A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

One of the biggest challenges facing the ICC is the expansion of the game – how to make it popular in more countries.

There are a lot of new countries which play the game but it looks unlikely that the game will really take off there.

The reasons for this not happening are manifold

There is little or no financial security for a player from one of the emerging countries. This is a huge deterrent and creates a multitude of other challenges. It stops people from taking to the game in a big way – The players are largely restricted to expatriates from the major cricket playing nations. Few native residents take to the sport and as a result there is a small pool of players available and the country cannot improve as a cricketing nation.

There are other issues for the lot who take to the sport braving the financial uncertainties. They need to play against better opposition on a regular basis to improve their game. They require exposure to top quality coaching and cricketing stratagem. For lack of all these, even the most talented cricketers from a lesser nation cannot realise his full potential.

As the sport isn’t very popular, the country lacks for funds and can barely develop any kind of infrastructure or run coaching and scouting programs for young players.

Other than international cricket, opportunities to play cricket exist in the IPL and the domestic leagues of England, Australia and South Africa but they are extremely limited. When a clutch of established players can go undrafted in the IPL, what chance does an unheralded player from a developing cricketing nation have?

Other than the task of growing the game in the developing nations, the ICC also needs to arrest the slide that the game is facing in countries like Zimbabwe and the West Indies. These countries are also suffering from lack of sufficient funds

Many these problems could be addressed, atleast in large part, if there were a few more professional leagues on the lines of the IPL.

Before we explain how, we first need to confirm if cricket can accommodate more such leagues.

In terms of availability of players there shouldn’t be a problem. There are enough international players without IPL affiliations to support atleast a couple of more leagues. Then there are the first class players from other cricket playing nations. And finally there are the players from the lesser cricketing nations – atleast a few of them will find a place if there were more leagues.

Finding sponsors is not a problem. And as far as markets are concerned, India itself can accommodate more than one league. The last IPL showed that even a country like South Africa can support a league like this. All in all there shouldn’t be a problem in having more than one league.

There could be questions about whether the new leagues would be as popular as the IPL. After all spectator interest is driven by marquee names and currently the IPL seems to have all of them. This issue will automatically get addressed by market economics and player preferences as it happens in the case of football. If there was a league based in Australasia, then a lot of players from the southern hemisphere could gravitate there. Team owners from different leagues could outbid each other for the big names.

A Champions League amongst teams from different leagues will also make more sense.

Scheduling shouldn’t be a problem. The ICC is anyways trying to set aside a window for the IPL. The other leagues could be held around the same time as it happens in football or even basketball.

Now to understand how it will help the ICC in promoting the game in the newer cricketing nations and rescuing it in the West Indies.

More leagues will mean more requirements for players. Today’s IPL teams have a choice of plenty when it comes to foreign players and are hard pressed to find good Indian ones. The good teams are slowly realizing the merits of scouting and player development. The proliferation of leagues will take this to the next level. Today an IPL team based in Rajasthan goes and scouts for talent in the states of Gujarat and M.P. Tomorrow they could be headed to Barbados and Western Australia and even Harare. There will opportunities for talented players from the lesser nations as well. Countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Wales are nothing in international football. We would have never heard of the likes of Dwight Yorke and Ryan Giggs if there was no premiership. We wouldn’t have heard of Hakeem Olajuwon if there was no NBA.

American baseball teams run full-fledged programs in the Central and South American nations. These programs help in identify and training future stars. Lots of European clubs do the same in Africa and South America. This way the clubs help build the infrastructure and run the youth programs – things which the poorly funded national association cannot do most of the time.

The Pittsburgh Pirates recently found two Indians with the physical tools to become top class pitchers. They took them to America and offered them professional contracts. They are currently playing in the minor leagues and are being top class training. If one of them could make it to the top then the Pirates would do more for the game of baseball in India then the Baseball Federation of Indian could have ever done. A team like the Delhi Daredevils could do the same thing in cricket for a less endowed cricketing nation.

The professional leagues will offer financial security to a talented player from a lesser nation. A player with potential will have all the motivation to actively pursue the game. Playing with the best in the business will help them realize their full potential. These players will learn a lot from playing in the leagues and that will help them when they play for their national sides. Other players from their countries will also benefit from the experience of these players. Some of them could learn enough from the experience to eventually become scouts and coaches – they will help in finding and grooming more talent. These guys could serve as great role models inspiring to induct a whole new generation into the sport.

Most of these benefits could apply to a country like the West Indies as well. The drying talent pool could be reinvigorated if more cricketers could make a good living playing abroad. Jamaica made it to the World Cup of Football, thanks to the bunch of players who play in the lesser leagues in England. Would these players have had the same appetite for the game if they had to do a day job to support their families and playing for the national team was the best they could do.

Would this reduce the importance of international cricket?

No, because International cricket would still serve as the best platform to display your talent to the clubs. Players with international experience will always be more sought and better paid. The ICC could do a few things to ensure that the sanctity and popularity of international cricket remains intact – Like defining some quotas for international players. They will also need to handle the scheduling of the international and league calendar in a manner that players don’t get burnt out and there is minimal conflict of interest.

In twenty -20, the ICC has discovered a format that they can market to the world. Creating more professional leagues will go a long way in making the game truly global.

