Month: August 2023

In the Land of Thunder Dragon: India U16s determined to steal the thunder – AIFF

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Soumo GhoshAIFF Media Team
THIMPHU, BHUTAN: For a sportsperson, donning the national jersey and representing the country is always considered a major achievement. No different is the mood in the India U-16 Team, who are certainly experiencing all such feelings and emotions as they fly to the picturesque country of Bhutan to participate in the SAFF U-16 Championship.
The players are no strangers to the beauty of the Himalayas, having set up camp in Srinagar for over a month before embarking on the flight to the Land of Thunder Dragon. However, on the flight to Thimphu, via Kathmandu, a certain peak called Mount Everest piqued their interest as most players rushed to the window seats to sneak a peek, perhaps sending an invocation to the Almighty to help them scale similar heights in football in the years to come.
Once they landed in the capital city of Bhutan, their focus shifted back to the rectangular green plot of land that would make or break their careers.
Head coach Ishfaq Ahmed, a former India international himself, believes in the importance of making a good start to the junior international careers of the boys.
“Its an extremely important stage for all the boys here. This is the first time they will play international football at any stage. This is also the first time all of them will be travelling outside the country to play football, said Ahmed. I want the boys to enjoy the experience, but it’s also important for them to perform well here.
India begin their campaign in the SAFF U-16 Championship against Bangladesh on Friday, September 2, 2023, with the match kicking off at 2.30 pm IST, followed by their game against Nepal on September 6. The top two teams in the group will make it to the semi-finals.
It’s certainly the more difficult of the two groups but we will give our best on the pitch and try to make it to the semifinals,” said Ahmed. “Of course, we aim to play good football, something that the boys would enjoy, but we must also make sure that we get the results and then build from there.
The 40-year-old believes in allowing his players more freedom in order for them to play a better game on the pitch.
I always believe in giving them freedom, in order to cultivate their creativity. Discipline is a key aspect of football of course, and we have aspects of that, but you also want to make sure that you dont make it a jail-like environment, said Ahmed. We give them freedom in certain things, but we also put different responsibilities on their shoulders. It all comes down to that balance.
While training in Kashmir, the India U-16s have played a number of matches against local sides, with some encouraging results coming in the form of a 3-2 win against Real Kashmirs senior reserves side, and a 1-1 draw against the senior side of FC 1, a local side in the senior league.
The boys have really started to grasp the concept of football that we are trying to play here. We want to play with high intensity, move the ball fast within one or two touches, and play a notch ahead of our opponents, said Ahmed.
The former India winger also thanked the Federation for the long camp in Kashmir, where the team have had the opportunity to gel together.
Weve been lucky to have trained in Kashmir and then come to Bhutan to play in the tournament. The weather and altitude are quite similar to what we had in Kashmir, so the boys are already acclimatized to that, he said. Our matches here will also be played on artificial turf, which is what we trained on during our camp in Kashmir. I hope that these things help us achieve our ultimate targets.
Indias Fixtures in SAFF U-16 Championship:
September 2: Bangladesh vs India, 2.30 PM IST, Changlimithang Stadium.
September 6: India vs Nepal, 2.30 PM IST, Changlimithang Stadium.
September 8: Semifinals.
September 10: Final.

