This weekend promises to be extremely interesting for Indian sport (well, cricket) . The first final of the trination series down under is played on Sunday and on the same day in Kuala Lumpur , the under 19 side will look to make history when they take on the winners of the semifinal between Pakistan and South Africa in the under 19 world cup final. Obviously, the entire nation is going to be focused on the Sydney Cricket Ground as the Indian team tries to go one up in the best of three final.

But, tomorrow another series is going to commence, an event that should be of equal importance to the sports fraternity in the country. However, unlike the event on the other side of the planet, this is going to get very little coverage unless the team in question fails in its quest. For tomorrow, the Indian men’s hockey team is going to embark on a one week battle to ensure it qualifies for the Beijing Olympics. And if it doesn’t, the complete fall from the top of the hockey world in 1975 to the third tier of international hockey will be complete.

The teams:

Austria, Chile, Great Britain, Mexico and Russia are the teams which will be looking to get that last qualification spot for the Hockey event in Beijing. The fact is that barring Great Britain the other teams are all expected to be easy pickings for the Indian team. But, the big problem is that the final spot is going to be decided by a grand final next Sunday. And Great Britain has been doing extremely well of late, it could just happen that India has a great tournament but is knocked out of the Olympics because of a disastrous seventy minutes in the final. ( India’s draw with Poland in the Sydney 2000 Olympics effectively ruled them out of the semifinals and Poland were a team we were expected to beat).

The positive signs:

One of the most positive aspects has to be how young this team is, which means few of them have known failure on the international stage. Obviously the fantastic Asian Cup victory in Chennai in 2007 has helped boost the confidence of the team (pity the event was completely overshadowed by the 20-20 victory). Players such as Diwakar Ram (India’s great drag flicker hope) and Prabjhot Singh have made rapid strides over the past year. Plus, experienced players like Dilip Tirkey, Bimal Lakra and Ignace Tirkey will add steel to the side. The team has a good coach in Joaquim Carvalho who is committed to playing fast and attacking hockey. Further, having a man such as Ric Charlesworth providing his inputs should help.

The negatives:

None of the other teams in the event has the pedigree or the history of the Indian team and this intensifies the pressure on the Indian team. If they fail, references to the glorious run between 1928 and 1960 when we won the gold medal at every Olympic games will come thick and fast. Difficulties in qualifying for the Olympics is not new for the Indian team but never has it come down to making one final spot. Further, there has already been an instance of not everything in the preparation going the right way- as premier striker Rajpal Singh withdrew from the team claiming poor treatment only to retract the statement 24 hours later.

The next one week will officially kickstart India’s interest in the 2008 Olympics. One just hopes the Indian Hockey team is at the opening ceremony on the 8th of July 2008 in Beijing.

India’s fixtures:

March 1: vs Russia

March 2: vs Austria

March 4: vs Mexico

March 6: vs Britain

March 8: vs Chile.

Beijing Olympics, Hockey, India | No Comments »

The interest in the lives of the Bachchan family, India’s continued love affair with King Shahrukh Khan,the effigy burning in Kolkotta every time time Saurav Ganguly is dropped and Bangalore’s continued infrastructure problems. There are some things that never stop and now one can safely add one more to that list- the juvenile almost moronic tussle between the Indian and Australian teams.

In the latest episode, Australian opener Matthew Hayden referred to Indian spinner as an obnoxious weed further adding fuel to the fire that has raged through the summer. To be fair to Hayden, it is easy to understand where all the frustration was coming from- the fact that Andrew Symonds and him are state mates and best friends. But for a man who is 37 (thats right 37!) and who is not exactly known for good on-field behaviour to make such a remark is simply astounding. And why was it necessary to make this comment in such a turbulent time just speaks volumes of Hayden’s maturity. He would do well to learn from his opening partner- Adam Gilchrist.

Further, in the same radio interview, Matthew Hayden went on to wind up Ishant Sharma (a 19 year old to put things in context) by challenging him to a boxing match. Pure mental disintegration if you ask me and I am just hoping that Ishant doesn’t catch the bait and turn up in the one-day finals, emotionally wound up. And you can be certain that if either Harbhajan or Ishant react to this on the field, Hayden and Ponting will run up to the umpires and complain.