Indian Boxing has been on a dream run at international events off late. And now there is an exciting development that will ensure that this dream run doesn’t come to a grinding halt. India has been awarded a franchisee for the World Series of Boxing (WSB) scheduled to start in September next year. This league for amateurs which is based on professional lines will do a world of good for the sport in India. While the boxing aficionados can look forward to a feast of world class boxing, simple fans like me can get ready to cheer ourselves hoarse.

To be a BIG Club Man City first need a BIG Manager. Like one of these guys

When Jose Mourinho went to Inter, the likes of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard were ready to go join him.

When Luis Felipe Scolari came to Stamford Bridge, Deco and Bosingwa followed

As soon as Carlo Ancelotti became manager of Chelsea, rumours of Kaka and Pirlo joining the Blues started doing the rounds

In Mark Hughes’ reign at Man City, the only player willing to come to Eastlands purely because of the manager has been Roque Santa Cruz.

See the difference.

Forget tactical acumen and man management skills, Mark Hughes is light years away from the likes of Mourinho, Scolari and Ancelotti, when it comes to having the persona and the resume to attract big name players to come and play for them.

In the case of Man City this becomes an even bigger handicap because they are a second rung club – not big enough in their own right for the big names – a club which for all its riches has managed to sign just a single world-class player; and that guy supposedly thought he was joining Man United and often appears to be disenchanted at the club. The club has suffered the humiliation of having its overtures for the likes of Kaka and Buffon turned down in spite of tabling bids which would have dwarfed previous transfer records. And that too in today’s recessionary times.

You can argue that Mourinho, Scolari and Ancelotti can attract these players only because they have coached them previously and the superstars are very comfortable playing for them again. But that is exactly the point that we are trying to make.

Big time players want to move to a club primarily for two reasons – either because of the club’s name or because of the star power of the other players playing for the club. Man City have neither. They are the poor cousins of Man United, have never won anything and I don’t know any super stars who are dying to rub shoulders with the likes of Stephen Ireland and Richard Dunne.

They cannot change their history or their stature overnight. And they don’t even have European football to offer.

As for raising the quality of their players, that is exactly what City are trying to do in the first place -they are caught in a classic catch-22 situation. Until, they get the first lot of quality players, other big names are not going to join.

That brings us back to our original argument now that we have exhausted all the other options.

The most sure shot way of getting the first lot of superstars is to target the ones who are willing to move with their manager. And the easiest way of doing that is by getting a manager who has managed a clutch of big name players. Once City have their manager and their first set of big names, the others will automatically follow. They will be assured in the knowledge that this club is now on the move in the right direction.

Additionally having a big name manager helps in keeping the inflated egos of the superstars in check. Do we have any evidence to believe that Mark Hughes can handle the tantrums and mood swings of players like Didier Drogba or Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Especially after having seen Robinho toy with him on a regular basis.

That leaves us with one last question.

How hard will it be to get a world class manager?

Not too hard at all.

There are scores of great managers around. In addition to big bucks, which is quite an incentive in itself, City also offer any manager a fresh challenge, a complete free hand to run things and an opportunity to build a world beating club. Great managers have fallen for far less.

It is difficult to understand the reluctance of the Abu Dhabi Sheikhs in parting with Mark Hughes. Even from a purely footballing standpoint, he has fared worse than his predecessor Sven – Goran Eriksson and that too with a far bigger budget.

Time is running out fast. Ideally City should have moved into the top 6 in the 2008-09 premiership season and put on a good show in the Europa League to establish their credentials as a club growing in stature. That would have helped in attracting big time talent. Now they are hopelessly running from one agent to another, chequebook in hand. They will end up signing a bunch of mediocre names or some talented malcontents, much like their efforts in the January transfer window. With Florentino Perez back at Real Madrid and Chelsea looking to start afresh under Ancelotti, the bidding war for big names is going to be hotly contested.

Man City with Mark Hughes doesn’t have a chance to compete with these big boys.

That is unless they decide to get a big boy of their own.

Boring to be at the same club for too long

After compiling a team of footballers who have spent their entire professional career at one club, we are now back with a side of exact opposites – players who can’t hang onto one club for too long and keep moving from club to club every now and then.

Unlike last time we will restrict this eleven to players whose major playing career happened post 1990. This way we will be able to identify the wanderlusts who managed to be on the move, long before the Bosman ruling gave them the freedom to move as and when they liked.

The qualification cut-off for this list is having atleast a 6 club career including loan spells. This list is far bigger than the list of one-club players and hence we will include a reserve for each position as well.

Here we go

Have contributed 8 players to this list

Forwards

Ronaldo (Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Internazionale, Real Madrid, Milan, Corinthians) – Fans of any club hate a player who switches loyalties to join a bitter derby rival. There is a select group of players who have done this. But having played for two sets of bitter rivals, Ronaldo belongs to an extremely exclusive list. Leaving Barcelona even before the season got over and ditching Inter immediately after recovering from a two year injury (Inter paid his wages and medical bills during this time) are some of the not-so-proud highlights of his career. I wouldn’t bet against him adding to his list of 7 clubs by the time he is done with his career.

