Aizawl, Nov 19 : Just six months after a home-grown professional football league propelled Mizoram to the Santosh Trophy title, a similar platform is being used to try and popularise basketball.
The Mizoram Basketball Association (MBBA) signed an agreement on Tuesday with Zonet Cable TV Pvt Ltd to put in place a professionally-managed league that will start by mid-February, with club and player registrations to be completed within this year.
Under the agreement signed by MBBA president Chalrosanga and Zonet Director Vanneihtluanga, Zonet will invest Rs 20 lakh for the first five years to organize the Mizoram Super League, while the MBBA will handle technical aspects and foot any extra financial undertakings.
Lalnunpuia spearheaded the hugely popular Mizoram Premier League – the two-year old football league organized in association with the Mizoram Football Association.
He is also one of the brains behind the MSL. He said that the first season will open in mid-February and take place over 10 weeks. Like the MPL, the MSL will follow strict criteria for competing clubs, including financial contracts with all players and allowing clubs to recruit foreign players as well as players from other Indian states.
He doesn't say a lot. Earlier, it was because he didn’t know Hindi
and English. Now, because he doesn’t believe in saying something unless
it's worth saying.
As he enters the lobby of the Palladium hotel
in Mumbai, he is greeted by a number of people. There is a respect, no
-- not fear, in the way they shake his hands. He can be stubborn about
many things — including his position on the right wing. At just 5’6” —
you may say he is diminutive — but he has an aura.
His eyes are
the droopy sort, but he’s fit, has unending stamina — his Delhi Dynamos
jacket clinging to his muscles, his calves are massive, he looks you in
the eye when he talks. And he is God fearing.
He used his
profession to make enough money to shift his whole family from their
village to Aizawl.
He has a big house there, two cars — a Hyundai i10
and a Skoda. But his most important achievement is that he opened the
doors for footballers from Mizoram to leave their state and flood the
sport in India.
Mama is the Godfather of Mizo footballers – but he’s a very nice guy. ISL
Vito
meant life-giver, Malsawmtluanga means ‘being put by God on the path to
succeed’. Vito was better known as Don, Malsawmtluanga is better known
as Mama. Both have been dubbed Godfathers — one is fictional, the other
is real.
So you’re the Godfather of Mizo footballers? “No, no, no... I’m just Mama,” Shylo Malsawmtluanga told Firstpost in Mumbai.
But
you’re treated like a Godfather in Mizoram? “Well, when I walk on the
roads, people come to me, they take photos, they ask me when I’m playing
next. Papers have transfer rumours about me. Yea, it’s nice to be loved
like that.”
But come on, you’re a legend... “No, no... I was just
the first to leave Mizoram, become a professional player and to play
for so many clubs in India. This was an inspiration to others. I’m aware
of the examples I continually set. It’s not pressure, but it’s being
aware of your responsibilities,” he sidesteps calling himself a legend —
he’s good at it — he’s been doing it for East Bengal, Mohun Bagan,
Prayag United, Salgaocar, India and now Delhi Dynamos for far too long.
At
30, Shylo has achieved a lot. He’s won two NFL titles and the
prestigious ASEAN Cup in 2003. He has also won the Federation Cup,
Durand Cup, IFA Shield and Super Cup.
Any big name from Mizoram —
whether it is Lalrindika Ralte (Mumbai City FC) or Jeje Lalpekhlua
(Chennaiyin FC) — all followed in his footsteps.
But it hasn’t
come easy: “There was a huge language barrier when I moved away from
Mizoram. I would secretly cry at the Tata Football Academy in
Jamshedpur. But I told myself that football is all I have to back myself
up,” he said.
In Mizoram, they used to see his interviews and
read about him scoring for East Bengal. It gave all those watching, a
chance to dream. Mizoram is perhaps the most picturesque of all the
states in the Northeast but it is also one that the rest of India knows
little about. The predominant religion is Christianity. Shops shut by 6
pm. There are no caste distinctions either.
But it also means that
in a certain sense, it is cut-off from the rest of India. There... yet
not something our eyes wander to freely. The isolation is not an easy
gap to bridge but Shylo gave them hope.
“He is an inspiration. We
used to see his interviews on TV and read about him scoring goals. That
is when we thought that we can make it too. We have to leave the state
to get recognized in the rest of India,” Ralte tells us in Goa. He, like
Shylo, plays on the wing – and at just 22, has played 12 times for
India already.
There’s an emotional blog on Feverpitch written by Lalramenga Hmar, where he compares his problems to the ones Shylo faced early in his career.
We
had our examinations, and I maintained a steady record of utter
malfunction. I can no longer be sure which magazine it was, but I think
it was the ‘Lengzem’ monthly which my father had brought with him to
show me. It had a picture of a Shylo offering a prayer of gratitude to
God after having scored in the Kolkata Derby. I was won over when I read
about how he fought solitude and isolation with determination and pure
courage. I immediately began to find new hope and fortitude in myself,
traits I never knew I had in me, and these traits wrapped me up entirely
and sparked in me a fire that would never burn out.
Hmar went onto become the secretary of the Mizoram Football Association – and laid the master plan that led the state to their first Santosh Trophy win last year.
The
only strange fact about Shylo’s career is the number of India caps he
has won – only three. He doesn’t want to blame anyone, but he agrees
that there were times he felt he was unfairly not picked in teams he has
represented.
“It has happened, yes. But these things should not bother you. You have to let your football do the talking.”
Doubt,
he says, is not in his dictionary. Like many who make it big in their
professions, he always knew what he wanted to do. His parents, who
worked in paddy fields, never stopped him.
“I was always a good
kid. I worked hard, I was okay in my studies. I’ve always respected my
coaches and their decisions,” Shylo says, as if to stress on the fact
that there’s no bad-boy-footballer in him. There’s no giddiness of
stardom – even when he plays, you will see him constantly track back to
help his defenders.
The only time he did speak a little sternly was when he recalled those who questioned his capabilities and his conviction.
