Why Mr. Carvalho is angry?

Right issue but wrong time

Indian Hockey players won Asia Cup. Indian Cricket players won Twenty-20 world cup. And few days back Indian soccer players clinched the Nehru Cup. Three different sports, three different tournaments at different venues but common thing is that India is the winner.

Hockey and Soccer tournaments were held in India and Twenty-20 tournament was concluded in South Africa. In Twenty-20 total 12 countries participated. All the giants including Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand were there and India won all the matches in tournament except one against NZ in Super Eight. Victory against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan was perfect example of Team Work.

In Asia cup hockey also India won all the seven matches they played. But winning was not the only positive outcome of the tournament. Indians struck 57 goals and accepted just five in tournament. They beat strong teams like South Korea and Japan in Semis.

Though situation was different in Nehru Cup, credit should certainly go to Indians for their victory. Only five teams were participated in it. Syria and Kirgizistan were two teams in tournament which had better performance than India in past. Other two teams, which played, were Bangladesh and Cambodia. In tournament India lost to only Syria in league match but took revenge after winning final against Syria by 1-0.

This is the performance of three different Indian teams, which participated in three different tournaments. After all win is win and nothing is better than success. But still there is controversy after grand reception that was given to Indian Cricket team in Mumbai.

Indian hockey team coach Jockim Carvalho was angry about the Red Carpet treatment given to Indian Cricket team by state Government and Board of Cricket Control of India. First of all we have to accept that though Hockey is National Sports of India Cricket is the only popular sports in India. That’s why people, media and sponsors are behind cricket. Till few years back our Hockey team had no sponsor. After that Castrol Oils came forward and sponsored the team.

Second thing is that if BCCI has welcomed the team and people have turn up to streets in huge numbers to welcome the team then why Mr. Carvalho is upset. It is the fact that Central and State governments are not appreciating victory of sports persons other than cricket. Cricketers are not dependent on government. They are earning lot from sponsors and advertisements. But this is not the thing for other sports. They have to depend a lot on aid by state and central governments.

I recall one incident of Indian archer Chakrovelu. She lives in northeast. She had to wait for more than two years to receive amount of just Two Lac. She fought against red tapism of government. After taking issue in court of central sports minister she got justice but only after two years. This is just an example of how other sports and sports persons are treated in India.

So the point, which Mr. Carvalho has raised, is not wrong but the time, which he selected, is wrong. He should have raised the issue just after Asia Cup victory. Because none can understand the situation of these winners except they raise voice. Unless you raise voice or fight you wont get anything in this country. This is the condition of sports in India.

Hockey players have done extremely well in Asia Cup. Soccer players took tremendous efforts to win Nehru Cup trophy. It is the thing with cricketers also. So government should also treat every sport with same yardstick.

I have heard live interview of Carvalho on Times Now channel. He congratulated Indian team for World Cup victory and said that he was never angry about the grand reception of cricketers. He also asked the various state and Central government to stop giving stepmotherly treatment to sports other than cricket. He never commented that our victory is more prestigious or more meaningful than cricket. He was angry with politicians and not with cricketers and cricket fans. This is the perfect stand by Carvalho. But still question remains that is this the right time to raise this question?

"कागदी वाघ' उतरले मैदानावर

इतके दिवस आम्ही "कागदी वाघ' होतो. नुसतेच शब्दांचे चेंडू! पण न कर्त्याच्या वारी मात्र, कॉम्प्युटर आणि कागदावरुन थेट मैदानावर पोचलो. तेव्हा आलेला अनुभव केवळ अवर्णनीय. मुख्य म्हणजे कार्यालयात बसून आणि दूरचित्रवाणीवर सामने पाहून याची खेच, त्याला सल्ले दे, त्याची अक्कल काढ, उगाचच कोणालाही उपदेशाचे डोस पाज, असं करीत पत्रकारिता करणारे पुण्यातले बहुतांश क्रीडा पत्रकार खडकीच्या रेंजहिल्स मैदानावर जमले होते. कारण होतं "आयटी'तले अधिकारी आणि क्रीडा पत्रकार (नुसतेच खेळ आवडणारे नव्हे तर मैदानावर उतरण्याची आवड असणारेही) यांच्याल्या फुटबॉल सामन्याचं. महाराष्ट्र क्रीडा मंडळाने रोहन बिल्डर्सच्या सहाय्याने आयोजित केलेल्या "इंटर आयटी' फुटबॉल स्पर्धेमध्ये पत्रकार आणि "आयटी'तले अधिकारी यांच्यात फुटबॉलचा सामना होता. 45 अधिक 45 असा एकूण 90 मिनिटांचा सामना नव्हता. तर फक्त 15 अधिक 15 असा फक्त अर्धा तास आम्ही मैदानावर होतो. पण अक्षरशः घाम निघाला. "अमुक संघाने सोप्या संधी दवडल्या...' किंवा "तमुक गोलरक्षक चेंडू अडवू शकला नाही...' याचा प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव आम्ही मैदानावर घेतला.

