Chelsea Will Emerge Stronger, On The Pitch

Also published here.

Fans of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United have been on a high since FIFA's DRC made resolved the latest dispute to have caught their attention.

Chelsea's punishment for illegally prizing away youngster Gael Kakuta from RC Lens doesn't really have a precedent at this level, but a ban from signing new players for over a year is a severe punishment, no matter what the offence. Not that what Chelsea have done can be justified, not at all. If Chelsea have indeed acted illegally, and it seems so, as even the club's official statement didn't deny the accusation, they ought to receive a punishment stringent enough to ensure such instances are never repeated.

However, Chelsea fans will protest if they are indeed the first ones to "bend the rules" to land a young player, and they're probably right. European heavyweights are now notoriously known to poach youngsters from academies of small clubs around the world, with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona and the like all involved in the practice for a number of years now. It is also highly naive to believe that this is the first instance of a club landing any youngster illegally, so Chelsea fans are justified in some ways to be hard done by.

Their complaints, although on a much larger scale, are somewhat analogous to Arsenal fans' cries for the past week or so after Uefa decided to ban Eduardo for simulation.

Was he the first one? Definitely not.

Then why him? It has to begin from somewhere.

Both sets of fans are enraged with football's two largest governing bodies, although, like earlier mentioned, Eduardo missing two group games and Chelsea missing two transfer windows are on two very different things.

One point that even Chelsea have made in their statement, is the severity of the punishment. The monetary sanctions are hardly the bone of contention here. Ironically, it's the fact that the Blues wont be able to spend any money on players till January 2011, which is the problem. Platini, Blatter and co. have been talking for a while now, about how youngsters must remain with their parent clubs till the age of 18, and an official ruling is also not too far away, so they have not taken to this incident kindly. One might not be off the mark in saying that FIFA wouldn't have imposed the same punishment on Real Madrid or AC Milan if they had been found guilty of the same offence, but that's hypothetical, and best not got into.

Chelsea, as they've pointed out, will mount a "strongest possible appeal", which will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the same body that ordered Adrian Mutu to pay 17 Million Euros to Chelsea. The CAS has since stated that any decision the court comes to will take about three months, with a Mid-December date said to be most likely. Also, if CAS indeed comes to a decision different from FIFA's, it will overrule the latter's ruling, therefore giving hope to Chelsea.

But what about Chelsea? Will they be able to handle this mess? On the pitch, yes. Off the pitch, not so sure.

The Blues have over the years accumulated some high-quality players, who have shown year after year that they are committed to the club. Lampard, Terry, Cole, Cech, Essien, Drogba, Ballack are all players in their prime, and players who are, at least at the moment, fully committed to winning trophies with the London outfit. They are already being touted as the best team in England this year, which obviously means that the squad is big enough, and strong enough, to challenge on all fronts.

One look at the players who are not regulars in the starting eleven at the moment, and you will see the likes of Joe Cole, Malouda, Ivanovic, Alex, Zhirkov, Ferreira, Sturridge, Belletti. All quality players, those, capable of walking into the starting XI’s of most teams across Europe. Among the younger crop, Di Santo, Stoch, and Sinclair are all on loan, while a certain Gael Kakuta must now be itching to prove himself, at least he should be.

Carlo Ancelotti has inherited the strongest squad in England, and is beginning to have an impact on the players, the style of play, and the dressing room in general. With Manchester United and Liverpool having been weakened since last season, and Arsenal still not mature enough, Chelsea are overwhelming favourites this season and will be competitive enough the next, whether they're allowed to buy, or not. In other words, if you've put money on Chelsea, don't let this ruling change your mind.

It is off the pitch, though, that Chelsea look the most suspect. They’ve never impressed anyone with the way the club has been run since Abramovich came down to England with his millions, and this development is another huge blow, to the club’s prestige, goodwill, and the way it’s perceived in the footy-following public all over the world. This will also bring the spotlight right onto the Blues’ youth academy, which has been oft criticized for not producing quality players after the turn of the century.

Peter Kenyon and Frank Arnesen have a lot of answering to do, as this is not the first time the Blues have been said to be involved in dealings not completely above board. Ashley Cole was infamously “tapped up” in 2005, and a BBC report in 2006 also showed Arnesen offering a 15-year old Middlesbrough youngster a substantial fee to move to Chelsea. The London club are not in a stable financial condition as well, as they still don’t make operating profits, and owe a large chunk of their debt to Roman Abramovich.