“In
school when they ask you to stand up and say what you wanted to become –
I always said ‘professional footballer’. They used to laugh at me. Now,
they respect me.”
Unlike the Godfather, who would relax on his
leather chair and follow up those lines with a veiled threat, Shylo
smiles – the lines near his eyes are comforting, rather than menacing.
Mama is the Godfather of Mizo footballers – but he’s a very nice guy.
Shillong, Sep 16 : Edward Mawthoh, a junior from Meghalaya, has bagged a bronze medal at the World Kickboxing Championship 2014 held in Italy recently.
Mawthoh competed in the 48kg category of the Under-16 full contact sports, which was held from September 6-14 at Rimini, where he bagged a bronze, Meghalaya Association of Kickboxing Organisations (MAKO) secretary Larry P Warjri said.
Mawthoh lost to Roman Synyaev of Russia who went on to bag gold at the championship.
He is one of the six cadets sent from the state to compete in the world stage, the official said.
Mentored by MAKO coach Donny Ranee, Mawthoh is a promising player, who had earlier also won a number of medals and trophies for Meghalaya at different regional and national level championships.
Ranee led the 18-member Indian contingent, five of whom were from Meghalaya, to the Championship.
Boxer and
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Laishram Sarita Devi talks of the
pains she underwent en route and after the Commonwealth Games, eyeing
gold at the Rio Games and her post-retirement plans…
Commonwealth
Games silver medallist Laishram Sarita Devi plans to hang her boxing
gloves after the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio De Janeiro.
"I
am into the game for a long time. I have won five Asian championships
and a lot of other medals, now its time to bid adieu. But the only thing
I don't have is an Olympic medal, so I really want to participate and
bring some glory for the country," Sarita told PTI on Wednesday.
The
29-year-old boxer also talked about how challenging it was for her to
win a medal in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games after becoming a
mother.
"It was very difficult for me this time, both mentally
and physically. I was out of the game for such a long time, it was
really tough to come back. But thanks to my family and the Almighty for
being there with all through this time," she said.
"I have been
boxing for a long time, but this time was the toughest. I had to stay
away from my baby for such a long time, it was five months, and when I
returned after the games, he came to the airport with my brother and
mother to receive me, but the sad part is he could not recognize me,"
said the mother of an 18-month old baby boy.
Arjuna awardee Sarita was also proud about the Hindi film made on her friend and fellow-boxer Mary Kom.
"Now
it is proved India is not only a cricket-frenzy nation. When I and Mary
started together, people used to see us differently, because there was a
common notion that women cannot come into a sport like boxing. But we
fought, we fought hard and after overcoming so many hurdles today we are
being recognised. This is a lot of encouragement," she said.
When
asked about her plans after retirement, she said, "I already have an
academy where I train young, potential boxers. After retirement I want
to completely focus on it so that I can make new Mary Koms who will take
boxing forward in this country."
Sarita, who comes from a family of farmers, also shared her concern for the next generation of boxers.
"A
lot of young people are now aspiring to get into the sport and most of
them come from humble backgrounds. Boxing is not at all easy, it needs a
lot of strength, sincerity and diligence. The government is doing its
bit but I think everyone should come forward to support it," she said.
HOMECOMING: Commonwealth Games 2014 bronze medalist Dipa Karmakar
being given a grand welcome in Agartala on Monday.
Dipa Karmakar who became first Indian woman gymnast to
win a medal in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games has set an eye on the
forthcoming Asian Games. Her coach for 14 years Biswasar Nandi said he
has a dream to see her winning Gold in next Olympic.
Ms. Dipa and Mr. Biswasar were given a rousing welcome in Agartala to mark their homecoming on Monday.
The
greetings started from the Airport where hundreds of sports
enthusiasts, officials and common people assembled in the morning.
Tripura
government organised a reception for Ms. Dipa who won bronze in women’s
vault. From airport she was taken for a road show in an open jeep
escorted by a few hundred motorbikes.
School
children, traders and people of all sections lined up on both sides of
her show route in the city.
She was taken to Umakata Mini Stadium for an
official felicitation function.
Delighted over the
welcome and affection of people she thanked everyone concerned for the
support she received as a gymnast. Convincingly she said she has set an
eye on the Asiad to do better and make Tripura as well as India proud.
A
tearful Biswasar Nandi who took charge as a Coach when she was just 6
said Ms. Dipa would fulfil his dream by winning Gold Medal in next
Olympic. Mr. Nandi was also a national Gymnast and winner of Arjuna
award.
Mumbai: Mary Kom is an Indian boxer. Her life is outstanding example for the youth in general and for women specifically. The legendary boxer from North East Indian
state of Manipur took lot of struggle to reach her goal (of winning
medal for India). Born and brought up in a not so rich family, Mary Kom
faced lot of financial and psychological hindrances in her journey to
her goal.
Starting her boxing career in 2001, Mary Kom was successful in winning medals for India more than once. Some of the medals by Mary Kom include:
Silver medal in 2001, gold medal in 2002,
2005, 2006, 2008 & 2010 in world amateur boxing championships. In
the Asian Women’s boxing championship Mary Kom won silver in 2008, and
gold in 2003, 2005, 2010 & 2012 in various categories like Pinweight
& Flyweight. Marycom improved her tally winning Bronze in 2010 in
Guangzhou. Her other medals include gold medal in 2009 Indoor Asian
Games, another gold in 2011 Asian Cup Women’s Boxing Tournment & one
more gold in Witch Cup in 2002. Mary Kom’s popularity attained the
highest peak when she won bronze in 2012 summer Olympics in London in 51 kg flyweight category.
After winning the Bronze medal, Mary Kom
received around Rs.1.80 crores as gift from various governments in
India. This medal she won after she got married and after giving birth to 2 children. This point is very important as many Indian women
feel that once they are married, they have to settle for household jobs
only. Breaking the baseless sentiments, Mary Kom went ahead to clinch
more and more medals & popularity.