Christian Vieri (Prato,Torino,Pisa, Ravenna, Venezia, Atalanta, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Lazio, Internazionale, Milan,Monaco,Atalanta,Fiorentina, Atalanta) – Don’t know anyone who can beat the 15 club resume of Bobo Vieri. It’s interesting to see that his strike partner in this eleven, Ronaldo, was also his cohort at Inter Milan – a club which has one of the highest rates of player turn-over. He is currently without a club and was paid by the goal at his last stop at Atalanta. He isn’t done moving though. Reports abound of an alleged move to LA Galaxy.

Reserve

Nicolas Anelka (Paris Saint-Germain,Arsenal,Real Madrid,Paris Saint-Germain,Liverpool (loan),Manchester City,Fenerbahçe,Bolton Wanderers,Chelsea) – nicknamed ‘the Sulk’ for good reason, he can be relied upon to put in a transfer request the moment something goes against his wishes. Once the most sought after striker in Europe, he has also had to endure the lows of Istanbul and Bolton, many thanks to his grumpy temperament. But he is also a gifted goal-scorer and big clubs keep coming back for him.

Midfielders

Rivaldo (Santa Cruz,Mogi Mirim,Corinthians,Palmeiras,Deportivo La Coruña, Barcelona, Milan, Cruzeiro, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Bunyodkor) – 11 clubs old, Rivaldo seems to be on a mission – to continue playing for as long as he can, for any club which is willing to take a chance with him. He is surely the only FIFA World Player of the Year who will play in the Uzbek League. Always keen to be the centre of attention and of the attack, he will have to continue to move to lesser clubs as his physical powers wane. Maybe, he will end up leading the Mohun Bagan attack in India at the age of 50.

Juan Veron (Estudiantes, Boca Juniors, Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Manchester United, Chelsea, Internazionale (loan), Estudiantes) – His is a story of two halves. In the first part he was outstanding; raising his stock and market value at every stop. His peak came when he lead Lazio to the Serie A title and then moved to Man United in what was then the most expensive transfer in British football. In the second part of his career, he was far less successful and his transfers involved much smaller amounts of money.

Paul Ince (West Ham United, Manchester United,Internazionale,Liverpool,Middlesbrough,Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town, Macclesfield) – He started at West Ham, a club he supported as a boy, and could have had a long stint with them but unfortunately the club got relegated. He then became a star at Man United, but in spite of being a crowd favourite, couldn’t last long enough to become an Old Trafford legend thanks to a stormy relationship with Alex Ferguson. Also one of the few players to play for both United and hated rivals Liverpool

Edgar Davids (Ajax, Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona (loan), Internazionale, Hotspur, Ajax) – A product of the Ajax youth system, he was part of their brilliant sides in the mid 90’s. Sadly Ajax didn’t have the money to hold on to their talented young players and like many others before and after him, Davids moved to a bigger and richer European giant. As for his other moves, they were often caused by an outspoken temperament and once by a failed drugs test.

Diego Simeone (Vélez Sársfield, Pisa, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, Internazionale, Lazio, Atlético Madrid, Racing Club) – His is a very surprising case. He is one of the most durable and consistent footballers of all time – A very low-key player who made a living out of doing the simple things well. He was by no means the kind of player clubs chase with big transfer fees or the disgruntled misfit who finds trouble everywhere. Therefore, an 8 club career is begging for inclusion.

Reserve

Denilson (São Paulo FC, Real Betis, Flamengo (loan), Bordeaux, Al-Nasr, FC Dallas, Palmeiras, Itumbiara) – His dazzling dribbling skills have left many an observer blinded. Many have been besotted enough to sign him for a fortune, like Real Betis did for a world record transfer fee in 1998. But soon they realize that he is more a circus artist and less a footballer, incapable of making meaningful contributions to the teams cause. That coupled with his high wages have often made him a liability. But someone keeps falling for his bag of tricks. If the rumoured move to Perth Glory goes through, he will become one of the few players to play in 5 continents.

Never mess with the manager

Defenders

Juan Pablo Sorin (Argentinos Juniors, Juventus, River Plate, Cruzeiro, Lazio, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Cruzeiro, Villarreal, Hamburger, Cruzeiro) – Sorin has played in Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany. Had he played for a premiership side, and he has had opportunities to do so, then he would have had the unique distinction of having played in all the top leagues of the world. But he is just 33 and we can’t rule out another move from South America to Europe, the defender having done that 3 times previously. The maximum number of games that he’s played for a single club is 78 for River Plate.

Christian Panucci (Genoa, Milan, Real Madrid, Internazionale, Chelsea (loan), Monaco (loan), Roma) – After being on the move for most of his career, Panucci has kind of settled down at Roma, spending almost 8 years at the club. Or so it seemed, till a selection tiff with the manager led to Panucci announcing his decision to leave the club. While no buyer was found in the January 2009 transfer window, things could be a lot different once his contract expires in June 2009. An eighth club look well on the cards.

Jaap Stam (FC Zwolle, Cambuur Leeuwarden, Willem II, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan, Ajax) – When he moved to United, he became the most expensive defender in history. He soon became the defensive cornerstone of a side which won trophies galore. Sadly, thanks to an ill-advised and ill-timed tell-all autobiography, Stam incurred the wrath of Alex Ferguson and was sold to Lazio, cutting short what could have been a long rewarding career at Old Trafford. He never quite enjoyed the same kind of success after that, adding 3 more clubs to his resume before retiring in 2007.

