<P align=justify><FONT face=Georgia>If my memory serves me right, then somewhere I had heard about a similar story almost one year back. </FONT></P>
<P align=justify><FONT face=Georgia>My understanding on Incident 2 is that in Barakpur West Bengal an old man used to teach football to few kids of that neighborhood. May be one or two parents (belonging to higher class) were not happy that their kids are mixing up with other kids from lower/middle class background. Football is still considered as a game of working class people while for the rich and privileged ones, there are cricket, tennis etc. May be they were not happy to see their kids get into a contact sports where there is more chance of injury. Whatever the reason is, it looked like they threatened the old man to stop his coaching classes and when he didn’t budge, they hired goons to trash him back and blue so that he will be forced to spent his remaining life on a wheel chair.</FONT></P>
<P align=justify><FONT face=Georgia>That’s my take on that incident. </FONT></P>
<p align="justify" style="font-weight: normal; "><font face="Georgia">If my memory serves me right, then somewhere I had heard about a similar story almost one year back. </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font face="Georgia">My understanding on Incident 2 is that in Barakpur West Bengal an old man used to teach football to few kids of that neighborhood. May be one or two parents (belonging to higher class) were not happy that their kids are mixing up with other kids from lower/middle class background. Football is still considered as a game of working class people while for the rich and privileged ones, there are cricket, tennis etc. <b>May be they were not happy to see their kids get into a contact sports where there is more chance of injury</b>. Whatever the reason is, it looked like they threatened the old man to stop his coaching classes and when he didn’t budge, they hired goons to trash him back and blue so that he will be forced to spent his remaining life on a wheel chair.</font></p>
<p align="justify" style="font-weight: normal; "><font face="Georgia">That’s my take on that incident. </font></p>
<br><div><br></div><div>And they think American Football can make it in India. The sport where the age of of death for American Football players increases per year (mainly due to the head injuries sustained).</div>
<P>Sadly that's the truth here in India. You won't believe that I couldn't convince my own brother to allow his 8 year old son join a football coaching center. They would rather have him play TT or badminton for precisely two reasons, 1. These are not contact sports and 2. These being indoor sports, his son's white skin color will not get burnt and turn brown/black in hot summer seasons (yes, you read it right!) :-(</P>
<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Honestly its stupid. The only reason I know why you would want to play Tennis, Golf, Cricket etc or a parent wants you to play those sports is because of connections you can get with those sports. You can be the "civilized" person but if you want to take a sport professionally, you have more of a chance in gaining more money in football than golf, tennis etc.</font><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Do you think Rodger Federer or Tiger Woods make there money just from the sport. Most of it comes from sponsorships. And you have to be really good in order to be sponsored. Football literally pays you that amount from the sport. You then get extra from sponsors. When parents realize that then you could see more kids in the sport. </font></div>
Ya, this is a problem faced in many countries. Specifically in Arabic countries like Qatar. There are good players who have offers from Europe in Qatar but the Qatari players are paid well over there value in the Qatari Super League that the Euro club loses interest. That could happen here. Today Gournamangi, who had a trial with A-League's Melbourne Heart FC, would not be anywhere near A-League as his reported salary at Prayag is close to what a player of a starter in the A-League would make. Gournamangi is not a starter, bench at best in A-League.<div><br></div><div>This is why we need salary caps. Not the cap where its like "pay this much of profit", that may work in Europe but for us that wont cut it. We need to set a number and that is the limit. Allow 3 exemptions for star players and done.</div>
Ya, this is a problem faced in many countries. Specifically in Arabic countries like Qatar. There are good players who have offers from Europe in Qatar but the Qatari players are paid well over there value in the Qatari Super League that the Euro club loses interest. That could happen here. Today Gournamangi, who had a trial with A-League's Melbourne Heart FC, would not be anywhere near A-League as his reported salary at Prayag is close to what a player of a starter in the A-League would make. Gournamangi is not a starter, bench at best in A-League.<div><br></div><div>This is why we need salary caps. Not the cap where its like "pay this much of profit", that may work in Europe but for us that wont cut it. We need to set a number and that is the limit. Allow 3 exemptions for star players and done.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>More than salary caps, what is woefully missing right now is "performance measurement and analysis", which is the norm in almost every industry worldwide. Once that is in, rest will follow. I am going to attempt a relatively crude version this season for MB players, whatever little I can do in my leisure time, at least a start. I already aired this idea, while everyone agrees that this should be started immediately, many are afraid that crude techniques might misrepresent. They want to buy the latest video analysis software but that comes at a cost, what can you do if no club is willing to pay for such software ?</div>
