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More than just a
game Power
to Pakistan The sword
is mightier than the pen South
Asian Games showing demands improvement Remembering
the glory days Kicking
balls; minting money
Let's get Pakistan-India games back on as these are no cricket matches it is war. However, the beauty of this war is that it brings both nations together, builds bridges and makes friends By Aamir Sohail Former Pakistan captain With recent political issues curtailing the behemoth that is known as a Pakistan v India cricket match, a vast majority of the general cricketing public, purist, journalist and player alike, are missing what is seen as one of the great sporting events befitting any calendar. Regardless of the venue, you can be sure that these
long time arch rivals will be pitted in an atmosphere of intense battle
and pressure, where a loss is simply not tolerated or indeed, bearable.
Indeed, these rivalries bring out the best in both teams and provide
more than excitement. There have been many memorable moments throughout the history of these clashes. Who could ever forget Javed Miandad's lusty blow for a memorable sixer off the bowling of Chetan Sharma in Sharjah and Aaqib Javed's seven-wicket haul at the same venue, or my long-time partner, Saeed Anwar's majestic 194. Test clashes have been none too shabby either, with Virender Sehwag smashing a Test triple century in a day, or, the first ever Asian Test Championship in Calcutta, where a near record 500,000 spectators witnessed a Test of titanic proportions, which saw Pakistan cross the winning line by 46 runs. The pre-match build ups for players are equal to those of a world heavyweight title fight. There are constant requests for interviews and sound bites. The verbal jousting and mental disintegration aided by the Media. Some players handle these emotions better than others, and it's not just the older pros under the microscope. Both sides have played each other regularly. Finding new strengths and weaknesses can inevitably come down to some individual moment of brilliance on the day, as opposed to getting an analyst's dissection report. Outside the ground, tickets change hands for many
times their face value to those who are desperate. It's a mega social
event. Players entered the ground with attitudes and played the game hard, but fair. Off the field, the top performers were given due respect and were more than willing to help each other. I recall a moment during the 1994 Australasia Cup final, where upon Rashid Latif's idea, both sides did a lap of the ground. At this juncture, Venkatesh Prasad, asked me how to formulate plans to be successful at this level. I was rather surprised, to be honest, that here is a rookie asking me for impartial advice in order to forge out a successful international career. Another occasion that springs to mind happened in 1996/97. I was struggling with a loss of form and was lucky to make the Sharjah trip. During a pre-match warm-up, I chatted with Mohinder Amarnath and spoke of my concerns. He detected a minor flaw in my technique and suggested a new idea. At the end of said game, I smiled towards 'Jimmy' with a Man of the Match award tucked away in my pocket. Normally, the wicket conditions are stacked in favour for the batters, and fireworks galore are guaranteed as both teams are able to call on heavyweight hitters and wristy stroke players. The bowlers prize these scalps like a Van Gogh masterpiece. Mixed into the cauldron, a deafening crescendo of noise, season with a billion plus armchair fans and stirred with on field machismo, you have a tailor made recipe for a fascinating denouement. For a player to perform in a game that takes his side
to success, he is catapulted from zero to hero status, as quick as a
Ferrari zooms from standstill to 60mph. Everyone simply wants a piece of
you and becomes your friend, with doors opening to you that were
previously shut. Pakistan lead the head to head clashes in both formats, with T20 tussles, still in their infancy. India-Pakistan games separate the men from the boys as they require technique, physical agility and game awareness to prevail. More importantly, it is your mental strength and nerves that are pushed to their boundaries. Most games are won by sheer mental toughness and having a big heart. The same can be said for the fans, as they need big hearts to cope with defeat and nerves of steel to enjoy the battle. However, these clashes are becoming scarce due to outside forces. The honest fan in the street is being deprived to a basic right and that right is to watch competitive sport that knows no bounds, creed or culture. Let's get it back on as this is no cricket match this is war. However, the beauty of this war is that it brings both nations together, builds bridges and makes friends.
