|
|
|
|
|
Djoker gets high on grass
Bhupathi-Vesnina end as mixed doubles runners-up |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
India’s tour of west indies second test: day 5
Laxman, Ishant soar in rankings
Dope tainted athletes out; Ashwini, Poonia in team
Time-trial: Hushovd claims Tour lead
Corruption scandal at Olympics
Ramos gives Colombia a 1-0 win
Costa Rican Francisco Calvo (L) marks Colombia’s Juan Camilo Zuñiga in Jujuy on Saturday. — AFP
CENTRE STAGE
JCT revolutionised Indian football: Inder Singh
BCCI formula to be emulated, not envied
The BCCI has invested in the game of cricket, and is now reaping the rewards.
|
|
Djoker gets high on grass
London, July 3
"When you are playing the best player in the world, Rafa Nadal, I had to play at the top of my game and I think I played my best match on grass." The first set went with serve until Djokovic conjured a break out of the blue in the 10th game to clinch it. Nadal, serving at 4-5, made two uncharacteristic errors to hand the Serbian a set point and the Spaniard struck a forehand wide to give Djokovic first blood. Djokovic was playing almost flawless tennis and struck again in the second game of the second set, showing great anticipation and speed to reach a dropshot and clinch the break. Nadal tried to lift his game but he simply could not live with an inspired opponent who dominated the baseline rallies with immaculate shot selection and clinical execution. Djokovic broke Nadal again to open up a 5-1 lead and he served out to love to move two sets ahead. Nadal, twice Wimbledon champion and winner of 10 grand slam titles, finally got a foothold in the match when a rare Djokovic error handed him a break in the second game of the third set and he repeated the feat before holding to love to breeze through the third set. The momentum of the match had completely changed and Nadal created an early break point in the fourth set which Djokovic saved. — Reuters
|
|
Bhupathi-Vesnina end as mixed doubles runners-up London, July 3 Austrian Melzer and Czech Republic's Benesova, who have not lost a single set on their way to the title, were the dominant pair for most part of the final match with better serve and returns. Bhupathi and Vesnina found their opponents' serve too hot to handle most of the time as the Austrian-Czech duo had as many as seven aces to the Indo-Russian duo's two — with Melzer serving at lightning pace without reply on many occasions. Bhupathi and Vesnina were broken serve in the fourth game as Melzer and Benesova raced to 4-1 lead before winning the first set 6-3 in 24 minutes. In the second set, Bhupathi and Vesnina were broken in the third and seventh games to lose it in 27 minutes and surrender the match. With the loss today, Bhupathi failed to equal his once estranged doubles partner Leander Paes' 12 Grand Slam titles as he remained on 11 Major crowns — seven in mixed doubles and four in men's doubles. — PTI
|
||
|
India’s tour of west indies second test: day 5
Barbados, July 3
Set 281 to win after India made a bold declaration at the start of the day, West Indies were 202 for seven when the teams shook hands and stumps were drawn, 79 runs from what would have been a remarkable victory, but also just three wickets from losing the series. "I'm disappointed to some extent, the last session was a well-placed game, it was evenly poised," said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "My plan was ruined because of the rain, we got a couple of wickets that were needed but bad light spoiled the party." India, 1-0 up in the three-match series after winning the opening test in Jamaica, declared their second innings closed at 269-6, more than an hour before lunch, setting West Indies a formidable, but not impossible target in two-and-a-half sessions. The tourists looked the most likely winners when they picked up three early wickets, forcing West Indies to revert to survival mode, before Darren Bravo and Carlton Baugh took matters into their own hands and threatened to change the momentum of the match. "A draw, we will take that. As long as we didn't lose today, I'm quite happy," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy. "We had a plan, even down to the last 15 overs we were on course but we lost too many wickets. We have to go all out to win and level the test series." Bravo made 73 in more than four-and-a-half hours at the crease before he fell when the light was fading fast, leaving Baugh unbeaten on 46. Ishant Sharma, India's impressive fast bowler, who was named man of the match, took 4-53 to finish with 10 wickets. "I can't forget this kind of bowling, I've never done this ever in my career," Sharma said. "The wicket had uneven bounce in the first innings, so you just had to put it in the right areas." India had resumed on 229-3 and added just 40 runs for the loss of three wickets when the normally conservative skipper called his players in on a lively Kensington Oval pitch still offering plenty of pace and bounce. For the second time in the match, Vangipurappu Laxman had fallen short of a century, departing for 87 after making 85 in the first innings. Laxman had batted patiently to get within reach of a hundred when he got a thick edge to a short ball from Fidel Edwards outside off stump and deflected it to Sammy at second slip. — Reuters Scoreboard West Indies second innings
