When the Indian football federation conceived the National League, everybody thought it would lift the country's football fortunes and produce at least one star who could stand shoulder to shoulder with our cricketing icons. However, in five years the dream has evaporated. Players are unhappy, fans are angry and the game has slipped further. Who is responsible for this decay? Times News Network investigates.

CERTAINLY THE MAJOR PART OF THE NATIONAL TEAM OF INDIA HAS BEEN DISCOVERED AND HONED BY THE NFL. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE NFL, INDIA WOULD RANK 203 IN THE WORLD WITHOUT A REMOTE CHANCE OF BEATING UAE IN THE WC QUALIFIERS.PLAYERS ARE GETTING PAID A LOT MORE MONEY BECAUSE THE NFL HAS CAUSED SPONSORS LIKE THE UB GROUP AND MAHINDRA TO INVEST LARGE STAKES IN THEIR FOOTBALL TEAMS.

It started with a bang in 1996. But the National Football League, touted as the panacea to Indian soccer's manifold woes, lost its magic and charm in one year flat.

ABSOLUTE LOAD OF RUBBISH !!! IF IT HAD LOST ITS CHARM, TEAMS LIKE VASCO WOULD NEVER HAVE ASPIRED TO QUALIFY FOR THE NFL.

The sponsors (Philips) abandoned the dream after flirting with the AIFF officials for just a few months. ESPN STAR Sports, after building up the initial hype and trying to foster the country's footballers into national celebrities, gave up the project as mission impossible. Soon, the Bhutias, the Chapmans, the Vijayans and the Ancheris were back on planet earth. And Indian football back on plane confusion.

ANOTHER CANARD. PHILIPS PULLED OUT BECAUSE THEY RAN OUT OF MONEY AND COULDN'T AFFORD THE SPONSORSHIP. THE WHOLE NATION WANTED LIVE COVERAGE WHICH ONLY DOORDARSHAN COULD PROVIDE AS PER THE LAW OF THE LAND. MEANWHILE THE VIJAYANS, CHAPMANS AND ANCHERIS CONTINUE TO BE SOUGHT AFTER BY THE RICH CLUBS AND THEIR SALARIES HAVE NOT DROPPED...ON THE CONTRARY, THEY HAVE RISEN. BAICHUNG GOT HIS CHANCE TO STRUT HIS STUFF IN BRITAIN.

As football fans get ready for the sixth edition of the NFL, the picture looks blurred and the future bleak. Sceptism and frustration rules among clubs and coaches. For Mohun Bagan secretary Anjan Mitra NFL is just another football tournament. Amal Dutta, former national coach, also voiced similiar sentiments. Clearly, the plot to the whole drama has got lost somewhere as it manders listless.

IS THIS THE SAME AMAL DUTTA, WHO WHEN COACHING CHURCHILL BROTHERS REFUSED TO PLAY A MATCH IN CALCUTTA AGAINST EAST BENGAL BECAUSE OF AN IMAGINED CONFUSION ABOUT THE OFIICIAL BALL ? ACTUALLY IT WAS HIS SMOKESCREEN TO PAY BACK THE IFA AND CALCUTTA GIANTS WHO HAD DROPPED HIM FROM THEIR TEAM ROSTERS... AND HE DID IT AT THE COST OF CHURCHILL BROTHERS. WHO HAS BEEN MEANDERING EVER SINCE IS AMAL DUTTA !!!!

Mitra confirms on behalf of the Indian Premier Football Association that they are all treating this edition of the League as the 'final chance' for the AIFF. "The IPFA clubs may stay away from the League next year if AIFF fails to imbibe enough sponsorship and coverage for the coming NFL," he says. A rather optimistic P V Paul, president and managing director of F C Kochin Club of Kerala, and P P Lakshmanan, executive president of the AIFF, however, have not given up as yet. "It's still in the developing phase. Give it two-three years more and I am sure it will start making an impact." But the former quickly adds: "The federation needs to be more organised. I hear though that the present dispensation, with Alberto Colaco as secretary, is managing things better than what the way it was done last year."

