The Hindu : Sport / Football : Bengal starts favourite

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 15, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Bengal starts favourite

Sports Reporter

JAMALPUR (BIHAR): This sleepy township built around Asia's oldest railway workshop is abuzz with talk about the 11-day final phase of the National under-21 football scheduled to get underway here on Monday. Named after Manindra Dutta Roy, the 14th edition, is likely to showcase the best of country's talents as the top eight state teams vie for the coveted trophy.

Bengal, the defending champion and with five titles — the highest — to its credit, will lead the challenge. The setting is picture perfect — with rugged hillocks and a 140-year-old church flanking the Jamalpur Sports Association Stadium — and the climate salubrious.

The quarterfinal league opens with the defending champion taking on the winner of North-East zonal qualifiers, Mizoram, in the afternoon.

This will be followed by another group B match pitting Services against South Zone topper Kerala.

Tamil Nadu will lead the challenge in group A that also features host Bihar, Maharashtra (West Zone champion) and Punjab (North Zone topper). The eight teams have been divided into two groups in the quarterfinal league phase. The semifinals are scheduled on May 22 and 23 while the final will be held on May 25.

Team selection problems

The teams are mostly composed of the players gleaned from various club teams in the respective states with Services being the exception. Bengal had its share of problems in team selection. An automatic entry into the finals as defender, it saw the big three Kolkata clubs — East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting — refusing to release their players as the NFL fixtures clashed with the tournament.

This has forced the state governing body — IFA — to pick from other premier and super division club teams. The two new coaches Raghu Nandi and former international goalkeeper Tanumoy Bose are hopeful that the available crop is good enough to deliver.

Tamil Nadu is well prepared and determined. Coach P. Tulasi said that the boys are the best the state has to offer. He said the team's potential would be best judged when it takes on the strong Maharashra.

Confident

Kerala, the other traditionally strong side, also exuded confidence. Coach P.K. Rajeev said that the team would be missing three key players, who participated in the qualifiers, owing to college examinations. He said the side no dearth of talents with pickings from teams like SBT, Titanium and Viva Kerala.

The Groups: A: Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Maharashtra and Punjab. B: Bengal, Mizoram, Kerala and Services.

The fixtures: quarterfinal league: May 15: Bengal vs Mizoram, Kerala vs Services. May 16: Bihar vs Punjab, Tamil Nadu vs Maharashtra. May 17: Bengal vs Kerala, Services vs Mizoram. May 18: Tamil Nadu vs Punjab, Bihar vs Maharashtra. May 19: Kerala vs Mizoram, Bengal vs Services. May 20: Bihar vs Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra vs Punjab.

Semifinals: May 22 and 23. Final: May 25.