|
|
Laxman, Ishant soar in rankings Dubai, July 3 The 36-year-old from Hyderabad, who hit 85 and 87 in a low-scoring match, has gained seven places to sixth position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batsmen rankings, the highest of his career. In the process, Laxman has moved above such luminaries as Virender Sehwag and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who both lose ground in the latest rankings. The top five remain unchanged with Jacques Kallis of South Africa still leading the way ahead of India's Sachin Tendulkar in second position. Sehwag and Tendulkar, who are not playing in the West Indies series have fallen back because a player loses one per cent of his ratings points for every Test he misses. Ishant Sharma's jump in the bowlers' rankings is a result of his 10-wicket haul at Bridgetown. With match figures of 41.2-11-108-10, Sharma as gained four places to seventh position, overtaking team-mate Harbhajan Singh and making him the second highest-ranked India bowler at the moment behind Zaheer Khan, who is fifth. The Bridgetown Test was a productive match for the West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards as he returned to the top-20 following an eight-wicket haul. South Africa leads the way in the bowling chart as well, with speedster Dale Steyn at the top of the list, followed by England off-spinner Graeme Swann. India fined for slow over-rate Barbados: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was today fined 60 per cent of his match fee while his teammates were docked 30 per cent each for maintaining a slow over-rate during the drawn second Test against the West Indies here. ICC Match Referee Chris Broad imposed the fines after Dhoni's side was ruled to be three overs short of its target at the end of the match when time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with ICC Code of Conduct regulations governing minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount. — PTI
|
|
|
London, July 3 Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook's career-best century lifted his side to a modest score, but with no other England batsman making more, apart from Kevin Pietersen's 41, the hosts were still held to 246 for seven. England's total would have been considerably worse had Cook not been reprieved on 15 when Mahela Jayawardene dropped a regulation slip catch. He shared stands of 72, with Ian Bell (30), and 75, with Tim Bresnan (26) for the fifth and sixth wickets, respectively, after England had collapsed to 85 for four. Cook was on course to become only the second batsman, after fellow England left-handed opener Nick Knight, to bat through a full 50-over ODI innings when he was run out attempting a bye by Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara. In all, he faced 143 balls with 13 fours - not the most rapid run-rate, but hugely valuable in the context of the match. This was only Cook's second century in 29 ODI innings and his highest, surpassing the 102 made against India at Southampton in 2007. Cook, belying his reputation as a slow scorer, forced Angelo Mathews off the backfoot for four in the first over. It was the only over Mathews, struggling with a knee injury, bowled. Cook should have been out when he edged Nuwan Kulasekara only for the normally reliable Jayawardene to drop the two-handed chance. Pietersen, looking in excellent touch, dominated a third wicket stand of 49, of which Cook's share was just seven, before leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis checked England's recovery with two wickets. First he induced Pietersen, who faced just 43 balls, to sky a sweep to deep square leg where Suraj Randiv held a well-judged catch and Mendis then had left-hander Eoin Morgan lbw for four. — AFP Scoreboard Sri Lanka
|
|
Dope tainted athletes out; Ashwini, Poonia in team