ANJAN MITRA'S IS SECRETARY OF MOHUN BAGAN, WHOSE FINANCIER IS DR. VIJAY MALLYA, VICE PRESIDENT OF AIFF. DR. MALLYA HAD, IN MAY 2001, GIVEN THE AIFF AT AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING AN ASSURANCE THAT HE WILL FIND A VERY GOOD SPONSOR FOR THE NFL BY 30TH SEPTEMBER 2001. SO FAR HE HASNT COME UP WITH THE NAME OF ANY SUCH SPONSOR...NOT EVEN UB GROUP !!! THE FEDERATION NEEDS A PROFESSIONAL MARKETING WING WHOSE DUTY IT SHOULD BE TO ARRANGE SPONSORS FOR THE NFL AND OTHER AIFF PROPERTIES. AT THE MOMENT IT ISNT AS IF SPONSORS ARE QUEING UP TO SPONSOR TOO MANY SPORTS IN INDIA AND WITH THE RECESSION BITING DEEP, A LOT OF PATIENCE IS REQUIRED.

Paul doesn't forget, however, to cite the example of Vietnamese football doing a phoenix act. "They were shattered after the war. But they came back and put up a strong fight in the pre-World Cup qualifiers. All this was possible because soccer there is handled by a very efficient marketing agency." Coming to Vietnam and the rest of the Asian countries, Amal Dutta feels that India has hardly anything to crow about. "I have dedicated my entire life to the game and when I see that my country has slipped from the Asiad to the SAF level, I really feel demoralised. Unless there is a miracle, with this kind of federation and federation president, I don't see any future for the League."

THE VIETNAMESE GOVT. PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS TO PROMOTE THE GAME THERE. IN CONTRAST, THE GOVT. OF INDIA HAS DONE PRACTICALLY NOTHING FOR FOOTBALL IN INDIA. MOST OF OUR PARLIAMENTARIANS ARE CRICKET ORIENTED AND FOOTBALL AS A SPORT IS COMPLETELY OFF THEIR RADAR SCREENS. THE AIFF CAN NEVER HOPE TO MATCH THE RESOURCES OF A GOVERNMENT..EVEN IF IT IS VIETNAMESE. IF AMAL DUTTA'S GRIPE IS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT OF THE AIFF, HE MUST GET INTO THE BODY OF THAT AUGUST INSTITUTION AND THROW OUT THE CURRENT ORESIDENT BY DEMOCRATIC MEANS. AMAL HAS SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE EARNING GOOD MONEY FROM THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL SO THERE IS NO NEED FOR HIM TO FEEL SO DEMORALISED. THE FUTURE OF THE LEAGUE HAS MORE TO DO WITH THE STAMINA OF THE CLUBS TO FIND WAYS AND MEANS TO PAY EVER INCREASING PLAYER COSTS THAN ANY PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION .... PAST, PRESENT OR FUTURE.

Ranjit Gupta, IFA joint-secretary, has more to say. Squarely blaming the AIFF for the condition in which the league is, he says: "Their (AIFF) attempt to promote the league was a fiasco," he says. "The league could have been marketed well if there was live coverage. Crucial league matches should have been advertised so that there was some kind of excitement, expectation among fans. The shifting of television rights from ESPN-STAR to Doordarshan was also a major blunder committed by the AIFF top brass."

ESPN-STAR SPORTS WERE DROPPED BY KN MOUR BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT LEGALLY SUPPLY LIVE COVERAGE. NO BRASS OF THE AIFF (TOP OR BOTTOM ) IS IN A POSITION TO BYPASS THE MONOPOLY OF DD AS FAR AS LIVE TV IS CONCERNED.

Last year, of course, it was a case of double disaster. The Sahara Millennium Cup was squeezed in between the two rounds of the NFL. That diluted both the events and the fans were left completely disappointed.

THE STORY I HEARD WAS THAT THERE WERE NO FANS EITHER FOR THE SAHARA MILLENIUM CUP OR THE NFL EXCEPT IN KERALA. SO WHO WAS DISAPPOINTED ? THE MEDIA HAS PLAYED SUCH A NEGATIVE REPORTING ROLE THAT FANS HAVE STAYED AWAY FROM FOOTBALL GAMES. WITH NO FANS, DO YOU EXPECT SPONSORS TO QUEUE UP WITH THEIR MONEY? AND DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF THERE IS LIVE OR DELAYED COVERAGE ON TV OF EMPTY STANDS?

