Friday May 25th 2013, to some, may appear the most important day in Borussia Dortmund’s recent history. Their seminal moment had actually arrived just over eight years previously. March 14th, the day current CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke stood in front of 5,800 shareholders, banks and the German Football League and tried to plead the club’s case for survival.

“We had a budget of next to nothing when I came in 2008,” Jurgen Klopp told the reporters recently. He was not exaggerating. Far from an attempt to further enhance his burgeoning reputation in management, Klopp was in fact stating what many people had known all along.

In the mid nineties, Dortmund had thrust themselves onto the podium of European football by beating Juventus in the Champions League final, the first German team to lift the cup since Hamburg in the early 1980’s. Yet less than a decade on and Dortmund had gone from the pinnacle of the European game to battling against potential extinction as a club.

The reasons behind their slip into the precipice of financial oblivion were not a unique story. Just as with Portsmouth in England, Dortmund had invested too much too little on the pitch and were forced to count the consequences. A millennium decision to float the club on the stock exchange saw the club enjoy a significant financial windfall.

Unfortunately that didn’t stop the money flowing out of the club quicker than it could replenish itself. Then under the stewardship of President Dr Gerd Niebaum, had the club been one of his patients he most likely would have pushed for euthanasia. Replaced by Watzke in 2004, the trained lawyer could have been forgiven for being overcome by deja vu. Twice he had bailed out Dortmund in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

By his own admission however, the sums involved had swollen. “I had never taken on such a responsibility in my entire life,” he said.  “When I had previously helped save the club, the situation hadn’t been easy, but the sums involved meant we could find a solution. This was a whole new experience given the huge sums involved.”

Although the figures were grand, the margins were not – describing his opening days in the job as ‘chaos’ and ‘anarchy.’ “Within two days of me taking over, we had to notify the stock market of our situation, or broken the law for delayed filling of insolvency,” he said. “Then if we hadn’t got a signature on a finance package, it would have meant registering for insolvency and amateur football. The creditors were at our door and until September 2006, we were under their governance.”

By his own admission, had the financial crisis hit Germany any earlier than it did, Borussia Dortmund would be confined to history – a cautionary tale in favour of parsimony and diligent spending.  Even Saturday’s opponents Bayern Munich played their part. A loan of €2million to cover the club’s payroll is something Bayern has been keen to remind Dortmund of recently.

After being forced to sell Tomas Rosicky and David Odonkor, the 2006-2007 season saw them battle relegation before Christopher Metzelder departed for Real Madrid on a free transfer. Requiring a dash of luck, it arrived wearing glasses and rough stubble. 

Jurgen Klopp could easily have been Bayern Munich’s manager this evening. Interviewed for the position, his relaxed dress code and designer stubble were appreciated by the hierarchy at the Alianz Arena. Opting for Jurgen Klinnsman instead, Dortmund were able to secure their man, and earn their highest points total in seven years during his first season.

As the emphasis on youth continued to gain momentum, a core of talented players were fused together. Germans like Mario Gotze and Sven Bender were supplemented by Neven Subotic, Robert Lewandowski and Shinji Kagawa. Yet as is seemingly the habit of modern football, players are plucked from the patches in which they grow no quicker than their talent has sprouted.

Shinji Kagawa left for Manchester United and Mario Gotze will leave for Bayern in the summer. A similar outcome is expected for the impressive Robert Lewandowski. Even an optimist like Klopp will concede that at least financially it is impossible for Borussia to compete. Earning roughly €20,000 a week in Dortmund, Lewandowski could easily make four times that at Munich, and that’s before you consider how easy it is to be sold on the prospect of living in Munich.

It would be easy to become disheartened. Klopp was informed of Gotze’s departure in the wake of their quarterfinal win over Malaga. Candidly admitting to shedding tears upon hearing the news, Klopp’s passion for the job he has undertaken is far reaching and difficult to switch off.

Underdogs for the tie at Wembley, they have secured the neutral vote in hope rather than expectation. With Watzke describing Saturday’s game as: “From ground zero to Wembley” – Dortmund have unquestionably achieved a considerable feat in returning to Europe’s top table, and while they may struggle to always find a seat in the final four of the Champions League, the club’s owners refuse to see history once again repeat itself: “Now there is the philosophy never to create even a single euro of debt for a possible sporting success.”

Image credit: football365.com

The post Back from the brink, Dortmund celebrate success and survival appeared first on CricketSoccer.

One day before the biggest game in club football, seemingly everything has been talked and written about in more than just depth. For instance the fact that two German clubs are in the Champions League final for the first time ever, and at Wembley, of all places (Wembley has a special place in German football history ever since the legendary 1966 World Cup final), or the fact that this great day for German football seems somewhat like a reward for the past ten years.

The Bundesliga decided to go with young players, not least because there isn’t as much money in the German game. The Bundesliga decided to stay fan-friendly, keep ticket prices (relatively) low and preserve the terraces. Finally, the Bundesliga also decided to bar outside investors and private owners from buying up German clubs. They decided, so to speak, that our clubs should remain clubs and not become commercial enterprises.