Pakistan’s steady rise to white-ball stability – Hindustan Times

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Results have rarely been an accurate indicator of Pakistan crickets health. 1992 was like pulling a rabbit out of the hat, except Imran Khan never doubted their ability to win. 2009 was almost a rite of passage after Sreesanth had cut short Misbah-ul-Haqs nearly-there onslaught in the 2007 T20 World Cup. And 2017 was a tale of success built on several aligning factors and a bit of luck with Sarfaraz Ahmedpossibly their most modest leader evercalmly steering them through the chaotic Champions Trophy. Nobody expected Pakistan to win. Yet somehow thats when they find the gear to drive home the incredulity of their talent. Note the formats though. And now check Pakistans current standing in the ICC rankingssixth in Tests, fourth in T20Is but No 1 in ODIs.
Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi (2R) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel (L) during the Asia Cup 2023(AFP)
Pakistan are a temperamental cricketing power, with possibly the highest attrition rate in the world of professional sport. Players come and go but its a given that only the gifted break through. The administration, in fact, has been more suspect in their callow handling of affairs. That, along with the near decade-long exile to the UAE post the 2009 Lahore attacks have played a massive part in Pakistans slowdown. To remain a white-ball powerhouse despite such overwhelming odds surely points to something more than analytical reasoning can reveal.
In fact, very little of what Pakistan have achieved can be attributed to conscious planning. A fast bowling hub but rarely fronting a stable batting lineup, electric one day, pedestrian the otherPakistan have successfully eluded logic and fuelled prejudice. Look closer though and you will start seeing the little things they are now doing right, like building a core group.
Babar Azam is the undisputed leader and Mohammad Rizwan the livewire of this team. Fakhar Zaman is still around. As is Imam-ul-Haq, despite consistent murmur that talent alone hasnt sustained him at this level. Naseem Shah is the protege granted to every Pakistan generation but in Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan do they flex their real bowling muscle.
More crucially, its their understanding of the game that makes Pakistan so formidable. Wednesdays 238-run win against Nepal in the Asia Cup opener at Multan was a small but timely reminder of that. The result was always a foregone conclusion but it still had to be bedded. Reduced to 25/2 in six overs, playing out a maiden early onthis wasnt however shaping up to be one of Pakistans better starts, or at least what was expected against an associate nation.
But they paused, took a step back and recalibrated their approach with Babarwho hit his 19th hundred in 104 matches, now second to Saeed Anwars tally of 20 hundreds in 247 matchesat the front and centre of it before Iftikhar Ahmed provided a scintillating touch-up with a 71-ball 109.
Pakistan added 129 runs in the last 10 overs, with Babar anchoring and accelerating like only he can, reaching 50 in 72 balls, taking 37 balls for the next 50 before shellacking 51 in the final 22 deliveries of his innings. The first six of the inningsa one-handed pull off Babars batcame only in the 43rd over but with 10 boundaries till then, he ensured Pakistans rate never slackened. With Intikhab fired up as well, crossing 300 and threatening to breach 350 was a matter of time but at 44/2 after 10 overs, it sure didnt look easy.
This is one area where Pakistan have come up so well since the 2019 World Cup, underpinned no less by the fact that they have the best win-loss ratio (4.5) among all nations to score at least 300 in ODIs. Bowling has always been Pakistans forte and Shadab, Afridi, Rauf showed once again why. But for a change, that isn’t their only sustenance.

Pakistan beat India 5-4 in Asia Hockey5s World Cup Qualifier – Geo Super

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Pakistan hockey team defeated arch-rivals India 5-4 after a thrilling encounter and continued their impeccable display in the Asia Hockey5s World Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday, in Salalah, Oman.
With three successive wins and 46 goals scored in the process, Pakistan now sit on top of the table with nine points.
Arshad Liaquat scored twice for the winning team, while Abdul Rehman, Zakriya Hayat and Rana Abdul Waheed scored one goal each.
For their stunning performances, the President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) announced $100 for every player as a reward.
Earlier today, Pakistan battered Bangladesh 15-6 in their second group match and strengthened their position.
Waheed scored four goals and Liaquat and Abdullah notched up three each and helped their side record a big win.
Pakistan hockey team will now face Oman and Malaysia tomorrow in the tournament.
The Pakistan squad is accompanied by head coach Olympian Wasim Feroze and manager Major Muhammad Shahnawaz Khan.
India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, Oman and Bangladesh are placed in the Elite pool. Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Iran will compete in the Challenger pool.
After the teams complete their pool matches, the first crossover matches will be played amongst the bottom two teams of the elite pool and the top two teams in the challenger pool. The winners of these two contests will play in the second phase of crossover matches, against the teams in third and fourth place of the elite pool.
Finally, the two top finishers of the elite pool will take on the winners of the second crossovers in the semi-finals. The losing semi-finalists will play in the bronze medal match, where the winner, along with the two finalists will qualify for the inaugural FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024.
Pakistan squad
Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan, Ali Raza, Muhammad Abdullah, Ehtsham Aslam, Muhammad Murtaza Yaqoob, Arshad Liaquat, Zakriya Hayat, Rana Abdul Waheed Ashraf, Abdul Rehman, and Abdul Wahab.
Pakistans remaining matches
Aug 31 – Oman
Aug 31 – Malaysia

Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa gets felicitated by MK Stalin, says regrets missing gold – India Today

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Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Wednesday expressed regret at missing the gold at the 2023 FIDE World Cup and said his focus will be to win the world title at the next instance. Praggnanandhaa, who was felicitated by Chief Minister M K Stalin earlier in the day with a purse of Rs 30 lakh and a memento, was responding to a reporter’s question on whether he had any regrets over losing the Chess World Cup to Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
“I have some regrets… but the silver medal is a super result. My focus is on winning the main event – the World Cup,” he said.
Following his return to the city, Pragnanandhaa received a cheque for Rs 30 lakh for his performance at the 2023 FIDE World Cup, and entering the FIDE Candidates tournament, from the CM.
Praggnanandhaa also received a memento and a shawl when he called on the Chief Minister at his Alwarpet residence here. State Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Praggnanandhaa’s parents besides officials were present on the occasion.
The prodigy showed the Chief Minister the silver medal that he won at the 2023 FIDE World Cup.
Noting that he was delighted to meet the brilliant young mind upon his return to Chennai, Stalin said Praggnanandhaa’s achievements bring glory to Tamil Nadu and the entire country.
“I had the honour of felicitating Praggnanandhaa with a memento and a reward of 30 lakh INR. This gesture reflects our commitment to nurturing young talents in sports. Keep the momentum going, and emerge victorious in the upcoming challenges too, Prag!” the Chief Minister said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
After calling on Stalin, Praggnanandha said, “This is a motivation for sportspersons and a support from the state government. The conduct of the 44th Chess Olympiad has earned recognition for Chess. I thank the Chief Minister and the Sports Minister for their support.”
The Indian prodigy, who made history in clinching the silver medal in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, at Baku, Azerbaijan, arrived to a hero’s welcome to the state.
He was accorded a rousing reception at the airport here. The officials from the state sports department received him at the airport. His fans eagerly waited at the exit gate and presented him a crown of flowers, a shawl and bouquets. Flowers were strewn on his path as he stepped out and artists performed Karagattam and Oyilattam, folk dances of Tamil Nadu, on the occasion.
The teenager took his time watching the media persons swarm on either side of the vehicle which he got into, and said, “I am very happy over the reception.”
He accepted the national tricolour offered to him and waved it.
His mother Nagalakshmi too expressed glee over the grand reception accorded to her 18-year-old son.
Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa’s dream run in the FIDE World Cup ended at the hands of Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break at Baku, on August 24 after the classical games ended in a stalemate.
Despite the final result, Praggnanandhaa’s achievement resonated with the dreams of 140 crore people, Stalin had said congratulating him.
The young Grand Master has an elder sister R Vaishali, who is two-time youth chess champion.
His parents Rameshbabu, a manager at the TNSC Bank and mother have been a great source of inspiration to Praggnanandhaa.

What is the best (and worst) possible draw for Bayern Munich in this year’s Champions League group stage? – Bavarian Football Works

