2011 AFC Asian Cup - A first Preview

Football's 2011 AFC Asian Cup will be played from January 7 to 29 in the Gulf state of Qatar. 16 of Asia's best national football teams will be seen in action. There is special interest around the world after the Asian Cup organisers Qatar were last month surprisingly named as the hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The defending champions Iraq had surprised everyone by winning the 2007 Asian Cup finals 1-0 against Saudi Arabia in Jakarta in a tournament co-hosted by four Southeast Asian nations - Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, who this time will all be missing from the tournament.

The qualification process for the Asian Cup is quite complicated. The top three nations from the last edition - Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea qualified directly along with the hosts Qatar. Further India and North Korea qualified as the 2008 & 2010 champions of the AFC Challenge Cup, Asia's second tier national team competition while 10 further nations through the continental qualifiers.

The opening match will see hosts Qatar take on Uzbekistan, while China and Kuwait are also part of an evenly poised Group A. Group B will see one of the tournament favourites Japan taking on Middle Eastern sides in heavyweight Saudi Arabia plus rising powers in Jordan and Syria.

The biggest unknown is the Indian national team, who return to the Asian stage after 27 long years. And the 142nd world ranked India have been drawn in Group C, the tournaments group of death, along with Asian heavyweights Australia, South Korea and Bahrain. Meanwhile in Group D World Cuppers North Korea will have to prove their worth at Asian level against defending champions Iraq, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

So who are the title favourites? Former German goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel, who has played across the Asian continent, told me: "I think that there will be no big surprises. Japan and South Korea will be up there but I think quality-wise Australia has overall the best team."

Other experts say a Middle Eastern side could use the home advantage and cause an upset like Iraq did four years ago.

When one talks about the likely star performers then one will have to talk about in-form players like Manchester United star Ji-Sung Park of South Korea, Japan's Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund and Australian Tim Cahill of Everton FC. But such tournaments have shown that often the pre-tournament stars aren't there towards the end of the tournament and new stars are born.

An interesting Asian Cup is upon us which will further push the cause of Asian football and over the next three weeks the eyes of the football world will be looking at Qatar to see how they host Asia's premier football competition, the first real test for the Qataris.

Bayern Munich train in Qatar

German giants FC Bayern Munich are preparing themselves in Qatar ahead of the Bundesliga restart on January 15. They will be in the Gulf until January 9 after arriving there yesterday afternoon.

The reasons behind a winter camp in the Gulf is quite simple if one knows the weather conditions back home in Germany, snow and frost for the last five/six weeks. It is the first time that Bayern Munich are having their winter camp in Qatar after having had their camps in Dubai over the last few years and to some the timing might come as a surprise as the 2011 AFC Asian Cup will kickoff on Friday, but the Bavarians have kept a very low profile about their camp in Qatar.

Talking about the camp coach Louis van Gaal said, "It's better for the players' musculature if we train in warm conditions, and it also helps their recovery times."

Bayern will be training at the international class Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence. And as part of their camp they will play a friendly game agaist Qatar Stars League side Al Wakrah Sports Club. The match will be played on Saturday, January 8 at the Al Khor Stadium.

But not all players have travelled to Qatar. Toni Kroos, Ivica Olic and Rouven Sattelmaier have stayed back in Munich for an individual sports rehab programme, while Danijel Pranjic was a late drop out and might join his team mates or stay back in Munich depending on how his illness develops. If the medical tests go fine then new signing Luis Gustavo from 1899 Hoffenheim will join his new team mates later today.

But there are others who have left the club. Argentinian international Martin Demichelis has left Munich after seven and a half years to join Spanish La Liga side FC Malaga, while Austrian teenager David Alaba has gone on loan to 1899 Hoffenheim as part of the Luis Gustavo deal.

But coach Louis van Gaal played a prank with the media about a new signing for attack. Van Gaal said, "We might get another player this week, someone who can play in every attacking position. The likelihood of the player’s arrival was '99 percent'." In the end it turned out to be Arjen Robben, who has been out injured since the 2010 World Cup, who directly joined the team from his holiday destination of Dubai.

Hoffenheim: Luis Gustavo joins Bayern, but coach Rangnick resigns

German Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim not only finally sold talented midfielder Luis Gustavo to Bayern Munich, but also lost their coach Ralf Rangnick in the process. Rangnick had vehemently opposed the transfer over the last few weeks, but the club owner Dietmar Hopp and manager Ernst Tanner went ahead to hold transfer talks with the Bavarians and finally sanctioned the transfer, which was unacceptable to the coach.