All this seemed to be a huge detriment to the league’s chances of having success on the pitch, of seriously competing with clubs from England and Spain. But now the Bundesliga has proved that you can have both – a competitive, fan-friendly league and also success at the very highest level of the game which explains why the foreign media are suddenly so fascinated by the Bundesliga. In England, it’s now by and large considered the shiny, attractive model the Premier League should try to follow (A hope that totally disregards the fact that our club structure is, for historical reasons, fundamentally different from the one in England).

Put differently, the all-German final is usually talked about in terms of broader significance and its meaning for, say, the power structure in the European game or football’s way forward.

One thing, however, hardly seems to play a role. And it’s the one thing that really counts – the game on the pitch.

Oh, I have been asked whether Bayern can really lose this game and what the absence of Mario Götze means for Dortmund. But that’s it. In a week literally littered with interviews I have given to radio, television and print, only one single person wanted to know which lineup I expect. And that was the friend I’m staying with in London.

You often read about Dortmund, especially in the English press, that they play a “fast-transition” game, which means they can switch from defence to attack very quickly (In the old days, that was simply called counter-attacking).

It is to some degree a misinterpretation which can probably be explained by the fact that most people only saw Dortmund’s games against ManchesterCity and Real. In these two matches, Borussia played fairly deep and then moved forward at a breathtaking pace as soon as the ball was won.

However, that was only partially the team’s game plan and had more to do with City and Real applying so much pressure that Borussia were all but forced to drop back. Because normally the team prefers a possession game, inspired by Barcelona, moves far up-field and attacks the opposition deep into their own-half. That is how they won the league two years running, that is also how they played against Shakhtar Donetsk and Malaga in the Champions League knockout rounds.

But this year, Dortmund learned to adapt. They learned how to play a different game if need be, to move back deep into their own half and then use all that space in front of them. There were two things that helped them change. One was the addition of Marco Reus, who’s really suited to that kind of game and who has played it with Mönchengladbach in the previous years.

The other thing was – Bayern Munich.

When I talked to Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp in the team’s winter training camp, he told me in so many words that Dortmund were doing better in Europe than before because they had learned from playing against Bayern Munich so often in the past years. See, Bayern were the one team in the Bundesliga against which Dortmund could not play their possession game but had to slightly change their approach.

It has stood Borussia in good stead against the Munich giants so far (they have lost only one of the last eight really meaningful games against Bayern) and so they will probably allow Bayern to have a lot of possession again tomorrow. This is also why I think that Klopp is going to react to Götze’s injury by moving Reus over from the left into central midfield and put Kevin Grosskreutz into left midfield.

There is another, more creative and offensive option, namely moving Ilkay Gündogan from defensive midfield into Götze’s position behind the striker and then replacing Gündogan in front of the back four with Nuri Sahin. But my hunch is that Klopp will prefer the first solution in order to not change the line-up in the crucial final third of the pitch. Grosskreutz’s presence would also help to contain Arjen Robben.

Bayern, meanwhile, has the luxury of not having to change anything. The team is brimming with confidence. They are undeniably the best side in Europe, probably the world at the moment, and they know it. But they also know that they’ve had problems with Dortmund in the past and, who knows, the longer the game stays scoreless, the more often some players could be thinking back to the two Champions League finals they have lost in the past three years.

Put it differently, Dortmund will need faultless organization and an outstanding performance from everyone to win this game. Bayern will only need alertness and mental stability. (Did I say “only”? Well, these things can be hard to come by in such a massive game).

The key players could be the men in the holes, meaning the players in central offensive midfield. Without Götze to partner him, Reus will have to shoulder a big deal of Borussia’s offence and at the same time he has to put pressure on Javier Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger whenever Bayern build from the rear. Expect Reus to cover a lot of ground.

At the other end, there’s Thomas Müller, one of the major candidates for the Player of the Year trophy in Germany, provided his team wins this game. Müller will be important because he is totally unpredictable, in contrast to the men who flank him, Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben. Müller has the uncanny knack of appearing in strange places at the right moment and Bayern should need this skill against a Dortmund defence that will be condensing space.

Taking everything into account, on a normal day Bayern should edge out Dortmund. But as we all know, the biggest game in club football is not a normal day.

Image credit: dailymail.co.uk

The post Bayern should edge out Dortmund, but…. appeared first on CricketSoccer.

When Corinthians players paraded the FIFA World Club Cup trophy on the pitch of the Yokohama National Stadium last December, supporters had all the reasons to dream with another visit sooner than later. Their club finished the year as the richest in the Americas and the first non-European outlet in the famous Deloitte ‘’Money League’’ rankings – in the ‘’Forbes’’ magazine list, they were actually valuated in 16th. Their brand of pragmatic football, relying upon solid tactical discipline and lethal counter-attacks proved unstoppable at the 2012 Copa Libertadores and against Chelsea in the final in Japan.

Surely, with the addition of a revitalized Alexandre Pato, recruited for (in Brazilian football terms) a mouth-watering €14 million fee and after holding on to influential players such as midfielder Paulinho and Peruvian striker Guerreiro, they had to be serious contenders to their second continental title. Last Wednesday, however, Corinthians fans were abruptly woken in Sao Paulo: after a 1-0 away defeat and a 1-1 home draw against Boca Juniors, the holders of South America’s most prestigious club trophy were down and out.

Surely, they were not the only Brazilian team to exit the Libertadores: 1983 and 1995 winners Gremio were dumped by Colombia’s Santa Fé while Corntihians’ local arch-rivals Sao Paulo and Palmeiras also said goodbye, reducing the national contingent in the tournament from six to merely two after the first knockout stage.