Seeing the victory, Sanjay Leela Bhansali
immediately declared that he would be doing a epic on life of Mary
Kom. Accordingly Priyanka Chopra was roped in to play the role of Mary
Kom in the movie having the same title. The glamorous heroine had to
transform herself a lot before shedding the glamour image and entering
the role of a boxer who struggled a lot to achieve her goal.
The recently released first look of the movie Mary Kom received lot of appreciation from many sections of the Bollywood. As there is no high level star cast in the movie, (with exception of story), this movie is releasing on 5th September 2014 to avoid clash with other big Bollywood projects.
Imphal, Jul 11 : The northeast has over the years produced many talents. One of them is a remarkable 36-year-old from Manipur Oinam Bembem Devi, a football player known for her excellent ball dribbling skills and footwork.
At the tender age of 10 when Oinam Bembem Devi first started playing football, she couldn't have imagined herself playing internationals in a few years' time.
When she turned 15 in 1995, Bembem Devi made her international debut for India. It was the start of the greatest career in Indian women's football.
She represented the Indian women's team thrice in 2003, 2010 and 2012 as the captain and aspires to be a coach after retirement.
"I was not much aware about the sport, but since childhood I was very much interested in playing football. I started playing with my locality children and later I started playing at school. In 1991, I represented my state and that encouraged me a lot to play football. It was then I decided to play football and make it as career. I am dedicated to bring laurels for the state," she said.
Bembem Devi is the first woman from Manipur to have bagged the title of 'Best Footballer' twice. She was awarded by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the year 2001 and 2013.
In 1996, she showed brilliant performance for the Indian women's National team in the Asian Games held at Bangkok.
Known as a prolific goal scorer, she has scored more than 50 international goals so far. Bembem dreams to see the Indian women team play in the World cup.
" In Manipur, our Association has been conducting a number of programs for the development of football like U-12, U-14, and U-16 and grass root level. We also conduct junior tournament so we see how our senior plays and our junior see our play and we guide them and they follow us," she said.
The Manipur women's football team has won the national football tournament 17 out of 20 times, and Bembem is its star player.
Aizawl, Jul 10 : Mizoram, which has benefited from Fifa’s grassroots football development course in the last two years, has set its sights on the FIFA under-17 World Cup, to be held in India in 2017, to acquire berths for state youngsters in the Indian squad.
The course, inaugurated by Fifa representative Scott O’Donell in October 2012, aims at introducing young aspirants in the age group of six to 12 years to the game of football and is under way across the eight district headquarters.
“Though the programme has taken place in some African countries, this is the first time in India,” said Lalnghinglova Hmar, secretary of Mizoram Football Association.
“The training is crucial in view of the FIFA under-17 football World Cup to be held in India in 2017. We are hoping that Mizo boys will play for India in this event,” he said.
In Aizawl alone, nearly 200 boys are attending the training on the artificial turf at Assam Rifles ground in the afternoons. The programme targets boys and girls aged 6-12 years through school, community and club initiatives. The Mizoram association has been giving them professional training with Indian and foreign coaches and organising tournaments at regular intervals.
The association hopes that the Fifa initiative, along with the state sports department’s Catch Them Young policy, will instil a stronger spirit of football among the young boys and nurture their talents at the right age.
Football has emerged as one of the most promising professions for Mizo boys who are naturally talented footballers. “With already more than 200 Mizo footballers playing in Indian clubs and armed forces, many young kids are now dreaming of becoming professional footballers,” Hmar said.
The state’s apex football association is indebted to the Mizoram government, particularly the sports minister Zodintluanga, who has laid world class artificial turf on four grounds, two in Aizawl, and one each in Lunglei and Champhai.
The state government has spent about Rs 4 crore on every turf.
“If without proper infrastructure and basic training Mizo footballers can reach this level, they are sure to dominate Indian football with the basic requirements coming up,” sports minister Zodintluanga said.
Brazil's Júlio César, who performed well in a penalty shoot-out against Chile.
The World Cup’s knockout stage began this weekend. From here on
out, each match must have a winner and a loser, and if the game is tied
after 120 minutes of open-field play, it gets decided by penalty kicks.
On Saturday, Brazil played Chile in the very first of these matches, in
the tournament’s Round of 16, and it ended with the most dramatic
penalty shoot-out since Italy beat France in the 2006 World Cup final.
You got the sense that everything Brazil had put into hosting this
year’s event was at stake—not just the money or the national pride
Brazilians take in their own soccer superiority, but also the public’s
tolerance for the outright absurdity and lack of humanity
of the government’s investment in the tournament. The Brazilian team
doesn’t have to win the World Cup to keep its people’s political
dissatisfaction at bay, but it has to get pretty close. The Round of 16
is not close.
The immensity of the moment became very clear after Brazil won the
shoot-out, and half of its team collapsed on the field in
uncontrollable, hysterical tears. But it had also become clear a few
minutes earlier, when its goalkeeper Júlio César started crying before
the penalty kicks even began. Brazil has never been known for its
goalies, and César is no exception—he plays in the M.L.S., after all,
having signed with Toronto F.C. earlier this year after losing his
starting job at Queens Park Rangers, a team that spent last season in
England’s second division. But after leading Brazil to its shoot-out
victory over Chile on Saturday, César is an afterthought no more.
“Penalties are almost the only time when the goalkeeper becomes a
real hero,” said Bodo Illgner, a former goalkeeper and an analyst at
beIN Sports. “With all his good performances throughout the match, he
still needs a striker to score the goal, and then the striker gets all
the spotlight. But a goalkeeper is able to get all the spotlight when he
saves it in a penalty shoot-out.”
Illgner would know. As the goalkeeper for the 1990 World Cup–winning
West Germany team (which featured a striker by the name of Jurgen
Klinsmann, the current coach of the U.S. national team), Illgner led
Germany over England in a semifinal win in penalties.
“We’re at such a disadvantage when it comes to penalty kicks that
we’re not expected to save it,” said Brad Friedel, a goalkeeper at
Tottenham in England’s Premier League who, remarkably, despite this
disadvantage, saved the only two penalty kicks he faced for the United
States at the 2002 World Cup (in matches against South Korea and
Poland), when the U.S. advanced to the quarterfinals. Statistics back
Friedel up. In open-field play in the World Cup, strikers score on 80
percent of penalties. “All the pressure is on the striker,” he said.
When the moment arrives for an end-of-the-match shoot-out, “you try
to transmit all this pressure on him even more,” Illgner said. “You try
to demonstrate strength with your body language, maybe you try to talk
to him a little bit, play the cool role, show that you are in charge,
that you are not worried.” It might work too. As the strikers step up to
take the kick, you can often see fear emblazoned upon their faces like
an emotional tattoo. In World Cup penalty shoot-outs, strikers’ success
rate drops to 70 percent.
Intimidation isn’t the only weapon a goalkeeper has at his disposal
in penalty situations. Nowadays, he has seen and studied all of the
opposing team’s penalty kickers. He goes into the moment knowing those
players’ preferences and tendencies in nearly every circumstance.
But as you get further into the shoot-out, players who have never
before taken a penalty step up to the spot 12 yards from the goal. In
these cases, a goalkeeper is “going to have to try to detect all that
you can,” Friedel said. “I want to see what the planting foot is doing. I
want to see where his body weight and shape is. Most of the times, the
ball goes where the planting foot is placed, in the direction the toe is
pointed. Not every time, but if you’re working on a percentage basis
that’s what I try to do.”
In many instances, the new strikers are defenders. “The defensive
player tends to make the secure shot,” Illgner said. “The secure shot,
from my perspective, was always the diagonal shot. So the right footer
would go for the left corner. But then you take this observation into
consideration and you see how does this player cross the ball, how does
he run with it, how does he play the foot finally. After all these
things, then you make the final decision.”
You’ll also see goalkeepers jumping up and down before a penalty
kick, waving their hands in the air, and faking a move to one side or
the other. “I just try to get in the other player’s head as much as I
can before the penalty is taken,” said Raul Fernandez, the goalie for
the Peru national team and the M.L.S. team F.C. Dallas. “The movement is
a big part of the goalkeeper’s defense.”
“It’s always a game of he thinks that I think that he thinks that I
think, and it goes on and on and on,” Illgner said. “As a goalkeeper,
once you get into the player’s mind, it’s 1-0 for you already. Because
his only concern should be to see the ball, to know where he wants to
go, and to hit the ball as good as he can.”
Sunday’s match between Costa Rica and Greece also went to penalties,
which Costa Rica won. Its goalkeeper Keylor Navas made only one save of
the four taken by Greece, a brilliant diving one on a shot by Theofanis
Gekas. It turned out to be the only one necessary. Afterward, Navas was
mobbed by his teammates and named Man of the Match, while the Greek
players fell to the ground in despair.
Not all penalty shoot-outs have as much riding on them as the
Brazil-Chile one seemed to. But maybe what sells penalty kicks as the
final decider of a tied match—when nobody really wants the game to end
with one—is that they all feel like they do. The World Cup comes only
once every four years and a penalty-shoot-out loss in any knockout-stage
match breaks the heart of the players, the fans, and often an entire
nation. That’s drama enough.
David Gendelman is research editor at Vanity Fair. Follow him on Twitter at @gendelmand.
In their quest to reach the knockout phase
of the 2014 World Cup, Nigeria had quite a scary moment, as Michel
Babatunde had to leave the match against Argentina with what appeared to
be a broken arm.
Uruguay beat Italy, 1-0, on Tuesday, advancing to the knockout stage.
But star striker Luis Suarez's World Cup could be over.
Suarez,
maybe the best player in Europe last season, appeared to bite Italy
defender Giorgio Chiellini in the 80th minute -- one minute before
Uruguay defender Diego Godin headed in the match-winner.
Here are a few looks. (GIF via @FlyByKnite)
And
there is a still photo of Giorgio Chiellini showing his shoulder to the
officials (and everyone else) in attempt to convince of Suarez's bite.
Unfortunately,
this isn't the first biting incident for Luis Suarez -- it's his third.
He was suspended for seven matches in 2010 for biting PSV's Otman
Bakkal on the shoulder, and was banned for 10 matches in 2013 for biting
Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.
Suarez was not disciplined during the match on Tuesday, but a suspension could still be coming.
Guwahati, Jun 23 : A top official of Assam Football Association has objected to the naming of Indian Super League side to be based in Guwahati as North East United FC, saying that the team should have been named after the home city.
Guwahati franchise co-owner John Abraham had announced the name of the team as North East United FC on June 10.
"The Assam government has spent more than Rs 12 crore in refurbishment of the infrastructure in Guwahati so that the ISL team can be based in the city. So, Guwahati's name should have been reflected in the name of the club," Dutta said.
"I have no problems with John Abraham's idea of the team being projected to represent the entire North East region. But with Assam government spending tax-payers money for the benefit of the team, then I feel it is also necessary to reflect Guwahati in the name of the team," he added.
Dutta, who is also an Executive Committee member of All India Football Federation and vice-chairman of I-League Committee, said that he would write to the ISL organisers IMG-Reliance on this issue.
"The names of two teams of ISL have been announced. In both the teams, Kerala Blaster FC and Atletico de Kolkata the name of the home city or the state is being mentioned. Then why not in the case of Guwahati franchise," said Dutta.
"When tender for franchises was floated by IMG-Reliance, it said Guwahati franchise or Kolkata or Kochi franchise. Then, why was the name of Guwahati franchise made North East United FC?" Dutta asked.
"I am going to write to IMG-Reliance on this issue," he added.
I-League side Shillong Lajong FC owner Larsing Ming Sawyan is the other co-owner of the Guwahati-based ISL team.
