Durand Cup joins AIFF 'hit list'

THE National Football League, started by the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) in a bid to control all the soccer activity in the country, has sounded the death-knell of many a prestigious tournament.
The Durand Cup, the second oldest football tournament in the world, after the FA Cup of England, is the latest to figure on the AIFF "hit list". The half-empty Ambedkar Stadium in the final of the 115th edition of the Durand Cup between East Bengal club of Kolkata and Army XI was a cause for concern for the lovers of the game in the Capital, nay in the country, as the Durand Cup final had always attracted a capacity crowd, notwithstanding the quality of the competing teams.
Just a few thousand spectators had turned up to witness the entire tournament, which was a far from the halcyon days of the tournament, when the semi-finals and the final alone attracted over a lakh of people to the Ambedkar Stadium.
It's now an open secret that the AIFF has throttled a number of tournaments, including the DCM, in the country to fulfil its own agenda. The DCM closed shop a few years ago when the AIFF made matters difficult.
Once upon a time, the country used to be dotted with tournaments like the DCM, Durand, Rovers Cup, Nagjee, Chakolas Trophy, Darjeeling Gold Cup et al. But the new dispensation in the AIFF saw to it that one by one, all these tournaments downed shutters and those brave ones, who have resisted the AIFF overtures, are now battling for life, like the Durand Cup.
What indeed has gone wrong with a tournament of Durand's stature, which has always enjoyed a halo around it, as it is organised by the Army?
"Timing", observes an insider. The AIFF sees to it that the Durand Cup is allotted the wrong dates, which clash with the national league, national camps and school exams. This year, due to the SAFF football camp, many of the leading clubs like JCT and East Bengal could not field some of their star players as they were attending the national camp. The restriction of 12 teams per tournament, lasting just ten days, is also cramping the schedule.
In the olden days, the DCM and the Durand Cup used to be month-long affairs, almost. The season would start with some important local tournament, followed by the DCM, the Subroto Cup for Schools, and the Durand Cup. When the Durand Cup comes around, the soccer season would be in full swing, with spectator interest whipped up to a frenzy. But times have changed, and now hardly a few hundred people turn up to watch even the semi-finals and the final.
This year the stands started filling up only when Mohammedan Sporting, Kolkata played in the league matches. Mohammedan Sporting were making their appearance in the Durand Cup after a gap of five years. But unfortunately for the organisers, Mohammedans were knocked out by Army XI in the semi-final, and the final, though featuring East Bengal, was shorn of any sheen.
The hosts should also own up some of the blame for the present plight of the Durand Cup. Ever since the exit of the late lamented Wg Com A K Ganguly as the organising secretary, the Durand Cup authorities had failed to find an able substitute. Over the years, career officials came, saw and departed, without contributing much to the growth and consolidation of the tournament, barring a brief spell when Col Padmakaran was at the helm.
The late Ganguly, with his no-nonsensical approach, was singularly responsible for putting the Durand Cup on a pedestal, as he cut corners and enforced strict discipline to make the cup financially viable through gate collection and panel hoardings inside the stadium. Later, a time came when the Cup was making profits as sponsors came forward with lucrative offers.
Col Bhupinder Singh, the new man in charge of the Durand Cup, did a good job within his limitation. But unless the Durand Cup organising secretary is given a longer tenure, ad-hocism will prevail, detrimental to the sustenance and growth of the tournament.
It's time, Durand Cup also organised a pre-tournament competition in which teams like Border Security Force, Punjab Police, Central Railway and others, who want to compete in the tournament, but are not given entry into the main draw, can be invited to participate, to create the necessary tempo for the tournament proper. At present the pre-tournament qualifying competition is confined to a few local teams and some minor teams from Haryana.
"AIFF is killing football in the country", lamented a long-time Durand Cup watcher. But Durand Cup can still regain its lost glory if it sets its own house in order, first. Some old faithfuls are helping the show go on, but for how long?