While Sao Paulo at least had the excuse of facing Ronaldinho’s Atletico-MG  (the best side in the Libertadores so far this season) and Palmeiras were never expected to go too far when they are also to plot their escape from Second Division later this year – and they also faced Mexicans Champions Tijuana – Corinthians’ demise was more significant.

Their plight should not only be seen as evidence that money won’t necessarily buy you trophies, because it is easy to say that when one talks about a balanced scenario. In the last 10 years, thanks to the strengthening of the Brazilian economy and the upcoming World Cup, Brazilian football has witnessed a financial windfall that increased even more the gulf in relation to their neighbours. Corinthians, for example, turned over €94.1 million in 2012, twice more than the Argentine club, whose finances are amongst the strongest in the continent.

The numbers game would be even more uneven in a comparison between Fluminense and LDU, their rivals in the 2008 Libertadores final. But the Ecuadorians actually had the last laugh, although since then Brazilian clubs have lifted the trophy in three of the last four finals (2010, 2011 and 2012). For many observers, however, Brazilian clubs have been underperforming in relation to their financial muscle and the fact that Brazil, alongside Argentina, is the only country with at least 5 spots in the tournament (6 in the last two editions given the automatic qualification for title holders).

As previously discussed here the Libertadores is a tough competition that has been described as a bigger challenge than the UEFA Champions league given factors such as intimidating crowds, stadia and even physiological barriers such as the effects of altitude on visiting players. It is also underlined by geopolitical rivalries including the ones related to Brazil’s hegemonic role in South American affairs. 

The Brazilians for decades did not really identify with the competition, something also mirrored by their insularity – living a continental-sized country that was also the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the region. Also, the physicality of the encounter was never really the clubs’ cup of tea. The great Santos FC that boasted a certain Pele, for example, only managed to win two titles (1961-62) over a decade. In fact, it took another 14 years for another Brazilian triumph, when Cruzeiro lifted the trophy.

In fact, Brazil has only recently made up for lost time, winning 11 of 18 finals between 1992 and 2012 and lifting their overall tally to 16 trophies, while Argentina boasts 22 and Uruguay has eight. In 2013, Atletico look to be a step above the rest, but a tricky tie against Tijuana awaits Ronaldinho and co, with Boca as potential semifinal opponents. Fluminense will face Paraguayan powerhouse Olimpia, with the decider played in Assuncion on May 29th. Suddenly, things got pretty lonely for Brazil at the Libertadores.

Image credit: topnews.in

The post Corinthians down and out, let the Brazilian autopsy begin appeared first on CricketSoccer.

Up until the second hour of the final morning, the England v New Zealand Lord’s Test could have gone either way. For the first three days both sides held the upper hand at different points in a contest that epitomized the best features of the Test match. The vicissitudes of the great game were on full display as each team’s fortunes went up and down like a rollercoaster. Tim Southee’s six-wicket haul gave him 10 for the match and after New Zealand dismissed the hosts for 213 on the fourth morning to start chasing the required 239 for victory; most observers thought it was anybody’s game.

But then Stuart Broad, who the visitors probably thought would have been the least of their troubles, totally obliterated their batting with a Test best 7/44 in an eleven-over spell. Figures of 1/64 was all the lanky pacer could manage in the first innings and so the tourists would have reasonably believed that Graeme Swann – considering the wicked turn part-timer Kane Williamson was able to elicit on the third afternoon – and the canny Jimmy Anderson were to be their biggest obstacles in reaching their target.

The Nottinghamshire pacer had shown the ability to take wickets in clumps before, but he leapt to a whole new level against the hapless Kiwis. By the time Broad had completed six overs he had flattened five wickets and the game was effectively over. The visitors were well into a free-fall at 30/6, with the other wicket falling to the guile and exquisite swing bowling skills of Anderson.

The unfortunate batsman at the receiving end was Dean Brownlie. Utterly defeated by a huge inswinger one ball, the batsman could do no more than edge the following one, which moved slightly away, through to the wicket-keeper. It was the work of a master.

The end came after almost an hour after lunch with the New Zealanders falling in a heap for 68 off 22.3 overs, all delivered by Broad and Anderson. Swann, who would undoubtedly have been a handful, and Steven Finn, who reaped four wickets in the first innings, were never even required.

The first day of this engaging Test never promised much. In fact the pedestrian nature of the English batting would have tested the fealty of even the most devoted Test cricket fans. When the day’s proceedings mercifully ended after 80 overs, the hosts had crawled to 160/4, and viewers at the ground, at least those able to stay awake, must have been thankful that the rains which had been threatening, finally came down hard enough to stop the play.

In the era of scoring rates close to four runs per over, England limped along at less than two for much of the day. Three boundaries were struck in the morning session – two by Alastair Cook and one by Jonathan Trott. By the time tea came, the count stood at ten, and16 at day’s end. It would have been understandable if die-hard Test match fans, viewing the action on TV, chose to switch to the frenzied scoring of the IPL.

Thankfully, Test cricket was back to its best for the rest of the game. Discarded New Zealand captain, Ross Taylor, showed on the second day that fluency could be achieved on a surface that seemed full of traps and land mines while the Englishmen were negotiating it. Quick to cut anything even slightly short, he never hesitated to ease onto his front foot to drive pleasantly through the offside. His 66 came off only 72 deliveries, in stark contrast to 31 made by the normally free flowing Ian Bell off 133 balls the day before.

