Government proposes to end CoA mandate in Supreme Court application, accepts all FIFA demands

In a desperate move to lift the FIFA ban on AIFF, the central government on Sunday moved an application in the Supreme Court, seeking to do away with the “mandate” of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), as demanded by the world governing body. was done. ,

The move by the Sports Ministry can be seen as an attempt to save the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in October, a day before the top court’s crucial hearing.

The world body had on August 15 banned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) due to “third party interference” and said women’s age-group showpieces “cannot be held as planned in India at present”. Is”.

The government has virtually accepted all the demands made by FIFA in its application, including ending the term of the SC-appointed COA and also not allowing individual members in the electoral college.

However, it said that the deposed government led by Praful Patel should be kept out of the AIFF.

“…This Hon’ble Court may… be pleased to direct that the day-to-day management of AIFF shall be looked into by the AIFF Administration under the leadership of the Acting General Secretary to the exclusion of the first elected body and with effect from 22.08.2022. The CoA will have no role in the administration of AIFF.”

“…the COA is required to submit the final draft constitution to this Hon’ble Court by the end of 23.08.2022, and the order of the CoA should be declared completely void with effect from 23.08.2022.”

In its statement suspending AIFF, FIFA had said that lifting the suspension from AIFF would be subject to complete revocation of the COA’s order. FIFA also said that it wants the AIFF administration to be “fully in charge of the daily affairs of the AIFF”.

The world body had said that it wanted “an independent electoral committee to be elected by the AIFF general assembly to conduct elections for a new executive committee”.

It also said that the AIFF should conduct its elections on the basis of the pre-existing membership of the AIFF” (i.e. only state associations without individual members).

The filing of nomination papers was completed on Saturday after the Supreme Court approved the conduct of AIFF elections on August 28.

Seven candidates, including veteran Bhaichung Bhutia, have filed nomination papers for the post of President, though the returning officer on Sunday rejected two of them as the proposer and supporter said they had not signed the nomination papers of any candidate.

A plea of ​​the government, that eminent sportspersons are not allowed as individual members in the Electoral College, if accepted by the SC, could put Bhutia’s candidature under cloud as he was proposed by an eminent sportsperson. and has been approved.

“Due to the suggested changes in the electoral college, the process of election may need to be started ‘afresh’ as ​​changes in the electoral roll may affect the validity of certain nomination forms that may be proposed/approved. Khiladi members who are now being prayed for to be excluded from the electoral rolls,” the government’s petition read.

The government also filed a petition seeking modification of the election schedule approved by the apex court in its August 3 order, but said that the returning officer and his assistant, appointed by the CoA to conduct the AIFF elections on August 28, need to be continued. be allowed.

“… for election on 13.08.2022 (the date of election notification) from the prescribed forum directly on the basis of the electoral rolls of the representatives of the member unions which have already been published excluding 36 sportspersons.

“And is pleased to direct the Returning Officers to complete all phases of the election with such changed dates till the counting of votes and declaration of results, as this Hon’ble Court may be pleased to specify.”

The government also proposed that the AIFF’s executive committee could have 23 members, including six eminent sportspersons.

“The 17 members (including the President, Treasurer and one Vice-Chairman) shall be elected by the above electoral college.

“Out of the six eminent payers, four will be men and two will be women. Eminent sportspersons can be nominated (co-opted) to the Election Commission and will have voting rights on the executive committee, thus representing about 25 per cent of the total.” Percentage of EC.”

The government said, “The problem facing the country is serious and it is of utmost importance that India does not lose its right to host the prestigious FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, 2022 and neither does the country’s outstanding football players (regardless of age). ) group) are deprived of participation in international competitions.

“An grace by this Hon’ble Court is the only way forward and will serve the larger interest of the nation.

“This Hon’ble Court has the power to do complete justice and it will be one of the rarest cases where this Hon’ble Court can, if necessary, dilute any procedural rules to do complete justice.”

Originally published at Pen 18

Barcelona still unable to register Jules Kounde as player, Xavi Hernandez says

Barcelona are still not authorized to register French defender Jules Condé as a player, one of their summer signings, as the club works to comply with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. does, manager Xavi Hernandez said on Saturday.

“At the moment, we don’t know anything. We are on stand-by,” Xavi told a news conference ahead of his trip to San Sebastian to face Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Barca need to comply with LaLiga’s salary cap rules in order to register Kaunde, and potential sales of strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay could make that possible.

“We are waiting. Kaunde is a great leader and a great player. Hopefully he will show it soon – tomorrow, if he can play.”

“He has trained very well, I see him in good spirits, but we need to sell him players to be able to register.”