The inaugural season of the ISL is scheduled to run from September to November this year.
When contacted, Shillong Lajong officials refused to comment on the issue.
Constructing enormous new structures for a one-off sports event hardly ever works out
in the host country's favor; the choice these days tends to be between
minimizing cost (as London did with its easy-to-collapse 2012 Olympic
Stadium) and impressing the world with giant wasteful beauties (like
China and Russia did with their Olympic Games, to varying degrees of
success). The world is littered with huge stadiums that will never be
fully used again, and some of Brazil's 12 World Cup stadiums (some
brand-new, some merely redone for the events) will surely face a similar
fate. So let's rank them!
These rankings are based on a highly scientific* formula of how cool
the design is; how wasteful the stadium is (i.e., how likely a stadium
of that size in that place is to be used after the Cup); how remote it
is (from Rio, thus contributing a whole lot of burned fossil fuel from
players and fans), and how many people died while constructing it (This
is a real statistic! In 2014!). Also, I've thrown in how difficult I
think the name of the stadium is to pronounce. Your reactions are
welcome in the comments section below. These are in order from least
worst to worst.
12. Arena Fonte Nova
Nice. Nice. Located in Salvador, the largest city in the northeast coast of Brazil, Fonte Nova
seems like it was actually designed to be functional by architects Marc
Duwe and Claas Schulitz. It may look from above like a donut, but one
section of the blue-green stadium has a big gap, almost like a vent,
boosting air circulation in the hot city. Even better, it can be reused
later as an amphitheater, with the gapped section looking out on a paved
area for concertgoers. 11. Estadio Mineirao
This stadium was previously declared a national monument,
so even though it's new, it has kind of a cool old styling thing going
on. Vintage stadium! It sort of looks like, I don't know, like Wrigley
Field. It'll also be used in the 2016 Olympics, unlike some of the more
inconveniently located stadiums on this list. 10. Estadio Do Maracana
Estadio Do Maracana does not, as I had first thought, translate to
the "Macarena Stadium." It loses points (there are no points) for that.
Fortunately, it's not a one-event stadium; situated in Rio, it'll be
used by four of the city's soccer teams as well as during the 2016 Olympics. It is boring and round but at least it will be forced to be functional. 9. Arena De Sao Paulo
The Arena De Sao Paulo, which is in Sao Paulo, as you might have
guessed, looks very cool, with this curved windowed roof laid on top of
two huge blocks. Why is it ranked so low? Well, um, three people have died building it. Come on, guys. 8. Estadio Castelao
I like Castelao because it was completed on time and within budget.
Good work! Also I Googled Fortaleza, the stadium's home city, and the
pictures make it look really nice. It is probably the most
boring-looking of the stadiums, with a rounded soccer-field shape and a
white awning. 7. Estadio Das Dunas
This stadium gets a bump because I can understand what its name means. Also it's shaped like an undulating dune, which is nice. 6. Estadio Beira-Rio
How chilly can a Brazilian soccer stadium get? That's the kind of fun
question Estadio Beira-Rio will let us find the answer to, because, as
the farthest south of the stadiums, it's also the coldest (averaging
around 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer). Estadio Beira-Rio will get some use after the Cup,
as it'll be host to the team Internacional. I don't love the plain
donut-looking circular stadiums, of which this is one, but the texture
on the outside looks like folded paper which is kind of cool. 5. Arena Pernambuco
Located on the Atlantic coast more than 1,400 miles from Rio, it rains on average 224 days per year. The BBC says
it's built in an economically deprived area "and will eventually form
part of a leisure complex and residential development which it is hoped
will act as a catalyst for local regeneration." I'll believe that when I
see a disused World Cup or Olympic stadium act as a catalyst for
anything besides echoes. It has gently sloping sides so that it looks
like something Tony Hawk would do a sweet kickflip off of if he were a
few hundred feet tall. He's not, though. 4. Estadio Da Baixada
Over 500 miles from Rio, this stadium is situated in an area with
nice comfortable weather. That's about its only upside; even though it
was renovated years ago, the stadium just barely made it past FIFA's
gauntlet to be used this year. It looks like it's made out of Lego. 3. Estadio Nacional
The stadium located in Brazil's capital city, Brasilia, cost three times its estimate, making it the most expensive
construction project of this World Cup. Also no major teams play in
Brasilia, so who knows what it'll be used for after the Cup? One worker
died during construction. The stadium is perfectly circular with a round hole in the middle, which makes it look to me like a butthole. 2. Estadio Pantanal
Located near the Bolivian border, Pantanal's stadium ranks high on
the uselessness-after-the-games scale. The only teams that'll use it
afterwards are way down in the minor leagues of Brazilian soccer, and
yes, I know they're not called the minor leagues. Temperatures there can
reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Last October, the stadium caught fire,
and in May, a worker was electrocuted. Also it looks like a cardboard box with the top folded out. 1. Estadio Amazonia
Are you kidding me with this? Estadio Amazonia is 2,659 miles by road
from Rio. That's farther away from Rio than Los Angeles is from New
York City. If Estadio Amazonia were as far west from New York as it is
from Rio, it'd be 200 miles into the Pacific Ocean. All the players
would drown. It would be the worst catastrophe in World Cup history.
Also, as its name suggests, it's in the Amazon rainforest--like, on the
Amazon River--which means there's a 40% chance of rain at all times and
temperatures in the high 80s. Oh, and four workers have died constructing this stadium. Design-wise, the stadium looks pretty cool, the product of German firm gmp Architekten; it's designed to look like an indigenous woven basket, except made out of steel girders. Still, though. Last place. *That's a lie
It's
a long-held myth that athletes should refrain from sex before a
competition, for fear of exhaustion or a lack of testosterone. Nearly
all scientific studies agree that there's no danger, but the belief
persists. To that end, managers for a number of countries have banned
their players from having relations with loved ones (or otherwise) at
the World Cup.