England’s best batting came from Joe Root, who constructed, along with Jonathan Trott, a partnership of 123 on the third day that threatened to completely wrest the game away from the tourists. Along the way, the 22-year-old Yorkshire man showed why he is so highly regarded by those who closely follow his career.

The kind of ebb and flow that occurred at Lords is the most compelling aspect of the game’s longest form. If T20 offers entertainment that is visceral and provokes unrestrained celebrations, Test cricket’s attraction lies in the many permutations that often develop over the duration of a game; the intellectual rigor that it demands of those who would become its students; and the variety of skills it engenders in its players. Many batsmen can eschew restraint and swing hard enough and often enough to make 40 off 20 deliveries, but only the master practitioner can confront the most perilous conditions and the craftiest bowling to bat for hours and score a match-turning hundred.

It would be grossly unfair to say that T20 cricket does not require much skill. Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, David Warner and Sunil Narine are all highly skilled cricketers. It’s just that this four-hour game usually does not allow players to employ their full repertoire.

The series now moves to Leeds for the second Test beginning on Friday May 24. If the action turns out to be as fascinating as it was in the first test, then it will be well worth the attention of the huge IPL audience.

Image credit: AFP/cricinfo 

The post Exhibition of Test cricket’s beauty at Lord’s appeared first on CricketSoccer.

It had been a moderately hectic day in the hospital. In the ETT room you don’t get enough rush like the CCU (Coronary Care Unit), Cardiac emergency or OPD (Out Patient Department). What I actually do after returning home, other than studying for postgraduate medical exams,  is watching cricket matches, reading a piece on cricket or visiting famous cricket websites. They lessen the day’s stress wonderfully.  But the more I am visiting the cricket websites, the more I am getting upset. Nothing exciting or productive can be found but only a bunch of frustration!

The dark clouds of spot-fixing have overshadowed cricket again.

After a year of hibernation, spot-fixing has roared once again in the cricketing arena. Three Indian cricketers – Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila have been arrested on allegations of spot-fixing in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). It’s never a pleasant matter for a cricket lover to watch the careers of young and promising cricketers get jeopardized. I was extremely hurt when I saw Muhammad Amir’s career drown in the Thames River, same as, I am heavily disgusted and upset to watch a talent like Sreesanth to become a disgrace.

IPL already offers plenty of cash for the cricketers. They why a cricketer will get involved in match-fixing remains a moot question. These cricketers are the tip of an iceberg. The real criminals, perhaps, are always controlling the game from behind the scene with enough shrewdness.

International cricket is no more a mere game anymore nowadays. It has become a money making machine – a fertile land for the ugly businessmen to harvest dollars. It’s a good thing that cricket has become a way of living for many cricketers. The introduction of T20 Leagues has certainly added enough financial gains for the cricketers. Even if a cricketer can’t gain access in the national squads, he can also earn his livelihood by playing in these Leagues.

Sounds pretty encouraging, isn’t it?

But too much of anything is never good. The cash invested in these Leagues are mind blowing and when too much cash flow, the evil Gods enter to take control over our honest minds. Due to the outpouring of enormous amount of money these Leagues have become the favorite grounds for the evil souls – the bookies to play their evil games. By reading the newspapers we come to know that spot-fixing is very easy to exploit in these T20 Leagues and cricketers are easily being victimized. In any novel initiative evils will always follow. But if the human-being wants, the evils can be defeated through honesty. But as a matter of fact, I think, the leaders of the novel initiatives never want to keep the prophets of doom and gloom away. The leaders are acting as the driver of a crazy money train.

Match-fixing is not a problem of today but a problem for more than a decade. It’s now clear that the higher officials of the respective Boards or ICC have never taken sterner steps to eradicate this problem. Otherwise this problem should have recurred and due to the inappropriate management of such a critical issue, the cricketing environment has always remained polluted – fresh air has never been able to enter in modern day cricket!

Not all are a Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid like mature or sensible, but there exist many naïve and immature souls who easily fall a prey to evil traps. A Board’s focus should not only be taking care of its star players but also those young lads who are highly sensitive and lack the immunity against the disease named match-fixing and spot-fixing.  The Boards should always be more careful towards these sensitive youngsters and should educate them how to deal with this mysterious world of international cricket.

But have the Boards taken care of their young players properly?

Either a Sreesanth or Amir is never born as criminals. They are certainly the victims of a system which offers no honest shelters but are surrounded by smart criminals who rub the young shoulders with a smile, offers friendship and then starts exploiting in the most evil manner. How do these smart criminals get such an upper-hand? How dare they get the scope to tarnish cricket’s image again and again? Should I say that they are always given an opportunity to satisfy the unknown big bosses? Should I say that they are the agents of those big fishes who only care about the cash and not the true spirit of cricket? Yes? No? We don’t know the answer. We can only guess. But without guesses how can you find an answer?

We will just see Sreesanth and the other two defaulters getting punished. We will hate them like we showed our anger and hate for the Pakistani trio. The bosses will earn praise and applauds but one day; astonishingly, another Sreesanth or Amir will be found guilty.

Why?