They have long been among cricket's most compelling teams, and though the current turmoil in the country bodes ill for the game, there is hope yet By Peter Roebuck Pakistan is a team struggling for direction, from a
nation batting for identity. Ever since the tragic death of its founding
father soon after independence had been attained, the country has been
at the mercy of a fickle political climate. Arguably the country has
become as much a political as a geographic entity. Pakistan has been
driven by its passions. Whereas India tends to calm down after a while,
its northern neighbour can simmer. Volatility has been its hallmark. Inevitably the wider turmoil has been reflected in the way Pakistan has played its cricket. It is hard to build structures and stability where neither exists in the society at large. It's difficult to assert authority when the holders of high office themselves are constantly looking over their shoulders. It's hard to make a plan when the nation itself has no such confidence. Factions and friction are the inevitable result of all these unsettling forces. Everything is transitory. Pakistan has many faces At once it is a powerful nation with a large and fitfully growing economy and also a perilous place in a fractious neighbourhood. At once it is a religious state and yet also a place where new television stations open almost weekly, where The Vagina Monologues was staged not so many years ago. It is the land of Karachi, Lahore and the rugged mountains of the North. It is a country Westerners rarely visit, and yet, when they do, often return surprised and impressed from. No country can be put in a little box. Iraq has an ancient culture. Iran counts amongst the most literate places around. Zimbabwe's schools are second to none. Australia has a television station, SBS, given over overwhelmingly to immigrant communities. Pakistan too resists caricature. Over the decades Pakistani cricket reflected the forces evident in wider society. At times in the early years the local game was dominated by anglophiles from wealthy backgrounds determined to prove that they could be as respectable as their former rulers. For a long time the subcontinental teams were the most sporting anywhere, though the West Indians ran them close. Only Australia found its voice from the outset, but then it was not a conquered land so much as a place for outcasts and opportunists. And so the Aussies did not walk on cue or talk politely or pitch the ball up. Even in the years before independence, the region had been known for its fast bowlers. From its earliest days on the international stage, Pakistan cricket contained many fine players, not least bowlers like Fazal Mahmood, a handful on any track, and lethal on the matting wickets that prevailed till groundsmen were instructed to lay down grass surfaces. Although he did not stand alone, Hanif Mohammad was the first great batsman to emerge from the country, and his epic innings in the West Indies is recognised as amongst the finest ever played. Hereabouts, though, the team lacked depth and did not always travel well. Not until the 1970s did Pakistan field a side that was able to hold its own against any opponent anywhere in the world. As a youngster growing up in England, I was dazzled by the wristy brilliance of Zaheer Abbas, the valiant displays put on by Asif Iqbal, the round-faced contributions of Mushtaq Mohammad, and the grave skill produced by Majid Khan. For that matter, Intikhab Alam was around, sending down his cheery legbreaks. Even then he had the air of a man able to take life's vicissitudes in his stride. Ever since, Pakistan has been regarded as amongst the most powerful of the cricketing nations. Next, the emergence of two great players, arguably the greatest in their history and amongst the best the game has known, pushed them along. Between them, and in their contrasting ways, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad drove their country's cricket onwards. Imran was the imperial leader, able by size and force of character to hold the team together and to forge it in his image. Under his commanding captaincy Pakistan fought back from the brink of early elimination to take the World Cup. When victory arrived the players gave thanks to their God. Already Imran had arranged for the spoils to be given to charity, a gesture that did not please all his subjects. His sincerity could not be doubted. In retirement he devoted his life to serving his nation and building cancer hospitals. Miandad was the hustler and bustler of the Pakistan side. Blessed with a brain at once provocative and calculating, and a sharp competitive instinct, he was a formidable and canny batsman. Most particularly he was able to pace his innings to meet all requirements and to score runs against all sorts of bowling in all types of conditions. Probably he has been his country's most resourceful run-scorer. Always he had an eye for the main chance. Over the years he captained the side a few times and coached them a few times and always spoke his mind and always seemed unlikely to last long. Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq were to have as much impact on Pakistan cricket as their illustrious predecessors. However, they were mixed blessings. Akram was a dashing batsman and supreme speedster, able to swing the ball both ways at will but he was also a little inclined towards temptation off the field. Inzamam looked amiable and was initially assumed to be harmless. At the crease he could belt the ball around with aplomb and from the outset counted amongst the most feared one-day batsmen around. In every respect he was underestimated. Closer inspection revealed a shrewd operator with a dry wit and a fondness for shortcuts. Both players were popular at home and abroad, but both left the game nursing dented reputations. With every passing year the team became not so much a statement of national intent as an expression of individual ability. Matches and series were won because Pakistan had players, and especially bowlers, of exceptional talent. But the centre was not holding. To the contrary, it was under intense pressure. Waqar Younis' emergence as a sturdy, fast and skilful pace bowler meant that Pakistan had the most dangerous new-ball attack in the game. Not that Pakistan relied entirely on pace. Saqlain Mushtaq's doosra and Mushtaq Ahmed's googly confused opponents in about equal proportions. However, it was not all sweetness and light. Hereabouts scandals followed the team around, with talk of ball-tampering and latterly, match-fixing. Investigations exposed murky dealings with bookmakers undertaken by some unscrupulous captains and players. On and off the field, Pakistan cricket suffered from a lack of accountability. Nothing much has changed. Captains and coaches continue to come and go. Defeat in Australia put the incumbents in the spotlight. Of itself, losing to Australia was not a calamity. It was not even a surprise. Even the chairman of selectors felt obliged to tender his resignation. One recently resigned captain returned to play in the ODI series. Another took over the reins in the Twenty20. Yet another led the side for a few matches only to be banned for two matches after mistaking the ball for a sandwich. The aged coach was told that, though he had not been sacked, he was not accompanying the team on its next trip. Meanwhile the official vice-captain was dropped for a combination of poor form and loose tongue. None of it boded well. All of it told of a nation whose institutions were failing. It told of a cricket community that does not know what tomorrow might bring and so divides against itself. In such circumstances it is impossible to build a team or make plans. However honest, no words can be relied upon, because hold on office is tenuous. It tells of a community unable to entertain and impress its own supporters. The attack on the Sri Lankan team bus removed the last hope of a home series in the near future. Even sympathisers no longer blame players for staying away. To make matters worse, the Pakistan players were kept out of the third season of the IPL. If any hope can be found it lies with the dignity of some remaining players and the promise of youth. Pakistan cricket has much to commend it, not least Mohammad Yousuf. And this most mercurial of cricketing nations did include two players of high potential in Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal. And the Under-19 side did reach the recent World Cup final. Something has been retained, the rare ability, the glint in the eye, the sense of destiny. Inescapably Pakistan cricket will rise and fall with the nation itself. It is the fate of the current generation of leaders and players to hold the game together. Nothing more can be expected. There is a time to dig in and a time to attack. It is an unexciting challenge, and unavoidable. Pakistan cricket is worth saving because it has provided such rich entertainment and produced so many extraordinary players. Over the years the team has not always been the most attractive but it has often been the most compelling. Long may it last. Peter Roebuck is a former captain of Somerset and the author, most recently, of In It to Win It
By Malik Arshed Gilani p.s.n. In 1839, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the adage; 'The pen is mightier than the sword'. In the last ten years or more, Pakistan's cricket bosses have proved the adage wrong. This article is dedicated to recording what the pen has repeatedly pointed out but it has not mattered one iota against the sword. May I take a moment to recount the historical greatness of the Pakistan Cricket Team? In 1983 Pakistan managed a 'brown wash' of a very able Australian Team in Pakistan. In the 'nineties', Pakistan along with the then mighty West Indies was the only team to win triangular tournaments in Australia. In 1992, Pakistan won the ICC Cricket World Cup along with the Nehru Cup in India, another world championship, in that era. And now, in 2010, the Australians have played Pakistan off the park in Tests, ODI's and the lone Twenty20 match. We are probably the only country in the history of cricket that has changed a captain four times in less than twelve