Jo Jeeta wohi Sikander
Syed Nayeemuddin always loved to stay at Hotel Bombay Orient, opposite to Karims in Old Delhi. Khalid Jamil exults after the final whistle. Even when he was the national team coach, the Hyderabadi preferred no-star accommodation to the five-stars because he loved food at the Karims. Nayeem was in Delhi to watch the 1997 Durand Cup and pick few players for the Kathmandu SAFF Cup. It was at the Hotel Bombay Orient that I had met a rookie Mahindra United midfielder Khalid Jamil, who maintained a calm demeanour at the table as the Dronacharya spoke to him on his mistakes in one of the Durand matches. “ Aisa khel . Focus kar,” Nayeem told a young Khalid. The Kuwait-born player nodded his head — his talent and shyness probably attracted the former coach to include him for the Kathmandu-bound squad. “ Doodh pio. Bina shehat ke footballer nahin ban sakte (Drink milk. Without a good physique, you can’t become a strong footballer),” added the Hyderabadi. ...