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MOHUN BAGAN'S MOMENT OF JOY - by A.Vinod
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THE IV Coca-Cola National football league, which returned to the home and away format after last year's aimless experiment of a two-leg super six layout, practically did serve a couple of causes - to bring to the fore, once again, the messy character of the game in the country and the equally slip-shod approach of those powers-that-be to set right the various problems being faced in Indian football.
There was little excitement too in the race for the top honours as Mohun Bagan, Calcutta, was assured of the title with as many as two rounds to spare. In between, there was also this spanking of the Indian football administration by none other than the Asian Football Confederation general secretary, Mr. Peter Velappan, who, though on a visit to tie up the loose ends connected with the conduct of the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in Delhi next year, was strident in his criticism of the present-day scenario. Now, with almost a year left for the next edition of the NFL to get underway, it does remain to be seen whether the top brass of our football system has absorbed the pragmatism aired by the AFC general secretary. Mr. Velappan's suggestion that the NFL should be run over six months does indeed make sense, especially in the context of the dull and drab show which was on display this year.
Cramped into a period of a little over 16 weeks, the 132-match sequence, which concluded last month, was more or less an exhibition of inconsistency, mostly due to the lack of the required fitness among the players to withstand the gruelling schedule, and half-baked tactical manuoevers. This should also explain the heavy dosage of injuries suffered by the players, which again was to have a direct impact on both the proceedings and the fortunes of all the 12 clubs alike. Making things even worse was the poor standard of refereeing which was witnessed all through the league, leading to frayed tempers among the players and constant booing from the galleries. And, not to forget, the poor formatting by the NFL sub-committee which did bother at least one team - State Bank of Travancore - and forced it to be away from home for 34 days in a stretch between its first match in the second phase and the eighth. In the midst of all these, the only silver lining was the form displayed by Mohun Bagan, which had won the title earlier in 1998. The Calcutta side had a poor start to the tournament before it had picked up pace towards the end stages of the first phase wherein it ended second behind Churchill Brothers, Goa. Into the second stage, the maroon-and-green brigade did suffer a jolt against FC Kochin and the mercurial I. M. Vijayan in the third round before it recovered and remained unbeaten through the next six rounds and gained five victories in a stretch to assure itself of the title. It was FC Kochin's win against Salgaocar SC, Goa in the last but second round that removed the final hurdle for the Calcutta powerhouse, which, however, suffered humiliation against arch-rival East Bengal at 3-1. But then, the team bounced back and emerged triumphant with a thumping 4-2 win over city-mate Tollygunge Agragami. What more, its key striker, Igor Shkvirin, with two crucial strikes in that last match took the top-scorer title. Indeed, Subroto Bhattacharya and his boys had come a long way after the painful defeats in the Rovers Cup and the Durand Cup and it was a show which was marked by a camaraderie, that was found missing in other camps. If the Mohun Bagan coach proved to be a great motivator, the workload behind the string of fine wins that the Calcutta side carved out before garnering the top prize of Rs. 40 lakhs, was shared by an axis that existed between its key foreign recruits: Brazilian Jose Rameirez Barreto, Nigerian Stephan Abarowei, Kenyan Sammy Omello and Uzbek Shkvirin. The foursome was simply outstanding with the Brazilian proving to be a fine gem. A total player, who could be fielded anywhere, Barreto was lethal as the withdrawn forward even as he exuded confidence in the other midfielders and made opportunities for the ever-waiting Shkvirin. Perhaps, because of his height, Shkvirin would have looked a bit out of sorts at times but his powerful header was enough to cover up all his deficiencies. And then, there was Abarowei and Omello, who played stellar roles in most wins that Mohun Bagan eked out. Apart from these foreign players, the others to catch the eye from among the Calcutta side's ranks were James Singh, Basudeb Mondal and Dipendu Biswas, while, nothing much was heard about Abdul Khalique, whose poor form was certainly a cause of worry. Next best down the line were the two Goan sides, Churchill Brothers and defending champion Salgaocar SC. It is true that the other Goan entrant, Dempo SC, proved to be a total disaster and could not save itself from relegation after finishing at the bottom of the table. So too should be the case of the missed opportunities that stopped both Churchill and Salgaocar from maintaining the Goan hegemony that was established last year with Salgaocar's triumph.
Nevertheless, the football-crazy Goans could still be proud that these two sides finished second and third. Churchill, the early leader, which topped the first phase with 23 points as against 22 earned by Mohun Bagan, was waylaid by its own callous approach against ITI in an away match. This 1-2 loss against the Bangalore side in the 20th round, in the final analysis, was also to cost Churchill gravely. Much more was the surprise 1-1 draw against Border Security Force, another team to be relegated this year.
