In his new weekly column, Wisden India’s editor-in-chief Dileep Premachandran takes a look at the sporting scene in India, with a heavy focus on the country’s No 1 sport, cricket
For decades, one of the things that held Indian football back was the absence of a proper national league. There were regional versions in Kolkata, Goa and Kerala, but apart from the Federation Cup and IFA Shield, loosely comparable to the two English cup competitions, there was no contest to settle which was the country’s champion club side.
That changed in 1996/97, when the National Football League finally took off. But what has transpired in the two decades since is a depressing story of opportunities squandered.
A look at the final standings from that first season tells you everything you need to know about the chronic mismanagement that has eaten away at the heart of the beautiful game.
Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills Football Club (JCT), from Phagwara in Punjab – the state that produced Jarnail Singh, a central defender of such class and bravery that he captained the Asian All Stars in the 1960s – topped the eight-team final league, after 12 sides had been split into two groups for the first phase.
Only Kolkata’s East Bengal and Goa’s Salgaocar Sporting Club remain from the eight. JCT exited the league in 2010/11, citing the lack of support and direction. Organisations such as Indian Bank and Air India are no longer allowed to field teams since they do not meet the All India Football Federation’s club licensing criteria. The same fate befell the Goa-based Churchill Brothers, champions of India as recently as three years ago.
Dempo Sports Club, who have been national champions a record five times, were relegated last year and now play in the second division of the I-League, the modern-day incarnation of the national league.
Mahindra United, owned by India’s biggest jeep manufacturers and who rebranded themselves in Manchester United colours in the mid-2000s, gave up the ghost in 2010.
Before the start of the current I-League season in January, three teams – Pune FC, Bharat FC and Royal Wahingdoh FC from Meghalaya – pulled out. They joined the ranks of teams such as FC Kochin, Viva Kerala and United Sikkim that attempted and failed to transform the bleak football landscape.
A month before this I-League began, the second season of the Indian Super League (ISL) had finished with the Marco Materazzi-coached Chennaiyin FC as champions. The ISL is everything the I-League is not.
Run on franchise lines and heavily promoted on Star Sports, with backing from corporate India, it is an attempt to replicate the popularity of cricket’s Indian Premier League (IPL). Television viewership went up 26 per cent from what it was for the inaugural season, with the average stadium attendance being 27,111.
Both Atletico de Kolkata (three times) and Kerala Blasters (four times), who count Sachin Tendulkar as their majority shareholder, attracted crowds of more than 60,000. Clearly, it is not popularity that is the problem.
Even the I-League, which could be branded the Invisible League in comparison, saw a crowd of more than 20,000 for last season’s title decider between Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC, coached by Ashley Westwood, the Englishman who is a graduate of the Manchester United academy.
Westwood has done a sterling job in his time in charge, finishing first and second, but is still clueless as to whether his contract will be renewed in May at the end of the current season.
“There is not enough football for kids, not enough teams, not enough quality places to train,” he said in a recent interview with Firstpost.com.
“In England, for example, by the time you are 14-15, you are playing 90-minute matches every other weekend. It’s the old 10,000-hour rule, you can’t master a trade without spending that much time on it.”
The I-League has also mirrored the national team’s struggles, with defeat to tiny Guam in a World Cup qualifying representing the nadir for a country that had the Asian Games champions in 1951 and 1962.
MS Dhoni’s show of loyalty sets him apart
When the new Indian Premier Legue season starts in April, a week after the final of the World Twenty20, Chennai Super Kings – two-time champions and perennial semi-finalists – will be missing.
They were banned for two years on account of the antics of Gurunath Meiyappan, once part of the ownership group in addition to being the son-in-law of N Srinivasan, former ICC and BCCI chairman.
Chennai were more than just a successful team though. They enjoyed by far the most support of any franchise.
Match days at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk would mean a sea of yellow in the stands, the signature whistles, and percussion accompaniment from Sivamani, the drummer who was one of the team’s celebrity fans.
Central to that passion was one man, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
He wasn’t just captain of the national side and Chennai, but a talisman that the city took to its heart.
Few men can command the sort of adulation that Tamil movie stars such as Rajnikanth do.
Dhoni came very very close.
With Chennai no longer part of the picture, Dhoni has moved to one of the two new franchises, Rising Pune Super Giants. But at an event to unveil the new team jersey earlier this week, he made it clear that out of sight would not mean out of mind as far as the yellow hordes were concerned.
“All of a sudden, if you want me to say that I am very excited to play for a new team, and if I don’t give credit to CSK and the fans for the love and affection they have given us, it will be wrong on my part,” said Dhoni.
“I would be lying if I say I have moved on. That is the special part of being a human being. There has got to be an emotional connection after eight years with CSK.”
There has long been a suspicion that several stars view an IPL contract as nothing more than a big meal ticket.
Dhoni’s show of loyalty vindicates those thousands of fans that always saw him as a man apart.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.9-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E536hp%20(including%20138hp%20e-motor)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%20(including%20400Nm%20e-motor)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C380%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
%3Cp%3EVara%20will%20cater%20to%20three%20categories%20of%20companies%20in%20Dubai%20(except%20the%20DIFC)%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20A%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Minimum%20viable%20product%20(MVP)%20applicants%20that%20are%20currently%20in%20the%20process%20of%20securing%20an%20MVP%20licence%3A%20This%20is%20a%20three-stage%20process%20starting%20with%20%5B1%5D%20a%20provisional%20permit%2C%20graduating%20to%20%5B2%5D%20preparatory%20licence%20and%20concluding%20with%20%5B3%5D%20operational%20licence.%20Applicants%20that%20are%20already%20in%20the%20MVP%20process%20will%20be%20advised%20by%20Vara%20to%20either%20continue%20within%20the%20MVP%20framework%20or%20be%20transitioned%20to%20the%20full%20market%20product%20licensing%20process.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20B%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Existing%20legacy%20virtual%20asset%20service%20providers%20prior%20to%20February%207%2C%202023%2C%20which%20are%20required%20to%20come%20under%20Vara%20supervision.%20All%20operating%20service%20proviers%20in%20Dubai%20(excluding%20the%20DIFC)%20fall%20under%20Vara%E2%80%99s%20supervision.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECategory%20C%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20New%20applicants%20seeking%20a%20Vara%20licence%20or%20existing%20applicants%20adding%20new%20activities.%20All%20applicants%20that%20do%20not%20fall%20under%20Category%20A%20or%20B%20can%20begin%20the%20application%20process%20through%20their%20current%20or%20prospective%20commercial%20licensor%20%E2%80%94%20the%20DET%20or%20Free%20Zone%20Authority%20%E2%80%94%20or%20directly%20through%20Vara%20in%20the%20instance%20that%20they%20have%20yet%20to%20determine%20the%20commercial%20operating%20zone%20in%20Dubai.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
De Bruyne (70')
Man of the Match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Januzaj's club record
Manchester United 50 appearances, 5 goals
Borussia Dortmund (loan) 6 appearances, 0 goals
Sunderland (loan) 25 appearances, 0 goals
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
Sanchez's club career
2005-2006: Cobreloa
2006-2011 Udinese
2006-2007 Colo-Colo (on loan)
2007-2008 River Plate (on loan)
2011-2014 Barcelona
2014–Present Arsenal
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
'O'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zeina%20Hashem%20Beck%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20112%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Penguin%20Books%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sunday's fixtures
- Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
- Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
The biog
Name: Gul Raziq
From: Charsadda, Pakistan
Family: Wife and six children
Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8
Golf Handicap: 6
Childhood sport: cricket