New Delhi, July 3 Mandeep and Sini, members of the Indian quartet that won 4x400m relay gold in Commonwealth and Asian Games last year, were caught for doping for anabolic steroids in the dope tests conducted by the IAAF. Four more athletes also tested positive for anabolic steroids in NADA tests. Another member of the Commonwealth and Asian Games 4x400m relay squad Ashwini Akkunji, who also won gold in the 400m hurdles in Asian Games, has been named in the team. In the absence of Mandeep, Sini and Manjeet, who has been also left out of the team, national record holder in 800m Tintu Luka has been named in the 4x400m relay squad besides being selected in her pet event. Priyanka Panwar and Mrudula Korada were the other two named in the 4x400m relay squad. Ashwini will also run in the 400m and 400m hurdles. Commonwealth Games gold medallist discus thrower Krishna Poonia, Asian Games gold medallist long distance runner Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut also made it to the team. Also in the team, which had 16 women, are Asian Games 3000m steeplechase gold winner Sudha Singh and the country's top long and triple jumpers M A Prajusha and Mayookha Johny. Asian Games 400m hurdle gold medallist Joseph Abraham, national record holder discus thrower Vikas Gowda, top shot putters Om Prakash and Saurabh Vij will lead the challenge among men. Meanwhile, NADA director general Rahul Bhatnagar said that results of samples of a few athletes are yet to come, including that of Akkunji. — PTI
|
|
Time-trial: Hushovd claims Tour lead
Les Essarts, July 3 Britain's Team Sky were third, clocking the same time as BMC. First stage winner Philippe Gilbert of Belgium lost the yellow jersey after his Omega Pharma Lotto team finished 40 seconds behind the winners. Hushovd seized the lead because he was his team's best-placed rider after finishing third in Saturday's first stage in Mont des Alouettes. His British team mate David Millar is now second overall in the same time. Australia's Cadel Evans, who beat Hushovd by three seconds for second place on Saturday, is close up in third place overall, just one second behind the two Garmin-Cervelo riders. Monday's third stage is a 198-km trek between Olonne sur Mer and Redon. — Reuters
|
|
Corruption scandal at Olympics
London, July 3 West Ham United made payments totalling £20,000 into the executive's bank account before and after it was selected as the owner of the stadium in east London. — PTI
|
|
Margao, July 3 But the AIFF did not nominate him for the Dronacharya award due to a stipulation that the aspirants should have coached the National team. The moment Colaco got the National job last month, the AIFF did not hesitate in recommending the Dempo Sports Club coach for the highest coaching honour in India, an AIFF official said. "We could not look at anyone beyond Armando for the award," he said. Since former India coach Syed Nayeemuddin collected the award in 1992, no football coach has won the honour. Meanwhile, former India captain and at one time India’s leading scorer, Shabir Ali, has been nominated for the Dhyanchand lifetime achievement award while I M Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia, Jo Paul Ancheri, Sunil Chhetri, Deepak Mondal, Subrata Paul and S Venkatesh have been nominated for Arjun award. — PTI
|
|
Ramos gives Colombia a 1-0 win
Jujuy, July 3 Costa Rica had been reduced to 10 men after 27 minutes when forward Randall Brenes was shown a straight red card after a dangerous tackle on defender Luis Perea. Colombia lead the group with three points ahead of hosts Argentina and Bolivia, who have one point each after their 1-1 draw on Friday in the tournament's opening match in La Plata. "The important thing was to start with a win and that's what we did," Ramos told reporters. Colombia dominated after a bright start by Costa Rica, but their passing was sloppy in a game mostly fought out in midfield. — Reuters
|
|
Centre Stage It had always been the dream of a player worth his football to don the jersey of Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, till the I-League came along. Though the charm of playing for the fancied Bengal clubs still remains the cherished ambition of a good player, if not for money then for the hoary tradition associated with these clubs, the I-League had opened up a level-playing field with cash-rich Goan clubs like Salgaocar, Dempo and Churchill Brothers providing equally tempting options to valuable players. But such high hopes can be nursed only by a chosen few, as more and more clubs face an uncertain future, the sheer running costs weighing down most owners. The closure of established clubs like Mahindra United and JCT, owned by big business houses, has come as a severe jolt to the game in India. Football is still a saleable sport and it was just a question of fully exploiting its market potential by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Unfortunately, the AIFF has failed to cash in on the popularity of the game, and instead, has emerged as a villain who killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. Now, only owners with bottomless pockets can sustain a club, as a minimum of Rs 5-6 crore is required to run a club, even by modest standards. Not many owners have that kind of money to burn, without gaining anything in return. Big business houses, who run football clubs, expect some mileage for their company, but with the AIFF’s failure to tap the publicity potential of the game, as rarely the I-League matches got telecast and written about extensively, more and more people are backing out from the soccer business. Mercifully, however, when