Citing
public statements, we've broken up the World Cup field into those
nations that will be celibate and those that will be boning like
bunnies. It'll be fun to come back and look at this list once the
tournament's over.
Limited or No Sex
Mexico
"Forty days of sexual abstinence is not going to hurt anyone," said manager Miguel Herrera. To be fair, El Tri
are just three years removed from crashing out of the Copa America
after kicking eight players off the team following a hotel party with a
group of prostitutes.
The
Mexicans may not be too bummed when they crash out of the World Cup;
Herrera has also banned players from consuming red meat or alcohol while
in Brazil.
Chile
Manager Jorge Sampaoli, taking a page from his predecessor, has banned his players from sex at this World Cup. And to avoid temptation, wives and girlfriends aren't even allowed in the team hotel.
"There will be no sex in Brazil," warned manager Safet Susic. But he's not unreasonable: "They can find another solution, they can even masturbate if they want."
Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will not ban players from sexing, but asks that they keep it "normal"—and promises to keep tabs on them.
"The
players can have normal sex during the World Cup," he said. "Usually
normal sex is done in a balanced way but some like to perform
acrobatics. We will put limits and survey the players."
Australia
Sex for the Socceroos! "With everything we need to do in camp," said coach Ange Postecoglou, "I don't think those things are of primary importance."
Roy Hodgson has yet to hand down official rules regarding relations, but he rescinded invitations to wives and girlfriends
for the team's World Cup tour. They can still travel independently, but
will be barred from spending time with players except on specific days.
There is hope, though; coaching Switzerland in 1994, Hodgson initially
banned sex altogether before changing his mind just before the tournament.
This
marks a radical change from the past, when sex bans were the rule, even
if they weren't enforced. In 2002, manager Giovanni Trapattoni caught
the wife of one player inside the team hotel. She had snuck in by
wearing a media credential. "If you're here as a reporter, get out now."
Trapattoni supposedly told her. "If you're here as Vincenzo's wife, here's his room number."
The status of this year's side is unknown, but Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama is advocating free love.
"If
we'd had sex during the World Cup, it would've been better," Valderrama
said. "We would have relaxed after games - especially after defeats.
It's total relaxation. "It's not an impediment. It should be quiet,
cool, without inventing crazy poses."
Honduras
Unknown.
Manager Luis Fernando Suarez banned sex as the Ecuador coach in 2006,
and announced the rules applied to everyone, including him. "That's
good," one reporter said. Retorted Suarez: "No, it is not good…It is not
good at all."
Argentina
The 2010 squad was allowed to have sex, but not to stay out all night looking for it. "Players are not Martians," the team doctor said.
Russia
Unknown, but manager Fabio Capello handed down an absolute sex ban to his England side at the 2010 World Cup.
There are good options whether you use Google Calendar or something like Apple’s Calendar app:
If you use Google, go to this site,
then hit the little button in the lower right hand corner. It should
show up on your calendar, but you can toggle it on and off in the left
pane of Google Calendar.
If you use the Calendar app, download this .ics file,
then click on it. It’ll bring up a dialog box asking where you want to
put all the events. You probably want to add the games to their own new
calendar.
Brazil’s soccer stars, like Neymar, can have “normal sex” during the World Cup. Acrobatic sex, however, is banned.
Jurgen Klinsmann, the manager of the United States national team that
will head to Brazil facing a tough task in the 2014 World Cup, has
attracted his fair share of criticism from American fans for a variety
of decisions leading up to the tournament. But his players are probably
pleased with at least one declaration Klinsmann made this week: he won’t ban them from having sex during the World Cup.
“We are very casual in the way we approach things. Their families can
come pretty much any time, they will be at the games, they can come to
the hotel and we can have barbecues together. I think every nation is
different,” Klinsmann said when asked if he’d follow in the footsteps of
other managers who have banned players from having sex during the Cup.
Klinsmann referenced his time as a player — he led West Germany to a
World Cup victory in 1990 — to note that different cultures treat the
issue differently. But the Yanks will be able to remain focused on the
pitch even if they’re doing something else off of it.
“We have a group of guys together and an environment together that is
very open, it’s very casual. But once we go on the field for training
and for the games we are very serious and down to business.”
The issue of players having sex at the World Cup pops up every four
years — Klinsmann was asked because Mexico manager Miguel Herrera announced in late May that he won’t let his players have sex throughout the tournament.
“If a player can’t go one month or 20 days without having sexual
relations, then they are not prepared to be a professional player,”
Herrera said. “Forty days of sexual abstinence isn’t going to hurt
anybody.”
Herrera isn’t alone. Bosnia-Herzogovina manager Safet Susic said in April
that he won’t allow his players to have sex during the World Cup,
though he added that his players “can find another solution, they can
even masturbate if they want.” The managers of Spain, Germany, and Chile
have all banned players from having sex.
Then there’s the hybrid approach taken by Brazil manager Luiz Felipe
Scolari, whose team is dealing with the pressure of trying to win a
World Cup on home soil. “The players can have normal sex during the
World Cup,” Scolari said in April.
“Usually normal sex is done in balanced way, but there are certain
forms, certain ways and others who do acrobatics. We will put limits and
survey the players.”
France manager Didier Deschamps, meanwhile, says it all “depends on when, and how much.”
While managers may fret about the amount of energy their players
expend between the sheets while at the World Cup, there’s no research
supporting the idea that abstaining from sex improves athletic
performance. The research that has been published suggests there’s no
difference at all, as Discovery News pointed out before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:
In a 1995 study, he challenged 11 men to a treadmill
test. Some had sex 12 hours before the test. Some abstained. Results,
published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, showed
no difference between the groups in how much oxygen their hearts needed
or how efficiently their bodies used oxygen.