Petty behavior showing both teams in poor light:

There is not much that can be done about the influence of BCCI on world cricket, but both teams can behave better. Over the past decade, the Australian team’s performances on the field have probably made it the best in the history of the game but in their behaviour, they have more resembled the classroom bully (and I am not exaggerating here) than world champions. Their behavior is purely shaped to provoke the opposition (and Hayden’s remark has taken it off the field as well) but their response to criticism is standard- “we play the game hard but play it fair”.

India’s bunch of tyros (Sreesanth, Harbhajan and the likes) needlessly get into verbal spars with the Australian team and continuously go to the media making needless remarks. They would do well to learn from men like Dhoni and Kumble who continue to perform without mouthing off at every given opportunity. Again, I am all for aggressive cricketers who wear their hearts on their sleeve but again their behaviour has frankly been over the top.

Not looking forward to the October tour:

In case you didn’t know, the Australian team is touring Indian this October playing four tests in all. Somehow, the events of the past three months have made me realize that I am just not looking forward to the tour. The cricket is going to be exciting but the whole tour is just going to be full of insults, accusations and counter accusations. Further, I am dead sure that the BCCI will instruct the curators to create complete spinning wickets to ensure that the Indian team wins (news flash: our best performance in Australia was on a wicket that offered swing). I am all for spin and turn but not on the first day!

A sledging ban in the offing:

There is no other sport in the world where teams from such diverse cultures play each other with so much regularity while representing their national teams (you cant say Football cause International Football takes place for about 30 days every calendar year). What continues to amaze me is that neither the Australian team or the Indian team tries and understands the way of life of the other. What is perceived as personal banter in one culture is an insult in the other. Call it mental disintegration or sledging, personal attacks should not be a part of the game- be it on or off the field and this must go. And considering the clout of the BCCI and the subcontinent teams, chances are that it will be banned sooner rather than later.

If the ICC continues to shove things under the carpet, sooner rather than later this whole thing is going to explode just like the Harbhajan controversy a month back. Till then, Cricket Australia and the BCCI will do well to instruct their players to keep their lips sealed.

Cricket, India Vs Australia, Sledging | 4 Comments »

“The Premier League has proposed an international round of league games to be played in five cities across the globe from 2011 to cater for the worldwide demand for English football.”

When Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore announced his ambitious plan to exploit English football’s popularity and expand outside England, there were mixed reactions to this plan. While a few managers such as Arsene Wenger and Roy Keane gave their backing to the plan, most fans were unanimous in their opposition to the proposed 39th league game abroad.

There are certainly pros and cons to this highly controversial plan, and there are some questions that still need to be addressed before a final decision is taken.

Pros

The precedent was set by NFL, which was taken from the United States to London and it was appreciated by the fans. Premier League is a major attraction throughout the world and is a cash-cow waiting to be milked.

Fans around the world will have the chance to watch wonderfully talented players from the world’s strongest league playing competitive football.

With more revenues, the sport can witness a tremendous improvement in the not just the quality of players but also in that of the stadiums and other related facilities.

As is the case with any other sport, football needs to keep evolving and innovating if the sport needs to expand globally and dominate other sports in terms of viewership.

Cons

The idea is seen as solely motivated by money and with utter disregard for the fans.

It is a worrying trend that local fans are often marginalized by clubs as the clubs seek to establish a global fan base. Fans often feel that the game is beginning to forget its roots and the tradition of local club support. This might force fans to be up in arms against their clubs, and ultimately turn their back on the Premier League.

There is already talk of too much football and no winter-break. There is talk of accommodating the 39th game in January, a time when clubs play for the league, the league Cup, and the FA Cup.

Other national associations will want to protect their own leagues and clubs and furthermore, they will not be happy about the Premier League coming to their domain and taking sponsors, and advertising revenue.

Questions

What will happen to season-ticket holders who support their club every game in the home stadium but cannot afford to travel overseas?

Will the money made from these matches be put back into youth and grassroots football? Will clubs lower ticket prices?

If this becomes a huge success, what is the guarantee that the Premier League will not eventually play more games abroad?

Will fans abroad be as interested in a Derby-Boro match as they would be in a ManUtd-Newcastle game?

Will kick-off times be arranged to suit both the spectators in the stadiums abroad and the local supporters watching their clubs on television in England?

As much a fan I am of the Premier League who would love to watch EPL clubs playing competitive games in India, I am averse to the idea of the proposed 39th game abroad. Football clubs, throughout the world, have been established on a strong supporter base, built and passed over generations. I have personally witnessed the passion of local club supporters who have struck with their respective clubs through decades of triumphs and losses, and I believe that if the Premier League, whose enormous success was possible only due to the support of the local fan base, antagonizes the local fans by sticking to its plan of holding overseas games, the game will eventually lose its soul.