Ya, this is a problem faced in many countries. Specifically in Arabic countries like Qatar. There are good players who have offers from Europe in Qatar but the Qatari players are paid well over there value in the Qatari Super League that the Euro club loses interest. That could happen here. Today Gournamangi, who had a trial with A-League's Melbourne Heart FC, would not be anywhere near A-League as his reported salary at Prayag is close to what a player of a starter in the A-League would make. Gournamangi is not a starter, bench at best in A-League.<div><br></div><div>This is why we need salary caps. Not the cap where its like "pay this much of profit", that may work in Europe but for us that wont cut it. We need to set a number and that is the limit. Allow 3 exemptions for star players and done.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>More than salary caps, what is woefully missing right now is "performance measurement and analysis", which is the norm in almost every industry worldwide. Once that is in, rest will follow. I am going to attempt a relatively crude version this season for MB players, whatever little I can do in my leisure time, at least a start. I already aired this idea, while everyone agrees that this should be started immediately, many are afraid that crude techniques might misrepresent. They want to buy the latest video analysis software but that comes at a cost, what can you do if no club is willing to pay for such software ?</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>If you follow the way the salary cap is ran in MLS or the contracts in J.League are ran than that is basically it. In MLS we dont just say "Okay here is the cap, only three players on your roster dont count, do as you please now". We have set wage structures around the league for rookies and 2nd year players. We even have foreign to domestic contracts.</div><div><br></div><div>Also another thing I like about MLS is that every player is NOT contracted to there team directly. MLS controls the contracts because every club is part owned by MLS. So basically the club cant just say that "we have this player, we will pay him this much". The league has to agree as well.</div>
AIFF to felicitate heroes of 1951 and '62 Asian Games
New Delhi, Aug 14 — The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will be felicitating the surviving members of the gold medal winning 1951 and 1962 Asian Games teams, on the occasion of the federation's 75th anniversary next week.
Comments
<P align=justify><FONT face=Georgia>My understanding on Incident 2 is that in Barakpur West Bengal an old man used to teach football to few kids of that neighborhood. May be one or two parents (belonging to higher class) were not happy that their kids are mixing up with other kids from lower/middle class background. Football is still considered as a game of working class people while for the rich and privileged ones, there are cricket, tennis etc. May be they were not happy to see their kids get into a contact sports where there is more chance of injury. Whatever the reason is, it looked like they threatened the old man to stop his coaching classes and when he didn’t budge, they hired goons to trash him back and blue so that he will be forced to spent his remaining life on a wheel chair.</FONT></P>
<P align=justify><FONT face=Georgia>That’s my take on that incident. </FONT></P>
</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>More than salary caps, what is woefully missing right now is "performance measurement and analysis", which is the norm in almost every industry worldwide. Once that is in, rest will follow. I am going to attempt a relatively crude version this season for MB players, whatever little I can do in my leisure time, at least a start. I already aired this idea, while everyone agrees that this should be started immediately, many are afraid that crude techniques might misrepresent. They want to buy the latest video analysis software but that comes at a cost, what can you do if no club is willing to pay for such software ?</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>If you follow the way the salary cap is ran in MLS or the contracts in J.League are ran than that is basically it. In MLS we dont just say "Okay here is the cap, only three players on your roster dont count, do as you please now". We have set wage structures around the league for rookies and 2nd year players. We even have foreign to domestic contracts.</div><div><br></div><div>Also another thing I like about MLS is that every player is NOT contracted to there team directly. MLS controls the contracts because every club is part owned by MLS. So basically the club cant just say that "we have this player, we will pay him this much". The league has to agree as well.</div>
AIFF to felicitate heroes of 1951 and '62 Asian Games