor – on air & on ground


• Subject to the approval of Rights holder

Proposal, in sealed envelop, should reach the AIFF, General Secretary, Mr. Kushal Das at All India Football Federation, Football House, Sector-19, Phase-1, Dwarka, New Delhi-110 075 on or before 3P.M. on Monday i.e. 29th of November 2010.
AIFF reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal without assigning any reason whatsoever.

Team India: Unrealistic expectations???

The closer the 2011 AFC Asian Cup is getting the worse the results seem to be getting for Bob Houghton and his boys as the team starts to regularly play higher ranked nations. But what did we, the people who closely follow Team India and the fans expect? India would go to the Asian Cup and do a Greece at Euro2004 or Iraq at the 2007 Asian Cup.

Now if we just look at the bare statistics then it should be clear to us that at the Asian Cup this time around there is no bigger underdog then India. We are by far the lowest ranked team taking part in the tournament with the least experience at this level of continental competitions. And we did not qualify through the regular qualifiers, but through the back door which is the AFC Challenge Cup, the tier two tournament for Asian nations. And then we were drawn into the Group of Death which includes Australia, South Korea and Bahrain; who are No. 1, 3 & 6 in the Asian rankings.

I know many will not like it, but our only aim in Qatar should be the Olympic spirit, "We are happy to be a part of this event." Then anything more would be a bonus! I remember I was talking to friends last year after the second Nehru Cup win, even before the Asian Cup draws had been made, that the Asian Cup will be a totally different competition for India. The level is much higher and against the best in Asia we can still lose by five, six goals like we have done over the last decade to Japan and Saudi Arabia. Even extensive training and more exposure might not be able to change that as we can't catch-up what has been done wrong for many decades in Indian football.

But still international exposure and match practice is needed. One shouldn't talk just about the costs involved and it shouldn't be a luxury but a normal thing for Indian footballers to train abroad and get top class facilities. I remember April 2001 when Baichung Bhutia had to pick a verbal fight with the AIFF top brass to give the whole team top class accommodation. Luckily those days are gone, but still India is at a development stage, in a transitional phase, where loads of work has to go into youth development and the structure of youth teams which Bob Houghton and Colin Toal have put in place over the last few years. We will need another three to five years to hopefully get the desired results and another younger generation to come up.

Team selection. I don't really see any alternatives to the current squad except maybe one or two, but even then these boys would only be bench potential and not playing eleven to start with. The much hyped Under-23 boys played well in the Asian Games under Sukhvinder Singh, but did in the end also lose 0-5 against a weakened Japanese Under-21 team. And this to me puts everything into perspective, then the Asian Cup isn't a level of competition where you just throw in youngsters. It could haunt them for the rest of their careers and that is surely not what we would like to see.

And then there is the issue of PIOs. Something which I have been pushing for for nearly a decade. Now a quality PIO in English born PIO Michael Chopra wants to play for us and could be a great asset, no matter what he said a few years back. We need quality and can't be picking the cheries.

Also I now understand after the latest international friendly results why Bob always insisted of wanting to have a gradual development progress since winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup with his team. He knew his boys weren't ready to face bigger opposition and still seems not to be. I can only hope Bob is able to rectify some of the basic mistakes committed and get his key players back from injury.

Then I am still hoping for the best, but being realistic and pragmatic, not day dreaming, getting even a point in Qatar would be a huge success for India as it would mean we have drawn one of our three matches against those Asian heavyweights. And I call on all of you to support Bob, Baichung and the rest of the boys. They need it and lets stand by their side whatever the result.

Sorry the above might sound very pessimistic, but lets not fool ourselves what awaits us in Qatar.

Fujairah beat India in friendly

India's losing run continued with a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Fujairah Sports Club at the Fujairah Stadium in the UAE. The Indian national football team travelled from their training camp in Dubai across to Fujairah with the aim of getting back to winning ways against the lower division UAE club.

But once more the Indians walked off as the losers, the fifth time in a row, and the injury worries continue to grow. Ahead of this game central defender Anwar was the latest addition to the injury list which already includes Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Arindam Bhattacharya. Others like N.P. Pradeep are just coming back from injuries, while Gurpreet Singh Sandhu joined the squad from the Asian Games as the teams number four keeper replacing another youngster Jagroop Singh.

All this meant that Bob Houghton had to make changes to his starting eleven as Mahesh Gawli replaced Anwar in central defence, while Deepak Mondal replaced Syed Rahim Nabi as left back while Mohammed Rafi started upfront for Clifford Miranda as Bob went back to his usual 4-4-2 system from the 4-5-1 used against the UAE.