Just when one thought things were sailing smoothly at Stamford Bridge, and that there was a lack of controversy at the club, FIFA dropped this bombshell. But expect Chelsea, in their typical way, to emerge stronger out of this crisis, at least on the pitch. There’s a high chance that the club becomes a tightly knit unit as a result of these events, and as far as the squad is concerned, no one should have any doubts about their quality whatsoever. If anything, this ban might just save Chelsea from some unnecessary spending.

Doubts, and there are some, are all related to the offices at Stamford Bridge, where a lot will be going on in the next three months, and only time will tell if they mend their ways and run the club in a slightly better manner, once this has blown over. The club’s image has been severely tarnished, and not many could explain the situation better than a Chelsea fan I know, who confessed:

It is things like this which make me not want to be a Chelsea fan. But then I see Lampard score, and I know. Blue is the colour.

Stand Up For The Champions!

Also published here.

Ambedkar Stadium was the place to be in New Delhi yesterday, as India retained the Nehru Cup to continue their dominance at the event since it's revival in 2007. New Delhi didn't disappoint, as people turned out in large numbers to pack the entire stadium, with hundreds watching from balconies and tree tops, and several stranded outside the stadium gates.

The AIFF's decision to hand out free passes to the public turned out to be a good decision, as the atmosphere inside the ground was nothing less than electric, although it did lead to some confusion which saw many ticket-holders stranded outside the stadium. However, every person inside the arena got their money's and time's worth.

The game had everything. A vociferous crowd, a committed and energetic home team, a higher-ranked and superior opponent, crunching tackles, missed chances, quality free kicks, last minute equalizers, and eventually, the drama of a penalty shootout. Even if it wasn't exactly a giant-killing act, India upset the Syrians, just as they did two years ago.

The men in blue ran their legs off during the course of the game, and rattled the visitors at every opportunity. A prime example of the above was skipper Bhaichung Bhutia, who did much more than just play football on the night. The Sikkimese Sniper was in the Syrians' faces at all times, giving them as good as he got, showing the opponents that his wasn't a team that could be bullied into submission. He personified a newfound aggression and confidence in the Indian team, and showed who the boss was on the pitch.

India's constant hassling, pressing, and closing down of their opponents was also a major factor, in winning possession back, as well as irritating and frustrating the Syrians, which eventually made up for the gulf in quality between the two teams. India created many clear cut chances too, but failed to convert any, which was primarily down to profligate finishing and poor decision-making in the final third. Sunil Chhetri had a disappointing outing, especially when you compare it with his immense performance in the last final he played in, against Tajikistan in the AFC Challenge Cup last year. But the local boy still did work hard and win a number of long balls.

NP Pradeep and Climax didn't have a great game offensively either, but dug deep and were comparitively strong in defence. India's main attacking threat came down the flanks, especially the right wing through Steven Dias, who did rahter well in the first half. Anthony Pereira's was a case of "all talent but no end product", as he won back possession several times, went past players, but his final cross or pass was off the mark.

As expected, the back four were always under threat from a quality Syrian attacking force, with both Surkumar and Gourmangi Singh looking shaky at times, whereas Anwar and Mahesh Gawli were more solid and consistent. However, they did manage to keep the Syrians out until injury time after extra time, so it's evident that there was no shortage of commitment and energy from the defenders.

But there were two stars yesterday, who produced moments of sheer quality to win India the tournament. The first half of extra time saw India tiring a little bit, and Bob Houghton rather belatedly made the change, bringing on Renedy Singh for Anthony Pereira. The substitution worked like a charm, as the Manipuri winger buried a superb free kick just inside the near post, bending it over the Syrian wall and past their keeper. Very Beckham-esque in its execution, the freekick had seemingly wrapped up the victory for the Indians, but for a last-ditch equalizer by the visitors, that took the game to penalties.

And then stepped up the second, and definitely the bigger of the two star performers. Subrata Paul didn't have the best of seasons domestically, as he was frequently left on the bench for East Bengal, but his performances for the national team have never been in doubt. He was one of the best players at the AFC Challenge Cup last year, and was immense between the sticks throughout this edition of the Nehru Cup. Even before the final went to penalties, the Bengal lad was assured and solid, coming out to collect many crosses and long balls bravely.

In the shootout, though, he was a class apart. He made three saves out of six, and the first and third saves would have made any goalkeeper in the world proud. He pointed to the skies after every save, signalling that it wasn't him but some other power which saved the penalty, but that was just him being modest. The celebrations that followed after the third save wont leave an Indian football fan's memory anytime soon, and why should it?

It was an evening to remember, when Indian football rose above it's long-standing problems and issues, and showed everyone that it's here, to be counted. And more than the rest of the world, the players showed it to themselves, and their fans. It was the Indian fan's victory, who supported his team right till the end, and got back what he deserved.

This is the moment. Be proud of Indian football.