Conde missed the start of Barca’s season against Rayo Vallecano after La Liga prevented the club from registering with fellow summer signings Frank Casey, Andreas Christensen, Robert Lewandowski and Rafinha.

“The transfer market ends on August 31st and we don’t know what will happen,” Xavi said.

“Auba and Memphis are still here, so tomorrow we’ll use them. But the priority is to register Kaunde.”

Barca have taken a number of steps to increase their revenues to cover losses, reduce their debt and comply with LaLiga’s financial fair play rules.

He has sold his audiovisual studio, his licensing and merchandising division, and even part of his LaLiga TV proceeds rights to help balance the books.

He also signed a shirt and stadium sponsorship deal with Spotify.

On the other hand, he approved financial plans last December for the renovation of Camp Nou, including an additional 1.5 billion euros in debt.

Originally published at Pen 18

sports ministry: Indian sport administrators need to step up as athletes continue to raise the bar

Indian athletes have raised the bar. Since the Tokyo Olympics, where India won seven medals, the story about the Indian sport has been mostly positive. India opened its eyes by winning 19 medals in Paralympics. The country has consistently performed well in Wrestling, Badminton (Thomas Cup win being the high point), not to forget Boxing, Hockey, Table Tennis, Athletics and Squash with Nikhat Zareen.

Neeraj Chopra has been consistent at the international level and Avinash Sable’s steeplechase silver can easily be labeled as India’s best at the Commonwealth Games.

, England. The rhetoric around the Indian game is, of course, positive. The Prime Minister’s words in his recent interactions with Commonwealth Games medalists are a clear example.

However, the moment we look at the administrative set-up of Indian sports, federations and the people who administer them, things go awry.

While the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has already caused national embarrassment and the possibility that India may lose the rights to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has also been embroiled in controversy. With no elections, the IOA was also placed under a Committee of Administrators (COA) by the Delhi HC, an order which was later stayed by the Supreme Court.

While it started with archery and cricket, we now have court appointed committees running several sports federations in India including hockey and table tennis.

Is COA the solution? Why were the IOA elections not held on time? Was it because the chargesheeted officers refused to make way? Why are constitutions drawn up that do not follow international norms and are not supposed to be adopted globally?

A few weeks ago India passed an antidoping bill. It was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and is a highly welcome development. Parliament passed it as India is a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on Anti-Doping. Now in this regard we probably cannot say that when it comes to doping in India we will not follow WADA norms. If WADA bans a substance, then India has to ban it too. In any situation where international laws or mandates are to be followed, India will have to abide by it whether it likes it or not. Allowing individual voters in AIFF elections will not really work with FIFA. If the international mandate does not allow individual voters, the only way out of this situation is the need to revise the sports code with international norms. In a global sports ecosystem, local laws will always have to conform to international norms.

So, what is the way forward? Will poor governance by federation chiefs and others undo efforts to help transform Indian sports? Can the judiciary help clean up the system? Will the Sports Ministry be able to play a key role in helping in this process?

Till now the specified time-frame has often been ignored as we have seen in the case of AIFF. The CoA was appointed by the Delhi High Court on 31 October 2017 and an SLP was filed in the Supreme Court on 10 November 2017. The next hearing of the AIFF case was held in the apex court on May 18, 2022.

Will happen

Do FIFA on India in the next few months if the IOA doesn’t get their house settled?

The writing is on the wall. Just as athletes now have accountability and are held accountable for the money spent on them, administrators also need to be held accountable. The elections need to be held on time and the courts have no option but to appoint a committee to not push things over a cliff. For sports federations that already have COA running the show, the faster democratically elected bodies are put in place, the better for them. COA is an unfortunate requirement and nothing more.

From 1976 onwards, post-Olympic headlines were always about inequality and meager medal returns among India’s billion-plus population. Tokyo 2021 showed that things have changed. There are positives about India becoming a multi-sport country. The country’s top leaders from the Center and the states helped in this change. It shouldn’t go to waste. Athletes and fans deserve better.

Originally published at Pen 18

mbappe: Will Mbappe and Neymar flourish together this season for PSG?

Kylian Mbappe will be the center of attention as Paris Saint-Germain aim to continue their perfect start to the season in their trip to Lille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Mbappe’s every gesture will be scrutinized and every move analyzed after the World Cup winner’s attitude made headlines for the wrong reasons in his first appearance of the season last weekend.

The first two games, in league one, due to suspension and then injury, the France striker made a comeback and registered a 5–2 win over Montpellier.

He nevertheless saved a penalty and then appeared to try unsuccessfully to persuade Neymar to deliver the ball when PSG was awarded another spot-kick.

