by Abhishek Gujral

Well, the season is finally over- and boy, what a season it's been! Let's face it - Indian football has never been short of controversy. But this season sure takes the cake! One can finally take a deep breath and look back at how the events unfolded over the past few months.

1. MAHINDRA UNITED - For starters, let me wish Mahindra United my heartiest congratulations! I am really happy for Derrick Pereira, Henry Menezes and the rest of the boys. God knows that Mahindra deserve every inch of their success. They've come so close ever so often - about time they got their act together. The team played superbly right through the season, except for a short while in the middle of the NFL. Let's face it - Yakubu Yusif and Jose Ramirez Barreto were always going to be lethal upfront. With the likes of Mahesh Gawli and Shanmugam Venkatesh in top form, Mahindra United were a class apart.

2. EAST BENGAL CLUB - East Bengal I feel have had a reasonable season and ought to be very satisfied. Belgian coach Philippe de Ridder has done a very commendable job. How the authorities can even contemplate finding a replacement baffles me to no end. The best piece of news for Indian football is perhaps the re-emergence of Baichung Bhutia as a major threat. The Indian captain is back to his awesome best, with 12 goals in his kitty. While the likes of Alvito D'Cunha and Sasthi Duley have been disappointing at best, de Ridder has done well to discover a few promising youngsters. defender Anupam Sarkar in particular has looked good. East Bengal must sign de Ridder on a long term deal and then look at getting in some experienced players for the new season.

3. MOHUN BAGAN ATHLETIC CLUB - Biswajit Bhattacharya is a genius. I'm telling you, he's got strange magical powers. Ok that's a bit much. But give the man credit - to turn around Mohun Bagan is a fantastic achievement. Bagan have always had a really good team on paper, but have continuously struggled. The coach has been inspirational, and Bagan must now look to build on this next season. It's very important to retain the likes of Brazilian Eduardo, Noel Wilson and Tomba Singh. The authorities do need more fire power up front though. Wow, did I notice a certain Brazilian in Mumbai making plans of a return to Calcutta?

4. SPORTING CLUBE DE GOA - Sporting Clube de Goa will no doubt be upset with the way things have turned out for them. Considered title contenders before the season got underway, the team from Goa seemed to fizzle out. However, they are a team to watch out for. If they can retain the likes of MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi and Chidi Edeh, combined with some shrewd signings, they will definitely be right up there next season.

5. DEMPO SPORTS CLUB - Dempo, out of all the teams in the NFL, will probably be most disappointed with their end result this season. The team plays neat football which is pleasing to the eye, and had a decent team to back it. However if the management can retain most of the current players, they are undoubtedly title contenders, despite their poor league position. Needless to say, a certain Ranty Martins Soleye must be signed on a long term deal. Of course, let's not forget the fact that star midfielder Climax Lawrence missed the entire season due to a nasty leg injury. His return will be a huge plus for the team.

6. JAGAJIT COTTON AND TEXTILE MILLS - JCT Mills once again had an up and down season. Sixth place is a fair return for them. However, if you consider the fact that the team sheet included names like Brazilian Marcos, Renedy Singh, Sunil Chetri and Kalyan Chaubey, the boys from Phagwara will perhaps have wanted to do better.

7. AIR-INDIA - One side with no such concerns is Air-India. Bimal Ghosh has done a terrific job in keeping them up on a shoe string budget. Nigerian hitman Bashiree Mohammed and the speedy Paresh Shivalkar were instrumental in the Airmen's success.

8. MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING CLUB - Mohammedan Sporting will be pleased to have survived relegation - mind you; they left it late, right till the last day of the season. All said and done, coach Subhash Bhowmick has once again pulled a rabbit out of the hat. I'm pleased for them - I've said it before and I will say it again - the NFL needs a club like Mohammedan Sporting. If early indications are anything to go by, they are building one heck of a team for next season.

9. SALGAOCAR SPORTS CLUB - It is very sad that a big team like Salgaocar SC is down to the 2nd division. They have however, only themselves to blame. The team was poor, and barring Brazilian Fabio dos Passos, they all struggled. However Salgaocar has one of India's most talented young coaches in Savio Mediera - I am sure they will bounce right back.

10. FRANSA-PAX FOOTBALL CLUB - As far as the Fransa-Pax issue is concerned, enough has been said. I really do not wish to comment any further. All I can say is imagine what would happen if teams around the world started pulling their teams out of leagues the moment decisions when against them! I can understand Mickey Pacheco's frustrations - however he was very wrong to react the way he did.
The loser was Indian football.