one club folds up, another springs up, though their sustaining power is something to be anxiously awaited upon. When FC Kochin became the first I-League club to shut business, another club sprang up on the southern shores — Viva Kerala. Now, Viva has changed hands, to be owned by the Kolkata-based software company Chirag, who had earlier owned the Chirag United. Viva Kerala, now rechristened Chirag Kerala, were lucky that they could find a buyer, though the club will shift base to Kolkata from the next season. The Mahindra and JCT managements decided to disband their teams, unable to bear the losses. The birth of new clubs like Mumbai FC, Pune FC and Sikkim FC have somewhat filled the vacuum, but only time will tell how long they will hold on. Not so long ago, the country boasted of many popular soccer tournaments and the Nehru Cup international football tournament, started in 1984, not only brought in the crowd but also the cash, through sponsorships and gate collections. The breaking up of the Soviet Union and other East European countries like Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Hungary spelt the end of the Nehru Cup in its original avatar as teams from these countries started demanding payments in dollars which the AIFF could not meet. So long as these countries were under Communist control, they were willing to accept rupee payment, but that scenario has changed and the Nehru Cup was suspended, before being revived six years ago. The first two new editions of the Cup held at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi were huge hits with fans as they were able to witness some quality football. The Indian team, coached by Bob Houghton of Britain, emerging victorious on both the occasions pumped the adrenalin of the fans, who were willing to loosen their purse strings to watch quality football. That soccer still holds a prominent place in the sports firmament of the country is a welcome sign, but the federation has done precious little to sustain the interest. Now, India are placed 127th in world rankings, which is nothing to rave about. This is despite the fact that the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation had pumped in millions of dollars for the development of the game in India. According to Thierry Regenass, Director, Member Associations and Development, FIFA, invested nearly eight million dollars to build artificial turfs in Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Imphal and Shillong and to renovate stadiums in Mumbai. The project, which was to be completed by the end of 2010, is only half finished till date. Till the time AIFF introduced the I-League in 1995-96, the country used to boast of at least two dozen India-level tournaments. But then AIFF put a clause that a club could play only in ten tournaments per season which was not only unviable for the hosts as they could not get clubs of their choice, but also for the clubs as the prize money and appearance fees were a major source of income for a club like JCT, which got diminished due to this restriction. That a hugely popular tournament like DCM was forced to wind up due to the road-blocks created by the AIFF spoke a lot about how the game was being throttled by the very hands which were supposed to nurse and nurture it in the country. DCM had the distinction of introducing foreign football on Indian shores as they brought quality clubs from the USSR, Australia, Korea, Yugoslavia and other countries. These foreign clubs showed how far behind Indian football was, though they also helped the Indian players learn a lot by observing and playing against them. When the going was good, the AIFF did not bother to plough back the money into the game, and create the necessary infrastructure. As a result, only a very few State associations own or have access to stadiums. The Karnataka Soccer Association is the only State body to own a stadium. Here, the AIFF should have taken a leaf out of the successful cash book of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “A small State like Kerala conducted more than half-a-dozen national-level tournaments offering prize money, in which top teams like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and JCT etc. used to participate. The Nagjee Trophy (Calicut), Chakola Trophy (Trichur), Mammen Mappila Trophy (Kottayam), Sri Narayana Trophy (Quilon) were all big tournaments, but they all shut shop as the AIFF made their existence impossible,” observed seasoned journalist and soccer correspondent P. Vijaya Raghava Menon. The AIFF can really give a big push to the game if it helps revive the many tournaments that shut shop across the country, and help State associations to create their own infrastructure and grass-root training programmes. The Haryana Government’s decision to open many soccer academies across the State is a welcome step and if the AIFF provides the necessary impetus, soccer in India can surely bounce back.
