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FIFA, a distant dream for Blue Tigers

The Blue Tigers perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s — during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance…writes Ishwar Nath Jha

With just a day left before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar (Nov 20 to Dec 18), the 32 best footballing nations are engaged in their final preparations, while their countrymen are praying for their teams to lift the prestigious trophy.

Like elsewhere, football fever has gripped India too with a majority rooting for all-time favourites Brazil, while the remaining seem to be divided between holders France and Lionel Messi-led Argentina.

When there is so much enthusiasm for the sport in India, the big question is: Why can’t a country that has started producing Olympic champions qualify for the football World Cup?

Every time a World Cup takes place after four years, Indian fans have precisely one question — when will India play in the game’s showpiece event?

And the answer is always the same — given the standard of the game back home, India will never play in the World Cup.

Maybe Indian football can benefit if the truth that is hidden behind this brazen answer is brought out.

Indian football officials probably do not allow this truth to come out. Even those who are critical of the plight of Indian football agree that the level of the game in the country is way behind world standards. Our players neither have that kind of skill, nor the fitness to compete in the spot’s mega event.

The Blue Tigers perhaps enjoyed their golden years from late 1940s to late 1960s — during which they participated in four Olympics and won the gold twice in Asian Games. Since 1970, the Indian team has seen a steady decline in performance.

What should be done?

With Kalyan Chaubey taking charge as the President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), there is a lot of talk about the roadmap for Indian football. After becoming the President, Chaubey during his first press conference gave an outline for the development of the sport in India.

On completion of 100 days in office, Chaubey told a group of journalists, “We will work to the best of our abilities to make it (roadmap) a success. Our aim would be to ensure that the state associations benefit from the infrastructural support of the Central government as well as the state governments. We also have plans to introduce more tournaments. If we can restart the U-21 national championship, it will benefit the India U-21 team.

“A uniform youth league will be introduced to get the best out of it. Former footballers in every state, maybe those who have played for more than a decade, would be roped in. Their expertise can be used as scouts in youth tournaments.”

At present, only a few states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, northeastern states and Delhi have their own leagues in different categories. There is hardly any such league football in big states like Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

How ISL and I-League are helping Indian football

The initial phase of the Indian Super League (ISL) saw big names of world football playing in it, including Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Carlos, David Trezeguet and Diego Forlan. But the critics of Indian football said that the national team is not going to get any benefit from the presence of superstars of yesteryears in the league.

Most of these foreign players were at the end of their careers and stayed here for relatively brief spells, but their presence set the base for Indian football. The signings of players like Tim Cahill, Asamoh Gyan and Francis Medina Luna added to the elite list of professional footballers to challenge themselves in India before retiring from the international stage.

Indian players have certainly benefited from the presence of these world-class professionals.

The journey from 2010 to 2020 has been one of the great changes for the national team. When there is a goal and an intention, the possibilities multiply enormously.

But, is this enough for the Indian team to play in the World Cup? Certainly not.

The Indian team is ranked 106th in FIFA rankings released on October 6. The Blue Tigers, who have qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, last played two international friendlies in September. They drew 1-1 with Singapore and lost 0-3 to Vietnam. The last time the Blue Tigers were ranked 106th was in March 2022.

The road to the 2022 Qatar World Cup also fell flat as the Indian team finished third in the campaign behind Qatar and Oman, which was also the joint qualifier for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Budding footballers often ask why India do not play in the World Cup. Their curiosity has increased a lot ever since they saw Sunil Chhetri’s picture with great players like Messi and Ronaldo. How to tell them that we still have a long, long way to go?

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Netherlands beat Senegal 2-0 in their World Cup opener

Netherlands unveil squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The two sides had struggled to break the impasse until late in the match with the Dutch failing to score with several attempts at the goal…reports Asian Lite News

The Netherlands surprised with two quick goals in the second half in their opening match against Senegal in Doha on Monday.

The Dutch managed to emerge victorious in a tightly contested match as their African counterparts showed resilience through 90 minutes.

Cody Gakpo scored towards the end of play time while substitute Davy Klaassen netted home the second one in injury time to beat Senegal 2-0 in their World Cup Group A opening match at Al Thumama Stadium.

The two sides had struggled to break the impasse until late in the match with the Dutch failing to score with several attempts at the goal.