A few weeks ago Rangnick had said, "The departure of Luiz Gustavo during the winter break is out of the question in my eyes."

But thereafter club owner Dietmar Hopp had said that Hoffenheim wouldn't be able to retain a player like Luis Gustavo if a club like Bayern Muncih was interested. For Rangnick that was not acceptable and he had written a strong worded mail to the club management, which didn't go down too well with them. In the end Rangnick resigned, but as per Hopp he would have been fired otherwise if he hadn't resigned.

Rangnick's assistant Marco Pezzaiuoli has been moved up into the Hoffenheim hot seat. 42 year old Pezzaiuoli has been given a contract until summer 2014 with the task of further developing the club and its players.

Former Hanover 96 and FC Schalke 04 coach Rangnick had surprisingly joined Hoffenheim in June 2006 as the club was only an ambitious third division club then, but in two years he took them into the Bundesliga and in December 2008 the small town club surprisingly were winter champions of the league.

And Luis Gustavo has been a vital part of the squad since joining them from second division Brazilian club Corinthians-Maceio in 2007. Last season Luis Gustavo was more known for his red card send offs, but this season he has been fundamental to Hoffenheim's game in the centre of the park. This was the reason why Bayern Munich wanted to sign him as a long-term replacement for Mark van Bommel. Now they have signed him until 2015 for a fee of 15 Million Euros.

Indian football in 2010: A year of transition?

How can I best describe the year 2010 in Indian football, then it is a difficult one to assess and judge. It is a mixed bag of positives and negatives, which I guess is usual in a year of transition and hopefully 2011 won't be another one of these...

Off the field the big news came in December when the All India Football Federation signed a TV rights and marketing deal with IMG-Reliance valued at 700 Crores Rupees plus. The contract is of a 15 year duration and both sides hope to develop the sport in the coming years after the AIFF's relationship with the Zee Group had broken down.

And just before it in November the AIFF got a new General Secretary in Kushal Das after Alberto Colaco ended his tenure after nearly 10 years in office. A lot is expected from Kushal, who comes with a reputation of having been CFO at the International Cricket Council and having worked for sports agency IMG.

Team India has had a difficult year with no Nehru Cup and the Asian Cup still far away in 2011. The novel project of keeping a 30 players squad together as the national team from June until the Asian Cup has come under much criticism over the last few weeks due to different reasons. First there are the high cost involved, then the numerous friendly defeats which culminated in the 1-9 trashing against Kuwait, injuries to key players and the sudden departure of manager Pradip Chowdhury. Surely not the best of preparations, but now lets see what Team India can do at the Asian Cup.

The I-League is set to become fully professional in the 2011/12 season and the clubs are fighting to fulfill the AFC set Club Licencing criteria. The deadline ended on December 31, 2010 and some clubs seem to be failing to make the cut. One will also have to see who is in the 2.Division I-League then only clubs which comply would be allowed to participate.

But while the I-League is being professionalised, Dempo SC won their fourth I-League/NFL title in six years in the summer. The Goans are currently the undisputed champion club of India as coach Armando Colaco continues to build Dempo Sports Clubs and his own legacy.

The year had started off with East Bengal Club beating Shillong Lajong FC in the final of the Federations Cup (India's version of the FA Cup) at a sellout Nehru Stadium in Guwahati and the Kolkata giants would repeat the achievement in September/October by beating archrivals Mohun Bagan in the following Fed Cup finals in Cuttack.

Looking at Women's football, they have made India proud by winning the inaugural gold medal at the South Asian Games football tournament and the first-ever Women's South Asian Football Federation Championships both held in Bangladesh. After falling off the FIFA Women's rankings in 2009 AFC and SAFF have ensured that they play regional football through these tournaments, but now they need to move up the level and play more continental matches.

2011 has arrived and we all now look forward to the AFC Asian Cup where India will be playing its biggest tournament in years. Lets all pray for the best...

Ljungberg back in Europe, signs for Celtic

Former FC Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg is back in Europe with Scottish giants Celtic Glasgow after two years in the North American 'Major League Soccer'. Ljungberg has signed a short term contract until the end of the season and could play his first match tomorrow against Glasgow Rangers in the Old Firm derby.

Long time Swedish international Ljungberg started his career with Halmstads BK as a junior before he moved on to Arsenal FC, where he was one of the stars along with Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann and others. He left the Gunners in 2007 due to numerous injuries and joined London rivals West Ham United, but also left them after only a season due to persisting injuries.