Whether players can or should be allowed to have sex around major
sporting events is a common and often funny topic, but sex and sexuality
have also been bigger issues around Brazil’s World Cup — and not just
when it comes to players. Adidas, one of the Cup’s official sponsors,
drew criticism for playing up sexual stereotypes of Brazilian women with two World Cup-themed t-shirts it produced
earlier this year. One featured a bikini-clad Brazilian woman next to
the slogan, “Looking to score,” the other used a woman’s rear end to
illustrate “I Love Brazil.” Even Brazilian president Dilma Roussef
criticized the shirts, and the company withdrew them amid calls for it
to recognize that Brazil is “more than soccer balls and butts.”
The shirts drew attention to rampant sexualization of Brazilian (and Latina) women worldwide. That sexualization, as Nicole Froio wrote in The Guardian,
can be tied to larger problems: one online survey found that 90 percent
of Brazilian women say they change their dress to avoid fears of
harassment, and 80 percent have avoided going out to avoid harassment.
99 percent said they had been harassed on the street. As Froio noted,
latest government statistics show rising rape and sexual assault rates
in the country too.
Brazil is also one of the world’s leading destinations for sex tourism, and the Brazilian government has ramped up its efforts to combat such tourism in recent years, asking web sites
that sell sex to stop using official Brazilian travel branding and
fighting against sex hotels. While some of those efforts have tried to eliminate child sex tourism, other government initiatives have been criticized for illegally and improperly cracking down on Brazil’s sex workers, as City Lab’s Julie Ruvolo detailed this week. In response, many of those sex workers have been among the Brazilians protesting the government ahead of the World Cup.
Of course, sex and sports mix all the time, and not just in Brazil: high-profilesexual assault cases and the sexualization of female athletes, women who work in sports, and male players’ significant others
have emerged as major issues in the American sports world in ways that
have helped put a new lens on the discussion about misogyny and sexism
in broader American society. So while it’s always fun to talk about the
sex-related policies of World Cup teams and managers, it’s worth
discussing and reshaping the more serious ways in which sports and sex
interact and shape society throughout the world too.
The visitors eventual won 3-0 in a game that was broadcasted to the whole of India
Hoffenheim
coach Markus Gisdol (l.) and striker Roberto Firmino (r.) look on from
the touchline as the Sinsheim side took on a Mizoram State XI
Die Kraichgauer received a warm welcome when they arrived at the stadium in Aizawl...
...as well as at the local airport
Hoffenheim travelled to India on 11 May and will make stops in Calcutta, Goa and Aizawl
The local transport and climate are rather different to what the players are used to in Germany...
...but they were immediately at home out on the pitch in Aizawl, taking a third minute lead in front of an 11,000-strong crowd
Aizawl - 1899 Hoffenheim began their trip to India on a positive
note after beating a Mizoram State side 3-0 in a friendly match in front
of approximately 11,000 supporters.
Anthony Modeste opened the scoring for Markus Gisdol’s team in the third minute, before Eugen Polanski doubled their advantage shortly before the half-hour mark. Jiloan Hamad sealed the victory five minutes after half-time in a game that was broadcast live nationwide in India.
'Wonderful experience'
“We gave a good account of ourselves,” said Gisdol after the final
whistle. “The players had a lot of fun out there and our opponents
deserve praise for the way they played. They were very active and had
some good chances to score. The result isn’t important, it was just nice
to feel the enthusiasm of the people here. This wonderful experience
will live long in our memories.”
In partnership with the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Hoffenheim are in
India to promote the Bundesliga across the subcontinent. Furthermore, in
close cooperation with the club’s main sponsor SAP, a German
multi-national software corporation, the Sinsheim outfit will initiate
four new projects. The team will also visit schools and football clubs
in Calcutta, Goa and Aizawl and take part in training sessions with
local children, amongst other activities.
Mizoram soccer captain is the ‘toast of Indian football’
ZODIN SANGA
Mizoram football captain Zico Zoremsanga and (above) Brazilian football great Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico)
Aizawl, Mar 13 : Naming a child after a
legend is nothing new in this world of hero worship. But whether that
child lives up to his/her name is a separate issue.
So, when government schoolteacher F.
Lalvulliana christened his firstborn Zico — after the Brazilian football
star often called the White Pelé — little did he know that one day his
boy would lead the state football team to win the country’s most
prestigious football trophy.
“I was a great fan of the Brazilian
football team, Zico in particular. Even though Zico was past his prime
when my first son was born, he was still my hero,” Lalvulliana, now 50,
told The Telegraph today.
From his small village of Khuangleng, near
the India-Myanmar border, Lalvulliana watched his 23-year-old son, Zico
Zoremsanga, lift the Santosh Trophy on Sunday night.
Zico lived up to his name, netting a brace in the final.
There was not a single television in
Khuangleng when Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) was part of the Brazil
squad during the 1982 and 1986 Fifa World Cups. But Lalvulliana watched
his favourite player on television sets at his friends’ and relatives’
houses in Aizawl.
The schoolteacher always wanted his son to
be a footballer but the realisation that his son finished with nine
goals in the Santosh Trophy still hasn’t sunk in.
“I was overjoyed to see my son’s name on
all the leading national newspapers. And I was proud that some writers
described him as the ‘toast of Indian football,’” Lalvulliana said.
The proud father came all the way from his
village, about 240km from the state capital of Aizawl, to witness the
hero’s welcome accorded to his son and his teammates.
Amidst the fun-filled celebrations at
Assam Rifles ground here today, Zico said: “I am overjoyed that I
captained a team that has scripted history. I thank God for giving me
this opportunity, my coach for making me what I am and the people of
Mizoram for their overwhelming support.”
The skipper, whose ultimate goal is to
play for a major I-League club and represent India at the international
level, added, “This is not the end, I have greater heights to scale.”
Zico played his first football matches at
his village schoolground barefoot, like Mama (S. Malsawmtluanga),
currently playing for East Bengal and Jeje Lalpekhlua, who plays for
Dempo.
He also had a crucial role in Mizoram’s victory in the recent T. Ao Memorial Football Tournament, a Northeast-level competition.
Zico has played many inter-village matches
and different age-group tournaments but the Mizoram Premier League
(MPL) was his ticket to fame.