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The UEFA Champions League group stage draw is a fascinating event. 24 teams from across Europe gather their representatives at a single venue, with the vast majority of them praying for one thing. In the group stage, no one wants to face Bayern Munich. This is a team that has not lost a UCL group game since 2017, an unbeaten streak that is so long there are some Bayern fans who have never seen their team lose in the group stage.
This year, with the return of some old names and a few new faces on the block, the Champions League promises a scintillating group stage that is set to be the last in this traditional format, before changes take effect from 2024-25.
So, who will Bayern Munich get?
How it works
The teams are grouped into 4 pots, with Pot 1 reserved for the reigning UCL title holders, the champions of the top 6 leagues, and the reigning Europa League holders. Pots 2 to 4 will consist of the rest, grouped according to UEFA coefficients.
Each group will consist of one team from each pot teams from the same country cannot be drawn against each other. Heres what the pots look like right now:
Pot 1: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona, Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Feyenoord, Benfica, Sevilla
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, RB Leipzig, Porto
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Bull Salzburg, AC Milan, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, Braga
Pot 4:Newcastle United, Union Berlin, Lens, Real Sociedad, Celtic, Galatasaray
The final teams of Pots 3 and 4 will be decided after the qualifiers conclude on Wednesday night.
Easiest draw
Looking at the pots so far, the easiest draw for Bayern Munich would probably be some combination of the following:
Pot 2: PortoPot 3: Shakhtar DonetskPot 4: Galatasaray
Teams like Antwerp, Copenhagen, or Rangers could knock Galatasaray out of that Pot 4 slot realistically though, it doesnt change much. Bayern Munich would be expected to waltz out of a group like this, with the rest of the teams knowing from the start that theyre fighting for 2nd place.
Its too bad that FC Barcelona won the league last year, it wouldve been nice to continue the annual tradition of a double FCB header in the groups.
Lewandowski is not amused.
Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images
Hardest draw
Of course the above isnt really what the Champions League is about. So, here is what could be one of the toughest possible draws for Bayern Munich, which obviously promises a ton of excitement but also brings with it the pressure to deliver.
Here is what the hardest possible draw could be:
Pot 2: Real MadridPot 3: AC MilanPot 4: Newcastle United
Thats a bona-fide group of death. Still, Bayern Munich would be one of the favorites to advance, but Thomas Tuchel would not be able to afford any slip ups. Each and every single matchday would be packed with incredible clashes and sky-high drama.
However, its the kind of draw that is liable to make fans nervous, since the current team has plenty of weaknesses and the chances of missing out on the Ro16 become very real when all the games are must-wins.
A balance
Lets put the high drama aside for a second and think about the the narrative. A group that is relatively balanced, with a few key favorites but also plenty of room for surprises that seems like the best for fans and neutrals alike.
So, with that in mind, heres what a balanced group could look like:
Pot 2: Arsenal or Manchester UnitedPot 3: RB SalzburgPot 4: Celtic
Now while Bayern would still be heavy favorites, this would be a great group to watch from game to game. The opponents are close enough to each other in level to have some thrilling games, but this would still be a group where Bayern Munich should win most games and qualify from.
Who do you want Bayern to face in the CL group this year? Comment below!

Fiorentina reject loan approach from Man Utd for Sofyan Amrabat – 90min UK

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Fiorentina have rejected fresh attempts from Manchester United to sign Sofyan Amrabat on an initial loan before Friday’s transfer deadline, 90min understands.
The Moroccan midfielder has been on United’s list of targets for the duration of the window, though after the arrivals of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund earlier this summer, the club have first turned their attention to offloading a number of fringe players to raise funds before moving for Amrabat.
Amrabat has been waiting on United to make their move having already agreed in principle an outline on personal terms, though their struggles in selling players has put the transfer on hold.
United have sold Fred to Fenerbahce but were also looking to offload one of Scott McTominay or Donny van de Beek before going back into the market. However, the pair still remain on the books at Old Trafford despite interest from other clubs.
West Ham saw a £30m bid for McTominay knocked back a number of weeks ago and have not followed up on their interest, while Real Sociedad have been talking about a potential deal for Van de Beek of late. United prefer a permanent sale of the Dutchman but La Real have been hesitant to commit, preferring a loan deal on their terms because of Van de Beek’s recent injury problems.
A deal is not close at this stage, but Lorient have also made their interest known to United in the former Ajax midfielder.
United have been forced to alter their plans for Amrabat as a result of their difficulties in raising funds, and have approached the Serie A side over a potential loan with option to buy. Fiorentina are resigned to Amrabat leaving the club before the window closes but have rebuffed United’s loan approach, hoping instead United revert back to their initial plan of signing the player on a permanent deal.
Amrabat has held out for the move to Old Trafford for a number of weeks and is still hopeful the deal goes through, though the ball is now in United’s court on how they proceed. Amrabat is Erik ten Hag’s preferred target but the club have other alternatives, though Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch is also of interest.
United are also speaking to Chelsea about signing left back Marc Cucurella on loan.
On this edition of The Promised Land, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders and Rob Blanchette discuss the impact of Luke Shaw and Mason Mount’s injuries and whether Erik ten Hag should look to the club’s youth players for support.
If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