Laurent Blanc (Montpellier, Napoli, Nîmes, Saint Etienne, Auxerre, Barcelona, Marseille, Internazionale, Manchester United) – Guess who was signed as a quick replacement when Ferguson let go of Stam in the middle of the season. The answer is Laurent Blanc and the fact that he was ready and available for a middle of the season move, kind of tells the story of the player’s career. After an 8 year stint at his first club, he never settled anywhere, playing for 8 clubs in 12 seasons. And mostly these moves were not caused by lack of success or a failure to adapt. He just found new suitors all the time and was always willing to accept their offers. Case in point being Guy Roux at Auxerre, Johan Cryuff at Barcelona and Rolland Courbis at Marseille.

Reserve

Dan Petrescu (Steaua Bucureşti, FC Olt Scorniceşti (loan), Foggia, Genoa, Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford City, Southampton, FC Naţional)- Had a successful 5 year stint with Chelsea and is still loved by the fans who remember him as one of the best players in the club’s history. Unfortunately for both parties, the player fell out with manager Gianluca Vialli and had no option but to leave the club. Other than that and his time with his first club Steaua, Petrescu’s career has been a litany of one season stints.

Goalkeeper

Fabien Barthez (Toulouse, Olympique Marseille, Monaco, Manchester United, Olympique Marseille, Nantes) – Generally goalkeepers are not given to a lot of movement, especially the good ones. A former ‘Worlds Best Goalkeeper of the Year’, Fabien Barthez is an exception to that rule. One of the many players on this list who was let go by Alex Ferguson. However, in his case it was purely because of a propensity for committing major blunders. His unpredictable behavior also contributed to a few moves.

Reserve

Kasey Keller ( Portland Timbers, Millwall,Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton (loan), Borussia Mönchengladbach, Fulham , Seattle Sounders FC )- His has been a case of being good but not very good. He has almost always failed to establish himself as the club’s long-term first- choice goalkeeper – Except when playing for a lowly one like Millwall which let him go when they got relegated. Often has been stuck as a back up and clubs have frequently not extended or renewed his contract.

United's contingent of life time employees

One club men – football players who spend their entire professional careers with one club are an extremely rare breed.

There are a number of reasons which cause players to change clubs. A lot of younger players start out at small clubs and move to bigger clubs which are more befitting of their talent. Similarly, many older players move to lesser clubs to prolong their careers as their physical prowess starts to ebb away. Players have ambitions to play in different leagues and at different clubs, often leading to movement. Sometimes a player just doesn’t get along with the manager or doesn’t fit well in the playing system.

The Bosman ruling of 1995 opened the flood gates to free movement of players. Clubs could no longer hold onto players against their will. They were literally free to go wherever and whenever they wanted. This led to a quantum jump in player activity. And therefore, a one club man became an even rarer species in the post-Bosman era.

For a player to spend his entire career at one club, a number of things must fall in place. He must start out at a club which is just right for his level of talent. His development must be commensurate with the expectations of his club and not more or less than that. As his physical powers wane, he must add new dimensions to his game to be able to hold his own at the club. He must continue to be in the good books of successive managers and always be part of the clubs long term and short term plans. And finally, the club should have enough success to match his personal ambitions.

If even of these things don’t happen, then a move is inevitable.

It happened when Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Liverpool great Michael Owen moved to greener pastures because their clubs weren’t successful enough. It happened when one of Fergie’s fledglings – David Beckham fell out with his manager. It happened when life-long Barcelona supporter and loyalist, Pep Guardiola’s powers diminished and he wasn’t good enough for the Catalans. It happened when Leeds United were relegated and club legend Alan Smith had to mov

There are a lucky few who have managed to beat the odds and spend their entire playing careers at a single club. Today we will celebrate them by picking an all-star eleven made up entirely of such players. This list will be limited to players who played the game after the Bosman ruling; atleast the majority of their career happened after 1995. It will be a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

Here we go. A few of these players are still playing and might not be members of this exclusive club by the time they are done with their playing days. We are only considering their careers in the senior team for this exercise.

A lifetime at Real Madrid

Goalkeeper

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – Saint Iker is easily one of the best goalies of his generation. Destined for greatness at the most successful club in the world, he first made the playing eleven at 17. Has a buy-out clause of 128 million pounds and reportedly turned down an offer of 11 million pounds per season from Man City. Has won 2 Champions League and 4 Primera Liga titles with Real. He could have had serious competition from Gianluigi Buffon but the Italian was lured by a 52 million euro transfer fee- the biggest ever for a goalkeeper.

Defence

Paulo Maldini (AC Milan) – One of the all time great left backs has been part of the Milan family forever. His father Cesare also excelled at Milan and Paulo’s son Christian is already part of the club’s youth side. Debuted at 16 and is going strong at 40 – don’t think anyone has spent 24 years as a player at any club in the world. His haul of 5 Champions League and 7 Serie A titles is also unmatched. Will surely continue his association with Milan long after his playing days are over. He is surely the mascot of this ‘one club’ fraternity.

Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) – A Merseysider, he rose through the Liverpool youth ranks with Michael Owen. But while Owen was making the headlines at senior level and getting frustrated at Liverpool’s lack of success, Carragher was finding life difficult as an unsettled utility man. He finally established himself in defence and played a stellar role as Liverpool re-established themselves as European heavyweights. With his best form coinciding with club success, he was never a dissatisfied want-away like Owen. Winner of one Champions League title.

Carlos Puyol (Barcelona) – Barca is the pride of Catalonia and playing for the club is the highest honour for a Catalan. The challenge lies in being good enough to play for them regularly. Carlos Puyol has risen to the challenge with aplomb. He was part of a superbly talented group of young Spanish players at the club, but while most of the others fell by the wayside, he has continued to flourish as the leader at the back; at a club where chronic defensive problems result in a regular churn of defenders. Winner of 1 Champions League and 2 Primera Liga titles.

Gary Neville (Man United) – Joined United after leaving school and debuted in the senior side at 17. Part of the celebrated youth movement under Alex Ferguson. Much admired and respected at Old Trafford for his leadership and fighting spirit; qualities which have become increasingly relevant as his plying skills have diminished. That and a willingness to accept a reduced role, rather than trying for regular first team football elsewhere, have meant that he will wind up his playing career with United. Winner of 7 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles.

Midfield

Ryan Giggs (Man United) – United’s most capped player has been with them for 22 years now and looks good for many more. This has come thanks to his amazing transformation from a dashing left winger to a mature playmaker. While his past was all speed and breathtaking skill, his present is all guile and intelligence. Thanks to that he has continued to be a valuable squad player. Sir Alex is keen on holding on to him and uses him quite judiciously. A member of Fergie’s fledglings, he has been part of everything that United have won under the Scot – 10 Premier league titles, 3 FA Cups and 2 Champions League titles.

Paul Scholes (Man United) –Grew up as a supporter of Oldham Athletic but has been at United throughout his youth and senior career. His is another story of a player changing and flourishing in new roles as his career progressed. Once a striker, he has made a name for himself as a driving force in United’s midfield. Continues to be a vital member of United’s squad, especially on European nights when Fergie can still count on his big game temperament. He is another player whose career will be extended thanks to Fergie’s intelligent use of him. Winner of 8 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles.

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) – Another fiercely proud Catalan who joined the club’s youth side in 1991 at age 11 and is already contracted to play for them till 2014. His rise as the home-grown lynchpin of Barca’s midfield is especially creditable considering the club has largely relied on foreign talent in the attacking department. Largely under-rated thanks to the presence of a galaxy of stars at the Nou Camp, he announced himself to the world at Euro 2008 where he was voted best player. Barca have always known his worth and have tied him down for good with a massive contract. Winner of 4 Primera Liga and 1 Champions League title.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – He almost followed Michael Owen out of Liverpool after a frustrating Trophy less season in 2003-04. But luckily for him, for new manager Rafa Benitez and for Liverpool Football Club, he decided to stay. Istanbul happened in 2005 and in his own words; Steven Gerrard couldn’t leave the club after a night like that. The player has since become a legend at the Kop and few players can dream of achieving the status he enjoys at the club. A long overdue league title is also within touching distance and once Liverpool win that, Steven Gerrard can have the key to the entire red half of Merseyside. Winner of 1 Champions League title.

Forwards

Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid) – A cult hero at the club, who can continue to play for Real Madrid for as long as he desires. Holds almost all the goal scoring records for the club and continues to be their leading striker at age 31 with 24 goals in the 2008-09 campaign. Has been their golden boy from the time he became their youngest debutant at age 17. The ironic part is that he started his youth career at bitter rivals Atletico and had to move to Real because the youth system was closed down by President Jesus Gil. If not for Mr Gil’s short-sightedness, Raul Gonzalez would have made this list as an Atletico player. Winner of 6 Primera Liga and 3 Champions League titles.

Francesco Totti (Roma) – A symbol of the club who was probably born to play for Roma. He was born in Rome and he and his family have been lifelong Roma supporters. His mother refused a lucrative contract from AC Milan when he was a teenager and Totti first played for the Roma senior side at 16 and became captain at 20. His trophy collection is the most meagre of all the players on this list and he could have easily moved to bigger clubs to win more titles but the option of leaving Roma is one that Totti has never considered. Will probably end up as the greatest Roma player of all time. Winner of 1 Serie A title.

We will be back shortly with a team of polar opposites – players who can’t seem to stay at one place for too long.

Johny Damon and Xavier Nady play for the New York Yankees. Their annual salaries are 13 million dollars and 6 million dollars respectively. However, Damon stands the risk of defaulting on his latest home loan payment and Nady’s been unable to find a place to live in New York. And no, they have not taken a mortgage on the White House or tried to rent the Yankee Stadium.

They have been caught up in the scandal involving Allen Sanford’s Ponzi scheme and all their financial accounts have been frozen.

Other victims include golfer Vijay Singh and footballer Michael Owen. Luckily, these guys aren’t as cash strapped as the two Yankee players and numerous other sportspersons in the United States.

Stanford is the same guy who a few months earlier was the financial messiah for cricket in the West Indies and was just getting started as the saviour of English cricket.

Now the same Caribbean people who once hailed him for bringing life back into their cricket are scrambling to get their money out of the Stanford International bank in Antigua.

