Smooth 2002 football league promises bigger strides next year

The smooth conduct of the sixth National Football League (NFL), which culminated in Mohun Bagan's thrilling triumph Monday, has given hope of a better show from players and organisers in the next edition.
The conduct of the NFL was taken over by Strata, a London-based sports management firm that has signed a five-year contract with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), midway through the season. The improvement in the conduct of the NFL became obvious at once.
Travel arrangements were better and there was less organisational chaos at the venues -- a characteristic that had come to be associated with the NFL.
Although Strata was reluctant to start midway through the season, it did a good job and the close finish at Margao was like the proverbial icing on the cake.
Mohun Bagan, which had won the prestigious Federation Cup in September, completed a grand "double" with a 1-0 win over Churchill Brothers of Goa, marking its third title triumph in the NFL's six-year history. Bagan had earlier clinched the title in 1997 and 1999.
Churchill Brothers finished second, two points behind Bagan's 44 from 22 matches, while Vasco, also of Goa, collected 40 in a league that is played on home-and-away format.
The short history of the NFL has been rather turbulent. Chaos and mismanagement set in soon after the first edition, which was sponsored by Philips. The sponsor withdrew after two editions as the AIFF mandarins were thoroughly exposed due to their amateurish approach.
The standard of the game also suffered, as teams had to travel long distances without sufficient rest between matches.
The format of the league, however, is not likely to be altered in the next edition. There was a suggestion to conduct the 12-team league on a zone basis, but it has been rejected.
"NFL cannot be organised on a zonal basis as the very purpose of conducting the league would be defeated," said an AIFF official.
But there might be some changes elsewhere as Strata steps in with new ideas and plans for the coming season.
Strata, the official representative of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has made a telling difference in the domestic football league of Vietnam, and hopes to do the same in India.
The lack of sponsors has been a major handicap for the NFL. Except for the first two years, India's premier league has suffered due to lack of funds, a big chunk of which is provided by sponsors.
A new sponsor is set to patronise the 2003 NFL. Tata, which was roped in midway through the season in 2002, is likely to continue. Besides Tata, Strata may bring in a few more sponsors.
But live telecast of matches on state-run Doordarshan, the official broadcaster of the NFL, has been irregular and haphazard. The most interesting match of the season, Monday's title-decider, was not telecast at all because Doordarshan's local station did not have an outside broadcasting van.
Also, Doordarshan does not pay on time the money it owes the AIFF. This delays the distribution of the guarantee and prize money to the clubs and players. In a country where football is hardly a paying sport, players get disillusioned if not paid on time. That, at times, affects their performance.
Among the proposals for the next NFL is an extended league, with matches scheduled for weekends to facilitate television coverage and attract companies to sponsor the event. As of now, the league lasts four months.
The big question, however, is how much free hand the AIFF will give Strata. The AIFF, which has largely been run by one person, its president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, is well known for its amateurish approach.