The AIFF officials are hoping to remedy the situation by drawing out a detailed calendar and then sticking to it. However, even that has its own problems. The League will again be given a break, but not to give the players rest, but to accomodate the Durand Cup and in all likelihood the Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup too. Talk about good planning!

IF THE CLUBS DONT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN DURAND/GOVERNORS CUP ETC. THE NFL NEED NOT BE INTERRUPTED. BUT THEN AGAIN, IF THE CLUBS WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE NON NFL FIXTURES, WHY NOT THE SANTOSH TROPHY FOR THEIR STATES ? IS THE RISK OF INJURY TO PLAYERS LESS AT DURAND AND SIKKIM THAN AT THE SANTOSH TROPHY ? THE AIFF HAS RELEASED ITS CALENDAR MONTHS AGO... WHY DONT CLUBS AND STATE ASSOCITAIONS WORK AROUND THEM IN HARMONY, NOW THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN FOOTBALL, EVERY CONSTITUENT HAS A CHANCE TO PLAN AHEAD.

Interestingly, while the League may not have exhibited enough pros, it has already seen a host of cons. The foremost repercussion has been the death of popular tournaments: The DCM Trophy, the Scissors Cup, the Nizam Gold Cup and the highly popular Nehru Cup too. The federation blames their extinction on the lack of sponsors and also the time to host them as the NFL takes up almost five to six months of the calender.

ALL OF THESE TOURNAMENTS WOULD HAVE GONE THE WAY OF THE DINOSAUR ANYWAY BECAUSE SPONSOR MONEY IS HARD TO COME BY. THE NFL HAS MADE AVAILABLE A TOURNAMENT THAT IS FAR MORE EXCITING, COMPREHENSIVE AND LUCRATIVE FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL. THE TROUBLE WITH THE AFORESAID TOURNAMENTS WAS THAT THEY ALL HARBOURED INEQUITY AMONG TEAMS. SOME GOT INVITED IF THEY CHARGED LESS, SOME GOT INVITED IF THEY KNEW THE ORGANISERS AND WHOEVER GOT INVITED, MOHUN BAGAN AND EAST BENGAL GOT THE MOST MONEY...TO THE EXCLUSION OF THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS. THE NFL TREATS ALL TEAMS ALIKE ON THE QUESTION OF PARTICPATION TERMS. THEREFORE THE NFL HAS ACTUALLY LEVELLED THE PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL TEAMS IN INDIA.

Former Olympian and a legend in Kolkata, Chuni Goswami feels AIFF needs a man with vision at the helm of affairs. A man who can plan everything in advance and someone who loves the game. Amal Dutta wants a professional with a two-term contract. This, he is confident, will ensure more efficiency. But who will take up the gauntlet. Amal Dutta says, "The AIFF should clean up its house first. It must ensure that the clubs get at least their payments on time. Otherwise it will be difficult to develop the game. Most of the grounds are pathetic, the standard of refereeing is poor and even the balls used for the meet are not of international standard." Interestingly, it's not that the AIFF doesn't have the money to improve these things. A grant of around $250,000 is given by the world soccer governing body FIFA through the Asian Football Confederation every year for the development of football in India. Where does the money go? Anjan Mitra claims: "Last year S Salgaocar, the accounts secretary of the NFL, didn't issue even a single cheque." Who issued them then? The answer is anybody's guess. Former officials of the federation say the money is mostly used up during elections and on tours of officials around the country.

