by Abhishek Gujral

Well, you cannot say that we do not keep you up to date. As the draw for the qualifying round of The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in Frankfurt, Germany, our very own indianfootball.com team of chief editors Arunava Chaudhuri and Chris P. Daniel was there to bring you the latest developments as they happen. And boy, did we have some news for you. India, in Group 3, are to take on Japan, Oman and Singapore!
Well the initial reactions to the draw have been skeptical - with only one team to qualify from the group; India seems to be up against it. I say bring them on! With the new format of the qualifying rounds in place, India were sure to play one of Asia's top 8 teams in any case. This will be a golden opportunity for our boys to play against some quality opposition. With nothing to lose, we can surely go all out and surprise a few people. Japan seems the obvious favorites, but Oman is not to be underestimated - the side has performed admirably in recent times. Singapore too has a higher ranking than India. Having said that, India has undoubtedly played some good football in recent times, and consistently overcome higher ranked opposition. I only hope the AIFF provides all support it can to our coach, Stephen Constantine. As he had mentioned, a break from the NFL along with preparation against quality teams is an absolute must for him to spend time with the boys and get them ready. All I can say to our lads is, go for it! Aim for the moon! Even if you miss, you will land among the stars!

The 8th National Football League has started, and if early season form is anything to go by, we are going to see plenty of surprises. East Bengal is definitely up against it, and lowly rated Churchill Brothers seems to have started really well. Tollygunge has once again proved to be fighters, earning priceless points in crucial away games. Mahindra United and Mohun Bagan have both had reasonable starts. However, having watched a couple of Bagan games this season, I must comment on the quality-or rather lack of it of their 2 new Brazilians, Leonardo and Edu. The former seems to be a decent left back - but nothing to write home about. As for the latter, the less said the better. A tall, clumsy striker, with poor finishing, he looks very ordinary. Early days, yes, I know, and I may well end up eating my words- however, I cannot help but wonder that with the likes of Ashim Biswas and Jose Ramirez Barreto, was signing another foreign striker necessary? With a dodgy back line, surely a quality central defender would have made more sense?
Another Brazilian who will soon make his debut for Mohun Bagan's fierce rivals East Bengal is Christiano Junior. The striker is said to be a 'seasoned' player. Well, we shall wait and see.

Having watched our U-17 team in action against Afghanistan at the Saltlake Stadium, I must comment on the appalling performance by our boys. Although we won 4-0, the listless brand of football we dished out is a cause for concern. We need to improve leaps and bounds if we hope to put up a good show in the finals to be held in Japan next year.