Manna, I.M. Vijayan honoured

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 7. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has adjudged former India captain Sailendra Nath (Sailen) Manna as the `Footballer of the Millennium' and I.M. Vijayan as the `Player of the Year (1999), it was announced by the president of AIFF, Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, in a press conference here on Monday.

Manna was the captain of the 1951 Asian Games gold medal winning team and led the country in the 1952 Olympics. Manna was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.

The AIFF president, who briefed the media after the two-day Annual General Meeting, said that the choice of Vijayan was on the basis of his outstanding performances at Abu Dhabi in the Asia Cup. A Millennium Cup competition, which is being negotiated with the FIFA match agent Mr. Stephano Pucchi, will feature National teams, and the stars of Indian football would be honoured on that occasion.

In a bid to make the best attempt in the Afro-Asian Games in 2001 and the World Cup qualifying programme in 2002, in which India has been grouped with Yemen, Brunei and United Arab Emirates, the AIFF has planned to launch the `Mission of Glory' project by May this year.

As per the project, there will be a foreign coach who will work along with a technical director and three assistant coaches, apart from a professional manager. There will be 36 players to start with and the number will be pruned to 26. The players and their clubs will be compensated to a certain degree by the Federation.

The AIFF has offered the youth development programme to Mohammed Ismail of Uzbekistan and it is negotiating with coach Franz Barriquand of France, as per the recommendation of FIFA technical head, Mr. Walter Gagg, for assisting the senior team. The finalisation of the coaches is expected to be made by March.

The women's football will get a boost with the conduct of junior and sub-junior national championships, apart from regional tournaments. Two women players, Sujata Kaur and Alpana Sill will train in Germany.

As per a five-year contract with Saphire, an international company based in United Kingdom, the Indian men's team will get two weeks of exposure in Europe every year. The players as well as the AIFF will gain financially from the exercise.

The Santosh trophy for 2000-2001 will be held in Maharashtra and the one for 2001-2002 will be held in Manipur. The AIFF is negotiating with the Madhya Pradesh government to conduct the Jawaharlal Nehru international tournament at an appropriate time in the newly-built football stadium in Bhopal.

Mr. Dasmunsi assured that sincere attempts were being made to prepare the complete calendar for next year by May this year. To this end, he stated that efforts were being made to book the grounds in advance and finalise the dates of tournaments thereafter.

The second division league is scheduled from February 20 to March 30 in three phases, and will feature about 18 to 20 teams. The Santosh trophy will be from March 25 to April 20. The Federation Cup will kick off on April 10 and the final will be played on May 7. The inter-club transfers will be effective only after May 15. The National under-19 championship will be held at Orissa from April 7 to 27. The AIFF is expected to release the venues for the tournaments by next week.

The fixtures:

Second division league: Qualifying rounds - February 20 to 25; Preliminary rounds - February 26 to March 10; Final round - March 15 to 30.

Santosh Trophy: Qualifying rounds - March 25 to April 5; Final round - April 6 to 20.

Federation Cup: Qualifying round - April 10 to 20; Pre- quarterfinals - April 22 to 25; Quarterfinals - April 29 to 30; Semifinals - May 3 to 4; Final - May 7.

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