MONEY FROM FIFA IS NOT TO BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. ALL THE SO CALLED EXPERTS ABOVE HAVE THEIR OWN FORMULA FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INDIAN FOOTBALL. LET ME JUST SAY THAT IF YOU ASK 1 BILLION PEOPLE WHAT TO DO, YOU WILL GET 1 BILLION ANSWERS. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS FOR EVERY STATE ASSOCIATION TO CLEAN UP ITS HOUSE BY GETTING ON BOARD THE CLUBS AND DEVELOPING THE YOUTH FOR FUTURE PARTICIPATION AT SENIOR LEVEL. REFEREES NEED TO BE TRAINES AND PREPARED BY THEIR STATE ASOCIATIONS AND EVERY STATE ASSOCIATION SHOULD COMPULSORIY HAVE A MARKETING SETUP TO FIND THE SPONSORS TO FINANCE THES PROGRAMS. ALL OTHER EQUATIONS ARE HOPELESS.

Former AIFF secretary Kedar Nath Mour says: "I don't know. Last year before I left office the money was in Kolkata... I don't know what has happened to it." At least the annual audit report and the balance sheet is maintained. True, and according to Mour, "the committee members, other than Ranjit Gupta, are apparently too polite to question the reports. They take it as it comes." Perfect, isn't it?

MR. KN MOUR, IF I RECALL FROM PRESS REPORTS, WAS BERATED BY THE MEDIA FOR FAILING TO SUBMIT AUDITED ACCOUNTS OF THE AIFF TO THE GENERAL BODY FOR THE ENTIRE TERM FOR WHICH HE WAS SECRETARY. HOW CAN HE NOW SAY WHETHER THERE WAS MONEY OR THERE WAS NO MONEY ??? EVERYONE WILL RECALL THAT FOOTBALL CAME TO A STANDSTILL IN INDIA BECAUSE OF INFIGHTING BETWEEN HIM AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE AIFF AND EVERY SINGLE STATE ASSOCIATION AS WELL AS CLUB SUFFERRED BECAUSE OF THIS HIDDEN AGENDA.
IT'S LIKE THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK !!!!!!

There are indeed other ways to make money in Indian football and ways to ensure votes as well. One can be appointed a Match Commissioner and have a gala time during World Cup qualifiers, Asia Cup, Olympic qualifiers touring the whole of Asia (add the 'exposure /entertainment' tours of England to the list) as return favours. All this comes with a handsome daily allowance of $150. It would also help if you are in the good books of the AIFF president and to some extent the AFC general secretary. So why bother about the accounts or splurging by the AIFF or its top bosses?

ALAS...THESE PROBLEMS ARE ENDEMIC IN ALL SPORTS INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING THE IOC, ICC, BCCI, FIFA, AFC AND AIFF. BUT SINCE THE OFFICIALS ARE NOT PAID...HOW ELSE CAN YOU GET THEM TO PERFORM???

The crux of the situation is that most of these overseas assignments, for the last ten months at least, have been taken away by two people: P P Lakshmanan, executive president AIFF and A R Khalil, treasuerer AIFF. What happens then to Mour, Gupta and Colaco, who too feature in the list submitted to the Asian Football Confederation? Surprisingly, other than Mour, none of the people mentioned above have any background as referees. So what are these non-technical people doing here anyway? Where are the Hakims, the De Souzas and the Sumanta Ghoshs?

LET ME JUST SAY THAT THE MOURS, HAKIMS, DESOUZA'S AND SUMANTHA'S OF OUR COUNTRY ARE AS COMPETENT OR AS INCOMPETENT AS ANY OF THE OTHER NAMES. THEY ARE SO FAR REMOVED FROM MODERN FOOTBALL TECHNOLOGIES AND TECHNIQUES THAT WE MAY AS WELL GET MY GRANDMOTHER TO GO ... SHE'S STILL YOUNG AT 94 !!!

The answer does a crazed dribble across rutted arenas that pass for football stadii in this country. Till it is pinned, Indian football too careens inebriated on a lethal cocktail of inefficiency and apathy. Aimless. Hopeless.

THE STADIA ARE ALL OWNED BY GOVERNMENT ... EVEN THE STADIA IN DELHI ARE SO DECREPIT THAT THE AFRO ASIAN GAMES WOULD HAVE GIVEN INDIA A HUGE LOSS OF FACE. LUCKY BIN LADEN HAPPENED AND THE GAMES GOT CANCELLED. AS FOR THE ANSWERS ...WHAT WERE THE QUESTIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE ??????