Bob is absolutely right. No infra in India. It is a shame he has to take the team to Dubai just to find a decent practice facility.
I was switching channels of TV during Santosh Trophy between Zee Sports (Thanks Zee for showing it live) and a game for WC2011 qualification between S Korea and Iran. Rather than the matches, I observed the differences between the pitch, the stadium, and the atmosphere. It was telling!
Barking to Santosh trophy for no use. Ranji trophy helps to choose good players for Cricket. Nobody will say Ranji trophy is nonsensical. What we need to save football is the same systematic criteria adopted for selecting young cricket players, starting from school level.
The Annual Santosh Trophy is an important social-cultural activity in our country. It needs to be retained and improved.
Footballers playing for the country could be exempted from taking part in it if it comes close to their international commitments. Former India players who are no more in the reckoning for international duty and upcoming youngsters could form their respective State teams.
Santosh Trophy forces State associations to improve the infrastructure for players and fans. In the long run this small step would be a giant leap for football in our vast country. I thought this year's hosts Tamil Nadu did well in taking football to various districts during the qualifying stages. It has created more interest for Jogo Bonito in the remote towns and villages on the Fishery Coast.
Indian football team's national Coach Bob Houghton is doing fine and as a diehard football lover I can perfectly understand his concern to take football to the next level in our country, in the continent and on the Planet. Best wishes to Bob and our team in their international commitments.
Re: Big countries like India need inter-State competitions !
by Mohan Chandar on Jun 19, 2009 11:18 AM
Dr. Coelho,
Well said. Santosh Trophy is a prestigious tournament and helps identify talents from the states, many a talent has taken this route to don national colours. For example, The TN team did pretty well this year and talents such as Muthu caught the eye. But it was a pity that the best crowds for the games was not more than 3000. There was a time not too long back, when we could see kids playing a lot of football, and there were 7 a side tourneys held and watched with great enthusiasm. All that have vanished in favour of the more popular sport in India. There has to be something done to improve the interest in the game at the grassroots levels too. BTW, Houghton is a great asset and a great coach for us to have.
Re: Re: Big countries like India need inter-State competitions !
by darren on Jun 19, 2009 02:23 PM
i think one must pay attention to what Bob houghton says.. its not about the santosh trophy. its about infrastructure, training, physicians, sports medicine and other fields where we lack far behind. and we have a bunch of bozos who sit in the adminstrative department knowing nothing about the game and trying to pull the strings across. we need people who have lived sport or the particular sport. there has to be a radical change in the way the whole structure exists. Santosh trophy is a great tournament, no doubt but does it help improve the quality of football. no it doesnt. the league itself doesnt. the foreigners in the league are the ones who don more limelight than the Indians. technically , Indians are very poorly equipped and tactically equally so. a long way to go before we even think of being a football team. we dont even have our own identity or formation of what style of football we would play or like to play. for that matter all this exists in most of the sports in India. we can dream of the sky but until we build bridges to reach there we ll remain on the ground.
Re: Re: Big countries like India need inter-State competitions !
by cajetan coelho on Jun 19, 2009 12:39 PM
Thanks Mr. Mohan Chandar.
Having completed Santosh Trophy the AIFF could easily prepare a strong list of India Reserves and prepare the boys for future international combats. One needs such a second line in place at the earliest.
Players from Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Karnataka, Railways and Services were impressive in the just concluded Nationals. They have a right to dream of playing for our country.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Big countries like India need inter-State competi
by bitu singh on Jun 19, 2009 03:35 PM
Hoguhton is right on target.India dont have facilities.Tell who is heading AIFF no one knows. AS dasmunshi is heading it and he is in Hospital.Who will take care of football.More over if you have watched the final between TN and Goa.At what pace they play one can quess the future of indian football.Seee if want to select players that Forwardling select players from Manipur,Bengal and Goa.half line look in Orrisa,Maharastra and TN and for Defence they should be tall you can look in punjab,Delhi.That way gud team is prepared.Please do something for footbal and dont loose the gud coaches.
However, the Santosh Trophy is still an important and prestigious trophy. Perhaps if they converted it into an under-21 age trophy it would maintain the prestige of the tournament.
As for the state of facilities, it is our netas who pretend to be football administrators are to be blamed. Instead of posing to click pictures with people like Sepp Blatter and Peter Kenyon they should spend time developing the game. It is a damning fact that despite Dasmunshi being President of AIFF for nearly two decades, Indian football did not go forward till he fell ill.
Re: I do agree with Coach Houghton....
by ainsley fernandes on Jun 19, 2009 01:39 PM
But a U-21 tournament already exists So whats the use of having another one and nobody has time to go and watch it Who knows that Mizoram are U-21 chamos this year in Goa? Can you name atleast 2 of their players?
As Santosh Trophy was held in Chennai, I found some interest and saw the matches live on television and the final in full. Sadly all matches were looking like as if some old men were patting the ball around.
Unlike a football match. The coach seems to have his eyes set right on his goals but how about the team and the management?