Fujairah scored the winner in the 69th minute and India simply wasn't able to give an answer on the pitch as Baichung and Chhetri continue to be heavily missed upfront as Sushil and Rafi aren't suitable replacements and honestly no others are in sight, so if Michael Chopra isn't given Indian citizenship soon I see a major problem there.

India's preparations continue with a friendly game against Hatta Sports Club on Saturday, November 27. Bob Houghton will surely hope for his boys to return to winning ways.


INDIA

1-Subrata Pal; 17-Surkumar Singh, 19-Gouramangi Singh, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 12-Deepak Kumar Mondal; 8-Renedy Singh, 30-Climax Lawrence, 27-Mehrajuddin Wadao, 28-Anthony Pereira (46' 23-Steven Dias); 18-Sushil Kumar Singh, 26-Mohammed Rafi
Substitutes: 16-Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, 6-Baldeep Singh, 7-N.P.Pradeep, 9-Abhishek Yadav, 13-James Lukram Singh, 21-Baljit Singh Sahni, 29-Jagpreet Singh, 41-Rakesh Masih

Revised I-League fixtures released

The AIFF yesterday released the revised 26 Round fixtures of the 14 team I-League. A few weeks ago I had praised the AIFF and I-League for releasing the fixtures as early as never before, but uncertainly over title sponsor and television coverage has forced the postponement of the league by a week. The I-League will now kick-off on December 3 instead of November 26, but still the sponsorship and telecast issues haven't been resolved.

The 4th edition of the I-League will see defending champions Dempo SC face the challenge of local Goan rivals Churchill Brothers SC and Salgaocar SC; the Kolkata trio of Mohun Bagan AC, East Bengal Club and Chirag United SC; Mumbai trio of Air India, Mumbai FC and promoted ONGC; Pune FC; Punjab's JCT; Viva Kerala from the south; promoted HAL from Bangalore; and new entrants the AIFF XI (India Under-20) who have replaced disbanded Mahindra United.

The I-League is set to kick-off on December 3 with the league set to finish in May 2011. The league is set to have only a two week break in March 2011 for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. The league start had to be delayed for a couple of months due to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the India vs Australia cricket series which blocked the Nehru Stadium in Goa, the 2010 Asian Games in November and now the leagues own problems.

Some matches and fixtures have been changed, while HAL will start to play away as the Bangalore Football Stadium isn't ready as it is getting its artificial turf at the moment. Otherwise the AIFF and I-League committee tried to space out the matches as much as possible, but it wasn't always possible.


FIXTURES

Round 1
03-Dec-2010: Pune FC - Mohun Bagan AC
03-Dec-2010: Chirag United SC - AIFF XI
03-Dec-2010: JCT - HAL, Bangalore
03-Dec-2010: Mumbai FC - Air India
03-Dec-2010: Viva Kerala - Salgaocar SC
04-Dec-2010: Churchill Brothers SC - Dempo SC
04-Dec-2010: East Bengal Club - ONGC

Round 2
07-Dec-2010: Salgaocar SC - Chirag United SC
07-Dec-2010: JCT - Churchill Brothers SC
07-Dec-2010: Air India - Viva Kerala
08-Dec-2010: Mohun Bagan AC - HAL, Bangalore
08-Dec-2010: AIFF XI - ONGC
08-Dec-2010: Dempo SC - East Bengal Club
08-Dec-2010: Mumbai FC - Pune FC

Round 3
11-Dec-2010: Chirag United SC - Air India
11-Dec-2010: Dempo SC - JCT
12-Dec-2010: ONGC - Salgaocar SC
12-Dec-2010: Churchill Brothers SC - Mohun Bagan
12-Dec-2010: East Bengal Club - AIFF XI
12-Dec-2010: Viva Kerala - Pune FC
13-Dec-2010: Mumbai FC - HAL, Bangalore

Round 4
17-Dec-2010: JCT - East Bengal Club
17-Dec-2010: Air India - ONGC
17-Dec-2010: Mohun Bagan AC - Dempo SC
18-Dec-2010: Salgaocar SC - AIFF XI
18-Dec-2010: Mumbai FC - Churchill Brothers SC
18-Dec-2010: Pune FC - Chirag United SC
18-Dec-2010: Viva Kerala - HAL, Bangalore

Round 5
22-Dec-2010: East Bengal Club - Salgaocar SC
22-Dec-2010: AIFF XI - Air India
22-Dec-2010: Dempo SC - Mumbai FC
23-Dec-2010: JCT - Mohun Bagan AC
23-Dec-2010: ONGC - Pune FC
23-Dec-2010: Churchill Brothers SC - Viva Kerala
23-Dec-2010: Chirag United SC - HAL, Bangalore

Round 6
29-Dec-2010: East Bengal Club - Air India
29-Dec-2010: Salgaocar SC - Pune FC
29-Dec-2010: JCT - Viva Kerala
30-Dec-2010: ONGC - Churchill Brothers SC
30-Dec-2010: AIFF XI - HAL, Bangalore
30-Dec-2010: Dempo SC - Chirag United SC
30-Dec-2010: Mohun Bagan AC - Mumbai FC

Round 7
03-Jan-2011: Air India - Pune FC
03-Jan-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Salgaocar SC
03-Jan-2011: Chirag United SC - JCT
03-Jan-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - AIFF XI
04-Jan-2011: Dempo SC - ONGC
04-Jan-2011: Mumbai FC - East Bengal Club
04-Jan-2011: Viva Kerala - Mohun Bagan AC

Round 8
08-Jan-2011: East Bengal Club - Pune FC
08-Jan-2011: Mumbai FC - Viva Kerala
08-Jan-2011: Salgaocar SC - Churchill Brothers SC
08-Jan-2011: Air India - Dempo SC
09-Jan-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - Chirag United SC
09-Jan-2011: JCT - ONGC
09-Jan-2011: Air India - HAL, Bangalore

Round 9
14-Jan-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - HAL, Bangalore
14-Jan-2011: Chirag United SC - East Bengal Club
14-Jan-2011: ONGC - Viva Kerala
15-Jan-2011: Salgaocar SC - Mohun Bagan AC
15-Jan-2011: AIFF XI - Mumbai FC
15-Jan-2011: JCT - Air India
16-Jan-2011: Dempo SC - Pune FC

Round 10
18-Jan-2011: Viva Kerala - East Bengal Club
18-Jan-2011: ONGC - Mohun Bagan AC
18-Jan-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - Air India
18-Jan-2011: Chirag United SC - Mumbai FC
19-Jan-2011: Pune FC - HAL, Bangalore
19-Jan-2011: Dempo SC - Salgaocar SC
19-Jan-2011: AIFF XI - JCT

Round 11
22-Jan-2011: East Bengal Club - HAL, Bangalore
22-Jan-2011: Viva Kerala - Chirag United SC
22-Jan-2011: Mumbai FC - ONGC
22-Jan-2011: Pune FC - Churchill Brothers SC
23-Jan-2011: Air India - Dempo SC
23-Jan-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - AIFF XI
23-Jan-2011: Salgaocar SC - JCT

Round 12
29-Jan-2011: East Bengal Club - Churchill Brothers SC
29-Jan-2011: Viva Kerala - AIFF XI
29-Jan-2011: Pune FC - JCT
29-Jan-2011: Air India - Mohun Bagan AC
30-Jan-2011: Chirag United SC - ONGC
30-Jan-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Dempo SC
30-Jan-2011: Mumbai FC - Salgaocar SC

Round 13
03-Feb-2011: Air India - Salgaocar SC
03-Feb-2011: Viva Kerala - Dempo SC
05-Feb-2011: Pune FC - AIFF XI
05-Feb-2011: Chirag United SC - Churchill Brothers SC
05-Feb-2011: Mumbai FC - JCT
06-Feb-2011: HAL, Bangalore - ONGC
06-Feb-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - East Bengal Club

Round 14
12-Feb-2011: Dempo SC - Churchill Brothers SC
12-Feb-2011: ONGC - East Bengal Club
12-Feb-2011: AIFF XI - Chirag United SC
12-Feb-2011: HAL, Bangalore - JCT
13-Feb-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - Pune FC
13-Feb-2011: Salgaocar SC - Viva Kerala
13-Feb-2011: Air India - Mumbai FC

Round 15
19-Feb-2011: East Bengal Club - Dempo SC
19-Feb-2011: Pune FC - Mumbai FC
19-Feb-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - JCT
20-Feb-2011: Chirag United SC - Salgaocar SC
20-Feb-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Mohun Bagan AC
20-Feb-2011: Viva Kerala - Air India
20-Feb-2011: ONGC - AIFF XI