As because the big bosses of the smart criminals will still remain active as they will never get caught. As usual, our faith in cricket will get dented.  

Can we free cricket from the hands of the cash thirsty souls?

Perhaps many problems will get solved then!

Image credit: AFP

The post Can we free cricket from the cash thirsty souls? appeared first on CricketSoccer.

The monster is out again! It is the baby monster of match-fixing called ‘spot-fixing’ and not for the first time it has hit the most vulnerable tournament – Indian Premier League – but for the second time! For the second time it has hit viciously! Exactly a year before, on March 14, 2012 an Indian news channel showed a sting operation on spot-fixing which had involvement of five IPL players from different franchises and just few days back, on May 15, 2013 night to be precise, the Delhi police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players from Mumbai with same charges.

On May 15, last year the BCCI President Mr. N Srinivasan and the IPL Chairman Mr. Rajiv Shukla had promised us that stern actions will be taken against those who are guilty and they will take care of it so that no such incident will repeat again. But it has happened again!

We the fans here in India are not in a state of shock because we all are aware of this malaise and such incident was waiting to happen but we are disgusted with the ‘happy go lucky attitude’ by the BCCI and the IPL authorities towards it. Every time when they say that “such nonsense will not be tolerated” one can be rest assured that such nonsense will be going to happen again…..and again….and again!!

The saddest person in India today is the one who always fights with those who have ‘half baked knowledge’ over the nitty-gritty of the game and always care a damn about a defeat or an uncertain victory of our team because they think it was fixed! They don’t have an argument over technicalities of how a ball can swing or well-timed strokes or taking the catch by running backwards but for them anything in the game of cricket which has gone against their wishes is fixed!

Somehow few well informed fans could still manage their heads high with arguing some logic with them and giving examples of the greats like Tendulkars, Dravids, Gangulys, Kumbles and Laxmans who have played this game. But because this lethargic attitude by the BCCI and IPL top brass, these fans are facing that ugly music again. In other words this languid and non-acting approach of two of the most important cricket bodies in India, has made those stupid people winners and has put the entire game in shame! Yes we all know that three-four players can’t spoil the epic image of this game but every year we get new sets of such three-four players and the image of the game getting tarnished. We always say that the ICC is a ‘toothless institution’ but now it is proved that the BCCI has a fragile denture in its mouth which is unfit to bite such ‘criminals of the game’.

We may not mind ego clashes between BCCI and ICC when it comes to appointing players for the top jobs or when it comes to applying or not applying the technology in the game or not but, why should there be any clash of egos when it comes to curb the corruption? After the very first season of the IPL, ICC had spotted that this tournament is very much susceptible to the menace of match-fixing and it had also advised the BCCI to take the services of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit for keeping an eye on any doubtful activities happening around the tournament. But “we can manage anything” and “don’t poke your nose” kind of attitude by the BCCI has done nothing as the current tragedy has proved it again.

As mentioned before it has now struck twice in as many years. Even now since the first news broke out on the mornings of May 15 and 16, the IPL Chairman was untraceable till this morning and when he suddenly appeared this morning on TV he just repeated those exact words which he uttered exactly a year before. Even the ‘emergency’ meeting of BCCI’s working committee is meeting tomorrow, three days after the latest spot-fixing episode has surfaced. These two incidences have again proved that the BCCI gives a damn to the plight of the cricket fans. Yes money is important and no one is stopping you to earn heaps of it but make sure they are pure. We liked this new alternative of cricket + entertainment six years back but what we are serving with now is not unadulterated entertainment.

Now since the ‘emergency’ meeting is going to happen so late what we can expect is no hollow words. Some specific directions we are expecting from the BCCI now to curb this malaise forever. Please allow the ICC’s Anti Corruption Unit to be part of every match of IPL 7 next year. Take the franchises in confidence and make this event a short and slick one. Yes many will not like this idea but more are the numbers of matches more are the chances of fixing it is very easy to understand this logic. Make it a 15 to 20 day event. As I said money is important, so dear BCCI please bear some loss if the number of matches are going to get reduced and don’t pass it entirely on the franchises. You must remember what happened to Sharjah. Not till long back it was one of the hot spots of cricket but since the fixing and betting started to take over the game it lost its charm and today there are no matches being played at the venue. I am sure the BCCI don’t want its ‘earning baby’ to go the Sharjah’s way. ‘Life ban’ is a stupid joke dear Mr. Srinivasan and Mr. Shukla, make sure with the help of the Indian police and law of the land that the culprit gets rotten in the jail for a few years and only then the players will get serious about the reciprocations of fixing. 

I am sure; the ICC along with other Boards too is keeping a strong view on this latest development. This is the best time that they can put the BCCI in a corner. They always complain about BCCI’s bully attitude. This is the time when they can counter the BCCI. All the Boards must now get together and ask the BCCI to clear this issue forever until then; they are not going to send their players to play in the IPL. Sure the BCCI will not bend easily on this demand but if you want to keep the game pure and want to keep your own players safe, for their own sake, the boards should be relentlessly on this issue. As far as fans like us are concerned. We know that few players cannot spoil this great game and we must not lose the faith over the game and other players. We can’t do more than what we are doing now.  Hope is the best weapon we have to keep on loving this game. But we also have one more weapon called prayer and that will help us to believe that someday we are going to have a pure sport along with unadulterated entertainment on which we can bet our life!