“It was a difficult game and we were not careful with the ball… I think we can do a lot better but the victory obviously gives us a good feeling. We were clearly in search of a goal and eventually we got it,” said Gakpo after the match.

The Netherlands will meet Ecuador in their second match on November 25, while Senegal will play against Qatar on the same day.

ALSO READ-England kicks off campaign with thumping 6-2 win over Iran

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England kicks off campaign with thumping 6-2 win over Iran

Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 in the injury time of the first half. England went into half-time with a healthy lead of 3-0…reports Asian Lite News

England started their World Cup 2022 campaign in style decimating Iran 6-2 at the Khalifa International Stadium here.Bukayo Saka scored a brace for the English team while Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish scored a goal each.

Iran suffered a huge blow when their goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collided with his teammate Majid Hosseini. Beiranvand had to be stretchered out in the 19th minute.

England gave a dominant performance which combined skill with speed. Jude Bellingham got England off the mark in the World Cup 2022 scoring a goal in the 35th minute. Eight minutes later, Bukayo Saka doubled the lead for Gareth Southgate’s side to give them a 2-0 lead. Raheem Sterling made it 3-0 in the injury time of the first half. England went into half-time with a healthy lead of 3-0.

In the second half, Saka scored his second goal of the match to make it 4-0 as he found the net in the 62nd minute. Three minutes later Iran too managed to find the nets as Mehdi Taremi scored the team’s first goal of the tournament and the scoreline read 4-1 in the English side’s favour.
Marcus Rashford helped England restore their four-goal lead as he struck the fifth goal for his side to take a 5-1 lead. Jack Grealish too joined the party scoring in the 89th minute as England stretched their lead to 6-1. Iran came close to scoring another goal as Sardar Azmoun raced through in stoppage time, but Jordan Pickford produced a fingertip save to turn his effort onto the bar. Iran got a late penalty after a VAR check for a foul on Morteza Pouraliganji which resulted in Taremi scoring his second goal of the match. The match ended with a 6-2 in England’s favour.

The English team was a far more superior side on the day enjoying 78 per cent of the possession in comparison to Iran who managed only 22 per cent. England also had seven shots on target compared to Iran, with only three shots on target. England had eight corners in comparison to Iran which had none. Iran committed 14 fouls while England did 9.
England created opportunities through the match and converted many of them into brilliant goals. England will now face USA and Wales in their next encounters. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Hosts Qatar lose on field

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Hosts Qatar lose on field

Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia scored two first-half goals as World Cup debutants Qatar became the first host team to lose the opening match of football’s showpiece tournament…reports Asian Lite News

Ecuador manager Gustavo Alfaro said he was happy but not “totally satisfied” with his team’s 2-0 victory over hosts Qatar in their opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.

“The most important thing today was to win. I’m not totally satisfied because we know there are a lot of things we can improve, but we are all learning, including me,” the Argentine coach told a post-match press conference at the Al Bayt Stadium.

“It’s a great victory. All games in the World Cup are difficult but the opening match against the tournament hosts involves more tension. We didn’t know how our level would be because there was little time to prepare. We only had four days to get ready for this game. Added to that was the fact it was the opening match of the World Cup, and this is a young team,” he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Alfaro said his players needed to raise their game to another level in their remaining group-stage matches against Senegal and the Netherlands.

“Today we took an important step but it’s not decisive. There are teams that have won their first match of the World Cup and not advanced (to the knockout stage). But having said all of that, this victory is important and it will give us confidence.

“We were good in this match but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. We are in a period of construction. We know that what we achieved in the (South America zone) qualifiers isn’t enough. Here we are up against the best teams in the world. The times are short between each game.”

Playing in their fourth World Cup, Ecuador’s best ever finish in the tournament was a round of 16 appearance against England in 2006, which they lost after a trademark David Beckham free-kick.

“We have big hopes but it’s hard to say how much we can advance in the tournament. It will depend on how much we are able to improve and incorporate aspects to our game that we need to get better,” Alfaro added.

Meanwhile, Qatar manager Felix Sanchez admitted his team suffered from an attack of nerves during their 2-0 defeat to Ecuador.

Fenerbahce forward Enner Valencia scored two first-half goals as World Cup debutants Qatar became the first host team to lose the opening match of football’s showpiece tournament.