In what was his first competitive game since confirmation last season that he was staying in Paris instead of joining Real Madrid, Mbappe cut a dismayed, sad and even isolated man .

This has raised doubts in France that Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi can flourish together.

Last season, Mbappe was PSG’s outstanding performance, scoring 39 goals in all competitions, while Neymar and Messi struggled for form and fitness.

Yet the two South Americans are looking fresh this season, with the Brazilian in particular scoring five goals in three matches.

“He is really happy,” said Neymar midfielder Marco Verratti, who insisted last month that he wanted to stay at Paris, amid speculation the club was looking to sell.

“I think the players that we have, when you see they are happy, they pass it on to everybody.

“We need these players if we want to be one of the strongest teams in the world. He’s off to a great start to the season.”

Yet last weekend Mbappe did not look happy, although he was defended by his coach Christophe Gaultier, who insisted the striker was not yet fully fit.

“He is a top-class player with a personality and character. Everyone expresses himself in his own way,” Gaultier said.

Sunday’s game sees Gaultier back at Lille, the club that won the title in 2021 before leaving to spend a season in Nice.

Originally published at Pen 18

Christy Martin, credited with legitimising female boxing, secretly lived a tortured life

Christy Martin poured a cup of sweet tea and a Sprite on her tab at Second Street station on a recent afternoon. She only had a $100 bill and didn’t want to bother the waitress by asking her to break it. The restaurant knew Martin’s was good for it. Everyone knows him in this former mining town. Martin, 54, is credited with legalizing women’s boxing in the modern era. The first female boxer to make the cover of Sports Illustrated, she remained undefeated for a decade, achieving success but secretly living a tortured life.

It was her second experience of fame—a terrifying, almost fatal one—that finally set her free. Martin first fought in the West Virginia “Tuffman” competition in 1987, the first year women were allowed to compete. She had never participated in a professional fight, never went to a boxing gym or wore gloves, but she was a star basketball player in high school and college and decided to give it a shot. Martin easily won the competition. She continued to train and compete, and in 1991 teamed up with a trainer named Jim Martin. A year later he proposed marriage. Soon, boxing promoter Don King called and put Martin on his card.

“I had no road map, I had no way,” she said. “I just kept fighting. I kept growing.” In 1996, she defeated Deirdre Gogarty in a well-received bout that was broadcast on Showtime, giving new credibility to women’s boxing. Her Sports Illustrated cover sold out worldwide. As she was walking down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, her new position began to sink in.

“It’s nothing but real stars out there, whether it’s athletes or actors – real stars – and I’m walking by a Versace store and these guys working there come across the street and ask for my autograph,” she said. “It was crazy for me.”

But she never got comfortable with fame. During an interview at Mullens’ restaurant, he shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably at the thought. “I still don’t see if I was famous or I am – I’m not,” she said. This is partly because her husband, Jim Martin, never gave her a chance to believe in his success. “They told me that the boxing world hates me, that my family hates me, that I have no fans,” she said. “Athletes have huge egos, but they are fragile. And it didn’t take me long to break that.”

Emotional, financial and sometimes physical abuse continued for 20 years. As her career progressed, so did her threats of violence and separation. The boxing ring gave comfort. “You can be aggressive, you can be strong, you can be all those things, you know, a winner,” Christy Martin said.

“That’s where I could be me. Outside is where I was beaten up, even though I faked it and tried to make people think I was so self-confident.” Jim Martin with his biggest secrets One threatened to share: She was gay. He told her about his sexuality when they first started working together, but she chose to ignore it for most of their relationship.

By 2010, his career was coming to an end and his marriage was over. She was reunited with an ex-girlfriend and decided to leave her husband. One day, she lay down to take a nap at their home in Tampa, Florida, when she heard Jim Martin sharpen his knife. He overheard her on the phone saying that he was a lesbian and she was leaving him for a woman. He then went into the bedroom and stabbed her several times, including in her chest and legs, shot her in the chest with her own pink-handed 9mm Glock. “He left me to die,” said Christy Martin.

When he got into the shower, she somehow got up and stumbled outside, having managed to flag a passing car. A stranger took her to the hospital. Quickly, she went from being a famous boxer to a well-known title. But when her fame changed, she changed for the better.

“Jim reassured me that if the world found out I was gay, I would lose everything, and in fact the opposite happened,” Christy Martin said. “I’m comfortable with my skin. I don’t need to hide. I am whoever I am.” In 2012, Jim Martin was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Christie Martin finished her career with 49 wins, seven losses and three draws, with 31 wins by knockout, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020. In 2017, he married a former sparring partner, Lisa Hollewine. Martin has a boxing promotion company that he runs out of Austin, Texas. In most incidents, she reaches out to local domestic violence shelters. And every November 23, the date of the attack, she calls the stranger who saved her.