आमच्या संघात आशिष पेंडसे (जागो) आणि सिद्धार्थ केळकर हे दोघेच क्‍लब स्तरावर फुटबॉल खेळलेले. पण तरीही त्यांचा गेल्या अनेक महिन्यांपासून (कदाचित वर्षांपासून) सराव नव्हता. उर्वरित सर्व खेळाडू हौशे, नवशे आणि गवशे होते. पास मिळाल्यानंतर चेंडू अडविणे, किक मारणे, व्यवस्थित पास देणे हे या बेसिक गोष्टींमध्येच वांदा होता. अगदी माझ्यापासून सगळ्यांचा. माझी एकूणच प्रकृती पाहून सर्वांनीच मला "गोलपोस्ट' सांभाळण्यास भाग पाडले. पण मी देखील मनापासून गोलरक्षक बनण्यास उत्सुक होतो. कारण आपल्या आवडत्या खेळाडूंपैकी एक म्हणजे जर्मनीचा ऑलिव्हर कान. त्याचे काम किती अवघड आणि जिकिरीचे आहे, त्याचा अनुभव मला घ्यायचा होता.

पहिल्याच मिनिटाला माशी शिंकली. विजय जगताप हा "डी'मध्ये असताना त्याच्या हाताला चेंडू लागला आणि प्रतिस्पर्धी संघाला "पेनल्टी किक' बहाल करण्यात आली. गोल झाला हे योगायोगाने आलेच. 1984 ते 92 या कालावधीत भारताकडून खेळणाऱ्या संतोष कश्‍यप यांनी हा पहिला गोल केला. सद्यस्थितीत कौशिक हे महिंद्राचे "लेव्हल टू' प्रशिक्षक आहेत. कौशिक यांनीच पुढे आम्हाला वारंवार सताविले. खेळताना सराव किती महत्त्वाचा हे आम्हाला पटत होते. खेळात सुसूत्रता नव्हती, बचाव फळी भेदली जात होती, आक्रमकांना यश येत नव्हते ही बातम्यांमध्ये लिहिलेली वाक्‍ये आमच्या समोर घडत होती. (दुर्दैवाने फक्त आमच्या बाबतीच)

आम्हाला त्याचे काही दुःख नव्हते. कारण आम्ही फक्त खेळण्यासाठी मैदानात उतरलो होते. विजयासाठी प्रयत्न केले नाहीत, असे नाही. पण विजय मिळणे अवघड आहे, हे आम्हाला माहिती होतेच. त्यामुळे कमीत कमी गोलने पराभव हे उद्दिष्ट डोळ्यासमोर होते. आणखी एक म्हणजे आपल्या अंगात जी रग असते ती जिरविण्याचा खेळणे हा खूप चांगला पर्याय आहे. बऱ्याच वर्षांनंतर ती रग आज जिरली. पूर्वार्धात केळकर, सलील कुलकर्णी आणि पेंडसे यांनी काही सुरेख चाली रचल्या. दोन ते तीन वेळा चेंडू अगदी "गोलपोस्ट'जवळ नेण्यात आमच्या खेळाडूंना यश आले. पण "गोल' साध्य होत नव्हता. पूर्वार्धात आणखी दोन गोल झाले. (अर्थातच, आमच्यावर) त्यापैकी एक कौशिक यांनीच केला. तो मैदानी गोल होता. तर तिसरा गोल माझ्याच चुकीमुळे झाला. "डी'मधून चेंडू टाकताना किंवा "किक' मारताना थोडी गडबड होत होती आणि चेंडू प्रतिस्पर्धी खेळाडूंकडेच जात होता किंवा चुकीच्या दिशेला जात होता. त्यातच एकदा मी मारलेला चेंडू फार लांब न जाता जवळच उभ्या असलेल्या प्रतिस्पर्धी खेळाडूकडे गेला. कपाळाला हात लावण्यापलिकडे काहीच पर्याय नव्हता.