|
|
BCCI formula to be emulated, not envied
The closure of the JCT Football Club was one of the biggest setbacks to the sport in India, especially for Punjab and the region, as the club had been a beckoning light for many aspiring footballers, many of whom didn’t have the means or the wherewithal to venture beyond and ply their trade in other footballing centres of India. But though regrettable, the decision is understandable. In essence, it states just one thing – nothing succeeds like success. Every viable business venture needs an injection of funds. So clubs which do not have enough finances of their own invariably look for sponsors and their existence through these sponsors can only be guaranteed through one thing. They need to show some success and be visible on the prime platform. In India, there is this constant wrangle between cricket and other sports, and athletes and officials from varied disciplines have over the years always bemoaned how cricket is preferred and how other sports are ignored. To this, there are two answers. Firstly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India doesn’t take a penny from the Government, which nowadays spends considerable amounts on other sports. Secondly, BCCI can generate funds through various means since they have achieved success in all forms of cricket, on and off the field. While private clubs like JCT are not quite in the same module as BCCI or other sponsored clubs – since they are funded internally by the Thapar Group – they need to show results to their bosses. The recent relegation to the second division of the I-League was the last straw for a management which, like all companies, must have felt the brunt of the recent recession. But while the reasons may be sound, football, like other sports, has largely always been struggling to match the BCCI module of business. Success and funds are intertwined, but it is naive to suggest that no money will be invested without first seeing success. All businesses need investment, and a break-even period. Here is where the All-India Football Federation has failed miserably while BCCI has been a runaway success. Granted, cricket got its first boost through the World Cup win in 1983, but they, even before that win, were still at least competitive if nothing else. In contrast, Indian football was once quite a force, which competed at the world stage too with fair amount of distinction. The AIFF however did nothing to capitalise on this gain and while teams from the region threw in money to improve by leaps and bounds, AIFF tried to hedge and subsequently lost ground and ranking at an alarming rate. BCCI had its share of personalities who made India the cricketing giant it is today. From visionaries like board president M.A. Chidambaram to financial and business gurus like Inderjit Singh Bindra and Jagmohan Dalmiya grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Even mavericks like Lalit Modi managed to garner funds way beyond the imagination of an average sports fan. At the same time, it was not just money-grabbing. BCCI took pains to shore funds back into the game, and every unit of the board was given a taste of the success, in terms of financial incentives and facilities. At the same time however, BCCI was also particular about a few things, which are a must for the centres to get these benefits. It insisted that every state association have its own stadium and infrastructure for training and practice, apart from state-of-the-art equipment, lights, facilities for spectators and the media and every conceivable thing necessary for the successful hosting of events. The board also has a coaching programme for youngsters which spreads all over the country and also regularly conducts age-group events like the Cooch Behar Trophy for school teams and the Rohinton Baria Trophy for college teams, apart from tournament for all age groups beginning from under-15. Many players, the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, are ample proof of the success of the system. Football, on the other hand, seems to be run on a prayer and begging bowl. The club teams get some sponsors, like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in Kolkata who were adopted by Vijay Mallya. But the federation’s efforts of promoting the game are fractured at best and non-existent at worst. While a lot of noise is made about grassroots development of the game, the structure can’t light a candle to the system adopted by BCCI. Subsequently, results range between moderate to disastrous and naturally sponsors do not feel inclined to pump funds into a near-dead cause. Erstwhile AIFF boss Priyaranjan Dasmunshi did try to use his influence and political clout to get finances into football, but the efforts waned, as did the sponsorship. The National League is a classic case. A certain private event management firm took up the cause but abandoned it midway. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was roped in as sponsor, but once Dasmunshi fell to ill health, that deal also evaporated. On top of that the old chicken and egg story continues with telecast etc. – no sponsor, no telecast; no telecast, no viewership; no viewership, no sponsor. So when clubs like JCT, or Mahindra United, close down, it is a corporate decision spurred by lack of performances. But when football as a sport teeters on the verge of extinction, it is a sordid story of mismanagement and incompetence. An eternal story with many an Indian sport.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Jujuy, July 3
It had always been the dream of a player worth his football to don the jersey of Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, till the I-League came along. Though the charm of playing for the fancied Bengal clubs still remains the cherished ambition of a good player, if not for money then for the hoary tradition associated with these
clubs
The closure of the JCT Football Club was one of the biggest setbacks to the sport in India, especially for Punjab and the region, as the club had been a beckoning light for many aspiring footballers, many of whom didn’t have the means or the wherewithal to venture beyond and ply their trade in other footballing centres of India.
"This is the best day of my life, this is the tournament I always dreamed of winning," Djokovic said following the presentation ceremony. 
One of only four players to beat Federer 
This was the time when Punjab produced many footballing stars, and the brightest among these was Arjuna Award winner Inder Singh. The man who, with his sensational runs and keen eye for goal made fans everywhere he went. He made them wish that the 90 minutes would never finish! He made a name for himself with Leaders Club and then established that name with JCT FC, before going on to play for India and in the Asian All Stars team. 
London: 
Washington: