New Delhi: Indian football legend S.S. Hakeem believes the I-League and Indian Super League (ISL) are not capable of developing and taking the sport forward in the country.
“This I-League, ISL will never do anything. If these do not end and new tournaments do not come about, Indian football is not going anywhere. If you ask me, they should not even exist. New tournaments should be started," Hakeem, who was part of the Indian team that participated in the 1960 Rome Olympics and belongs to the golden generation of players of 1950s and 1960s, told IANS in an interview.
Hakeem, who is the son of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, rued the lack of tournaments currently, something that has been on a steady decline, also leading to the downfall of the sport in India.
“You don't even have a good tournament in Delhi. What is the use of ISL or I-League. Encourage tournaments in every district. In my time, I used to play 30-35 tournaments a year... where are they now? How many tournaments do we have today?" asked Hakeem, who served in the Indian Air Force from 1962 to 1983, before retiring as a squadron leader.
“Quality comes out of quantity, but where is the quantity? Switzerland had 10,000 tennis courts, then one Roger Federer came out. Earlier, small teams used to play in the Durand Cup. There were 50 tournaments to play, but now teams do not have tournaments to play. Mohun Bagan and (the) ISL do not produce players, it is done by smaller teams,” he said.
Hakeem, who was also a FIFA referee from 1974 to 1989, added that the talent pool is too less today because of the lack of tournaments. And with such a small pool, India cannot be expected to produce a world class team.
The Hyderabadi is also livid about shifting the world's third oldest football tournament -- Durand Cup -- from the national capital to Goa.
"Why the hell did you send Durand Cup to Goa? Will they remove FA Cup from London? Can Wimbledon be shifted from London? The oldest tournament of India and third oldest in the world! You pick it up and throw it in Goa? What kind of a decision is this?" asked the 75-year-old.
He rued the present status of Indian football, adding that the current team can barely string together three or four passes.
“Our main asset back in the day was our skill. Players like Tulsidas Balaram, Chuni Goswami, Yousuf Khan used to make the Africans and Europeans dance, they would hardly give away possession. Today if you see, and I see very less of it, the Indian team can hardly manage three to four passes while the top teams easily manage 15-20-25 passes,” said Hakeem, who was also the dean of the National Institute of Sports (NIS).
“Please ask the All India Football Federation (AIFF) how much money was spent from 1950-1982 and from 1982 to now, on coaches. What were the results then and what are the results now? Our Under-16 team recently lost to Bangladesh. Then our senior team lost to Guam. Pardon me for my ignorance, but till the match, I had not even heard of Guam.”
Indian players are shy and too respectful, say Riise and Taylor
From left: Kerala Blasters coach Peter Taylor, Atletico de Kolkata coach Antonio Lopez Habas, NorthEast United FC coach Cesar Farias, Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi, FC Goa coach Zico, FC Pune City coach David Platt and Mumbai City FC coach Nicolas Anelka pose with the ISL trophy in Mumbai on Saturday. AFP
Mumbai: Indian players in the Indian Super League (ISL) are shy and too much respectful to their coach and team-mates, which at times showed their lack of confidence, Kerala Blasters boss Pater Taylor and Delhi Dynamos player John Anre Riise said on Saturday.
“We have more options in Europe than the Indian players have here. They lack in technique as compared to European players. And I want to help them and help India football, but Indian players are shy and they show too much respect to others," Liverpool legend and former Norway international Riise said at media event attended by all ISL clubs here ahead of the second edition of the tournament beginning on October 3.
He said during the Delhi Dynamos' pre-season training in Denmark, he used to shout at the Indian players when they made mistakes but they (Indian players) took it personally.
"It is normal to shout at team-mates while training and playing. It is a kind of expressing that we can do better and rectify mistakes. But I came to know that Indian players take it personally.
“So, after 10 days of pre-season training in Denmark, we had a team meeting and the players have been told that they should not take it personally if somebody shouts at him," said Riise, who played for 234 matches for Liverpool and have 110 caps for Norway.
Blasters coach and former England manager Taylor also said that Indian players showed too much respect to him and other players.
"Yes, the Indian players showed too much respect and they are shy. You have to show much more confidence and often they will not ask foreign players to give the ball to them. You should show confidence and you have to ask for the ball from whoever player no matter how good he is," said Taylor.
National football team captain and Mumbai FC City player Sunil Chhetri, however, said he had not experienced this aspect of Indian players.
"I would not think that Indian players are like this. At least, I don't experience this in Mumbai City FC. May be they are not expressive and may be there might be language barriers but that can happen to foreign players also," he said.