Round 16
26-Feb-2011: AIFF XI - East Bengal Club
26-Feb-2011: Air India - Chirag United SC
26-Feb-2011: Pune FC - Viva Kerala
26-Feb-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - Churchill Brothers
27-Feb-2011: JCT - Dempo SC
27-Feb-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Mumbai FC
27-Feb-2011: Salgaocar SC - ONGC

Round 17
04-Mar-2011: East Bengal Club - Mumbai FC
04-Mar-2011: Pune FC - Air India
04-Mar-2011: Salgaocar SC - HAL, Bangalore
04-Mar-2011: AIFF XI - Churchill Brothers SC
04-Mar-2011: JCT - Chirag United SC
05-Mar-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - Viva Kerala
05-Mar-2011: ONGC - Dempo SC

Round 18
08-Mar-2011: East Bengal Club - JCT
08-Mar-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Viva Kerala
08-Mar-2011: AIFF XI - Salgaocar SC
08-Mar-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - Mumbai FC
09-Mar-2011: Dempo SC - Mohun Bagan AC
09-Mar-2011: ONGC - Air India
09-Mar-2011: Chirag United SC - Pune FC

Round 19
12-Mar-2011: Mumbai FC - Dempo SC
13-Mar-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - JCT
13-Mar-2011: Pune FC - ONGC
13-Mar-2011: Air India - AIFF XI
13-Mar-2011: Salgaocar SC - East Bengal
13-Mar-2011: Viva Kerala - Churchill Brothers SC
13-Mar-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Chirag United SC

Round 20
02-Apr-2011: Air India - East Bengal Club
02-Apr-2011: HAL, Bangalore - AIFF XI
02-Apr-2011: Pune FC - Salgaocar SC
02-Apr-2011: Viva Kerala - JCT
03-Apr-2011: Mumbai FC - Mohun Bagan AC
03-Apr-2011: Chirag United SC - Dempo SC
03-Apr-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - ONGC

Round 21
09-Apr-2011: ONGC - HAL, Bangalore
09-Apr-2011: Dempo SC - Viva Kerala
09-Apr-2011: JCT - Mumbai FC
09-Apr-2011: East Bengal Club - Mohun Bagan AC
10-Apr-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - Chirag United SC
10-Apr-2011: AIFF XI - Pune FC
10-Apr-2011: Salgaocar SC - Air India

Round 22
15-Apr-2011: Dempo SC - AIFF XI
16-Apr-2011: Pune FC - East Bengal Club
16-Apr-2011: Viva Kerala - Mumbai FC
16-Apr-2011: Chirag United SC - Mohun Bagan AC
17-Apr-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - Salgaocar SC
17-Apr-2011: ONGC - JCT
17-Apr-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Air India

Round 23
22-Apr-2011: East Bengal Club - Viva Kerala
23-Apr-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Pune FC
23-Apr-2011: Air India - Churchill Brothers SC
24-Apr-2011: JCT - AIFF XI
24-Apr-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - ONGC
24-Apr-2011: Salgaocar SC - Dempo SC
25-Apr-2011: Mumbai FC - Chirag United SC

Round 24
29-Apr-2011: Salgaocar SC - Mumbai FC
29-Apr-2011: ONGC - Chirag United SC
30-Apr-2011: Churchill Brothers SC - East Bengal Club
30-Apr-2011: AIFF XI - Viva Kerala
01-May-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - AIFF XI
01-May-2011: JCT - Pune FC
01-May-2011: Dempo SC - HAL, Bangalore

Round 25
07-May-2011: East Bengal Club - Chirag United
07-May-2011: Mumbai FC - AIFF XI
07-May-2011: Viva Kerala - ONGC
08-May-2011: Pune FC - Dempo SC
08-May-2011: HAL, Bangalore - Churchill Brothers SC
08-May-2011: Air India - JCT
08-May-2011: Mohun Bagan AC - Salgaocar SC

Round 26
to be finalised later...

International Friendly: Kuwait humiliate India

India's preparations for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup suffered a major set back with a 1-9 international friendly defeat at the hands of Kuwait at the Al-Wahda Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Kuwait was leading 3-0 at the break, but after the breather added six more goals to humiliate the Indians and Bob Houghton will surely be a worried man with less then two month's to go until the Asian Cup.

I went through the stats available to me. And if I am right then this was the worst defeat since a 1976 Merdeka Cup 0-8 defeat against South Korea. And the last time we lost 1-9 was also in the Merdeka Cup in 1971 against the then Burma. But our worst ever defeat was a 1-11 trashing at the hands of the Soviet Union in Moscow in a friendly in 1955, followed by a 1-10 trashing by Yugoslavia in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. For Bob Houghton it was the worst defeat in his time with Team India. Before that Bob's worst defeat as India coach had come in September 2006, a 1-7 trashing against Saudi Arabia.

