FIFA vs AIFF: SC issues interim order out, stay on CoA from further takeover

Originally published at Pen 18

FTX Crypto Cup: India’s Praggnanandhaa defeats 5-time World Chess Champion Carlsen

India’s 17-year-old Rameshbabu Pragyanand defeated five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen in the FTX Crypto Cup and finished runner-up in the tournament in Miami.

It was his third consecutive win over the Norwegian in his career.

Though Carlsen took the win, the Tamil Nadu player gave him a tough time.

When Pragyananand faced Magnus Carlsen in the FTX Crypto Cup Final, he was down a game, but at a crucial moment, he defeated the world champion in three straight games to make history.

The fight was fierce and Pragyanand ended right down to Carlson, who somehow managed to defend his title despite the threats made by Pragyanananda.

Pragyananand started his winning streak in the championship after defeating his opponent in the opening game of the championship. But after that the 17-year-old had to face consecutive defeats against Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Vietnam’s Kwang Lim Le. After winning the first game, Duda overtook Pragyananand as the leader.

The next two matches were drawn, with Pragyanand winning the fourth place. The Polish player then won both tie-break rounds to claim a 4–2 victory.

Inputs from ANI

Originally published at Pen 18

BWF Worlds: Onus on Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy in PV Sindhu’s absence

With injured PV Sindhu being ruled out for the first time in a decade, young Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy will be responsible for leading India’s challenge at the BWF World Championships starting here on Monday. With five medals in 2019, including gold, Sindhu is a big figure in BWF’s most prestigious and competitive tournament, but an ankle injury en route to her maiden Commonwealth Games title win dashed her hopes of traveling to the Japanese capital.

It left the task of continuing India’s impressive run in the tournament on the young shoulders of Lakshya and the experienced pair of Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth. The country has not returned empty handed from the world since the 2011 edition.

It was Srikanth and Lakshya who ensured India’s presence on the podium in 2021, when they finished with a silver and a bronze respectively, but this time the ground will be much stronger than last year.

It disappeared in 2021 along with Japan’s Kento Momota and the Indonesian pair of Jonathan Christie and Anthony Ginting. But this time there has been no such withdrawal.

Also, looking at their exploits in recent months, the Indian male shuttlers will also have high expectations.

After winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal on debut, a confident Lakshya has been on a sensational run this season and will enter the top event as one of the favourites.

The 20-year-old, who was disappointed after not being able to cover the distance in Spain, will try to make up for his unfinished business when he opens against Danish legend Hans-Kristian Solberg Wittingus.

Lakshya’s shares have been rising since his return from Huelva in December as he won his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open, finished with a silver at the All England Championships, before joining hands with Srikanth and Prannoy to give India their first title. First Thomas Cup victory. May.

However, all three will become enemies this week after being clubbed in the same quarter.

In fact, ninth seed Lakshya could clash with Prannoy in the third round if the senior supporters manage to beat former world number one and second seed Momota in the second round.

Prannoy has been one of the most consistent players in the circuit this season with quarter-finals, three semi-finalists and a runner-up, and he will be itching to continue his impressive run.

The 30-year-old Indian is known for his giant-killing exploits and comes into the event after a recent twin victory over world number four Chou Tien Chen, and will envision his chances against Momota, who has since The same player hasn’t seen his car crash two years ago.

12th seed Srikanth was sensational in Bangkok and it was his unbeaten run that played a huge role in India’s Thomas Cup win, but the former world No. 1’s confidence shattered after losing twice to upcoming Malaysian Ng Tje Yong .

Commonwealth Games

However, he recovered to return with a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games and will have to do his best when he faces the likes of Nhat Nguyen of Ireland and Zhao Jun Peng of China in Tokyo.

If Srikanth clears the initial hurdles, world number 5 Malaysian Lee Jia Jia will advance to the quarter-finals.

2019 World Championships bronze medalist B Sai Praneeth is also in the fray and will face Taiwan’s Chow Tien Chen.

The former Singapore Open champion will try to exorcise his exorcism in Tokyo, where he battled without a proper coach or physio, facing a series of defeats for an early exit from the Olympics last year.

All eyes will also be on Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who won India’s first gold medal in men’s doubles at the Commonwealth Games earlier this month.

The world number 7 pair, who won the India Open title in January and were a key force in the Thomas Cup victory, received a bye in the first round, but Malaysian 13th seeds Goh Wei Shem and Tan Wei Keong in the second. expected to clash. Round.

Away from all the limelight there will be a certain Saina Nehwal, who was once the highlight of all eyes.

The decorated shuttler has silver and bronze from the Worlds but has, lately, been looking a dim shadow of himself, after a series of below-par performances due to both injuries and a lack of form.

The 32-year-old from Hyderabad registered a stunning victory over China’s He Bingjiao as she reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 months at the Singapore Open and will try her best when she opens against Hong Kong’s Cheung Ngan Yi.

The pairing of Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy, among others, and

In women’s doubles, Gopichand and Tresa Jolly are also in the fray. The pair are Commonwealth Games bronze medalists in 2018 and 2022.

Originally published at Pen 18

Cincinnati Masters: Kichenok, Ostapenko capture women’s doubles title

Cincinnati [US]Lyudmila Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko continued their stellar season by winning their biggest team titles of all time at the Western and Southern Open on Saturday.

Kichenok and Ostapenko defeated Nicole Melicher-Martinez and Alain Perez 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 24 minutes to win the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati.

After several rain delays finally took the court, the pair of Melicher-Martinez and Perez basically held the upper hand, breaking Ostapenko in the first game of the match to take a 4–2 lead. Kichenok and Ostapenko, however, returned 4-4 on the serve.

In the tiebreak, a powerful Ostapenko return earned his team a pair of set points, and Kichenok and Ostapenko converted the other of the two to take a one-set lead.

There was no break point 3–3 in the second set, but after that, Kichenok and Ostapenko won the final four games of the match to capture the title.

“It’s my biggest title and I’m very happy,” Kichenok said after the match.

“It’s hard to describe, it’s amazing. I just can’t find the words. I’m still a little shaky after the match, it’s so exciting,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter what the score is, [the key was] To be aggressive and put pressure on them,” WTA.com quoted Ostapenko as saying.

“It was something they didn’t like, and it helped us in crucial moments,” she said. (ANI)

Originally published at Pen 18

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