उत्तरार्ध आमच्यासाठी थोडा चांगला ठरला. बहुतांश वेळ "आयटी'च्या हाफमध्येच चेंडू होता. चार ते पाच वेळा गोल करण्याचे प्रयत्न आमच्याकडून झाले. त्यापैकी एक-दोनदा तर अगदी थोडक्‍यात गोल होता होता वाचले. त्यामुळे थोडा हुरुप आला. उत्तरार्धातील पहिला आणि सामन्यातील चौथा गोल थोडा गंमतशीर पद्धतीने झाला. प्रतिस्पर्धी खेळाडू चेंडू घेऊन आमच्या "डी'मध्ये आला. त्याला अडविण्यासाठी मी पुढे सरसावलो. तेवढ्यात त्याने मला चकवून चेंडू गोलपोस्टसमोर ढकलला. सुदैवाने तेव्हा तेथे त्यांचा कोणीच खेळाडू नव्हता. त्यामुळे आमच्या एका खेळाडूला चेंडू अडव, असे सांगितले. तेव्हा कदाचित आपण क्रिकेट नव्हे तर फुटबॉल खेळत आहोत, याचा त्याला विसर पडला आणि त्याने "डी'मध्ये चक्क हाताने चेंडू अडविला. आपण हे काय केलं, हे दोन क्षण त्यालाही कळलं नाही. पण दोन सेकंदांनंतर सारेच हास्यकल्लोळात बुडाले. इथेच आमच्यावर चौथा आणि शेवटचा गोल झाला.

गोलरक्षण करताना गडबडीत दोन-तीन सूर मारले. एकदा चेंडू अडविला आणि दुसऱ्यांदा प्रतिस्पर्धी संघातील एका खेळाडूला आडवा केला. "आयबीएम' कंपनीत काम करणारा तो खेळाडू पुन्हा आमच्या "गोलपोस्ट'कडे फिरकला नाही. 4-0 याच निकालावर सामना संपला. सामना हरलो पण हरल्याचे दुःख नव्हते. खेळल्याचे समाधान होते.

आमचा संघ ः आशिष पेंडसे (कर्णधार), सिद्धार्थ केळकर, मिकी आग्नेर, मायकेल जोसेफ, सलील कुलकर्णी, आनंद चयनी, हेमंत जाधव, विजय जगताप, आशिष फडणीस, निखिलेश पाठक, मुकुंद पोतदार (पोतोस्की), श्रीराम ओक, चंदन हायगुंडे आणि आशिष चांदोरकर (गोलरक्षक). "नॉन प्लेईंग कॅप्टन' ः राजेंद्र कानिटकर, व्यवस्थापक ः अमित डोंगरे, "नॉन प्लेईंग मॅनेजर' ः भास्कर जोशी, समर्थक ः मनिष कांबळे.

Famous Football

27 Crore people active in Football

The success of FIFA's extensive investment in the development of football worldwide seems to be leaving its mark not only with regard to increasing match attendances and TV audiences but also with regard to the number of people around the globe who actually play the game according to the latest figures.

With 265 million male and female players and a further five million referees, coaches and other officials, a grand total of 270 million people, or four per cent of the world's population, are involved in football. These are the impressive findings of the Big Count 2006, a FIFA survey of its member associations (207 at the time), which, having first been conducted in 2000, was repeated last year with the same criteria to provide an interesting insight into the growth of football worldwide.

"Football's popularity remains undiminished and is actually increasing," reflected FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter with satisfaction on the results of the survey. "If you count the relatives and close friends of active participants in football, who share in their passion for the game as fans and support them in other ways, the total number is even more impressive: well over a billion people worldwide are involved in football - at all levels of society and across all borders."

Here are some of the most important findings of the Big Count 2006:

* The overall total of 265 million male and female players is almost ten per cent higher than the number recorded six years ago (242 million). Of the 265 million, 26 million or around ten per cent are women.

* Since 2000, the number of registered male and female footballers has increased by around 23 per cent to over 38 million.

* The growth in women's football is particularly striking, with the number of registered players up 54 per cent to 4.1 million, while the number of registered players in the men's game has likewise seen an increase of 21 per cent to 34.2 million.

* The number of unregistered occasional players, which was first recorded in the previous Big Count study, is up seven per cent to 226 million.

* There is now a combined total of over one million futsal and beach soccer players (both male and female)

* In terms of regional differences, the AFC (85 million footballers) has a clear lead over the other five confederations (UEFA: 62 million; CAF: 46 million; CONCACAF: 43 million; CONMEBOL: 27 million; OFC: 0.5 million). However, if the proportion of footballers to the total population is taken into account, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and UEFA are ahead of the other confederations with seven per cent each.

* The number of clubs (301,000) is similar to the figure recorded in 2000. That said, the total number of teams (1.7 million) has increased by approximately 200,000. The data for Big Count 2006 was collated in the first half of 2006 using a traditional questionnaire and an online survey and achieved a response rate of over 75 per cent. FIFA used Big Count 2000, a UEFA survey from 2005 and other internal surveys to supplement missing data from associations and as a plausibility check. The study was scientifically observed by Lamprecht & Stamm SFB AG, a social research company based in Zurich.