months, thrice while on a tour and reappointing as captain, a confessed match-fixer. We have had a captain who openly tampered with the ball seemingly as if he wanted to get caught in the act and not participate in the Twenty20 match. If that is not enough, we have a previous CEO of the Board who did not distinguish himself in that function, a commentator who one is told actively kept competition away and who as a previous captain should know better; Ramiz Raja saying, "Give Afridi a break. Match fixing is not the heinous crime it is being made out to be. It should be sanctioned". Lo and behold he wants cheating to be sanctioned. I believe we have hit rock bottom. Over the last ten years or so, the pen has recorded the damage done to cricket by the various heads of our cricket. Commencing with Mr Mujibur Rahman whose main requirement from the Sahara Cup Organisers was that he should get a free first class ticket to USA on the Concorde jet. He was followed by General Tauqir Zia who felt that he could not only head a strike corp. of the Pakistan Army but also be Chairman of the PCB. I only hope the army job did not suffer as much as the PCB. This era saw discipline go to the dogs. We had a fast bowler who referred to him as 'Dad'. Along with Mr. Raja they kept the Constitution of the PCB in abeyance ostensibly to improve it. They never ever in their tenure or indeed since indicated the defects in the Constitution that they wanted to change. Domestic cricket was tinkered with to damaging effect. Finally with the collusion or consultancy of Mr Ehsan Mani they gifted the Television Rights of the PCB against the terms of the Tender which resulted in the PCB losing the possibility of sharing in an upside of USD 150 million. This period was followed by a former Diplomat, Mr Shehryar Khan of Bhopal. The Chairman had much love for the game but no in depth understanding of local cricket. He was through contacts able to convince the Patron that he should be given the task. He managed to surround himself by the same experts as before with one additional marketing and administrative genius from his old service. The pen recorded many of their peccadilloes. This Chairman also tinkered around with the Constitution of the PCB without ever bothering to tell the public the shortcomings of the old time tested document. His desire to restore school cricket ignored that this is not a PCB function. He ignored the fact that the Clubs and 'Mohallas' of Pakistan were our nurseries. Much money and effort was wasted in this futile effort. Finally his period was highlighted by Pakistan having a Test Match being awarded against them by the Umpires. During this sad event, the Manager of the Team, Mr Zaheer Abbas, the Asian Bradman, should have played a role but for inexplicable reasons remained an on-looker. A renal expert, Dr Nasim Ashraf who had been inducted into the hierarchy was visible on television preening and showing a thumb's up while cricket disaster was being created. This individual was able to then convince the Patron to that he was the best person to replace the Prince of Bhopal. Nasim Ashraf also had two full time jobs. He was imported from America to develop Pakistan's Human Resources which effort was to be funded by the interest earned from investment of government funds and not the principal. The less said about this the better as an Audit of this organisation and of the PCB during his tenure by the Auditor General of Pakistan has said it all. He when recently questioned by the undersigned about the Supreme Court having taken notice of the period when he was in charge remarked that; 'there is too much misinformation around in Pakistan and everybody is an expert'. We come to the present time and Ijaz Butt. Undoubtedly he had good credentials but obviously used political connections to be appointed. He has made a total mess of the task given to him by the Patron and has seriously let him and cricket down. He has surrounded himself with the same coterie of people who were around General Tauqir Zia and his successors. His performance is too recent and so much commented upon in writing that it does not warrant repetition. The Sword has proved its might against the Pen! I have used names in this Article only because some individuals are vying for the top job once again. Instances have been noticed in the media of individuals distancing themselves from the people who appointed them. If the Governing Board Members were so unhappy with Mr Butt they should have gone public much before today. The manners in which the Chairman is now being criticised by them does them no credit or add to their credibility. Who were the hatchet men of the current Chairman who got rid of Salim Altaf at the dead of night? Are they turning 'states evidence'?! One last comment by the Pen; the Senate and Assembly are the watchdogs of all that happens in Pakistan. This does not mean that they have to become a part of the chain of command of the PCB. This is a Company and it should be so operated. It has sound Articles of Memorandum/Constitution which are illegally held in abeyance. Let us implement them.
South Asian Games showing demands improvement By Alam Zeb Safi Sports standard is really on the decline in the
country and the way Pakistan performed in the 11th South Asian Games
concluded recently in Bangladesh should be an eye-opener for the
authorities. As expected, Pakistani athletes were marching miserably
initially but a few surprise gold medals on the concluding few days
helped the country saved its skin when it narrowly escaped Bangladesh's
snare by finishing second after powerhouse India. Pakistan took 19 golds,
25 silver, and 36 bronze in the 12-day event in which eight nations of
the region showed their worth. India, as usual, almost swept away the
affair with marvelous tally of 174 which included 90 golds, 55 silver
and 29 bronze. Hosts Bangladesh fully exploited the home advantage and
closed the spectacle with 97 medals which included 18 golds, 23 silver
and 56 bronze. Sri Lanka (16 golds, 35 silver, 54 bronze), Nepal (8
golds, 9 silver, 20 bronze), Afghanistan (7 golds, 9 silver, 16 bronze),
Bhutan (2 silver, 3 bronze) and the Maldives clinched two bronze, ending
the campaign at the lowest ebb. Pakistan's actual contest in these games is usually with India in the gold race and the comparision shows the appalling gap in the overall standard between the neighbouring countries. India has taken 56.96% of the total gold while Pakistan hardly grabbed 12% of the volume which is extremely discouraging. Bangladesh has taken 11% of the total while Sri Lanka's share is 10%. The result shows that if the authorities did not arrest the decline of the country's sports at this stage, even Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will overstep the Greenshirts in future. Pakistan showed little bit encouraging display in athletics when they took four golds, two silver and four bronze medals. The hard battle between the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) and the Federal Sports Ministry over the election matter of the top officials of the concerned federation had adversely affected the preparation of the national athletes and the authorities, before fielding in the event, were expecting only two gold but some surprises, also including the marvelous career-best feat from the "Women of the Region", the sprinter Naseem Hameed helped Pakistan take four golds, eclipsing the last edition's performance in which Pakistani athletes had claimed just three gold. Similarly, the national judokas emerged as a force under the leadership of young Masood Ahmed by finishing with three gold, three silvers and a bronze. Two golds, one silver, and two bronze in seven weights in wrestling was not a bad show at all. Pakistan defended its title in hockey by beating India 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out in the final in spite of the fact that the Greenshirts had conceded badly their group league match to their archrivals. Gold in handball was encouraging as the discipline was included for the first time in the SAG and Pakistan smartly defeated India 37-31 to usher in a sparkling career in the competition. Ironically, the success came in spite of Pakistan's technically wrong preparation in open environment for the indoor competition because of the poor approach of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to provide indoor facility to the team. Pakistan took two golds and three bronze in wushu and here too the players were prepared without a proper wooden platform because there was no such facility in the Islamabad Sports Complex. The wushu federation top officials had requested the PSB that the camp should be set up in Lahore on cemented platform but their request was turned down by the Board on the ground that it had been decided that all the camps would be held in Islamabad. Two golds and one silver in squash was natural as the country has good standing in the discipline as compared to other participating units. Sara Nasir was the other surprise who claimed gold in the 55kg in karate as Pakistan ended up with one gold, two silver and seven bronze in this discipline. In the absence of the Indian squad, it was expected that Pakistan would take more gold medals in weightlifting but it turned out to be disappointing as only two golds, three silver, and one bronze came in the area. Improvement was seen in volleyball, when Pakistan finished with silver medal as the Greenshirts had taken bronze in the previous edition held in Colombo in August 2006. Kabaddi team again failed to subdue India by losing to them in the final. Shooting, in which Pakistan had a say in the past, was bigger frustration when the national shooters grabbed only five silver medals and three bronze. Though, contrary to the international standard, boxing competitions were contested only in six weights but the country finished with only a single gold, one silver and two bronze and here more efforts are required