In summer 2008 it looked his career was over, then in late 2008 he signed a contract with MLS expansion team Seattle Sounders, but last July he was traded to Chicago Fire and at the end of the MLS season Ljungberg said that he would want to return to European football. Celtic Glasgow then offered him a one week trial which worked as manager Neil Lennon liked what he saw and Ljungberg was given a contract.

33 year old Ljungberg told the clubs official website: "I knew a lot about Celtic before I came here. It's a big club and there is great passion for football here. I like the way that Neil (Lennon) spoke to me, and how persistent the club were. I want to feel that passion again."

"I've got the number seven shirt, it's a great honour and I will wear it with pride and hopefully do it justice," Ljungberg added.

One will have to see if Ljungberg can recreate his old magic at Celtic as he is said to be fully injury free and wanting to prove himself in European football.

Mehrajuddin Wadoo gets 2011 Lion Award

Indian international footballer Mehrajuddin Wadoo, who is part of the squad for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, has been named as the winner of the 2011 Lion Award by the Jammu and Kashmir chapter of All India Boys Scouts. It is a big honour for the 26 year old Srinagar born Kashmiri footballer, who plays for Kolkata giants East Bengal Club in the Indian football circuit.

The executive committee of J&K Scouts and Guides Association, an affiliate of All India Boys Scouts, said Wadoo brought "international prestige" to the sports fraternity of the state.

"The news of Wadoo's selection in the Indian squad for Asian Cup has made the Jammu and Kashmir state proud. All India Boys Scouts, J&K Chapter, has decided to honour Wadoo with 2011 Lion award for his contribution to football," the Association said in a statement.

It is another feather in the cap for Mehraj, who amongst other things has founded the 'Football Players Welfare Association' in Jammu&Kashmir on the lines of the Football Players Association of India to support former footballers and enable talented youngsters to take-up football as a profession.

Talking about the award Mehraj said, "As far as the award is concerned its an honour to receive any award! I have also been nominated for a state award as the best sports person of 2008 in Jammu&Kashmir and was supposed to collect it on July 14, 2010; but due to the problems in Kashmir the state government hasn't been able to organise an award ceremony."

Now Mehraj will at least have two award ceremonies to attend when he comes back from Qatar after the Asian Cup.

My heartiest congratulations to Mehraj!!!

Bundesliga Clubs sign further Japanese players

The instant success of Borussia Dortmund's 21 year old midfielder Shinji Kagawa has created a big interest amongst German Bundesliga clubs for Japanese talent. Besides Kagawa Dortmund's archrivals FC Schalke 04 had signed right back Atsuto Uchida in the summer. Uchida intially had problems but since then has become a key member of his team. And then there is Japan captain Makoto Hasebe (26) who joined VfL Wolfsburg in January 2008 and was a key player for Wolfsburg when they won the Bundesliga title in 2008/09.

Another Japanese player in striker Kisho Jano was signed by SC Freiburg from Albirex Niigata over the summer, while left back Takahito Soma had been signed by 2.Bundesliga club Energie Cottbus. Now new talent from the country of the Rising Sun are joining or are set to join different Bundesliga clubs.

Just before christmas Bayer 04 Leverkusen announced the signing of midfielder Hajime Hosogai. The 24 year old has signed a contract until summer 2013, but he has been loaned out by Bayer 04 to second Bundesliga league leaders FC Augsburg until summer 2012 to gain necessary experience in German football. Hosogai comes to Germany as the captain of Urawa Red Diamonds.

Yesterday struggling FC Cologne signed defensive allrounder Tomoaki Makino from J-league club Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The 23 year old has been given a contract until summer 2013, but he would have to undergo a medical once in Germany. Cologne's new Director of Sports Volker Finke, a former Urawa Red Diamonds coach, said about the signing, "I am delighted that Tomoaki Makino has signed for FC Cologne. I have been tracking the player while in Japan and am convinced about his qualities."

Another struggling side in VfB Stuttgart are also looking at Japanese talent in Shinji Okazaki to strengthen their attack. The 24 year old international forward is being tracked by Stuttgart and a signing looks imminent.

But all new signings along with Hasebe, Kagawa and Uchida will miss a number of league matches in January as Japan play in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, but this hasn't deterred the clubs from signing these players. And with further good performances in the Asian Cup even more Japanese players might be coming to Germany.