Marketing Indian football abroad
By Ramu Sharma
At its annual general body meeting last month the All India Football Federation while adjudging former India captain Sailen Manna as the “footballer of the millennium” and I.M. Vijayan as the “player of the year(1999)” also took some far-reaching decisions to improve the image of the game in the country.

TEE OFF

Mongia joins elite club
By S. Pervez Qaiser
Nayan Mongia became the third Indian wicket keeper and 23 overall to complete 100 dismissals in Test cricket. He achieved this feat when be pouched an edge from his South African counterpart, Mark Boucher off the bowling of left-arm spinner Murali Karthik on the second day of the first Test match at Bombay on February 25. It was his 41st Test match.

Shares floated for football club
From Emmanuel Wongibe in Kumbo

Great billows of dust rise as players challenge for the ball in a Cameroon first division football match between Kumbo Strikers and rivals Cintra from Yaounde.

It is the dry season on the savannah around Kumbo, in North West Province. A stranger to town might express alarm at the thick brown cloud enveloping the footballers. Does the referee have a proper view of what is going on? Are some unscrupulous players taking advantage of the smokescreen to commit fouls?

The devoted fans chanting behind the wooden fences at the Tobin stadium appear oblivious to the poor visibility. It takes more than dust to spoil the game in this football-mad country which has just won the African Cup of Nations for the third time — therefore retaining the trophy permanently.

Manga Onguene, a former star player and now assistant coach to the national team — the Indomitable Lions — describes Comeroon as “a nation of 14 million coaches”. So far, however, their expertise has not extended to financing the football league effectively.

But things are changing. While each of the 16 clubs competing in the first division championship has its own tale of monetary misery, here in Kumbo, light is definitely shining through a dusty haze at the end of the financial tunnel.

Kumbo Strikers are a relatively new team, who entered the first division only five years ago. After sinking into an initial and all too typical financial crisis, their fortunes are being turned around by a novel scheme in which fans can buy a stake in a company set up to subsidise the club through business enterprises.

The venture, Kumbo Strikers Ltd, was launched in 1997 and offered shares — worth 25,000 CFA francs each — to supporters. So far, 75 million CFA francs in capital has been raised as hundreds of stakeholders have rallied to the cause. Some have bought more than others, but nobody has a controlling share.

The company began by running a transport business. It now has 14 commuter buses and has plans to expand the fleet. A petrol station has recently been acquired.

The company helps the club by transporting players to games across the country, providing equipment and paying signing fees.

Company co-ordinator Eric Ndze confirmed that the idea had gone down well with locals. “It has given them the feeling of ownership of the team so dear to them”, he says. As a result, the club was kept afloat. “In addition, they are assured dividends on their investment.”

A former player for the Strikers, Augustine Nstimi, says of the bad old days when heavy losses almost destroyed them: “The care the locals showed us — sharing their meals and homes with us — was a great source of inspiration.”

This loyalty from fans gave one supporter, Lawrence Tasha, a successful banker who grew up locally, the idea for the shares scheme. He had used a similar method to raise money when setting up his Amity Bank in Cameroon’s main financial centre, Douala.

In a country with a relatively underdeveloped corporate culture, the popular sport of soccer provided the ideal vehicle for conveying the big-city business concept to the largely rural population of Kumbo.

One contented shareholder, Elvis Wiyla, a tailor who describes himself as semi-literate, says his love for football was the main reason for buying shares in Kumbo Strikers Ltd. “It was the first time I had heard about shares,” he said. “I didn’t understand how the system worked.”

Now, he describes the success of the team — which is doing well in the top half of the first division — and the commercial bonuses this has brought the town as “an irresistible bonus”. He enjoys “the friendly atmosphere of equality at board meetings”, which bring together a range of people from various occupations.

In a town of 200,000 inhabitants, with four competing transport companies, Kumbo Strikers Ltd’s bus service enjoys the commercial advantage of being linked to the club.

“The name Kumbo Strikers brings free publicity on a weekly basis as first division fixtures and results are being announced each day over radio and television,” says the company co-ordinator Ndze. In turn, the buses promote the club, which is now enjoying healthy gate receipts and appears on course for financial viability.

One young female fan said proudly as she hopped on a Strikers’ bus: “I am indirectly supporting the team and consequently the development of my town.”

At least one other top-flight Cameroonian football club has been drawn to the idea of launching a sister transport company, and others are looking on with interest. — GEMINI NEWS

Marketing Indian football abroad
By Ramu Sharma

At its annual general body meeting last month the All India Football Federation while adjudging former India captain Sailen Manna as the “footballer of the millennium” and I.M. Vijayan as the “player of the year(1999)” also took some far-reaching decisions to improve the image of the game in the country.

The steps included a Millennium Cup competition featuring national teams and the launching of the “Mission of Glory” project by May this year. Accordingly, a foreign coach will work with a technical director and three assistant coaches and a professional manager with a select group of 36 players. The players and the involved clubs are to be compensated to ensure that there would be no problems.

Then there was the planned conference being organised in the University College of Northampton with the specific aim of bringing together interested academics, supporters, the media, government and the representatives of the football industry. The conference is the brainchild of Jas Baines, who is associated with the Sapphire Enterprize Ltd, overseas agents of the All India Football Federation, Dr. Jim Mills and Dr. Paul Dimen, attached with the history and sports studies department of Northampton University respectively and Mr. Arunava Chaudhari who runs a website on Indian football from Germany. The whole exercise is to sell Indian football on the historic occasion of the Indian teams tour of England this year. It is a publicity exercise and even if Indian football standards are not all that great there will at least be a realisation that the game is still the biggest crowd puller in the country, cricket or no cricket.

All these plans make good reading but unfortunately the publicity recently received by Indian football is far from complimentary. The news that the Asian Football Confederation has suspended Mohun Bagan for one year and has also slapped a fine of $3,000 for not honouring its commitment in the Asian Clubs Championships is hardly conducive to the popularity of Indian football in a year in which the federation has drawn such big plans to sell it abroad.

The story relating to the subsequent imposition of fine added to the suspension for one year has to do with Mohun Bagan’s away and home match against Japan’s Jubilo Iwata in the Asian Club Championship tournament. Mohun Bagan, by virtue of its NLF title in 1998 had qualified for the event and had had a bad experience when it met Jubilo Iwata in the first leg in Japan. It lost 8-0. The return match was scheduled to be held in Calcutta during Dushera festival. The city police refused to give permission for the match as it clashed with the festival. Mohun Bagan informed Jubilo Iwata of the problems facing it and forfeited the second leg match.

The Calcutta club, however, made two major mistakes. It did not keep the All-India Football Federation informed about the problems and also it waited till the last minute to intimate its helplessness to hold the match to the Japanese club. In fact this message reached the club even as the players were about to leave for India. Naturally the Japanese club was upset and straightaway complained to the Asian Football Confederation and asked for compensation..

The AFC took a serious view of Mohun Bagan’s forfeiture of the match and barred the club from participating in the Asian Club Championship for a period of one year. It also asked Mohun Bagan to pay a fine of $ 3000. This is the first time in the history of Indian football that such a thing has happened.

These happenings naturally woke up the All India Football Federation which has now started asking questions and apportioning blame. Mohun Bagan has been pulled up for bypassing the federation in the matter of forfeiting the match and also informing the Japanese Club on its own instead of routing the message through the federation. It is a minor thing but the federation has a point though. But at the same time the Federation too is to blame. No international match involving an Indian club, either in India or abroad, can be held without the federation coming into the picture.

Surely the federation knew about Mohun Bagan’s fixtures with the Japanese club. If not, why not? It is not possible and right for any Indian club to involve itself in international engagement without the knowledge of the federation. How did Mohun Bagan keep this thing quiet, if it did so?

And then there is the club itself. Surely it should have shouted for help when the city police refused permission for the match. It was not merely a match between teams from two countries. It was more than that. The country’s prestige was involved and so was the credibility of the federation. The other aspect related to the clashing of dates. Surely the date of the match was fixed well in advance. According to reports, Mohun Bagan knew about it three months prior to the match. And it should also have known that the date clashes with Dushera since the festival dates are also known well in advance, perhaps a year or so.

Why did Mohun Bagan not ask for another date or a change in venue, perhaps even outside of Calcutta? And why did it not appeal to the IFA or the AIFF to help out when the city police refused permission? And more importantly why did it wait till the last minute to inform the Japanese club. If reports about the information reaching even as the players were getting ready to leave for India are correct, Mohun Bagan will have to do something drastic to make up for this unforgivable lapse. There is no point in saying sorry. That word has no meaning for such cases. Both the AIFF and Mohun Bagan are to be blamed for this sordid episode which has done irreparable harm to the country’s reputation in the year the AIFF is trying rebuild and project a new image.

Teeing off
K. R. Wadhwaney
Will luck smile on Jeev Milkha?

JEEV Milkha Singh, fully recovered after his recent indisposition, will be one of the forerunners for the Indian Open which will be staged at the Classic Golf Resort (Gurgaon) next week.

The field is wide and tough. Some well-known players of international calibre are in the field. There are also many Indians who are aspirants for the title.

Apart from Jeev Milkha Singh, there are Gaurav Ghei, Feroz Ali, Vijay Kumar, Chaurasia and host of others who are in their razor-sharp form.

Luck did not smile on Jeev on the Delhi Golf Club in many important competitions that he played on the course in recent years. But maybe, his luck will change at the Gurgaon course which is unquestionably an outstanding course. It is the home course for the ITC, main sponsors for the tournament. It is the most prestigious competition for any professional, particularly Indian, to win it.

The course has been specially done up for the competition which will be staged there for the first time. The analysts feel that the course may be tough but it is such challenging one that professionals may be able to return impressive cards. The weather is also ideal for the golfers to rise to the occasion.

The organisers have made befitting arrangements for participants. Most of them will be lodged on and around the course so that they are fresh on the course for the competition. The organisers have also made effective arrangements for mediapersons to cover the event, which is the biggest prize money tournament in the country.