Do you think EPL games should be played abroad in cities around the world?

EPL, English Football, Football | 6 Comments »

Since its inception this website has been a big fan of Sania Mirza. We love the fact that Indian tennis finally has a good player on the woman’s tour and with the game to challenge the best players in the world. Unfortunately, Mirza has always found herself in the news for needless controversies and it looks like this time things have gone too far. Sania has just withdrawn from the Bangalore Open, a tier II event carrying a prize money of $600,000 and has subsequently decided to boycott all Indian tournaments.

Over the past three years, the list of the number of controversies Sania has found herself in has grown at a very fast rate. The controversies include

1. Criticism by Mullahs of her short skirt. (Attire contradicts Islam and is supposedly a corrupting influence on the youth)

2. Her partnership with Israeli player Shahar Peer- again kicked off a controversy cause the same old Mullah’s didn’t recognize the state of Israel.

3. Her support of a South Indian actress over the latter’s comments on pre-marital sex. (which led to two days of protests by the Rahul-Priyanka Youth Brigade)

4. The shooting of an advertisement featuring her in a mosque in Hyderabad; a commission filed a lawsuit against her and the ad agency for illegally trespassing the mosque.

And now..

The insane flag controversy:

Somehow, the above image led to some attention seeker filing a law suit against her under the ‘Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act’. Under the terms of the act, a person can be thrown into prison for three years for insulting the country. Looking at the image it is clearly obvious that her feet are some distance away from the flag!

Ironically, the “disrespect to the national flag” issue cropped up when Sania was representing India at the Hopman Cup along with Rohan Bopanna. The thought that Sania choose to play for the country rather than play at the Sydney International and gain valuable WTA points seems to have missed the idiot who has filed this lawsuit. Whats worse, the Indian media, continues to oversell the story.

Needless comments by Paes

Indian tennis legend Leander Paes stated that there is nothing above playing for one’s own country in front of home fans and that Sania should not have skipped the Bangalore event. Couldn’t Leander apply the same “reasoning” for himself and played the Chennai Open? Tennis is an individual sport and that is the way it has been. While representing one’s country is something all players in general savor, putting unnecessary expectations on them is completely unwarranted. The pressure Sania has to deal with in India is much more than even what Tim Henman had to endure in England.

While her decision to skip the tournament has surprised and shocked many, it has come at the right time. She has been subjected to enough harassment and it is high time she stops being a publicity-generating machine for activists and news channels across the country. Her withdrawal from the Bangalore Open and tournaments in India has drawn a lot of attention from the global tennis community and it certainly has not done anything constructive for Indian tennis!

The Future:

Right now, after attaining the status of Asia’s top player, Sania has to work diligently toward her goal of entering the top 20. To do that she has to compete hard against super-talented youngsters like Agnes Szavay, Agnieszka Radwanska, Victoria Azarenka, and Alona Bondarenko. Sania has the game to do it and its just a question of staying fit and being able to get consistent results over the season. Whether the media, the fans and the mullahs let her be remains to be seen.

Tennis | No Comments »

“If you don’t put them in then you can’t know what you’ve got…if they’re good enough, they’re old enough” – Sir Matt Busby

February 6, 1958 – On that fateful winter’s day exactly 50 years ago, the plane carrying Manchester United players back from a victorious European match at Belgrade, crashed after a failed attempt to take off after a refueling stop in Munich. The club lost 8 players in that tragedy and this became a moment of profound significance not just in ManUtd’s history but also in English football’s.

Sir Matt Busby, the ManUtd manager, had envisioned a golden age for ManUtd after being crowned English champions in 1956 and 1957, with a team of young starlets including Duncan Edwards, the then golden boy of football and the youngest international in England’s history. Busby had dreams of European domination, but those dreams lay in tatters while he lay critically injured in a hospital, but more painful was the excruciating news that he had lost most of his squad.

Apart from Duncan Edwards, ManUtd lost their captain Roger Byrne, David Pegg, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Billy Whelan, Mark Jones and Geoff Bent. Eight journalists, 3 United staff, one crew member, the co-pilot, and two other passengers lost their lives.

Busby recovered from his injuries and so did a few other players including Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, and Bill Foulkes, among others. Amazingly, ManUtd made it to the FA Cup final, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers. But then, the club stumbled into the wilderness for a few years but who would have thought that Sir Matt Busby would build another great ManUtd side, a team that played some of the finest football in Europe.

At a time when football was moving towards conservatism and tactical organization, Busby’s refusal not to compromise on the club’s attacking style of football led to the club winning its first European title in 1968, the first English club to do so.

It is not the Munich tragedy that propelled United into a club with a worldwide fan base but it is the way they regrouped under their manager Sir Matt Busby, deriving strength from adversity, building a great side that consisted of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, and George Best, and winning the European Cup on the 10th anniversary of the Munich tragedy.

English Football, Football, Manchester United | 1 Comment »

The Australian Open 2008 will always be remembered for the fact that it was the first grandslam when the juggernaut that is Roger Federer was stopped in over three years. The talented Serbian Nole Djokovic stopped Federer in the semifinals and then went on to win the tournament defeating another youngster Jo Wilifried Tsonga in a pulsating final. The woman’s final was a young man’s dream, two dazzling beauties in Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic fighting it out for the top prize. Sharapova of course took the match easily. The tournament through up a lot of surprises, great matches, controversies and of course a lot of new faces and set the tone for the rest of the year. Here are some of the talking points of the event.

Best Match (men): Roger Federer vs Janko Tipsarevic. Federer won 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-1) 5-7 6-1 10-8.

Before Nole Djokovic took Federer out in the semifinals, another Serb almost did just that in the third round. Tipsarevic looked class and has a good career ahead of him.

Best Match (women): Casey Dellacqua vs Amelie Mauresmo 3-6 6-4 6-4 in round 3.

Dellacqua sent the home fans into delirium by ousting the former champion. Mauresmo now faces a big fight to break back into the top 10.

Surprise of the tournament (men) : No doubt Jo Wilifried Tsonga.

Tsonga defeated the great Brit hope Andy Murray in Round 1, Chennai Open winner Mikhail Youzhny in the 4th Round and pulled off a massive upset in the semifinals when he defeated Rafael Nadal. Djokovic went on to win the tournament but the tennis world had discovered a new star (and whats more a star with a striking resemblance to Muhammed Ali!)

Surprise of the tournament (women) : Daniela Hantuchova.

At the ripe old age of twenty four Hantuchova finally overcomes her biggest the obstacle- the grand slam quarterfinal. And she might have just gone on to the final if she hadn’t blown her big lead in the semifinal against Ana Ivanovic.

The biggest disappointment: David Nalbandian

The Argentinian lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the third round in straight sets. A big let down considering his form in the indoor season in 2007 when he won both the Madrid and Paris masters (defeating both Federer and Nadal in the process)

Nasty Parent of the Tournament: Yuri Sharapov

There was no competition for Maria Sharapova in the woman’s side of the grand slam and her father Yuri wins this award hands down. Already one of the most hated parents on the woman’s tour, he was in the news for the wrong reasons during the tournament when cameras caught him gesturing to slit-her throat after Sharapova’s match against Henin. If he doesn’t curb his behaviour, he could just go the way of Damir Dokic (father of Jelena) and Jim Pearce (father of Mary) by getting banned from the tour.

Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay- Money, Pink Floyd

Lindsay Davenport became the highest-earning female athlete (over $21 million) during the course of the tournament. Davenport has always been a fantastic professional and has recently come back to the tour after becoming a mom. Here is hoping she has a great 2008.

The Sania Mirza Verdict:

Sania had a good run in the singles event reaching round 3 before running into multiple grand slam champion Venus Williams. The Indian put up a great fight matching Venus stroke for stroke in the first set before running out of steam. Sania also had a good run in the mixed doubles reaching the final with Mahesh Bhupathi.

Quotes of the tournament:

Stay in school, kids, or you’ll end up being an umpire,”- Andy Roddick yells at the umpire during his round 3 loss to German Philipp Kohlschreiber

“Nadal tried to hit Tsonga in the nuts with that ball but somehow he managed to get some wood on it.” – Jeff Tarango on 5 Live Sports Extra during Nadal-Tsonga at the Australian Open.

There’s a lot of resemblance to Uma Thurman, actually. Everyone who meets my mom says she looks like Uma Thurman.”– Sharapova on being asked about her low-profile mother

” I know you guys wanted him to win. Its ok. I still love you” – Nole Djokovic, after the final vs Tsonga where the crowd was pretty much behind the underdog the entire match.
A big thanks to Aja  for helping out with this list.

Australian Open, Tennis | No Comments »

[tag]Fabio Capello[/tag]’s first [tag]England[/tag] squad, for the friendly against Switzerland on February 6^th, has been the topic of much debate ever since his appointment as manager, with many questions being asked: Would he go for youth over experience? Would all the members of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ still be around? Would [tag]David Beckham [/tag]be given his 100^th cap? Who would be the next victim of the English No.1 Jersey? Could he trace down at least a few members of the elusive species that is the Prolific English Striker? Answers at the bottom of the page…

Goalkeepers: S Carson (Aston Villa), D James (Portsmouth), C Kirkland (Wigan)

David James has been around for donkeys’ years, and in spite of his reputation for the occasional cock-up, is currently in the form of his life. Scott Carson has been terrific for Aston Villa, and Chris Kirkland is the only chance Wigan have of staying up. Paul Robinson isn’t even getting a game for his club, and is perhaps the first name on the list of high-profile casualties from squads under previous regimes. Expect Carson to start, with James as second choice.

Defenders: W Bridge (Chelsea), W Brown (Manchester United), A Cole (Chelsea), C Davies (Aston Villa), R Ferdinand ([tag]Manchester United[/tag]) G Johnson (Portsmouth), L King (Tottenham), J Lescott (Everton), M Richards (Manchester City), N Shorey (Reading), M Upson (West Ham), J Woodgate (Tottenham)

Capello has selected 12 defenders in his first provisional squad, of whom at least 2 are sure to be pruned at the weekend when the final squad of 23 is named. The most remarkable inclusion is Curtis Davies, currently on loan at Villa from West Bromwich Albion. Only 22 years of age, the defender got off to a rocky start this season, but has since been a rock for Villa, to the extent of dispatching Olof Mellberg to right-back. Rio Ferdinand is sure to start, most likely beside Ledley King in the heart of the defense. Ashley Cole is far from a shoo-in at left back, but possesses more quality than Wayne Brisge, and should expect to start, with Micah Richards on the opposite flank. Richards may argue that centre-half is his best position, but England have no dearth in that department. Besides, his versatility ensures that he will provide a physical presence, merged with pace and bags of skill, at right-back.

Midfielders: G Barry (Aston Villa), D Bentley (Blackburn), M Carrick (Manchester United), J Cole (Chelsea), S Downing (Middlesbrough), S Gerrard ([tag]Liverpool[/tag]), O Hargreaves (Manchester United), J Jenas (Tottenham), S Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), A Young (Aston Villa)

Capello has made the brave decision to exclude David Beckham from his first squad, with the legendary midfielder on the verge of his 100^th Cap. In doing so, he echoes his predecessor Steve McClaren (and we all know how that turned out), but this is sure to be the right move. Beckham has had no competitive football of late, and strong cases can be made for the likes of David Bentley and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right-wing. One suspects that a match-fit Beckham would figure somewhere in the manager’s plans, but this remains to be seen. Barry and Gerrard are expected to start in midfield, although Jermaine Jenas has been wonderful this season and surely deserves a look-in at some stage. While it would be wonderful to see Ashley Young start on the left-wing, Joe Cole is far the more likely to be on the pitch at kick-off next Wednesday against Switzerland.

Forwards: G Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), P Crouch (Liverpool), E Heskey (Wigan), M Owen (Newcastle), W Rooney (Manchester United)

Gabriel Agbonlahor will no doubt be elated to have earned his first call-up to the senior squad. A regular at U-21 level, the 21 year old has been an attacking force in a Villa side currently sitting in 5^th place in the league. Peter Crouch can’t seem to get a game for Liverpool, but scored in front of Capello at Luton Town, which must have gone down well. Crouch’s regular omission from the Liverpool squad is a mystery to many football fans, and the striker has a fantastic goals rate in the England shirt. Veterans Michael Owen and Emile Heskey have been retained, as has the mercurial Wayne Rooney, who sets up as many goals as he scores.

Answers: Yes. Quite a few, but signs are promising. Not yet. A 23-year old loanee from Liverpool. Given the resources, he’s done pretty well – Yes.

Disclaimer: Any attempts to predict the starting line-up in the above article have been made with the assumption that Fabio Capello will play a 4-4-2 formation.

English Football, Football | No Comments »