He currently plays for Dinthar FC, the reigning champions of MPL.
The high-profile MPL, which was introduced
two years ago, is also the driving force behind Mizoram’s success in
the Santosh Trophy and the T. Ao Memorial Football Tournament.
“The MPL basically aims to provide a
platform for talented footballers in Mizoram. Through the MPL, we have
put in place a system and a roadmap to take Mizoram football forward. It
has paid off,” said Lalnghinglova Hmar, secretary of the Mizoram
Football Association.
The MPL was introduced after artificial
turf was installed at three football grounds, two in Aizawl and one at
Lunglei in south Mizoram. Most of the matches during the second season
of the tournament were played under floodlights.
Th recent success of football in the state
is also due to the Mizoram Football Association’s grassroots
development programme, which has been declared by the All India Football
Federation as the best in the country. “The grassroots development
programme that the MFA initiated in collaboration with the AIFF follows
the FIFA model. Youngsters between the ages of six and 12 are a part of
this programme,” Hmar said.
Aizawl, Mar 12 : The football-crazy state of Mizoram, which erupted in euphoria on Sunday night when its football team clinched the coveted Santosh Trophy for the first time, is now preparing to give a rousing welcome to their heroes.
The Mizoram squad, led my manager Lalbiakzuala and coach H. Vanlalthlanga, is scheduled to arrive at Lengpui airport tomorrow, where they will be accorded a warm welcome by the Mizoram Football Association, sports department officials and fans. Later, a felicitation ceremony will be held at Assam Rifles ground here to celebrate the achievement.
“Preparations are on in full swing to accord the football champions a hero’s welcome,” secretary of the football association, Lalnghinglova Hmar, said.
The Mizoram government is yet to announce any cash rewards for the squad members but has declared Wednesday a state holiday.
Governor V. Purushothaman was the first of the state top brass to congratulate the squad. “This achievement has placed Mizoram at a very high level in the national sporting scene and has amply demonstrated the power of its youth. I am confident this will be a harbinger of many more such achievements in the future,” the governor said in a statement.
“The state has placed its trust in the youth of Mizoram and looks optimistically to the fulfilment of its Olympic Vision, 2016,” he added. The governor will also host high tea for the team on Thursday.
Sports minister Zodintluanga said, “I am extremely happy that Mizoram football has scaled such a great height. This achievement must be credited to the concerted efforts of all sports department officials, the football association and the hardworking team members,” he said.
“We had thrown a challenge to the Mizoram youths by providing world-class infrastructure. Our footballers have responded to the challenge,” Zodintluanga said.
The sports department has laid world-class artificial turf in three football grounds in Mizoram — two at Aizawl and one at Lunglei. Efforts are on to lay astroturf at some more grounds.
A
bunch of unheralded diminutive footballers took the Santosh Trophy by
storm and maintained their brand of fast-paced attacking football in the
Final to deservingly win their maiden Nationals crown sweeping aside
Railways 3-0 in the 68th National Championships for the Santosh Trophy
here at the floodlit Kanchenjunga Stadium on Sunday evening.
A brace from Zico Zoremsanga either side of half-time and a second half
injury-time strike from F. Lalrinpuia capped a brilliant tournament for
the Northeastern outfit who went from strength to strength as the
competition progressed. Courtesy their triumph, Mizoram bagged a purse
of Rs. 500,000 (5 lakhs) while runners-up Railways got richer by 300,000
(3 lakhs).
Railways, who had not won the Santosh Trophy since 1966, came closest in
the 43th minute when Rajesh S's close-range header came off the
crossbar.
Present on the occasion were AIFF Senior Vice-President Subrata Dutta
and Menla Ethenpa, the AIFF's Competitions Committee Chairman and
Executive Committee Member.
The match started at a good pace with both the outfits looking for an
early goal. Railways earned three quick corners to keep the rival
defence on their toes while at the other end their goalkeeper Ehtesham
Ahmed - oozing confidence after his penalty heroics in the semifinals -
spread his body wide to keep Lalnunmawia and Lalbiakhlua's shots at bay.
With Railways missing their first choice centre-backs Vimal Kumar and
Rajiv Boro due to suspension, Mizoram looked to take advantage but
first-timers Akhil Rajbanshi and makeshift stopper-back Dipankar Das
stood firm. David Larinmuana found Lalnumawia free on the left with a
good-looking ball from midfield but the latter was well marked by
Dipankar and right-back Y. Raju Singh.
Lalbiakhlua then tried to be cheeky minutes after the half hour mark,
trying to dink Ahmed from just outside the box on the right flank. But
the hero of the previous night had his near-post covered with the
attempt also landing onto the roof of the net. It was end to end stuff
with the action mostly concentrated in the final third.
The match's best chance fell to Railways when striker Rajesh S. hit the
bar from close. Kisku tried his luck from the rebound but his effort was
blocked. Moments later, Mizoram took the lead. F. Lalrinpuia crossed to
Zico inside the box. The striker who has found the back of the net
three times already in the tournament trapped the ball and swiveled past
his marker to slot home into the far corner with the goalkeeper at full
stretch.
It was Mizoram who called the shots after the break. Three minutes into
the half, Lalrinpuia unleashed a powerful left-footer which was
fisted-out by Ahmed but only as far as Lalnunmawia who side-netted his
close range effort off the rebound. But the red shirts who have been the
flavour of the 68th Santosh Trophy did not have to wait for long to
double their advantage and take a giant stride towards their maiden
title.
Zico was in the thick of things again as Mizoram broke on the counter.
Lalbiakhlua teed up the goalscorer who did exceptionally well to round
the goalkeeper and shoot into an empty net. The second goal deflated
Railways' spirit and the three-time champions looked to have thrown in
the towel with their high-flying counterparts dominating possession.
F. Lalrinpuia pinched their opponents' emotion at the death with a third
goal from close in injury-time to complete a memorable victory for
Mizoram.