to regain the lost glory. A bronze in cricket on debut, three bronze in badminton, a bronze in table tennis, two silver and a bronze in cycling and three bronze in swimming were other disciplines in which Pakistan remained unimpressive. The premature ouster of football and basketball teams is a big question mark and the authorities should think about it. There are various reasons behind the poor performance of the national athletes in Bangladesh. As compared to the rest of the participating units, the Pakistani athletes were not properly prepared. The duration and the unnecessary break during the camps had marred the flow of learning of the athletes. Not a single team was sent abroad for preparation on the excuse that the Board had no sufficient resources which it had actually spent on the non-budgetary areas. Majority of the teams were not allowed to have foreign coaches. The PSB is a technocrat corporation and the undue interference of the Federal Sports Ministry in its affairs has led the country's sports to disaster. The Federal Sports Secretary is trying to control the affairs of the Board and the same person showed its powers when he did not allow the Director General of the Board to proceed to Dhaka and rather himself rushed to Bangladesh as Chief de Mission. An independent PSB with a strong selfless technocrat Director General along with technocrat staff could only bring improvement in the standard of sports in the country. The PSB should also take the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) along in a bid to plug the vacuum which has been created between the Board and majority of the national federations, a row which is destructive for sports. Moreover, unlike other countries, the Pakistani government is not taking sports serious and one can hardly find only a single sentence for sports in the annual budget documents. Gone are the days when athletes used to perform on their own as sports, now, is an industry and unless huge fund in billions is invested in the field and properly utilised, in the next few years the war-torn Afghanistan would even overstepped us in the field.
By Ijaz Chaudhry Hockey was first included in the Olympics in 1908 and became its integral part from 1928 onwards. When Pakistan won the hockey gold in the 1968 Olympics, the president of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was the dynamic Air Marshal Nur Khan. Hockey World Cup is generally regarded as his brain child. During the '68 Olympics, there were implicit
suggestions to do away with some team games. Under Nur Khan's guidance,
Pakistan staged a successful nine nation tournament in Lahore in March
1969. During the course of the tournament, Nur Khan presented the idea
of the hockey World Cup to the FIH president Rene Frank. Nur Khan backed his suggestion with cogent remarks that if hockey has to survive as an Olympic sport and also become a truly universal game then just one world level tournament, the Olympics, held only after four years, was not sufficient. Hockey should take a cue from football and also have its own world cup. The first country to give a positive response to Pakistan's dream was neighbouring India. It was Pakistan's Ali Iqtidar Shah Dara and India's Jimmy Nagarwala, who jointly presented the proposal in the next FIH Council meeting. There were apprehensions among FIH members fearing that hockey being an amateur sport unlike football might not be able to sustain such an event. But the Pakistan camp was confident and assured the delegation that the desire to hold the World Cup in its own backyard will be such that it would become difficult for the FIH to choose among applicants wanting to hold the tournament. Later events gave credence to these predictions. Eventually, the FIH Council nominated a seven member committee with representatives from all the continents to delve into the proposal. After a lot of deliberation, the committee finally came out with the support of the idea of the World Cup in October 1969. The FIH council members unanimously adopted the proposal and also advised the same commission to chalk out further details such as format, qualification plan, etc for the tournament. The commission again got to work and finally presented the plan to the FIH which in turn decided in the meeting of April 1970 to hold the first edition of the World Cup in 1971 in the country which floated the idea of this world event -- Pakistan. The trophy Pakistan designed the trophy of the World Cup as well. Envisioned by the then PHF president, Lt General K M Azhar, the hockey World Cup is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Carved out of gold, silver and ivory, it exhibits a hockey stick and ball sticking on top of an embellished big globe. The credit of this marvel goes to the designer Basheer Moojid as well as the artisans of the EME, the electrical and mechanical