FC Pune City coach David Platt also said that he always told the Indian players in his team not to be afraid of making mistakes in front of the foreign players.
NorthEast United marquee player Simao Sabrosa was, however, surprised by the level of talent Indian players possess.
"To be honest, I was surprised by the level of quality of Indian players. I don't know much about Indian football though I watched two ISL matches last year on television. When I trained with the Indian players in the pre-season training in South Africa, I found all of them having very good technique and understanding of the game.
"With the international players from Europe and South America coming in at the ISL, I think the Indian players will further improve and it will be good for Indian football," said the Portugal player who was capped 85 times for his country between 1998 and 2010.
Samba rhythm to set the tone for FC Goa’s ISL march
FC Goa's marquee player Lucio with coach and compatriot Zico. Photo: @DSCFootball/Twitter
Kochi: Considering the number of Brazilian players that swell the ranks of the team, the supporters of FC Goa can replace their widely used slogan, ‘Força Goa’ (Strength to Goa) with ‘Brazil Força Goa’ (Brazil strength to Goa) in this year’s Indian Super League (ISL). The team will be fully dependent on Brazilian Samba magic to score, set up goal-scoring opportunities as well as stop goals this season. Off the field too, the Goan team is being mentored by a team of Brazilians.
Coached by Zico, a legend who played in three World Cups for Brazil and has coached around the world, the team’s marquee player is former Brazil captain and 2002 World Cup winner Lucio. The Gaurs, who lost in the semifinals in the inaugural edition in 2014, will also feature seven Brazil-born players this season. To add to the team’s Samba flair and flavour, the management has roped in five support staff from Brazil as well. Over half-a-dozen young Indian players are also part of the club, which plays its home matches at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.
Captain Lucio has played 105 matches for his national side. The central defender who turned up in three world cups, was part of the Brazilian side which lifted the trophy in 2002. With several years of top-flight football at Bayern Munich and Inter Milan under his belt, Lucio is a vital cog in Goa’s wheel. French defender Gregory Arnolin, who won high praises for his last season’s performance, Indian players Narayan Das and Raju Gaikwad, I-League’s Brazilian star Brazilian Luciano Sabrosa and Debabrata Roy, Nicolau Colaco and Keenan Almeida give the coach too many defensive options to choose form.
Perceivably, the Lucio-Arnolin duo will marshal the team’s central defence with Narayan and Debabrata taking care of the wings. Gaikwad will be deployed either on the left or at the centre. Brazilian midfielder Leonardo da Silva Moura, better known as Leo Moura gives flexibility to the team as he can perform as a right-back as well, if required.
Moura, who has emerged as a star player for Brazilian club giants Flamengo over the years, will be assigned to dictate the flow of the game in the middle. Joffrey Mateu, who played for Atletico De Kolkata in the last ISL, will add strength to Goa’s midfield this season. The form of former Inter Milan and AS Roma junior player Jonatan Lucca, who is on loan from Brazilian side Atletico Paranaense, will be critical in maintaining the fluidity in the midfield. The dynamic 21-year-old can play in the attacking or holding positions with equal panache.
The team’s Indian mid-fielders are no pretenders either. Central defensive mid-fielders Pranoy Halder and Mohan Bagan’s young talent Bikramjit Singh, wingers Mandar Rao Desai and Romeo Fernandes and Kannur-based central midfielder Denson Devadas will be waiting for their chance in the centre packed with Brazilian stars.
Pranoy, on loan from I-League club Dempo Goa, and the hard-working Mandar are likely to get a chance in the starting XI, along with Romeo, the first Indian to feature in Brazilian professional football.
The attack will be spearheaded by Brazilian ‘goal machine’ Victor Simoes de Oliveira. The forward line-up which also comprises his country-mate veteran Reinaldo da Cruz Oliveira or simply Reinaldo, Scottish player Darryl Duffy, highly-rated Indian forward Victorino Fernandes, former Kerala Blasters player C S Sabeeth, I-League star Joaquim Abranches and junior Indian player Thongkhosiem Haokip has the quality to break any defensive barrier.
Brazilian-Portuguese goalkeeper Elinton Andrade will man the goalpost. Dempo Goa’s shot stopper Laxmikant Kattimani and former Kerala Blasters keeper Luis Barreto will be his assistants.
Possible starting XI: Andrade, Narayan Das, Arnolin, Lucio, Debabrata, Pranoy, Mandar Rao, Joffrey, Leo Leo Moura, Romeo and Simoes.
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