Image credit: cricin.info

The post Spot-fixing and the agony of cricket fans appeared first on CricketSoccer.

The name of the show is IPL. Since its origin eight five years back, this show has caught the imagination of the young generation with its glamour and pace. For more than one month it keeps the world engaged and each week it offers dazzling and jaw dropping performances.

This year’s IPL has been no different. As usual it has left the cricketing world rollicking. As usual many promising youngsters are rocking the stage. But how far they can go remains a moot question. There had been many promising blokes previously who failed to live up to the expectations.

The very first name that comes to my mind is a bowler named Mohammad Kamran who played for the Rajasthan Royals. He was sensational; being led by Shane Warne as skipper. He made fast bowling look menacing. The next year he was called up for an inappropriate bowling action and was lost forever.

Another name Paul Valthaty playing for the Kings XI Punjab comes to mind. He stormed the League with power packed performances for the Kings XI team in the 2011 season. A sizzling performer with brilliant abilities, Paul’s performances helped Kings XI finish the season well. This season, he is barely making it to the playing XI.

Again, Manpreet Gony playing for Chennai Super Kings (presently for Kings XI) made the most of the opportunity. He was picked to play for India as one of the front-line fast bowlers in 2008 in Pakistan. But he failed to handle the burden of expectations and faded away.

Ashok Dinda, the fast bowler from Kolkata was rewarded for his performances and picked to play for India in 2009 and made his ODI debut in 2010. But sadly, his performances never met the international standards and thus he’s finding it tough to claim a place in the national squad.

Why do these young and promising players suddenly fade away?

As a matter of fact, they lack an ideal balance in consistency and temperament and the lack of to ability to utilize the opportunity in a proper way.  

Consistency is the key

The biggest challenge apart from the skill level and consistency that is required to maintain the good work is also the temperament. I quote, ‘The biggest challenge is not to reach the top of the ladder, but to stay there’. One needs to consistently hone and sharpen the skills required at stay and perform the top level. The perfect examples are Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting. Even after so many years of international cricket they have maintained their highest level of consistency.

Astute temperament 

Temperament is another factor that needs to be developed. As the world’s top players come on one platform, you get to rub shoulders and share the same frame with established stars. It hence becomes extremely important to stay focused on the job at hand and look to improve in the elite company. It’s often felt that the young talents get carried away with the big stage and lose their feet in the razzmatazz. A very apt example of keeping the temperament going even if the house is burning down is the Indian skipper MS Dhoni. He exhibits great temperament as he leads the Indian team. His calm demeanor in tough situations is a lesson for all budding cricketers.

Let opportunities say, ‘I am here!’

The league does throw up a lot of opportunities for the new kids on the block. One gets instant recognition by their performances and is talked about in the cricketing world as an upcoming talent. For the recognized names it throws the opportunity to stand up and remind the world that they still exist and they are raring to go, as for example Dinesh Kartik. One would argue as to why does India need a second wicket-keeper in their ranks for tournaments like Champions Trophy, where India plays a maximum of 6 matches and if needed a replacement you could fly one down immediately considering there are ample rest days in the middle. But he may have been rewarded for the batting skills shown by him for his franchise Mumbai Indians. The last time Kartik played for the Indian team was in 2010. Kartik’s consistency and positive temperament have allowed him to create an opportunity and it’s expected that he will fully utilize it. 

International cricket is a tough place to survive. This year’s IPL have also dished out many promising youngsters. It will be sad if they also get lost in the long run. But it should not be. The mantra is simple – be consistent, bear a positive temperament and utilize every opportunity that comes in your way.

Image credit: www.seasonalmagazine.com

The post The mantra for a long and successful career after a promising start appeared first on CricketSoccer.

As José Mourinho thumbs through his jottings, picking his starting eleven to take on Atlético Madrid in Friday’s Copa del Rey final, the Real Madrid manager is going to have to make an extra calculation. As well, as assessing form and injuries, the Portuguese boss will be working out with which of his footballers he is still speaking to.

If history and Atlético Madrid’s luck in this particular fixture are any indication this shouldn’t really be an issue. Mourinho could tell his entire squad to spin on it, and select eleven members of the crowd to take on the side’s rivals. It’s been 25 city derbies and nearly 14 years since Atlético Madrid beat their neighbours, a record of remarkably awful proportions, that shows no sign at all of being overcome.

However, as it is Madrid’s chance to partly save a campaign that saw the league title lost by December and another Champions League flop, Mourinho is going to have to take the affair a little more seriously. Especially, as it could be the last set-piece occasion of the manager’s career at the Santiago Bernabeu, if his recent moans and groans about being unloved in the Spanish capital are any indication.

The problem is that Mourinho is fast running out of friends in Madrid. The former Inter Milan man claimed after the second Borussia Dortmund Champions League clash that everyone in the press room hated him. He has taken enormous delight in frustrating his club president and Florentino Pérez’s when calls for unity are made. There was the suggestion that most of the youth players at the club are not good enough but most recently of all, spats with his players have been quite vocal.

The current Real Madrid squad based on current relationship status with Mourinho includes players who can be summarized as, “club captain, but don’t rate him”, “dropped him once for not following orders”, “questioned me in public, will never play again” “lazy” “doesn’t seem to try very hard” and “like hunting with a cat.”

