In the face of dwindling support, NFL remains game's primary hope

By Our Special Correspondent

KOCHI, JAN. 26. Haunted by plethora of probing questions, particularly in the wake of the dismal show by the National team in the Sahara Cup, the real status of Indian football and its popularity among the masses would once again be put to test at the V National Football League that resumes on Saturday.

Discontinued after two rounds to accommodate what turned out to be a mismanaged and ill-fated international tournament, the third round of the NFL action should also mark the restart of a voyage that would focus on a nation-wide search on the existence of even a trace of light at the end of the tunnel, in terms of footballing excellence, that is, though it has been already proved that this premier competition, featuring the 12 top club sides in the country, by itself cannot help Indian football re- emerge from the dumps.

But all the same, no matter what the circumstances might be, it does remain an undisputed fact that Indian football can survive only if the NFL (even in the absence of a title- sponsor and poor TV coverage) is persisted with and clubs nurtured into nurseries of talent through a period of time, especially when the State affiliates of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), barring a few, continue to remain as mere vote banks of the powers-that-be.

Indeed, all this does present only a part of the real story. For, more than the AIFF or its affiliates, the onus on the much-needed improvement in the standard of Indian football does remain at the door of the clubs and more importantly, the top bunch of the current players whose undisciplined and casual approach could also be one of the main reasons that has contributed to the dwindling public support for the game, a good example of this being the poor turnout in Kochi during the Sahara Cup even on those days when the host nation played.

Given the nature of the poor public response which afflicted that tournament in its other two venues-Margao and Kolkata-as well, the question which remains uppermost in the minds of many today is whether there would be a turnaround when the NFL resumes on the morrow with matches in the very same three centres where the Sahara Cup turned out to be a Millennium flop causing a loss of an estimated Rs. 17 crores to its promoters despite the lollipops offered, at least in Kochi, in the shape of a gold sovereign to a lucky spectator.

In the three matches slated for Saturday, FC Kochin will take on last year's runner-up Churchill Brothers here to mark the beginning of its home campaign, while debutants Vasco Sports Club and Air India will meet each other in Margoa and East Bengal has been pitted against State Bank of Travancore in Kolkata.

In the other third round matches, Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar Sports Club will meet ITI and JCT at their respective home turfs on Sunday, while the match between Tollygunge Agragami and Mahindra United is scheduled for Monday in Kolkata.

According to the revised schedule released by the AIFF, the first phase of the NFL, comprising 11 rounds, are to be completed on March 8, almost a month before India is to begin its first round campaign for the 2002 World Cup.

The holder, Mohun Bagan, and FC Kochin share the top spot after the two earlier rounds with four points each, just ahead of Vasco SC and ITI, also with four points, but placed third and fourth on account of their inferior goal average. The four are followed by Salgaocar SC, East Bengal and Air India with three points each and then by JCT and SBT (two each), Churchill Brothers and Mahindra United (1 each), while Tollygunge Agragami, yet to open its tally, is placed at the rock-bottom.

The standings (read as played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against and points): Mohun Bagan: 2-1-1-0-4-3-4; FC Kochin: 2-1-1-0-4-3-4; Vasco SC: 2-1-1-0-2-1-4; ITI: 2-1-1-0-1-0-4; Salgaocar SC: 2-1-0-1-6-4-3; East Bengal: 2-1-0-1-0-2-1-3; Air India: 2-1-0-1-3-5-3; JCT: 2-0-2- 0-3-3-2; SBT: 2-0-2-0-0-0-2; Mahindra United: 2-0-1-1-2-3-1; Churchill Brothers: 2-0-1-1-0-1- 1; Tollygunge Agragami: 2-0-0-2- 1-4-0.

Our Sports Reporter adds from

Kolkata:

East Bengal will go all out

Kingfisher East Bengal would be eager to return to winning ways when it meets SBT at the Ravindra Sarobar Stadium.

East Bengal, which won its first match, against Agragami, here and then lost 0-1 to ITI in the second round at Bangalore on Dec. 19, will be playing under a new coach, Manoranjan Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya assumed charge after Dronacharya Syed Nayeemuddin resigned owning responsibility for the team's semifinal defeats in the Durand and Rovers Cups.

SBT, under coach Mohammad Najeeb, is still undefeated having drawn both against ITI and Churchill Brothers. With the Salt Lake Stadium unavailable, SBT would be counting on the advantage of playing on a relatively smaller pitch at the Ravindra Sarobar against a star-studded opponent.

SBT, one of the very few teams in the NFL to have no foreign recruits, has always proved a gritty opponent at Sarobar and also has a lot of youngsters in its fold. East Bengal has four African recruits and it is likely that the home team will come in full strength and go all out for a win.

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