Allen Stanford’s status in the world of sports has quickly gone from Super Hero to Super villain.

Closer home, we have Subrata Roy Sahara of the Chit-fund scheme fame

He sponsors the Indian cricket team and the Indian Hockey team.

And now his company, The Sahara Group, will be providing long term financial support to Indian boxers and wrestlers, to enable them to get better training and more international exposure.

They are also in talks with Manchester United to become their Shirt sponsors.

Forget the Mittal Trust Fund; it is the Sahara Group which is facilitating Indian sports to go where they have never been before.

And all this from a Chit Fund Scheme (also known as the Sahara India Financial Corporation) which was banned in June 2008 by the Reserve Bank of India from accepting any more public deposits.

And if that doesn’t scare you enough, the Sahara Group, after their appalling attempts at running television channels and Airlines, have also forayed into other financial businesses like Insurance and Mutual Funds. It has never stopped amazing me – how do these guys spend so much on sponsorship when all their companies are bleeding money. Well except for their Chit fund business and the jury is still out on that one.

As an Indian sports fan, however, I can’t thank Mr. Subrata Roy enough. He has given a massive lift to the national passion (cricket), the national game (hockey) and the national pride (the Olympics boxers and wrestlers).

But would I trust them with my hard earned money. No I wouldn’t. Not even if there is no other investment option left in India

They spend so much money on sports but whose money?

The similarities with Allen Stanford are difficult to ignore. The Texan wasn’t called a crook before he recently got caught.

You can love and loathe Subrata Roy at the same time. And I am sure the Caribbean cricket die-hards are having the same mixed feelings for Allen Stanford.

They cheat (now conclusively proven in the case of Stanford, while there is enough to be suspicious of Subrata) the poor and the not so poor and give it back to them by way of sponsoring their favourite sports teams. And they take a little cut for all their troubles.

They are well and truly the modern day version of Robbing Hood

John McEnroe turned 50 last week and it’s time to pay him a little tribute

But we aren’t going to talk about how; arguably, he was the most talented tennis player of all time – although his record of just 7 grand slam singles titles really doesn’t position him as one. He had the most amazing single season performance in living memory when he went 82-3 in 1982 and that is the best indicator of what he was capable of.

We will also resist the temptation of indulging in the ‘super brat’ talk – McEnroe’s got enough flak for his on-court misdemeanours.

On this day, we will celebrate the most patriotic of American tennis players – the man who is single-handedly responsible for saving the Davis Cup in the United States.

McEnroe's favourite moment from his favourite tournament

When McEnroe burst upon the scene in the late 70’s, US interest in the Davis Cup was at an all-time low. Top players like Jimmy Connors had shunned the Davis Cup to pursue more lucrative interests – and without its best players the United States was struggling. McEnroe took it upon himself to keep the Star and Stripes flying – a job he did with great distinction – playing an active role in 5 title triumphs from 1978 to 1992.

McEnroe’s tour record is inferior to the likes of Sampras and Agassi but no American can touch him when it comes to Davis Cup. He holds all the records – years played (12), ties (30), singles wins (41), and total wins in singles and doubles (59). And then there are the tales of legend – like the 6-hour, 22-minute victory over Mats Wilander in the deciding rubber of the 3–2 quarterfinal win over Sweden in 1982.

What makes McEnroe’s dedication to the team cause – a cause which did nothing for his singles ranking, all the more impressive is the time in which it took place – a time when the professional game was really expanding, bringing more and more money into it. As a New Yorker, he should have been more individualistic than the other Americans. Instead he chose to balance his New Yorker persona by embracing the un-American (as far as professional sports go) ethos of team and national pride.

McEnroe was lucky to come in contact with coaches Tony Palafox and Harry “Hop” Hopman at an impressionable age in his career – this association played a significant part in developing a passion for the Davis Cup in him.

McEnroe’s favourite Davis Cup moment is his appearance in the 1992 final where the U.S. beat Switzerland 3-1 in Texas. This was Tennis’ version of the dream team as McEnroe was joined by Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier.

Recently, McEnroe, the player who always said “I will go anywhere, any time to play Davis Cup for America,” has again been entrusted the task of reviving US interest in the Davis Cup, this time as team captain. I wouldn’t bet against him pulling it off a second time.

The other truly fascinating thing about McEnroe was his love for doubles. Other than Stefan Edberg, who did it for a brief period, no top singles player in the modern era has played so much of doubles and played it so damn well that he was called the greatest doubles player of all time.

McEnroe and Fleming

He was world number one in doubles for 257 weeks and won 9 grand slam titles – including 7 with Peter Fleming. McEnroe’s interest in doubles meshed perfectly with his love for the Davis Cup – he had a 14-1 record along with Fleming.

McEnroe was so good that it was said that he could form the world’s best doubles partnership with almost anyone. And he somewhat proved it by winning the Wimbledon doubles with Michael Stich, a fine singles player but a nobody in doubles before winning the title with McEnroe.

John McEnroe will mostly be remembered as a great singles player and a petulant brat on court. But in that, he wasn’t exceptional. He was truly in a league of his own as a genius doubles player and as an uber -patriotic Yankee who couldn’t have enough of the Davis Cup.