The dropping of Pepe for last weekend’s Espanyol clash for the defender’s support of Iker Casillas was not due to be an issue. Even suggesting when questioned that Pepe’s rebellion merely looking for payback for having his place taken by Raphael Varane did not seem to matter with Sergio Ramos and the young French defender slated for starting against Atlético Madrid.

Unfortunately, a knee injury for Varane sees the centre-back out past the end of the season, so Mourinho will have to decide if Pepe will be allowed back into the fold after the defender’s exile. One advantage the Madrid manager has in this respect is that Raúl Albiol seems to be in considerably better form that in previous seasons, and is worthy of a spot in the eleven, in place of the erratic Pepe who can let big occasions get on top of a big temper.

There is no such debate over who is going to play in goal. Mourinho has made it quite clear that he wishes Diego López was bought after his first year in charge, to take over the number one spot from Iker Casillas. It was only a chance hand injury for the club captain in January that made Mourinho’s dream come true of being able to bench Casillas, under the excuse that López has done nothing wrong to be dropped despite the World Cup winning goalkeeper being fit to play again.

Whilst Mourinho has argued that there is nothing personal behind the relegation of Casillas, the gossip-mongers in the city will say that the coach feels he doesn’t train well enough and has even been turning members of the dressing room against him. Both figures have of course been perfectly respectful in public but there is a certain coldness in their relationship.

This frostiness could well be discovered on Friday both if either Real Madrid win or lose the Copa del Rey final. A victory, and it should be Casillas who lifts the trophy for the second time under his current manager and any animosity between the pair during what should be a time of great job will be evident. That’s triple the case should Atlético Madrid prevail.

Form suggests that the final itself could be a bit of a foregone conclusion with the Rojiblancos set to disappoint their supporters once again. However, there’s certainly a lot of human interest floating about the encounter to see if Mourinho loses even more friends by the end of Friday night.

Image credit: telegraph.co.uk

The post Will Mourinho have more foes than friends after Friday’s Cup final? appeared first on CricketSoccer.

There many things one can accuse Luiz Felipe Scolari of lack of cojones has never been one of them, but even by his standards the Brazilian manager showed a good pair last Tuesday when he named his 23-man squad for the 2013 Confederations Cup. Apart from calling up only four players with the experience of big tournaments, Big Phil puts an end to the whole debate around possible ways to use Ronaldinho and Kaká by simply culling both veterans, whose chances to make it to next year’s World Cup have now drastically shrunk.

If there were already signs that Scolari was not willing to gamble on Kaká’s low position in the pecking order at Real Madrid, the absence of Ronaldinho comes as a bit of a shock given the manager’s public insistence in rehabilitating the former World Player of the Year for the Selecao – thanks to some dazzling performances for Atletico Mineiro in the last Brazilian Championship and in the current Libertadores Cup, where ‘’Galo’’ is by far the best team of the tournament.

Scolari seemed adamant even after Ronaldinho’s lackluster performances for Brazil against England and Chile. So what changed Big Phil’s mind? According to sources linked to the national team, the manager received information from nobody less than Atletico’s own head coach Cuca that Dinho was almost as busy on dance floors than on training pitches. That straw broke the camel’s back.

Another notable absence was Ramires. The Chelsea midfielder fell out of favour in a double fashion. On the pitch, Scolari was already unhappy with Ramires defensive work – unlike at StamfordBridge, his sweeping abilities are much more required in a squad with light players such as Neymar and Oscar upfront. Then came the incident where Ramires was seen to snub a bonding session with the squad in London after pulling out of the friendly with Russia in London due to injury.

Then comes the strange case of Rafa da Silva. Arguably one of the best right-backs in the Premiership this season, the Manchester United player has been ignored by Scolari and still hasn’t earned a call-up since August last year. Although still criticized in Brazil for a back-pass that gifted Mexico with a goal 30 seconds into the London Olympics gold medal match, it’s puzzling to see that Big Phil opted to take no specialist as a deputy for an already jaded Dani Alves, picking instead Fluminense midfielder Jean – who occasionally has been deployed at the position.

Leandro Damiao’s inclusion was not totally unexpected given the problems Scolari has been facing in the search for a second number 9. The 29-year old Fred is no spring chicken and has resorted to operate as a poacher to compensate the decrease in pace, but every other option tested failed to convince, including the International-RS striker. But he at least has youth on his side (23) and much smaller medical record than Alexandre Pato, for example.

Newcomers Rever and Bernard got the nod on the back of Atletico’s recent form. Rever is a no-nonsense defender who could prove a useful alternative in case something happens with Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Dante, while Bernard is a twinkle-toed winger that will be waiting to pounce in case Neymar or Lucas Moura falters.

Moreover, Brazil will play the warm-up event with the biggest amount of domestic players to serve the Selecao in over a decade (11), which surely pays tribute to the strengthening of the national league both in financial and technical terms. Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva and Fred are the only players who have been to a World Cup and now have the task of helping settle a team that will face the ever-demanding Brazilian crowd – a crowd who will certainly boo and chant ‘’Dinho’s’’ name the moment things don’t go well.

The fans will certainly turn to Scolari too.  But this show of courage from the manager must be praised. 

Image credit: bbc.co.uk/Getty Images

The post Big Phil’s ballsy reshuffle appeared first on CricketSoccer.

