Sparklers of the low-profile league

DESPITE A discernible dip in quality, the fifth edition of the National Football League provided an interesting mix. It had a goalkeeper who doubled up as a forward, a gentleman striker who sang and prayed his way to the top of the chart, a race which stayed tight till the tape and a defensive side which walked away with the title. For sheer variety, it was heaven for the soccer buffs.

If Liberian goalie-cum-utility player Sunday Seah made up the spice with his teasing dribbles and mesmeric strikes, Brazilian Jose Ramirez Baretto had a flair for silky runs and rasping headers.

And the desi stunners came from the crafty striker R. C. Prakash, who forced the foreigners to play catch-up for a major part, and the ever-reliable Jo Paul Ancheri, who silenced the opposition with his stubborn defence and block-busting free-kicks.

The expensive foreigners, expectedly, hogged much of the attention. And after Ghana's Philip Mensah, Uzbekistan's Igor Shkvirin and Baretto, visiting stars were top goal-scorers for three successive seasons.

Mohun Bagan's Baretto, who shadowed his wily team-mate R. C. Prakash for a major part of the league's 22 rounds, got his lucky break when India's World Cup qualifiers came.

When Prakash, who topped the goal-getters list till the 15th round, left for the pre-World Cup matches, it proved to be manna from heaven for the Bible-reading Baretto. And he grabbed the chance with both hands and won the top scorer award.

Baretto's 14 goals also helped him equal Baichung Bhutia's league record for the most number of goals in a single season. Bhutia set the landmark in the league's first edition.

With Baretto and Prakash in its ranks, Bagan had the most lethal strike force this year. And though Bagan lost the League title to East Bengal by a single point, its tally of 40 goals was the best by any team this season. Churchill was the next best with 32 goals while East Bengal, which relied on a strong defence and still won its maiden crown, had only 30. Bagan's Baretto-Prakash combine alone accounted for 24 goals.

Baretto, who had played in the Brazilian third division, however had to slog it out for his goals. Having established himself as a sharp- shooter last season, he was marked heavily this time. But he found a way to side-step the choking traps and go on a scoring spree.

``Baretto is very crafty and skilful. A player who can make a team tick,'' says the Bagan coach Subrata Bhattarcharya. ``He is probably the best overseas player this season,'' he said.

Another player Bhattarcharya rated highly was Sunday Seah. ``He is packed with surprises. Sunday's solo runs down the flanks and brilliant off-the-ball play can make life very uncomfortable for the defenders,'' said Bhattarcharya.

For a good majority of FC Kochin's matches this season, Sunday began as a goalkeeper but played as a forward in the second half. But towards the end of the season, with national players having left for pre- World Cup matches, Sunday's position kept many in suspense. He was played as a forward throughout towards the end of the league.

Olympian O. Chandrasekharan was one of the many who were surprised by Sunday's play. ``In the beginning, I thought they had made a mistake in playing Sunday as a forward, for he was good at the goal. Also, he appeared a bit lazy upfront, only when he got the ball he did something. But I had to change my opinion, for the goals started flowing,'' he said.

For one who got just half of the match as a striker for a major part of the season, Sunday finished with an excellent record. His eight goals placed him in the fourth spot, a seat he shared with champion East Bengal's top striker, Nigerian Omolaja Olalekan.

Sunday's game itself is a bit of a paradox. As a keeper, the Liberian is agile, alert and blessed with quick reflexes, but he is a little slow when he wears the attacker's garb. But his numbness forces rivals under a spell. Gifted with supreme ball skills, Sunday weaves circles around defences and even while striking, he delays the release a bit before placing the ball neatly in.

But despite all the good stuff, the foreigners were not exactly outstanding this season, felt Chandrasekharan. ``They were of course faster and physically fit but will be of the same class as Bhutia and Vijayan. Not more than that,'' said Chandrasekharan, a defender in the national side which won the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games gold, the country's last big success in the continental event.

``In my opinion, Jo Paul Ancheri was the best player this season. He was outstanding. As a sweeper, he covered the area very well, he was also confident and consistent. Despite carrying an injury towards the end, he did a brilliant job overall,'' said Chandrasekharan. Ancheri, a former India captain, also slammed in five goals.

Chandrasekharan was also impressed by Mohun Bagan's R. C. Prakash, who made his Calcutta debut this season. ``He plays a very shrewd game, both with his running and scoring,'' he said.

The wily striker, who struck the league's first hat-trick, had another unique distinction. He was the only Indian among the league's top five goal-getters this season, taking the number three spot behind Baretto and Churchill Brothers' Uzbek recruit Igor Shkvirin. And he had missed the last seven games! Despite East Bengal pipping Bagan to the title in a close race, there was a big slump in the quality of play this time, say Chandrasekharan and another international C. C. Jacob.

``Quality-wise, this could be the worst edition among the five gone through so far,'' said Chandrasekharan.

The competitive spirit was lacking, felt Jacob. ``Often one felt that the players just wanted to complete the game. Not many put an extra effort to produce a better result,'' he said.

It's money that makes the mare go. And with many of the clubs cutting budgets drastically this season, players fees came down too. ``In a pro world, if a player got only half of what he got in the previous season, he would not put his heart and soul into the game. This could be one reason for the poor fare this time,'' reasoned Jacob. ``And if one person, like Vijay Mallya, has a big say in the country's three major clubs, it could reduce the players' bargaining power as well,'' said Jacob.

Ultimately, quality will suffer.

STAN RAYAN

Kochi

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