The Hindu : Sport : A curse for football in the city

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Thursday, Jan 10, 2008
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A curse for football in the city

Special Correspondent

The league has suffered a 10-day stoppage
Many feel that this will kill the spirit of the league

CHENNAI: Has the modern Nehru stadium become a curse for football in the metropolis? Followers of the sport are beginning to fear this from the frequent interruption and hurdles that are coming in the way of football activities in the facility, which is under the control of the Sports Development Authority of India.

The latest interruption is the Chennai Football Association’s senior division league, which once used to be a much sought-after football event. The league has suffered a 10-day stoppage because the venue has been booked for other activities of the Government during this period.

Football enthusiasts do not remember if the premier league had at any time suffered this length of break.

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In the days before the modern structure replaced the earlier facility, football at the stadium was akin to an evening at the maidan with thousands making it a point to catch the action and watch their favourite teams and players.

Observers believe that this long stoppage will virtually kill the spirit of a 66-match league schedule involving 12 teams for not only does it affect the tempo of the contests, but also the playing rhythm of the teams, not to mention the enthusiasm of the players.

And these are the kind of players who help in building the State squad for the national championship.

What is pitiable is that these impediments have come when efforts have been on to improve football at the grassroots level in the State as part of the Vision India programme of the Asian Football Confederation.

Chennai and Dindigul are the two places which have been proposed for the initial exercise as pilot projects.

While the new stadium may be a FIFA-specified structure, it is an irony that football activities there have to at the mercy of the SDAT, and not chartered by the Association.

“It would be lot better if a part of the year the turf is reserved for football for only then can the CFA be able to finish its league commitments and also organise tournaments,” said a senior official, who lamented on how the paucity of grounds had severely affected football in the city.

With the SDAT proposing to re-lay the synthetic track shortly, the stadium would be closed for all sports activities.

Added to this interruption now, it will be an achievement if CFA is able to finish the league, which has not even reached the halfway stage now.

There is talk of the nearby Kannapar thidal getting allotted for football, but as things stand, the CFA continues to believe that the Corporation will bless it with a sanction.

So far nothing has happened though. Unless something positive emerges there is grave danger of a popular sport gradually slipping into a moribund state.

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