“Nerves got the better of us,” Sanchez told a post-match press conference. “We competed well but it’s a World Cup and we were playing in it for the first time. In front of our fans we weren’t able to be at the level we would have liked after a bad start.”

Sanchez vowed he and his backroom staff would analyze what went wrong and make any necessary changes ahead of their next match against Senegal on Friday.

“It wasn’t the game we’d hoped for,” he said. “We have to analyze the match and try to prepare for the next one, which will be as tough or even tougher than this one. We will look at how we can be more effective with the players we have available.”

“We have to congratulate our opponents. They were deserving winners. We can improve a lot and we know we haven’t shown our maximum level. Nerves got the better of us early. We started badly and that hurt us. We have to handle the pressure better and be more competitive in our next matches.”

The Spaniard, who has been Qatar’s manager since 2017, added: “We lacked precision at key moments and we weren’t able to string more than four passes together.

“We were also poor in transitions. When you play at this level if you make a mistake, you get punished. We will try to be stronger and more compact in our next match. We know that we have to move the ball faster and pass the ball better to be effective against teams in this competition.”

ALSO READ-Dreamy opening to FIFA World Cup with BTS’ Jungkook

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Dreamy opening to FIFA World Cup with BTS’ Jungkook

Legendary American actor said football unites nations. “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game. What brings together nations, brings together communities,” said Freeman…reports Asian Lite News

One of the most popular faces in Hollywood Morgan Freeman and South Korean singer BTS’ Jung Kook stole the limelight during a glittering opening of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium here on Sunday.

One of the non-musical performers was American actor Morgan Freeman. The 85-year-old narrated the event live and delivered a speech about the “emotions that connect us all now”. It spanned around 20 minutes and kept the audience all around the world glued to their screens.

Legendary American actor said football unites nations. “Football spans the world, unites nations in their love of the beautiful game. What brings together nations, brings together communities,” said Freeman.

However, besides Freedman, the real star of the nearly hour-long ceremony had to be BTS’ Jung Kook laying down his new tune “Dreamers” for the 60,000-capacity stadium. Surrounded by dancers, the international superstar and South Korean supporter set the standard for World Cup opening ceremonies to come.

The stadium was also packed as the glitz and glamour of the ceremony caught all the limelight. Some of the superstars of the world performed.

Among the famous faces in the crowd was former England captain David Beckham, who has been working as an ambassador for Qatar 2022.

One of the most colourful elements of the show was an appearance by all former World Cup mascots, including South Africa’s Zakumi and Footix from France 1998.

After the performances, His Highness The Amit, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani gave a speech.

“Welcome and good luck to all,” he said in English. His speech was followed by loud cheers by the crowd.

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2nd T20I: India beat New Zealand by 65 runs

Top-ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav’s second T20I century propelled India to a challenging 191/6…reports Asian Lite News

All-rounder Deepak Hooda took four wickets, including three in the final over, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj starred with two wickets each as India beat New Zealand by 65 runs to win the second T20I at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

After Suryakumar Yadav, the top-ranked T20I batter, hit 11 fours and seven sixes all over the park at a strike-rate of 217.65 to be unbeaten on 111 off 51 balls, his second T20I century and propel India to a challenging 191/6, New Zealand just never got going with the chase and were bowled out for 126 in 18.5 overs.

India struck on just the second ball of defending 191 as Bhuvneshwar Kumar enticed Finn Allen to go for a drive and edge flew to running third man. Devon Conway and Kane Williamson hit six boundaries, including taking 17 runs off Washington Sundar’s first over of the match.

But India bounced back as Conway mistimed a sweep to deep backward square leg off Sundar in the ninth over. Glenn Phillips hammered a four and six, but was clean bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal while going for a slog-sweep.

The scoreboard pressure then led to Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham holing out to long-on in quick succession. Williamson held one end but was in a painful struggle at the crease, unable to get the big hits and forced to go slow against the spinners.

As Mohammed Siraj caught a leading edge from Mitchell Santner’s bat in his follow-through, the result was a foregone conclusion. Though Williamson got his fifty with a pulled six over deep backward square leg and then punched beautifully between mid-off and extra cover for four more off Siraj, it was too little too late for New Zealand.