engineers corps of the Pakistan Army. The venue Originally, the inaugural World Cup was to be staged in Lahore in February 1971. But the political situation in Pakistan after the general elections of 1970 got tense to such an extent that the tournament was initially postponed and then shifted to Barcelona, Spain to be held in October 1971. The competition Pakistan being the reigning Olympics as well as Asian champion were generally regarded as the favourites. However, Pakistan's fortunes followed a script apparently drawn from an Alfred Hitchcock's suspense movie. They set off by trouncing reigning Olympics silver medallists Australia 5-2. Their hero was the burly full-back Tanveer Dar who converted three out of five penalty corners that came Pakistan's way to register the first ever hat-trick in the annals of World Cup. The next day, Dar found the redoubtable Japanese goalkeeper Otsuka, the Wall of Gibraltar. Of the ten penalty corners only one could be converted by him, and Pakistan achieved a hard-earned 1-0 win. Otsuka was destined to play an important role in Pakistan's progress, later in the tourney. Dar recharged his batteries and slammed his second
hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Holland. In the highly anticipated last pool match between Pakistan and the hosts, Spain, the packed stadium ruptured into cheers as the home team took a 2-0 lead. Pakistan fought back gallantly to draw level. Just two minutes from the end, Spain was awarded a penalty corner, a decision protested by Pakistan. Spain's captain Pablo Amat managed the match winner from that penalty corner. Pakistan lodged an official protest against the penalty corner award decision but had the mortification of forfeiting the deposit of 200 Swiss Franks as the protest was rejected. Hence, Pakistan was on the brink of missing out the semifinal of an international tournament for the first time in their history. Their fate hung on the result of Holland-Japan encounter. If Holland won -- which almost everyone anticipated -- it was the end of the road for the green shirts. A draw meant that Pakistan had to wait even longer for the outcome of the Spain-Australia duel. Even then Pakistan had to go through a replay. What transpired during the Holland-Japan tie was unbelievable. The Dutch thoroughly dominated the play but the Japanese net-minder Otsuka was simply unbeatable. The Dutch could not find their way in spite of getting no less than 19 penalty corners while Japan managed to score the solitary goal of the match, ironically on a penalty-corner. In this manner, thanks to Japan, Pakistan sneaked into the semifinal. A highly thankful Pakistan squad applauded the Japanese team and gifted them Pakistan-made hockey sticks. Their opponents in the pre-final were traditional rivals, India. Though they had won all their four pool games, the Indians were not impressive as three of those were scrappy 1-0 wins. The semifinals were not staged in Barcelona but in the nearby industrial town of Terrasa which is the heart of Spanish hockey. Here the hockey players are revered like soccer stars. India drew first blood when spearhead Rajvinder Singh put them ahead. Just before the half, defender Tanveer Dar sent a ball scooping deep into the Indian territory. That legendary predator Rasheed Jr sprinted to pounce upon the ball and in his characteristic style sent the ball into the cage in a flash. The goal provider Dar jumped in jubilation but in the process dislocated his knee and had to be carried off the ground. This was a major blow for Dar was responsible for no less than eight of the total eleven goals scored by Pakistan in the pool matches. A penalty-corner came Pakistan's way in the second half. As the other penalty corner taker Akhtar ul Islam was already not playing in the match (debarred for ill-discipline), Pakistan's captain Khalid Mahmood had no option but to call the 19 year old Munawwar uz Zaman to step forward. It was Munawwar's second international game and first penalty corner strike! The youngster responded magnificently by scoring the match-winner. In the final, Pakistan again came across the hosts. A mammoth crowd thronged the hockey stadium of Real Club de Polo in bright sunshine. Having served the ban, Akhatarul Islam was back in the side. And the giant-sized Akhtarul Islam scored the historic solitary goal, also off a penalty corner, in the final of the first World Cup. In the third position play-off India defeated the surprise package Kenya 2-1. The African team comprised entirely of people of Indo-Pak origin. Three Pakistanis, half back Fazal and forwards, Asad Malik and Shahnaz Sheikh were named in the World XI announced at the conclusion of the World Cup. Who was the goal keeper of that XI? The man who made it all possible for the eventual winners, Otsuka of Japan -- he was also declared the player of the tournament.
