Beyond The Goal

From Margao, it took barely 30 minutes to reach Verca. "Where is Churchill's house" ask any commoner on the way and you would be directed straight to strongman Alemao Churchill's house. It is one of those typical Goanese house located deep inside a sleepy village which remained calm and composed even on a Sunday morning. The moment I walked in, I saw a blackboard right infront of the entrance. It was the "appointment board" of Alemao (Churchill Brothers' leadman). Being a minister in the Goa Government, he seems to be a busy man, I thought. Besides his footballing passion, he is also supposed to take care of his constituency. After waiting for almost an hour alongwith other visitors (most of them had come to narrate their problems), the big, burly frame of Alemao finally trooped out of his rest room. Wearing his trademark spotless full-sleeve shirt and trouser, he said: "Sorry, I am late. Come, please come inside." He directed me to his modest...

Last week my friend Riyas (Komu) asked me what do I feel about Bob Houghton's proposed idea of building Team India for Asian Cup 2011. Well, in the first place I was wondering if Bob is aware of the ground realities. By contracting the 25 best Indian footballers for the next two years and then engaging them with foreign exposure tours will certainly require a great amount of financial support. First question, where would the money come from? Having done that (contracting the players) and thus removing the top names from club football would mean that Mohun Bagan, East Bengal or even Dempo will cease to exist as a club. We are not doubting Bob's footballing knowledge. But we can still expect some sensible ideas from this globetrotting coach. Like in his own country England (though he is based in South Africa), club culture is equally important in the Indian context. The Englishman would have given a second thought before proposing it. Experts say a mininum budget of Rs 40 crores ...

Time, as the cliché goes, really flies away. 1997. Slowly I was adjusting myself. Having left the city known for its never-ending football madness, I was transported to a city where I came across football clubs. But they just couldn’t match Kolkata. It was only during the Durand Cup's which brought some relief. Durand Cup showcased stars like IM Vijayan, Chima Okorie, Carlton Chapman, Joe Paul Anchery, Basudev Mondol and others. It was the perfect opportunity to know and understand them, I wondered. But Syed Nayeemuddin’s presence overshadowed everybody. If I can recall, it was definitely not my first meeting with him. In 1995 in Calcutta when he was East Bengal coach I had managed to speak to him. But he was and still is monosyllabic. Hence, the interaction didn't happen at all. With the early winter chill in October, Nayeem sahab walked in at the Ambedkar Stadium entrance. The crowd (mostly from Old Delhi) joslted for space. They wanted to talk to him. Share some inputs abo...

Those guys are so old, you can't put your arms around a memory" — Guns N'Roses Those not in tune with Indian football history can easily dismiss Samar 'Badru' Banerjee, MA Salam, Zulfikar, Nikhil Nandi, SS Narayan, Ahmed Hussain and PK Banerjee as senior citizens. But when the skipper of that legendary 1956 football team, Samar Banerjee, walked down the memory lane, you knew their 'star' status. Seven players of the 'Class of 56', as they once famously were known as, were felicitated by the sports minister, and all those present were overwhelmed by the humility of these former stars. Gill hugged them and praised their achievements, wondering how these legendary players were consigned to the dustbin of faded memories. So, when a host of TV crews rushed to grab some quick bytes, they felt honoured. For some in the establishment, it have been like any other official function. But for these greats, it meant a lot — finally, a recognition from the govern...