Harmeet Kahlon will be among the rookies for the competition. He has not yet struck his best form but he is endeavouring hard and he should soon find his bearings in this class of competition.

Ali Sher is the only Indian to have won the competition twice. That was in 1991 and 1993 at the Delhi course. Can he repeat his performance at Gurgaon, which is in a way part of Delhi? If he does, it will be a great achievement. But he has, sadly, not been playing very consistently of late.

INTERESTING

On the occasion of the Delhi Golf Club’s golden jubilee celebrations, Ramesh R.Kohli, a golf journalist of repute, has brought out an eight-page bulletin, which provides relevant information about the club, which is Pandit Jawaharlal Nehur’s gift to Delhi citizens. Unquestionably the best-run club, it has played a pioneering role in promoting golf, which is fast becoming a popular discipline. After steady take-off, it is firmly planted and India may win many laurels internationally in this discipline.

The first meeting of the club was held on February 25, 1950. Vishnu Sahay was the President while Bharat Ram — he still plays golf regularly — was the captain. It says: “...There was a mistri, a professional, a senior caddy, a bearer, a chowkidar and some malis. They were in the salary range of Rs 30-50. with an annual increment of annas eight”.

The bulletin has several tit-bits, which make interesting reading. The club should have brought out pictorial book on golf which, if it is thriving today, it is because of this club.

There are several girls and boys, who have taken golf seriously. The standard is indeed improving. But the girls’ progress is not as consistent as it should be. Both girls and boys need more facilities and exposure.

Mongia joins elite club
By S. Pervez Qaiser

Nayan Mongia became the third Indian wicket keeper and 23 overall to complete 100 dismissals in Test cricket. He achieved this feat when be pouched an edge from his South African counterpart, Mark Boucher off the bowling of left-arm spinner Murali Karthik on the second day of the first Test match at Bombay on February 25. It was his 41st Test match.

Born on December 19, 1969, at Baroda, Nayan Ramlal Mongia, made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at Lucknow in 1993-94. Sri Lanka's Roshan Mahanama was Mongia's first victim in Test cricket.

He completed his 50 dismissals in Test cricket by dismissing South Arican captain Hansi Cronje at Cape Town in 1996-97 series. It was his 19th Test match.

Nayan Mongia dismissed 14 batsmen in the three Test series against South Africa in South Africa in 1996-97 which was his best performance in a Test series so far.

The first Indian wicket keeper to dismiss 100 batsmen behind the wicket was Syed Kirmani. Kirmani who caught 160 batsmen behind the wicket and stumped 38 batsmen in 88 Test matches achieved this feat in his 42 Test match against England at Bombay in 1979-80.

Kiran More was the second Indian wicketkeeper to join the elite club of 100 dismissals. He reached this distinction in his 39 Test match against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1992-93. More had taken 110 catches and effected 20 stumpings in 49 Test matches.

Mongia's batting and keeping performance in Tests:

SPORT MAIL

South Africa enhance reputation
THE South Africans have only enhanced their reputation by beating India 2-0 in the Test series. The important thing was that they believed in their strength — their pace bowlers — and stuck to their plans. They showed total application and complete discipline in every department of the game. For India, Kumble did a good job. Srinath is a world-class bowler but he is not McGrath because he always lacks discipline.

The failure of openers was another big factor. Ganguly has rarely scored against quality pace attack at Test level barring his debut. Hansie Cronje deserves full credit for extracting the best out of every member of his team.

Vinish Garg
Panchkula

II

Hansie Cronje, captain of the South African cricket team, deserves congratulations for the remarkable victory over India. They have beaten Indian on our soil after a gap of 13 years. The team played with determination and dedication. South Africa outclassed India in all departments.

Subhash C Taneja
Rohtak

III

After being defeated in the recently concluded tour of Australia, the Indian cricket team has again been beaten by South Africa in the home Test series. India lost both the Tests to South Africa, but players like Azhar deserve praise for their performance. The BCCI should think about the present performance of the team and gave a chance to experienced players like Kambli, Jadeja and Azhar.

M.R. Singla
Faridkot

IV

Indian cricket sunk low after the defeats in Tests and one-dayers in Australia. The story of defeats did not end there. Now we are faring badly against South Africa. Our experiment with new faces has failed. Neither our openers nor middle-order batsmen can face the onslaught of our rivals.

Y.L. Chopra
Bathinda

Lara’s decision

Brian Lara’s decision to relinquish captaincy is shocking.

It means he won’t assist the West Indies team against Zimbabwe and Pakistan during their forthcoming tour. With Lara, one of the best batsmen of the world, the West Indies batting looked fragile even against teams like New Zealand. How it will come good without him against Pakistan is a matter of grave concern. Obviously Lara’s move has filled the cricket world with gloom. He is a great performer whose absence from international cricket for three months cannot be easily endured.

However, it is hoped the break will do him a lot of good and will ultimately benefit the West Indies team in the times to come.

Tarsem S Bumrah
Batala