In 2016, a West Virginia teacher told Martin that one of his eighth graders had chosen him for his state’s history project. “In 200 years, out of all kinds of people, he chose me,” said Martin, still puzzled. “I was very touched.” Martin spoke to the student and later visited his class. “That’s part of the fame that means something,” she said.

Originally published at Pen 18

zimbabwe: All-round India down Zimbabwe by five wickets in second ODI, clinch series 2-0

Top innings from Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan propelled Team India with world-class bowling to beat Zimbabwe by five wickets in the second ODI of the three-match series in Harare on Saturday.

With this win, India have taken a 2-0 lead in the series and captured it with one match.

The day was not a memorable one for Zimbabwe as they failed miserably as a batting unit. Although Luke Jongwe gave Team India a small scare during the chase with two quick wickets, the hosts don’t have much positivity to go away. Samson (43*), Gill and Dhawan (33-33) played some good innings for India.

Chasing 162 runs, India got off to a poor start. KL Rahul could not do much on his return, scoring only one run in five balls, Viktor Nyuchi took him leg before wicket. India were at 5/1 this time.

Then Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill took the innings forward by staying on the scoreboard for a while. Both the batsmen made some excellent shots which reached the fence. His 42-run stand was broken when Dhawan was caught for 33 by Innocent Kaya at square leg off Tanaka Chiwanga.

Then Gill and Ishaan Kishan continued to chase. Gill remained aggressive throughout the innings while Kishan didn’t make any major strikes. At the end of 10 overs, India were 75/2, with Gill (33*) and Ishan Kishan (4*) at the crease.

The 36-run stand between the two was broken after Kishan when medium pacer Luke Jongwe removed his stumps. India currently on 3/83.

Jongwe produced another breakthrough for Zimbabwe, dismissing Gill for 33 when he was caught by Brad Evans at deep third man.

After these sudden setbacks, the responsibility of taking India forward was on Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson. The duo started playing an aggressive brand of cricket to help India get the last few runs.

Samson was notably more aggressive. He put up a fifty-run partnership between himself and Hooda by hitting a big six in the 23rd over.

However, Sikandar Raza gave Zimbabwe a breakthrough, albeit really late. Deepak Hooda’s stumps were removed when he was on 25 off 36 balls. Half the team of Team India returned to the pavilion for 153 runs.

The match was only a formality at this time and the pair of Axar Patel (6*) and Sanju Samson (43*) took India home, with almost half an innings and five wickets to spare. With this win, India won the series 2-0. A massive six from Samson registered India’s seventh consecutive series win against Zimbabwe.

Earlier, a scintillating performance from the world-class Indian bowling lineup bundled out Zimbabwe for 161 in just 38.1 overs in the second ODI of the three-match series in Harare on Saturday.

Sean Williams (42) and Ryan Burle (41*) were the only Indian bowlers who could contribute well for the hosts, with Shardul Thakur (3/38 in particular) feasting the batsmen and enriching any big partnership. Didn’t let it happen. ,

Batting first for India, Zimbabwe openers Takudzwanase Caetano and Innocent Kaia failed to give their team a strong start. In the ninth over of the game, Caetano was the only one to be dismissed for seven by fast bowler Mohammad Siraj after a superb diving catch by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.

At the end of 10 overs, Zimbabwe were on 26/1 with Kaia (15*) being joined by Wesley Madhevere (0*).

Kaya was the next to score 16 as medium-pacer Shardul Thakur struck and Samson took another brilliant catch, reducing the hosts to 2/27. Regis Chakbawa (2), The

Next was about to go and Thakur got another wicket. Madhevere was also caught by Samson after he was dismissed for just two by fast bowler Pranali Krishna, putting Zimbabwe in trouble for 31/4.

Then came Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams and the scoreboard ticked for Zimbabwe. It was spinner Kuldeep Yadav who broke the 41-run stand, which looked promising after sending Raza back for 16. Ishan Kishan takes a solid catch in the backward point area. At this time half of Zimbabwe’s team had returned to the pavilion for 72 runs.

Ryan Burle and Williams were the next pair, helping their team cross the 100-run mark. Deepak Hooda with his brilliant spin dismissed Williams for 42 off 42 balls. Zimbabwe were reduced to 109/6 at this point.