By Abdul Ahad Farshori If there were any doubts about the following of football around the world and its global appeal; they were removed by a recent research conducted by BBC, which places Champions League final as the most watched sporting event in the world -- other than the Olympics and football World Cup. Super Bowl, which was untill 2009 the most watched
event, is now at second followed by all so enchanting Formula One. Talking of football, the Champions League final is still a few months away but the teams, who have made it thus far, are set to bank sums of money which eludes the imagination of many. Teams which are still in this season's UEFA Champions League have so far made on average 50m euros, from the tournament so far. Commercial revenues are up in spite of the global economic downturn. The 50m euros is made up of participation and prize monies, UEFA and club commercial revenues, ticket sales and increased squad values. The study also found the competition in the 2009 calendar year generated 6bn euros for the European economy. This is the same amount as the last FIFA World Cup finals in Germany. Guaranteed returns Commercial revenues are up this season, and the reason is the economic downturn. An example of this can be of this year's Superbowl in the US, which generated record advertising revenues. In hard times, sponsors need to be careful about what they spend on -- they are looking for a guaranteed return and football gives them their moneyís worth, in terms of exposure. It's almost a certainty that people will watch the Champions League, so they are just minimising risk. A rise in the TV audiences also has a direct impact on the earnings of the clubs. Prize money The 50m euros is comprised of 14m euros in participation and prize money, 12m euros from UEFA's commercial deals, 8m euros from the club's own sponsors and merchandise sales, and 6m euros from increased player values. Exposure which the Champions league gets is also beneficial. One major club to benefit from this exposure is Lyon, which has made no secret of the fact it specifically targets the competition in order to increase the resale value of its players. And yes, there is money in the system. The transfer market inflated over the summer with the sales of Ronaldo, Kaka and Ibrahimovic. French champions Bordeaux have made 11.5m euros in prize money alone from this season's competition -- more than any other team. Next come Chelsea and Fiorentina, which have won 11.1m euros. Arsenal, Manchester United, Lyon, Real Madrid and Sevilla have all made 10.7m euros. The reason for the difference in payments is UEFA pays win bonuses per game -- 800,000 euros for a win, 400,000 euros for a draw, and nothing for a loss. The team which goes on to win this season's competition in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, stands to generate 31.2m euros from prize money alone. Last season's winners, FC Barcelona, earned 110m euros in total. Europa League For those teams that have not made it into the knock-out stages of the competition, the financial implications could be severe, even for clubs that will now play in the Europa League, such as Liverpool and Juventus. It should be considered nothing less than ridicule to compare Europa League with the Champions League. The Champions League is the premier European football competition, offering commercial revenues far in excess of the Europa League. In no way or form can the two be compared in terms of money as well as exposure. Just to elaborate on the difference, in terms of money, any team would have to go all the way to the final of the Europa League, or even win it, to get similar revenues to those available to teams which get through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League. When we talk about the fact that which countries of Europe benefit the most from this economic boost the names of England, Italy and Spain standout -- they have the biggest domestic league not just in Europe but on the entire ball kicking planet. In last year's Champions League; Manchester United reaching the final and all four representatives reaching the knock-out stage, English clubs benefited to the tune of 129.5m euros in prize money alone. Italian clubs, with three teams in the knock-out stages, earned 104m euros, while Spanish clubs earned 96.9m euros. |
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