Bilateral cricket media rights: Will BCCI make a killing again? | Mint – Mint

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On Thursday, 31 August, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will auction the media rights for television (TV) and digital for bilateral matches to be played in the country for the next five years. The hope is that the three bidders Disney Star, Viacom18 and Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) will loosen their purse strings once again. The last time they did that, BCCI waltzed away with 48,390 crore in IPL (Indian Premier League) rights for the 2023-27 cycle. That included 23,575 crore from Disney Star (TV rights) and 23,757 crore from Viacom18 (exclusive digital rights).
Later, when the ICC (International Cricket Council) auctioned its rights for four years, Disney Star was in the thick of action again, picking up the rights for $3.03 billion. Thereafter, it decided to retain only the digital rights and sub-licensed the TV rights to Zee Entertainment Enterprises for around $1.4 billion.
This time, up for grabs are two packages TV rights for the Indian subcontinent with a base price of 20 crore per match; and digital and the rest of the world rights with a base price of 25 crore per match. Under the current FTP (future tour programme), India will play 88 games in the next five years, including 25 Tests, 27 ODIs, and 36 T20Is.
And while the board, for the first time, has kept the reserve price at 25% lower than the average per-match price from the last cycle ( 60 crore per match), it is counting on the popularity of Indian cricket and the fact that the bidders fought tooth and nail for the rights of the IPL and ICC tournaments.
Even at the last cycles average price, the board will secure 5,280 crore for the next five years from India cricket. Its internal target, however, is 100 crore per match or 8,800 crore.
That, sports marketing experts feel, could be a pipe dream considering that most of these companies are now looking hard at returns on the huge monies spent for the IPL and ICC rights.
In the current scenario, Viacom18, which has the digital rights of the IPL, will be looking at digital rights of the India matches, too. SPNI, which is merging with ZEE, will have the TV rights of the ICC, and it has managed to keep its sports business sans any Indian cricket since 2018. Disney Star, which at one point in time had the rights to all three major properties BCCI matches, the IPL and ICC matches now only has TV rights to the IPL and digital rights to the ICC tournaments.
Experts said that the BCCI rights if the bidders follow business logic and not ego will not see aggressive bidding for the TV rights. However, Viacom18, which is likely to bid aggressively for digital rights, cant allow the bidding for TV to be so low that its rivals can pick those up for closer to the base price.
Disney Star is in a space where the BCCI rights will not make or break its business in India. Moreover, Disney headquarters in Burbank is now calling the shots and nobody knows what they are thinking. In that scenario, they may not bid aggressively for the rights. They may not want to go beyond the 60 crore tag.
SPNI, on the other hand, has always shown cautious aggression. During the last auction, it was bidding against Star but claimed to have let go when the rights value became unviable, its honcho N.P. Singh, had said in an interview with The Economic Times.
Meanwhile, Viacom18, which is building its sports business and has picked up rights to Cricket South Africa and the Womens Premier League, is likely to be more aggressive. It may also want to pocket the TV rights, if it comes at the right cost, to help grow its distribution business, while its stated focus remains digital.
Some experts believe that the BCCI has been slightly late in auctioning the rights, and the market has turned. If it had come up with a tender just after the IPL auction or even after the ICC one, there was a chance for the rights to go for a greater price. However, now with advertising revenues from some of the big categories including startups and surrogates (offshore betting companies) going off and the gaming sector facing a 28% GST burden, the market has changed drastically.
Moreover, the excitement for bilateral series has ebbed with only Australia and England teams India tours getting decent viewership (Pakistan doesnt come to India). Also, 25 test matches mean a further drop in ratings.
It’s important to recognise that the BCCI stands as one of the most affluent sports organisations globally. The IPL broadcasting rights hold a value of $15.5 million per match, placing it in the second position, right after the National Football League (NFL), an American professional football league, which boasts an even higher per-match valuation of $17 million. Other prominent sports leagues, namely the English Premier League (EPL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), both maintain a per-match value of $11 million. However, it’s worth noting the scale of matches hosted by each league: the NFL conducts 272 matches per season, the EPL has 380, and the MLB features 162, all in contrast to the IPL’s 74 matches.
The BCCI earned 7,606 crore in terms of revenue in fiscal year 2022. The expenses incurred were 3,064 crore and it paid 1,159 crore in income tax. The board has reported a combined revenue of 27,411 crore in the five-year block from 2017-2022.
Ultimately, the significant question lingers: Will the bidders disregard logic once more and bid based on ego, or will a sense of business prevail?
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