And that is also why it is foolish to hold his singles record against his claim to being the most talented player of all time.

Indian Boxing could be in for much better days

Earlier this month, AIBA – the governing body of amateur boxing, announced that it had signed a treaty with marketing firm IMG to introduce ‘World Series Boxing’. This move was made to jazz up the world of amateur boxing by creating a more spectator friendly format, in which boxers will be fighting without any defensive gear, thereby catering to the ever growing demand to see more knock-outs. The financial benefits for amateur boxers will help in countering the lure of the professional world. This event is slated to start in March 2010 and will be contested on weekends to increase its viewership potential

In the series, which will be somewhat on the lines of professional leagues like the EPL or the IPL, three continents – Asia, Europe and America – will each have four city teams (read countries) participating in the event which will see boxers exchanging blows without headgears and vests, fighting five rounds of three minutes each with five bouts in five categories.

The ‘cities’ will fight among themselves on a home-and-away basis before one qualifies for the grand finale to be held at Macau. Only one country from each continent will be able to go through to the semi-final to be held at Macau. The fourth slot in the semis will go to the ‘best loser’. The two best boxers from each category will compete in a separate event, which will also offer prize money.

The boxers can look forward to a financial windfall from this event. Apart from getting a yet-to-be-disclosed prize money for each bout won, they will also have the cushion of a fixed package from their respective franchises.

Every franchisee would be worth $10 million and will have 10 boxers each, three of whom can be foreigners. A team from one continent will be allowed to buy boxers from other countries.
A franchisee will have to pay at least $30,000 to a boxer in its team. The maximum can go up to $300,000. Or else they can pay all 10 of them equally. There will be two boxers for each of the five categories. The selection of boxers for the event would be done at the World Championships in Milan this August,

The boxers will stand to make a reasonable amount of money, which was so far unheard of in amateur boxing, and will still be allowed to take part in the Olympics, unlike the professional boxers. It will also make the future of boxers participating in the Series more secure as they will get a pension after retiring.

The federations can also expect some benefits as 10 per cent of the $10 million of a franchisee would be set for them. This decision was taken since the federations support a boxer when he goes through his bends. But when the boxer comes through and earns cash benefits, he does not share it with the federation. The World Series will help the federation to make money from the franchisee.

So what does this mean for India and Indian boxing?

For starters, we will first have to pray that India ends up getting a team. Earlier it had been reported that, ‘Delhi will be one of the 12 teams from across the world that will vie for the title’, but unfortunately that is not a given.

India faces tough competition from Thailand, China, Korea, Qatar and Kazakhstan, who are each contending to become a franchisee. The discussions are on and the whole thing will be finalised in the AIBA executive meeting in Milan next month. However, there are good reasons to believe that Delhi has more than a fair shot.

The most important one is the lavish praise heaped on Indian boxing by AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu for the progress it has made in the last one year. He strongly feels that India’s rise bodes well for International boxing and what better way to give the country’s boxing aspirations a further boost by supporting the its claim for a franchisee. Giving Delhi a franchisee will also fall in line with the AIBA’s main objective of popularizing the sport across the world. Without Delhi, the whole of South Asia – home to such a huge chunk of the world population will be left unrepresented. That India has made such rapid progress in so little time, on the back of just a few more exposure trips and the addition of a trained physio, also supports the claim that India has a mother lode of boxing talent just waiting to be unearthed. I am sure the AIBA members will be most glad to offer any support required to so. There is also enough corporate muscle to support a franchisee and an untapped market surely worth taking a risk on, given that you do have an exciting product to market

The World Series of Boxing could give a massive boost to the sport in India and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The success in the Olympics had generated enough interest in the sport but now it is beginning to wear off – as shown by the cold reception given to the team which won 4 bronze medals at the AIBA World Cup. The exciting format should be able attract enough viewership and that will initiate corporate and media interest as well.

And it will be a godsend for the boxers and all those coaches and trainers who have toiled manfully along with them, without much reward for all these years. Indian boxers usually have a day job with a PSU to support themselves. Now they can immerse themselves fully into becoming world –beaters without having any financial worries. A franchisee, intent on winning, will also bring in better support and training infrastructure. And there will be exposure against the best boxers in the world, weekend in and weekend out. Needless to say, these boxers will become bigger role models, encouraging a whole generation of brawny youth to tie on the gloves. The boxing federation will also get a much needed infusion of extra cash.

But before we get too excited, let’s first pray and hope that Delhi comes out with flying colours in the AIBA meeting next month.

As a supporter of Indian sport and a long time boxing fan, I am waiting with bated breath

Imagine, you won a lottery, and got a prize worth a lakh of rupees. The prize came in the form of a shopping spree – you could spend the money shopping in a particular mall. There was a caveat, however. You had only 10 minutes to shop and were to be driven to the mall immediately, where you had to finish your shopping in one go. There is some respite though. You could ‘phone a friend’ and ask for advice or hire one of the salespersons at the mall to assist you.

The challenge is dual. Spend enough time on every purchase to make sure it’s a wise one and simultaneously make your decisions faster so as to utilize the full amount.