The West Asian champions simply took apart the South Asian champions. But the Indian seniors are only on paper South Asian champions as we actually played with our Under-23 boys in Dhaka last year. Bob Houghton stuck to the same eleven who played against Iraq the other night due to lack of options caused by injuries.

But the gulf in standard became evident this evening. Bader Al Mutawa was the hero of the day for Kuwait scoring four of their nine goals, while Yousef Naser Al Sulaiman, Jarah Al Ataiqi, Fahad Al Enezi, Khaled Khalaf and Hammad Naif Al Enezi also got their names onto the extra long scoresheet. Substitute Mohammed Rafi scored the consolation goal for India on a night which does make us worried about our matches against Australia, South Korea and Bahrain; who all on paper are stronger then Kuwait.

After having played and scored against Scunthorpe on Saturday, PIO Michael Chopra was a spectator to India's match against Kuwait. And the good news is that he is not put off by the performance and result. Chops still wants to play for us, only the paperwork would have to be done.


MATCH STATS

India 1-9 (0-3) Kuwait - Goals: 0-1 Yousef Naser Al Sulaiman (20'), 0-2,0-5,0-7,1-9 Bader Al Mutawa (25',55',66',90'), 0-3 Jarah Al Ataiqi (29',pen), 0-4 Fahad Al Enezi (51'), 0-6 Khaled Khalaf (56'), 1-7 M. Mohammed Rafi (70'), 1-8 Hammad Naif Al Enezi (75')

INDIA
1-Subrata Pal; 17-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, 5-Anwar, 22-Syed Rahim Nabi; 23-Steven Benedic Dias, 41-Rakesh Masih, 30-Climax Lawrence [C], 28-Anthony Pereira; 9-Abhishek Yadav, 18-Sushil Kumar Singh
Substitutes: 16-Jagroop Singh, 6-Baldeep Singh, 12-Deepak Kumar Mondal, 13-James Lukram Singh, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 26-Mohammed Rafi, 27-Mehrajuddin Wadoo, 29-Jagpreet Singh

India to face Kuwait in another friendly

Today the eye's of the sporting world will be glued towards Abu Dhabi to see who wins the Formula 1 championship at the Yas Marina Circuit, but only a few kilometres away at the Al-Wahda Stadium in Abu Dhabi central India will take on Kuwait in an international football friendly.

Normally the events wouldn't have clashed as Formula 1 races start a 14.00 local time, but due to the Yas Marina Circuit having floodlights the race starts at 17.00 local time, which is 14.00 CET and prime time for Formula 1 on a Sunday afternoon. With the India vs Kuwait match set to kick-off at 18.00 local (19.30 IST) it does clash with Formula 1, maybe the kick-off could have been a little later and enable more fans to witness the game.

Coming to talk about the match. India play their second match during their preparations in Dubai. After their 0-2 loss against defending Asian champions Iraq in Sharjah they now face their neighbours Kuwait, who are known to be a tricky opponent in the Gulf. Hopefully India will have learned their lessons from the Iraq match as I had pointed out a couple of days back and hopefully Kuwait will be an easier opponent then the tough Iraqis.

With Baichung Bhutia, Samir Naik, N.P. Pradeep, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury and Arindam Bhattacharya still out injured plus Sunil Chhetri not fully fit yet, Bob Houghton is likely to send the same first eleven onto the field. Bob has Mahesh Gawli and Mohammed Rafi back from injury, who both played a half against Iraq and they are likely to see more match action today. The key thing for India is to keep their level of mistakes low, especially Subrata Pal in goal; better Indian presence in central midfield; try to play more over the flanks by using the strengths of Steven Dias and Anthony Pereira on the wings; while the strikers get a little bit more support.

The last time the two countries met for an international friendly was on November 5, 2004 in Kuwait City ahead of a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier later that month in Oman. And India actually went on to win the tie 3-2 with goals from Tomba Singh, Jerry Zirsanga and Abhishek Yadav in an action packed encounter. A repeat today would surely be welcome.

A guest at the match today will be English born "Player of Indian Origin" Michael Chopra, who only yesterday scored a goal in Cardiff City FC's win against Scunthorpe and he will be in the UAE to speak with the Team India management about becoming part of the team.