Thanks to Burl and Luke Jongwe, the scoreboard for the hosts kept going for a while. In the 33rd over of the game, Thakur got the third wicket by dismissing Jongwe for 6 runs in 16 balls. Zimbabwe were currently running at sub-par 129/7.

Zimbabwe did not get enough time and overs to recover from this wicket as Brad Evans was dismissed by Axar Patel. The batsman was left with his stumps due to an inside edge while trying to catch it. The score at this time was 149/8.

The misery was not ending for Zimbabwe, as Victor Nyuchi was the next player to score just four runs after the pair of KL Rahul and Sanju Samson were run out. Zimbabwe were just one wicket away from being bundled up for another subpar score at 160/9.

The duo of Kuldeep Yadav and the famous Krishna put the final nail in the coffin of the hosts as they bundled out Zimbabwe for 161 in 38.1 overs after Tanaka Chiwanga was dismissed for 4.

Shardul Thakur was one of the bowlers for India taking 3/38. Siraj, Krishna, Kuldeep, Hooda and Axar Patel got one wicket each.

Brief scores: Zimbabwe 161 in 38.1 overs (Sean Williams 42, Ryan Burle 41*, Shardul Thakur 3/38) lost to India 167/5 in 25.4 overs (Sanju Samson 43*, Shubman Gill 33, Luke Jongwe 2/33) ).

Originally published at Pen 18

India’s star Olympic football captain Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee dead

Former Indian football team captain Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee, who led the country to a historic fourth place in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died here early Saturday after a prolonged illness. He was 92 years old. In Banerjee’s family, she has a daughter-in-law.

Popularly known as ‘Badru Da’, he was suffering from ailments related to Alzheimer’s, azotemia and hypertension, and was admitted to MR Bangur Hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 on July 27.

Mohun Bagan secretary Debashish Dutta told PTI, “He was admitted to the Government SSKM Hospital under the supervision of State Sports Minister Arup Biswas as his health deteriorated. He breathed his last at around 2.10 pm.

“He was our dear ‘Badru Da’ and we awarded him the Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2009. This is another great loss to the ground,” he said in his condolence message.

His body was brought to the club as members and fans paid their last respects.

Indian football teams have competed in three Olympics so far, and so far, Banerjee-led 1956 team’s performance remains the best, when they finished fourth, losing 0–3 to Bulgaria in the bronze medal playoffs. which was known. The ‘Golden Age’ of football in the country.

After receiving a walkover in the first round, the Syed Abdul Rahim-coached team that also included PK Banerjee, Neville D’Souza and J ‘Kittu’ Krishnaswamy defeated Australia 4–2. D’Souza hit a hat-trick in his stunning win.

But the team failed to make the final after losing 1–4 to Yugoslavia in the last-four stage.

Besides guiding Mohun Bagan to several trophies including their first Durand Cup (1953), Rovers Cup (1955), Banerjee also won the Santosh Trophy twice as a player (1953, 1955) and once as a coach (1962). Has won. He also served India as a selector.

With his demise the ground has lost great players like PK, Chunni Goswami, Subhash Bhowmik and Surjit Sengupta in less than three years.

Born on January 30, 1930, Banerjee’s football journey began as a school-going child with a few local clubs in Bali.

His father, Shashank Shekhar Banerjee, was a strict disciplinarian and wanted him to become a doctor, enrolling him in RG Medical College.

“My father was very strict. He used to scold me a lot for ignoring my studies,” Banerjee told the Mariners’ website after being awarded the ‘Mohun Bagan Ratna’.

“But, despite this, I would go there and hear the elders talking about Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting and many other clubs in the ground. I was shunned many times, but my attention will always be there,” he added. .

At a time when there was little incentive for a player, an 18-year-old Banerjee chose to become a footballer and went on to represent Bally Protiva, a third division club in the Calcutta Football League.

Impressed by his skills, he did not look back, as he was inducted by the Bengal Nagpur Railway, then known as the BNR, which was then the nurturing ground for state football, during an excellent eight. Before leaving a mark in Mohun Bagan. year term. There he made a deadly alliance with Kesto Pal.

Banerjee won the IFA Shield in his first season with the Green-and-Maroon Brigade in a controversial final against the Rajasthan club.

He then guided the club to their first Durand Cup the following season, with his dominant strikes in the semi-finals and final.

Banerjee hit the ground again in 1954, when she secured another first with CFL and IFA Shield titles, as she cemented her place in the Indian team under coach Rahim.

In between he also toured East Africa with the club, with the likes of PK.

In 1958, he was made captain of Mohun Bagan, which ironically coincided with the club’s downward spiral, having been runners-up in the CFL, Shield and Rovers Cup.

Originally published at Pen 18