Williamson’s scratchy stay came to an end when an under-edge on a swipe across the line crashed into the stumps off Siraj in the 18th over. Deepak Hooda took the last three wickets in four balls to get a convincing win for India.

Brief Scores: India 191/6 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 111 not out, Ishan Kishan 36; Tim Southee 3/34, Lockie Ferguson 2/49) beat New Zealand 126 all out in 18.5 overs (Kane Williamson 61, Devon Conway 25; Deepak Hooda 4/10, Mohammed Siraj 2/24) by 65 runs

ALSO READ: Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

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Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

Messi, Ronaldo

While some social media users called it “iconic”, others hailed it as the “picture of the century”…reports Asian Lite News

Considered to be two of the greatest players of this generation Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi joined forces to produce one of the most iconic images in football history.

The image was shared by both the footballers on the eve of the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, through their Instagram accounts.

While some social media users called it “iconic”, others hailed it as the “picture of the century”.

With both of them sharing 12 Ballon d’Or’s between them, Ronaldo and Messi came together for a promotion campaign by Louis Vuitton ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Many view the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be the final one for both players with the Argentinian great already confirming it. However, the Portuguese star has said he wants to play for a few more years.

On Saturday, the fans of both players were in for a treat as Louis Vuitton released their new campaign featuring both of them. The two legendary footballers can be seen playing chess together in the picture with both deep in concentration on what their next move would be.

The Louis Vuitton briefcase on which Ronaldo and Messi are playing chess was part of the 2018 World Cup in which the FIFA World Cup trophy was presented ahead of the opening fixture and the final.

ALSO READ-Chennaiyin FC secure first home win of the season

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Chennaiyin FC secure first home win of the season

ISL 2022-23: Chennaiyin FC secure first home win of the season, beat Jamshedpur FC 3-1(Pic credit: ISL)

The lead did not last long as Chennaiyin substitutes — El Khayati and Baretto — combined in the very next minute to put the Marina Machans ahead again…reports Asian Lite News

Chennaiyin FC earned their first victory at home this season with a 3-1 win over Jamshedpur FC in a Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here on Saturday.

Petar Sliskovic broke the deadlock in the first half before Ishan Pandita equalised in the final quarter. Substitutes Vincy Baretto and Abdenasser El Khayati struck late for the Marina Machans as Jamshedpur fell to their third consecutive loss for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

Both sides made four changes to their respective lineups. Anirudh Thapa, Rahim Ali and Jiteshwor Singh dropped out of the squad for the hosts, while El Khayati dropped to the bench. Vafa Hakhamaneshi returned in the heart of defence as Jockson Dhas, Sajal Bag, and Sourav Das were given their first starts.

Daniel Chukwu, Laldinpuia Pachuau and Laldinliana Renthlei were all out injured for Jamshedpur FC, while Harry Sawyer dropped to the bench. Farukh Choudhary, Wellington Priori, Muhammed Uvais and Pandita were all drafted into the starting lineup. The injury-riddled Red Miners were dealt another injury blow in the 16th minute when Priori was stretchered off.

To make things worse, Jamshedpur FC went behind in the 27th minute. Julius Duker played a through ball to Dhas, who galloped forward in acres of space before getting his shot away. The midfielder’s attempt was parried by the keeper straight to Sliskovic, who stayed alert and headed the ball home from close range.

The game burst into life in the final quarter of the match. In the 76th minute, Sawyer flicked the ball on with his head towards the box as Pandita met it with a well-struck volley to level the score.

The lead did not last long as Chennaiyin substitutes — El Khayati and Baretto — combined in the very next minute to put the Marina Machans ahead again.

El Khayati whipped in a cross from the left flank and Baretto took it on the volley with his first touch of the match. There was enough time for El Khayati to bag a goal for himself – the Dutch midfielder sold a dummy to Peter Hartley before slotting the ball in at the near post five minutes from time to wrap up the win.

Chennaiyin FC’s first home win of the campaign sees them move from seventh to fifth with 10 points on the board. They will travel to Odisha for their next game on November 24.

On the other hand, Jamshedpur FC have now lost three games in a row and are 9th. They return home for their next game against East Bengal FC on November 27.

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Watch FIFA on Twitter

All sports fans who were worried that they wouldn’t be able to see their results in real-time on Twitter can rest assured that nothing serious will happen…reports Asian Lite News

Twitter boss Elon Musk sent out a tweet late last night inviting people to watch the first World Cup match live on the micro-blogging site.