And finally when it took shape of a toss-up between the two sides for the second spot, it was Churchill which emerged victorious, dumping Salgaocar 2-1. Besides Silveira, who had hogged the headlines during the entire first leg, but failed to maintain the same high standard that he had set up for himself, in the second, the other key players who helped their side end up second and claim a cheque of Rs. 22 lakhs were Rocky Barreto and Andriy Malchvesky - both of whom came up with a polished display upfront - and Edward Ansah at the goal. Was Salgaocar's a typical case of a side having peaked before the crucial stages of the league? It might appear so now but the side, which had looked invincible in the run-up to the NFL particularly in Mumbai and Delhi and at the Super Cup, was still a force to reckon with as it stayed on course to retain the title. And what proved crucial besides its continued agony against FC Kochin was the 1-1 draw against Tollygunge, in almost a repeat of the goalless draw played by the two sides in the first phase.The poor form shown by Bruno Coutinho, who has stayed with the club for several years now, was also to have a lasting effect in Salgaocar's fortunes this year, though it was compensated by Brazilian Joao dos Santos, Jules Alberto and Dharamjit Singh by a certain measure. The side was also served well by its tried and tested Juje Siddi, whose prowess at the goal remained unmatched.
FC Kochin, at one stage looked to be the only side other than Mohun Bagan, which could match the verve and skill of the Goan sides. This was particularly so when it seemed to have got better of those problems which had plagued it in the early stages of the tournament wherein a lack of cohesion between its key players was clearly visible as the side settled for dreary draws one after the other. Its upward graph, after the arrival of Liberians, Issac Tondo, Eugene Gray and Sunday Seah, also seemed set for higher rewards when the side combined well to notch up away victories against both Mohun Bagan and Tollygunge Agragami. And when it sidestepped the challenge of Salgaocar 2-0, it did seem that the country's first professional side could end up second. But with I. M. Vijayan, who as usual was the side's mainstay, getting injured and the team coming up a cropper against BSF in Ludhiana, FC Kochin in the end was forced to be satisfied with the fourth spot ahead of JCT, on account of its better goal average (+6 against +2 of the winner of the inaugural year). But this itself was achieved only because of Salgaocar's effortless win against Mahindra & Mahindra, on the last day in which the Kochi side lost to a resurgent East Bengal. Besides Vijayan, who missed out of the side's last four matches, it was Tondo and Seah who served FC Kochin's cause well, while there was nothing spectacular from Jo Paul Anchery in the tournament. JCT, one of the only two sides to play the tournament with local players, thrived on the show displayed by its four Hardips, who, however, lacked the firepower against better-equipped sides. And going by its intermediate showing, the fifth place by itself could be counted only as a boon. Perhaps, the team to be unlucky in this count was Mahindra & Mahindra, Mumbai, which was such a revelation in the first phase.Flourishing under the consistent display by Mohammed Najeeb and Jordanian Bassam Khatib, the side was also in the race for the third spot till the end. But it was its loss against Salgaocar in the last round which put paid to its hopes of finishing its campaign on a rousing note. Yet, it was a good show on all accounts, the credit of which should go to its manager-turned coach, Harish Rao. Runner-up through the last two editions, East Bengal was a major disappointment this year. Though the side did salvage a lot of its lost prestige in the final stages with its back-to-back wins against Mohun Bagan and FC Kochin, East Bengal still looked pathetic almost all the way. True, it might have missed the services of many of its regular first XI players in some crucial matches, but still, like ITI which had made a heavy investment this year only to finish 10th behind SBT, the mighty Calcutta team looked so pedestrian in its approach that it was no surprise when it finished a poor seventh, a notch ahead of Tollygunge Agragami. Tollygunge was at best a side good to follow defensive tactics to a certain extent, while, SBT for all the good show delivered by S. Ignatius and T. Asif Saheer, suffered mostly due to its weakness in that department and at the goal where former international Feroz Sherif was a big let down. It was just opposite in the case of ITI, as its custodian, N. Balaji, was the only consistent performer other than its key striker, R. C. Prakash, even as the Bangalore outfit staved off a real threat from BSF and saved itself from the ignominy of relegation.
Both BSF and Dempo SC had too much pressure piled against themselves right from the start and were never in the race before being relegated. Perhaps, a proper understanding of the priorities to stay afloat and the necessary planning to execute it could have stood these teams in good stead. Interestingly, this was where Mohun Bagan scored over all the other teams as it regained the title. Otherwise, it was all the same right through the league even as it inched through its start to the finish. In fits and starts.
- April 2000 .The Sportstar
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