The match will be played at the Al-Wahda Stadium in Abu Dhabi and as per latest information with me there will be no live television coverage of the match in India.


Likely India Line-up

1-Subrata Pal; 17-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 5-Anwar, 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, 22-Syed Rahim Nabi; 23-Steven Benedic Dias, 41-Rakesh Masih, 30-Climax Lawrence, 28-Anthony Pereira; 9-Abhishek Yadav, 18-Sushil Kumar Singh

Michael Chopra: Wants to play for India!

There is good news ahead of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup for Indian football. English born "Player of Indian Origin" Michael Chopra has officially stated that he wants to play for the Indian national team! And for this purpose Michael will be travelling to Dubai over the weekend to meet Team India. And lets hope he can play for India in the Asian Cup and be an asset for our team.

Behind the scenes Michael's agents at Matchworld have been in touch with the All India Football Federation as well as national coach Bob Houghton to see how it could be worked out that Michael Chopra could play for India. But things are still early as there are a number of red tape issues still to be resolved regarding nationality eligibility. As per FIFA statutes Michael qualifies to play for India as his grand parents were born in India, but the Government of India rules of having to be an Indian citizen to represent India could delay the process.

Michael will meet up with our national Team coach Bob Houghton for talks in Dubai on Sunday, November 14; ahead of the national team's friendly against Kuwait. Michael will watch the match and discussion will take place with regards to his eligibility and he will also get to meet his new teammates.

Michael will travel with his representatives Kenny Moyes and Yogesh Joshee to the
training camp on Sunday and will return to commence training with Cardiff City FC in preparation for the clubs next Championship fixture thereafter.

Michael is extremely flattered that due to his Indian background he has been approached by a country who are at an exciting stage in their football development and looking to make a mark on the international stage for India.

Michael Chopra is a former England Junior international, a former England Under-20 captain, who has come through the youth development system at Newcastle United. Besides playing at Newcastle, he has also played at Sunderland AFC and on loan for FC Watford, Nottingham Forest and Barnsley FC.

Michael was the first South Asian footballer to score a goal in the English Premier League and has had a fruitful time at Cardiff City FC, who are pushing for Premiership promotion this year. Over the years Michael has scored more then 50 goals for the Bluebirds.

Besides representing Michael Chopra the agency of Matchworld also represent Sunil Chhetri and some other Indian player. Matchworld earlier this year made Sunil Chhetri's move to MLS side Kansas City Wizards possible.

As being the person who started the whole "Player of Indian Origin" search about a decade back and the search yielding no results so far or authorities not pushing for quality PIO's to be integrated into senior or junior national teams, it would be a delight to see Michael play for us. And as I have said a number of times in the past, I believe that a striker of his quality would be someone who can help our national team. Think about it, maybe next season we could have an Indian international in the Premier League.

New Corporates in I-League Committee

AIFF president Praful Patel has used his personal contacts to convince Sajjan Jindal, MD of Jindal South West Steel Group to be the chairman of the I-League Committee for the 2010/11 season; while another friend in Videocon Group chairman Venugopal Dhoot has been appointed the committee's deputy chairman.

A total of 18 people will be part of the committee which besides the chairman and his deputy includes seven representatives from the participating state football associations, six representatives from the I-League clubs and three from the AIFF Executive Committee. The I-League committee has been constituted for one year to deal with matters related to the league.

The question is if the involvement of Sajjan Jindal and Venugopal Dhoot in the I-League committee means anything. Could they get involved with an I-League club as sponsors or maybe even launch their own corporate team(s) is not known at this stage. But corporate interest in Indian football is always welcome and good to see.


The following are the members of the I-League Committee 2010/11:

Sajjan Jindal – Chairman
Venugopal Dhoot – Deputy Chairman

Other members of the Committee
Utpal Kumar Ganguli - IFA, West Bengal
Elvis Gomes - Goa FA
Wali Mohammed - Western India Football Association, Maharashtra
Inder Singh - Punjab FA
N.K. Bhatia - Delhi Soccer Association
E. Krishna Narayana - Karnataka State FA
Representative from Kerala FA

Club representatives
P. Bhaskaran – Viva Kerala
Vijay Bali – JCT
R. Rajan Joseph – HAL
Custodio Almedia – Dempo SC
Nandan Piramal – Pune FC
Representative from East Bengal Club

AIFF Executive Committee representatives
Kushal Das – General Secretary
Hardev Jadeja – Treasurer
Larsing M Sawyan – Member