He also promised the best coverage and real-time commentary.

“First World Cup match on Sunday! Watch on Twitter for the best coverage and real-time commentary,” he tweeted.

Musk did not specify the sport he was referring to, but it’s likely the FIFA World Cup 2022, which starts on November 20.

His latest tweet has also put sought to rest speculation that the microblogging platform will not be around for long.

All sports fans who were worried that they wouldn’t be able to see their results in real-time on Twitter can rest assured that nothing serious will happen.

However, the coverage of the FIFA World Cup in India will be presented by JioCinema.

In the comment section to Musk’s tweet, the video-streaming platform replied, “for India, the best coverage is on JioCinema”.

“Nice try Elon, but for India, the best coverage and commentary is on JioCinema (and we’re not even charging $8 for it),” it tweeted.

ALSO READ-Messi, Ronaldo first-ever joint ad pic break internet

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‘FIFA WC 2022 to change the perceptions’

FIFA World Cup.

Qatar 2022 will be held in eight state-of-the-art stadiums from 20 November to 18 December. The tournament will get underway when hosts Qatar face Ecuador at the majestic Al Bayt Stadium…reports Asian Lite News

World and Olympic high jump champion Mutaz Barshim said the FIFA World Cup will help change the ‘negative perceptions about the region and believes Qatar’s staging of the football showpiece event presents a unique opportunity to unite people through their shared love of football.

“The World Cup will positively impact our society by showcasing our culture worldwide and helping people to create friendships and build networks. It is a golden opportunity to change negative perceptions about the region and create new and meaningful connections,” said Barshim, who is also a FIFA World Cup Ambassador.

Qatar Football World Cup will change negative perceptions about the region, says High Jump world champion Barshim

Growing up, Barshim was inspired by his father, who was also a track and field athlete. Barshim would follow his father to the local training club before later joining the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence – where he soon became one of the country’s most promising track and field athletes.

Barshim’s breakthrough year came in 2010 when he won the World Junior Championships. He has won a slew of medals since, including three World Athletics Championships titles, in 2017, 2019 and 2022. He claimed Olympic silver in 2012 and 2016 before bagging gold at Tokyo 2020 after sharing the high jump title with Italian Gianmarco Tamberi. Barshim is the first Qatari to win Olympic gold in a track and field event.

“I have lived the dream of being at a global event and it having a major impact on me. The things I have learned, the experiences I went through, the relationships I built, the friendships I formed and the milestones I have been able to achieve – they all made a really positive change in my life and I can’t wait to see that happen here in Qatar during the World Cup,” the champion high jumper said, whose younger brother Meshaal is part of the Qatar national team taking part in the World Cup and guards the goal for the host nation at the 29-day tournament.

Qatar 2022 will be held in eight state-of-the-art stadiums from 20 November to 18 December. The tournament will get underway when hosts Qatar face Ecuador at the majestic Al Bayt Stadium.

Barshim said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that won’t be repeated. We’re hosting the World Cup in an Arab country and a Muslim country for the first time. I hope everyone comes and makes the most of this experience to learn more about Arab hospitality and all different cultures.”

‘FIFA TO UNITE WORLD’

Football is much more than a sport, and has a “unique magic” power to bring people together, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

While attending the ongoing G20 Summit held in Bali, Indonesia, Infantino called on world leaders to set aside tensions and conflicts, and enjoy the quadrennial football event which is scheduled to take place from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar.

“The World Cup should be an occasion for joy and unity. It should send a message of hope,” Infantino told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

Infantino said football is also an important economic activity with a global GDP of hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars, creating millions of jobs and bolstering economic growth. “This is about growth, economic growth,” said the FIFA head.

Infantino expected the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to be viewed by five billion people, more than half of the world’s population.

Noting China’s plan to bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031, Infantino said that the move, together with China’s involvement in football clubs and youth football, helps address regional imbalances in football development, and is crucial for the overall development of the sport.

“China has to be a key part of growth of football. Bidding for important events has to be an element that makes football grow even more in China, women’s or men’s football,” he said.

He said that FIFA has been discussing how to implement a footballing culture in China, with the hope of making young boys and girls dream of becoming football players, and teaching them team spirit and respect for each other.

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