by Abhishek Gujral

Well, it's definitely confirmed, the Englishmen have arrived! Foreign coaches are clearly the order of the day as far as Indian sports is concerned, and football is no different. Stephen Constantine had already acquired 'legend' status after the victory in the LG Cup last year, but yet another Englishman has made his mark soon after arriving in India. David Booth, take a bow. Shortly after taking over as coach, Booth led Mahindra United to their first ever Federation Cup triumph last month. No mean achievement, considering that all of India's top clubs were in action. And if that was not enough to convince skeptics that foreign coaches do indeed provide invaluable quality, Constantine led the Indian U-18 side to victory in the Ian Rush Youth Tournament in Wales. Hmm. Are the likes of Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers listening?

The Federation Cup is the premier knockout competition in the country, and is held at the beginning of the new season. A lip-smacking feast was on the cards, as all of India's top 16 clubs were in the fray. And the tournament did produce some very interesting results. I am not going to mention the pathetic surface on which the matches were played-enough has been said about that. That aside, some teams did manage to play a decent brand of football. The shock result would have to be Mohammedan's 5-0 hammering of Asian Champions League qualifiers Salgaocar. That aside, ASEAN champions East Bengal also lost out to Vasco in the quarters, by a solitary goal. But the team that clearly caught the eye was eventual champions Mahindra United. Playing under English coach Booth, Mahindra displayed some really good football and edged out Mohammedan 1-0 in the finals. About 70,000 fans had to return home disappointed as Mahindra lifted the trophy, in an action packed encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium. Could this be the beginning of a new era for Indian football?

The fact is, that it is extremely rare for a team from outside Calcutta or Goa to lift a major title in India. One hopes that this victory for Mahindra can encourage clubs from other parts of the country to get their act together. As far as the competition itself is concerned, there is absolutely no doubt that Mahindra were the best side. In Khalid Jamil, Jules Alberto, Shanmugam Venkatesh and James Singh, they have one of the best midfields in the country. James Singh, in particular, was absolutely brilliant right through, showing some classy touches, along with plenty of commitment. Khalid Jamil, who is also the captain of the side, excelled in his role of defensive midfielder. Another player who caught the eye was powerhouse striker Raphael Patron Akakpo. Raphael knows Booth from his days in Malaysia, and clearly enjoys playing for him. Nicknamed 'The Smiling Assassin', Raphael not only has plenty of strength, but is also good with the ball at his feet. He will clearly be a key player for the Mumbai side in the months ahead. One cannot help but feel that if any team in India can challenge East Bengal, it is Mahindra. However, they do need to sure up their defence, which is quite inexperienced. Watch out for left wing back Rauf Khan though - he seems a good prospect.

Though Mohammedan had a fantastic tournament, beating Mohun Bagan en route the finals, they will need to put in a lot more effort in order to make an impact this season. Dynamic midfielder Bungo Singh and experienced striker Dipendu Biswas aside, the team does not have too many consistent performers. Gifted forward Syed Rahim Nabi has been very disappointing, and the form of Satish Kumar Bharti too has been patchy. The side no doubt needs to sign some quality foreigners, sooner rather than later.

The future of Indian football is in safe hands, I promise you. Our juniors have been putting up some good performances for quite some time now - both the U-17 and U-20 sides made it to the quarters of the AFC Championships last year. But the victory of the U-18 side in Wales is truly a great one. Before reaching Wales, the team had some surprised many by putting up a decent showing in the Milk Cup, in Northern Ireland. Constantine's boys did one better thereafter; in Wales - a shock 3-0 victory over Brazilian giants Botafago Rio de Janeiro in the final was enough to win the Ian Rush Youth Tournament. This was Constantine's second major triumph in as many years, after the LG Cup in Vietnam last year. Malswama emerged top scorer with 5 goals. Jerry Zirsanga and Vimal Periyar too were very impressive. There are even rumours of some of our players making a good impression on several European scouts! Now, you cannot really blame me for getting excited, can you?