You’d think it was all about PSG winning their first title for nineteen years, the third in their history, and doing it in some style, too, beating Champions League candidate Lyon on their home patch, with two rounds of L1 matches to go; but it isn’t. Paris Saint-Germain might be champions, yes, but all the talk is already of what will follow next.

And, for once, this talk is not, or not only, of the nouveau riche club’s summer shopping list (Ronaldo? Rooney?), but about whom from the winning team (not just the players) will still be around on the first day of the new season! Whilst pledging that he would ‘do his best to retain the title’, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is already guaranteed to finish at the top of the French goal-scoring charts (twenty-seven goals and counting), casts longing, nostalgic looks towards Italy, where Juventus would  welcome him with open arms and cheque-book. Ezequiel Lavezzi, whom it’d be inaccurate to mention in the same breath as the Swede in terms of impact, consistency and achievement, has also spoken of his ‘dream’ (or some word of the kind) to get back to Serie A. Marco Verratti, whose purchase from Serie B club Pescara was PSG’s smartest move in the transfer market since the Qataris took over, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid insistently over the past few months. Their departure, however, would have nothing as the same consequences on PSG as that of the two men who are coming to the end of their first full season together in charge of a dysfunctional club: director of football Leonardo and, especially, head coach Carlo Ancelotti. A vacancy in a football team can be filled but not the vacuum at the top of its hierarchy.

PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi insisted after the win in Lyon that the Brazilian ‘was part of the project’ (it’d have been tempting to add: ‘whose project?’ at this point, but the Canal + reporter swiftly brought an end to proceedings). As to the Italian – well, Al-Khelaifi reminded us that his manager ‘had still a year left in his contract’ and that, ‘normally, he should stay with us’; which was as close a confirmation of Ancelotti’s leaving for Real Madrid as we were likely to get at this point in time. It might seem paradoxical, but, as is the case with most clubs where the chain of command narrows at the top to a single, remote, silent figure – be it an individual, like Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, or an entity, like QSI at PSG -, information is leaked by multiple sources from within. It might be a consequence of the fractured nature of these clubs, of maneuvering by ambitious men and women wishing to gain more power within opaque structures; what matters is that far more is known of what goes on in those organizations than their rulers would like. Leonardo who, in the words of an Italian colleague, is ‘far more of a friend of Ancelotti’s than Ancelotti is a friend of his’, is perceived by many as far too arrogant and divisive to stay in place for long. His competence has been questioned internally, so has his temperament and this was before his petulant shoulder charge on an official after PSG’s inglorious exit from the Coupe de France at the conclusion of the Parisians 1-1 draw against Valenciennes on May 5, 2013.   In short, should Internazionale’s interest in their former (if short-lived) manager coalesce into a firm offer, it is unlikely that such an approach would meet with much resistance in Paris.

Ancelotti is a different case altogether. ‘Carletto’ is not known to have made a single genuine enemy in nearly four decades spent at the top of the game, which already marks him out as an exceptional character. This born competitor, and winner, is also gregarious, approachable, hard-working, humble, docile when he has to be, and (until now) utterly unfazed by whatever madness might be happening around him. But, according to people who are close to him, he’s had enough of being PSG’s circus-master. And when Real Madrid knocks on your door…well, what is a manager to do? The problem for his current employers is that no name suggests itself readily if Ancelotti is to be replaced. Mourinho? Sewn up by Chelsea, if his entourage is to be believed (which is not without risk).

Wenger? The wishful thinking at this stage, even if I’m convinced that an executive position, though not that of manager, could tempt the Al-Jazeera pundit when his contract with Arsenal expires in a year’s time. Mancini? This one’s best left alone, wouldn’t you agree? It is also very difficult to imagine PSG entrusting their team to a David Moyes-like figure. Ancelotti, not the most glamorous of men, is glamorized all the same by the trophies he won with Milan and Chelsea. And only glamour, even if reflected, will do.

In normal circumstances, the first title of the ‘new’ PSG should provide a foundation for Al-Khelaifi’s and his masters’ ‘project’, a word that’s been used ad nauseam since QSI bought the club. On Monday 13 May, as the club’s supporters gathered on the Place du Trocadéro, quite a few of them upholding the club’s less noble traditions by attacking the police forces who’d been called to ensure their safety, that word sounded hollow. More trouble followed. Shops were ransacked on the Champs-Elysées.

The victory presentation – held at the Trocadéro because PSG’s owners wanted photographers and TV networks to snap and film the celebrations with the EiffelTower as a background, I kid you not – was cut short when things got out of hand. The ‘river parade’ on the Seine was cancelled.

As to football?  Of course, seen from afar, betting against PSG winning again next year seems to be an act of insanity – even if Dmitry Rybolovlev, the billionaire Russian owner of AS Monaco, intends to provide FFP-busting support to his promoted side. But what shouldn’t be bet against is the newly-crowned champion being seized by convulsions that will not abate easily, and I’m not just talking about the thugs whom former chairman Robin Leproux nearly succeeded to weed out before the Qataris moved in. Key to avoiding these growing pains is to retain the services of Ancelotti and that, even as the celebrations, for want of a better word, went on, appeared far from obvious.

Image credit: dailymail.co.uk/Reuters/EPA

The post Ordinary madness at the Parc appeared first on CricketSoccer.