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God's
Acre
Kerala is the undisputed tourism hot spot of India, the must-see destination
for heads of states, the wealthy, the tired. This is the story about the
colour and hardsell that have made this state of stunning backwaters,
impossible greenery and great beaches what it is.
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THE
NATION
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No
Chance for Peace
With
the jehadis stepping up their terrorist attacks and the Hurriyat issue
embroiled in confusion, hopes of a breakthrough in Kashmir are receding.
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STATES
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Fear
Factories
As
two senior executives are killed by workers, the persisting violence in
mills is forcing the state's antiquated jute industry to move to the peaceful
environs of Andhra Pradesh.
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BUSINESS
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Home |
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SPORTS:
FOOTBALL
Alive
And Kicking
 More
alarmingly, the money that comes in remains concentrated
at
the top of the heap. Unlike in the West-Ajax Amsterdam's 12-year-old
wards are trained in the same tactics that their elite squad uses-very
few Indian clubs run regular second XIs or have an institutionalised development
programme in place. Thapar says that JCT's budgets are now lower and the
club now recruits more than 90 per cent of its players from within Punjab.
Chowgule will not reveal total sponsorship figures but says that at least
15 per cent of their sponsorship is earmarked toward developing the Youth
Programmes of both Vasco and Salcete. The Kolkata clubs have, however,
concentrated their efforts at winning tournaments, fielding professionals
bought across club lines and those purchased from overseas. The long-term
impact of this policy on the development of the game in the state will
only emerge in a decade but most experts do not foresee a very rosy picture.
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SAMEER
THAPAR
JCT
GRASSROOTS GROWTH: JCT Phagwara won the first National Football
League but has since switched from big spending on out-of-state
stars to scouting for soccer talent inside Punjab.
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Corporate
presence in Indian football has of late found a united voice:
last year a group of elite clubs, all owned or funded by private sponsorship,
formed a pressure group called the Indian Premier Football Association
(IPFA) and asked for a greater say in the running of the country's biggest
and richest event. The IPFA consists of seven of the NFL's top 12 clubs,
which forced the AIFF to postpone the league. The election of Mallya as
vice-president of AIFF a few weeks after the IPFA was formed was seen
as the lobby's victory. Yet at the same time JCT Phagwara's Thapar was
defeated by Congress MP P.R. Das Munshi, who after 12 contentious years
as AIFF president, was elected for his fourth four-year term. This shows
that patron-power is still at a nascent state.
With
corporate purse-strings getting tighter, the AIFF has only lost sponsors
with Philips and Kalyani Black Label turning away. This is because of
the poor exposure on television which translates into unsatisfactory mileage
for the corporate houses. It is what led to the formation of the IPFA
and, many believe, the entry of Mallya into the AIFF. How the liquor baron
exercises his clout will determine the future of corporate India's presence
and patronage in club football.
-with Stephen David and M.G.
Radhakrishnan
Page 1
Top
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 Web
Exclusives |
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COLUMNS |
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 The
Kumbh mela is certain to lead to yet another explosion
of religiosity but is this good for India, asks India Today
Deputy Editor
Swapan Dasgupta in
Day
Dreams.
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INTERVIEW |
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This is just the beginning, V.K. Aatre, who
is at the core of the LCA action, tells India Today Principal Correspondent
Stephen David in an exclusive
Interview.
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DESPATCHES |
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As
the much-dodged liquor policy comes before the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet for
clearance, there are fears that the liquor mafia may continue to have
its way. India Today Special Correspondent
Subhash Mishra
reports in
Despatches.
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