Pasha finds a place in probables list

CHENNAI, AUG 30. Indian Bank's dashing forward Sabir Pasha gets a look in once again, his name finding a place in the list of 32 probables released today for the Afro-Asian Games football competition scheduled in New Delhi in November.

The AIFF also picked up 30 probables to prepare an Under-23 national team for the Islamabad SAF Games to come up before the Afro-Asian Games. At least 15 players are common to both the lists.

Mr. Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, AIFF President, briefing pressmen on Thursday after the Federation's executive committee meeting, which finalised the lists among other decisions, said Sukhwinder Singh will the chief coach for Afro-Asian team with Krishnaji Rao his deputy.

For the Under-23 team, Syed Nayeemuddin will be the Chief coach and Gabriel Joseph the Coach. Mr P. K. Banerjee will be the Technical Director for both the teams.

He said the camp for the Under-23 players would begin on September 10, most likely in Patiala while for the senior team, a decision would be taken shortly. It was also decided that, as part of Afro-Asian Games preparation, the Indian team would have few exposure matches in India with teams of like strength from Asia. India is clubbed with Nigeria, Morocco and Turkmenistan and ideally, he said the preparatory matches should be around ten days before the competition.

Among other decisions, Mr Munshi said it had been decided to entrust the AIFF Vice President, Mr Vijay Mallya to negotiate with prospective sponsorships to market AIFF events and finalise terms before September 30 in consultation with the Marketing Committee. The four shortlisted sponsors were TWI, Procam, LSM and IMG and Mr Munshi said what the Federation was looking forward was separate deals for all round national events and selected tournaments, the interest being to rope in the best financial gains.

Mr Alberto Colaco, AIFF Secretary, touched on the new draft on the rules governing player transfer and registration and said that the latest draft had incorporated all the new points FIFA had come out with in its new rules meant for amateur and non- amateur players. ``Basically the effort is to ensure professional players do not suffer and non-amateur players are safeguarded,'' he said.

The new draft was being circulated to all associations for review before a final decision. In the meantime, he said the Executive approved loan of players, the condition being that one player should not play for more than one club in an ongoing tournament. The rule, he elaborated was that a team could take two players from within the state and two from outside at one time.

Mr. Colaco also said that Tata Football Academy's proposed international under-19 tournament would come off in Jamshedpur tentatively from January 19 to 30. India would field two teams inclusive of TFA. The other team would be picked up by the national selectors. As for others, Uzbekistan had shown strong interest as have Iran and Qatar. Besides, TFA was trying to get one among the three - Japan, China and Korea - to send a squad.

The probables:

For Afro-Asian Games: Virender Singh (Mahindra United), Sangram Mukherjee (East Bengal), Balaji (ITI), Bivas Ghosh (Mohun Bagan); defenders: Surkumar (Mahindra), Mahesh Gawli (Zee Churchill), Dipak Mondal (East Bengal), K.V. Dhanesh (ITI), Suresh (Mahindra), Samir Naik (Dempo), Rishi Kapoor (Mohun Bagan), Roberto Fernandes (Salgaocar), Rattan Singh (East Bengal); midfielders: Jules Alberto, Khalid Jamil, Venkatesh (all Mahindra), Rennedy Singh, Basudeb Mondal, James Singh, Debjit Ghosh (all Mohun Bagan), Tomba Singh (Air India) and Hardip Sangha (JCT); forwards: Bhaichung Bhutia, Mohd Najib (Mahindra), Sabir Pasha (Indian Bank), R. C. Prakash (Mohun Bagan), Bijan Singh (East Bengal) Alvito D'Cunha (Salgaocar), Dipendu Biswas (East Bengal), Raman Vijayan (Mahindra), I. M. Vijayan, Jo Paul Anchery (both East Bengal).

For SAF Games: goalkeepers: Sangram Mukherjee (East Bengal), Naseem Akhtar (Mahindra), Rajat Ghosh Dastidar (Mohun Bagan), Felix d'Souza (Sporting de Goa); defenders: Mahesh Gawli (Churchill), Hussain Mustafi (Mohun Bagan), Surkumar (Mahindra), Dipak Mondal (East Bengal), M. Suresh (Mahindra), Samir Naik (Dempo), Parthasarathy Dey (Tollygunge), Mir Farook Haider (Mahindra), Wilton Gomes (Dempo); mid-fielders: P. Rennedy Singh, James Singh (both Mohun Bagan), Chandandas (East Bengal), Clifford Miranda (Dempo), Tomba Singh (Air India), Sasthy Duley (Tollygunge), Khalid Siddique (Mahindra): forwards: R. C. Prakash (Mohun Bagan), Alvito D cunha (Salgaocar), Dipendu Biswas (East Bengal), Francis Andrade (Sporting Goa), Sukhjit Singh (JCT), Asif Saheer (SBT) and Samson Singh (Air India). The names of S. Venkatesh, Md Najeeb (both Mahindra)and Bijen Singh (East Bengal) have been included provisionally.

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