Typically, when faced with such a scenario, most people will start slowly; make a few intelligent buys- stuff they were planning to buy anyways. Then as the clock ticks away panic will set in. You will use ‘phone a friend’ and end up buying stuff which were more useful to your friend. You will pick up a lot of stuff which you have seen others use and reckon that they would be useful to you as well. Then as you enter the home stretch you will hire the sales guy who will get you some of the ‘best deals’ in the mall. And just when you thought you were done, you will remember that you forgot to pick up stuff for family. You will randomly throw some of the stuff out and grab whatever you could in the last dying seconds. At the end of it all, you will probably have 60k worth of good stuff.

Sounds familiar. It will if you have been following the fortunes of Chelsea Football Club. The perennial underachievers were given a shot in the arm by the arrival of one Mr. Roman Abramovich. The transfer funds suddenly made available were no less than a jackpot for the club. They went on a shopping binge as expected and have had the great fortune to land this bonanza on an annual basis since – leading to regular visits to the ‘mall’. The aforementioned caveat gets applied to this case as they have not been used to this kind of shopping – not a seasoned high-value shopper basically and hence they have had their share of 40K of useless stuff.

The accumulation of annual splurges has resulted in what could have been a separate Chelsea side in itself- the set of players, purchased in the Abramovich years, who have failed to justify the money spent on them, can form an eleven which is possibly just as good as any the club has ever had.

And that is exactly what I intend to do. We will select the Roman Abramovich Bad Shopping All-Stars. The criterion for selection is simple – the player should have failed to deliver for Chelsea Football Club, a level of continuous performance that could have justified the monies spent on them.

While putting together this eleven, I could not decide whether to play a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, so I selected 3 forwards, 4 midfielders, 4 defenders and a goalie. In terms of their playing positions however, the team is a little flawed as you have more than one player who plays in the same position and some positions have no specialist representative at all. I hope this wrongness will be overlooked in the greater spirit of things.

So here goes

Forwards

Leading the team onto the field is one Andriy Shevechenko, a 30.8 million pound signing from AC Milan, where he was close to establishing himself as the greatest marksman of his generation. He’s like the expensive fur coat you bought because you saw everyone wearing it in another city (read Milan) and then discovered that the weather in your city was too warm ( read pace of the game too fast) for it. You actually had another coat (read Drogba) which was just right. And the worst part is that you were so obsessed with it, you are actually installed an AC to make the coat wearable.

The other forwards are Adrian Mutu and Claudio Pizarro. Mutu cost 15.8 million pounds from the Serie A and added insult to injury with his drug offense. He’s another fur coat but a lot less expensive. Pizzaro was one of the discount deals being offered in the mall – zero transfer fees and Chelsea just fell for it. Shevechenko and Pizarro have been so good that Chelsea have gone and bought the biggest nut-case in the world – Mr. Sulk, Nicolas Anelka. Need I say more?

Midfielders

We start off with another discount offer (read free transfer) whose maintenance (read wages) is bleeding the club. Michael Ballack wanted to become a legendary figure at a great English club. Man Utd were disappointed to miss out on him. Now they wouldn’t take him even if he crawled all the way from London to Manchester and rubbed his nose on Fergie’s doorstep. And by the way his buyers can’t even find a place for him in their suitcase (read squad) on their European travels (read Champions league)

Juan Carlos Veron is another purchase that will forever gladden the hearts of united fans. They were stuck with a certified 30 million dud. Guess what they did. They hung him in a shop window with a 50% discount tag. The oldest trick in the marketing book had the Chelsea bosses rushing to the cash-counter. The united chiefs were more than willing to oblige.

Scott Parker and Tiago Mendes cost 10 and 15 million pounds respectively. They played well before they came to Chelsea and continued to shine after they left. In the interim period they were warming the benches (lost somewhere in the back of the closet). Guess that is what happens if you pick up a Raymond’s suit when you can afford Armani’s.

Defenders

Asier Del Horno is best remembered for his wild lunge on Leo Messi which sealed Chelsea’s fate against Barcelona in the Champions League. The 10 million pounds Chelsea spent on him is not substantial enough for the Bosses to remember. Another case of buying what looked good on others.

Paulo Ferreira and Glen Johnson were both part of package deals. The former was offered with Ricardo Carvalho and the latter was thrown in with Lampard and Joe Cole. As with all package deals, the main product was awesome and the bundled product terrible. The damage – 13.3 million pounds for Ferreira and 6 for Johnson.

Just imagine for a moment, that in all the hurly burly of shopping, you somehow managed to break your shoe. Not willing to waste time in picking up a good replacement, you just bought the first one in sight. A little while later, when your mind was finally off the shopping, you felt a searing pain in your foot and noticed the grotesque pink thing you were wearing. You somehow managed to bear with it till you got home and then quickly gave the shoes to your servant. Is there any other explanation for the 7 million purchase of Khalid Boulharouz? This man is called the cannibal by his own fans.

Goalkeeper

This is one department where Chelsea have done really well. Cech and Cudicini are both great. So I’ll just pick Hilario. Does any goalkeeper in the world have a better name?

For all their shopping gaffes, Chelsea have still managed a bagful of trophies including their first league title since 1955. Money doesn’t always translate into success and getting 60k worth of good stuff is quite an achievement. The likes of Massimo Moratti (of Inter Milan) and Paul Allen (of Microsoft and the Portland Trail Blazers) would readily agree.