The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Coach unhappy with LB stadium

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Coach unhappy with LB stadium

V. V. Subrahmanyam

. -PHOTO: P. V. SIVAKUMAR

WARM UP: Baichung Bhutia intercepts Malaysia’s Mohd Shukor Adan in the football match at Lal Bahadur stadium

HYDERABAD: The lights were on. It was deemed as a curtain-raiser for the high-voltage action in the AFC Challenge Cup football championship to be held under the floodlit Lal Bahadur Stadium (July 30 to August 10). But, the India-Malaysia friendly match on Wednesday did not really enthuse the chief coach of Indian team, Bob Houghton.

This despite the mercurial Baichung Bhutia serving a reminder with one of his typical goals in the one-all draw on Tuesday. Not that the former English international was unhappy with the players but with the overall conditions under which the AFC Challenge will be played. “It was a valuable experience for the players today against a very good Malaysians,” he insisted.

“This is not the sort of environment to play AFC Challenge. The pitch is too big. There is no public support. It is a great pity. The whole atmosphere is wrong,” he commented after his team’s first real outing . “Certainly, the ground conditions improved ever since we started training about a week ago. But, still not conducive. I can’t still understand how football can be played with a cricket square on the middle,” he exclaimed.

Interestingly, Houghton hinted that he was aware that his comments might result in a ‘duel’ with the Federation officials. “But, let me tell you I am not complaining just for sake. All I say is straight from the heart,” he pointed out.

Well, these comments after the friendly match may not be music to the ears of the AIFF secretary Alberto Colaco and his team of officials handling the entire event. Even his Malaysian counterpart, B. Satyanathan, felt that the ground was too bouncy and looked like a spin-top.

With the mega event just a week away, the organisers are keeping their fingers crossed at the crowd support despite some of the best Asian teams vying to grab the winner’s trophy to book a slot in the Asia Cup championship.

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