UEFA should replace the Round of 16 knockout section with a league itself composed of the qualified 16 teams itself. Big Clubs are unhappy because they loose a lot of money. A bigger European league could reduce their financial books.
@dhritiman7 had earlier shared his experiences about NT goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury
"However, his story is fascinating. He once used to cut chicken in Teghoria market. He used to practice in night beside airport wall where flood lights were available. I once met him in CC2. He was chilling with his daughter / son (too young to get a clue). A real humble person. If you speak with him you will like him. "
One of the most heart-rending, and inspiring stories, I have encountered in recent times
From begging for leftovers to playing for Blue Tigers: Subhasish Roy Chowdhury takes his family forward together
“When you starve for days, and live on leftover pieces from your neighbour, that too not without any guarantee that you will even get them -- all romanticism goes out for a toss,” he looks deep into your eyes.
“We used to live in Teghoria (in Kolkata). My dad, Late Samiran Roy Chowdhury, got influenced by some evil souls and took up drinking. He was our sole earning member – we were a family of 8 – 4 brothers and 2 sisters besides my parents,” he narrates.
“With dad not earning anymore, my mom was left with no option, and took up the job of a maid nearby. My elder sister also went with her,” this time he breathes heavily. “I was barely 5, and when mom went out, I took care of everyone at home.”
“With more mouths to feed than the income, we were unable to pay the rent, and eventually had to vacate our home. We moved to Panapukur (in Rajarhat, Kolkata) in a small thatched house as tenants.”
“We were left to starve – at times for almost three days. I didn’t eat, we didn’t eat. Every morning, with much optimism, we used to walk barefoot to a house nearby and knock if they had any leftover rice from the previous night. At times, we got lucky, but not every day. And the quantity wasn’t enough to feed us all,” Subhasish pauses, his eyes fixed on the floor.
We used to have panta-bhaat (a rice-based dish prepared by soaking rice, generally left-over in water overnight). Mom never got to eat. She ate salt and chillies.”
“I remember my mom once fell ill. It was the first week of the month, and she asked me to get her salaries from the homes she worked as a maid in. But one certain home was not so kind. They complained as to who will wash the utensils, and mop the floor,” Subhasish chuckles.
“I offered to help. I washed the utensils, mopped the floor, persuaded them to give me my mom’s salary. Eventually, they obliged.”
The story stayed the same as I grew up. We were unable to pay rent, and had to vacate again. We went back to Teghoria, this time surrounded by four walls but no roof overhead. It was a house that was under construction but hadn’t been completed,” he goes on.
Pritam was about to say something. Subhasish gestures him to stop, and adds: “The first night itself, it rained. We ran for shelter, and stood all night under a sunshade. All of us. And when the sun came out the next day, we again ran to the same place and stood. Food wasn’t a regular visitor. The same fate continued. At times we didn’t eat for 3-4 days. But by then we had got used to it,” Subhasish caresses his gloves which were lying nearby.
“Taking pity on us, the locals sheltered us in a makeshift home in a basti (jhuggi), just next to the pavement. But at least, there was a roof,” Pritam has sliced some apples by then and brought some for everyone.
“My mom started a tea shop. I had just turned 7 and understanding I had to help her, I joined Joydeb-da (Haldar) in his poultry shop. My job was to take care of his shop, bring the chicken from the mandi, peel and sell them, manage the cash flow. I became quite an expert in no time. In return, he gave me food and allowed me to play football,” Subhasish punches his gloves for himself. “I even joined a football coaching centre – Nirbhik Songho in Baguihati (in Kolkata).”
“Were you always a goalkeeper?” Pritam quips.
“Always,” Subhasish nods. “I felt the goalkeeper stayed in the thick of the action all throughout. So I wanted to be a goalkeeper. At the centre, some of the days some goalkeepers would not come. That allowed me more time to stand under the bar.”
“There was a school next door, and there was an inter-school tournament going on. I finished all my work at the shop, and ran to watch from the side-lines. I was wearing the same shirt, and it was dirty and had blood all over, and even on my face and hands. But I never cared,” Subhasish continues.
“It so happened that the goalkeeper hadn’t turned up, and some kids suggested that I be fielded as a goalkeeper. Hurriedly, I was enrolled into the school, and given admission. I played, and took them to the final where I saved penalties against a school from Phoolbagan. We were the champions. I knew how to fight. I had learnt it the hardest way possible.”
So you never went to school prior to that?
“We didn’t have anything to eat. School needed a uniform, fees, books. We could not afford that,” you spot his moist eyes.
“The school tournament spurred me on. Lalu-da came into my life. He took me to train with the seniors. At that time, Bivash Ghosh (former India goalkeeper) used to practice there. He was so tall. He used to drive a car which he always parked around the entrance of the playing arena. I adored his car. I used to touch it, peep inside and ask myself – ‘Will I ever be able to drive my own car?’”
“Kishore Mukherjee, Proloy Saha also used to practice at the same venue.”
“But it didn’t take off from there,” Subhasish leans back on his sofa again. “To get extra time for practice, I started waking up at 3 am in the morning. I went to a compound that had a wall and street lights. I used to kick the ball myself into the wall and catch it. Sometimes I used to do my own commentary,” he laughed. “I also did my drills, all of which was taught to me at Nirbhik Sangha. Thereafter, I sat at the poultry shop and did the errands.”
“My dad passed away. It was a day I won’t forget ever. The civic authorities had come over to clan off the jhuggi as there were plans for the expansion of the road. May dad’s dead body lay on the pavement, even as our family quarreled, and pleaded in a desperate effort to pacify the authorities not to break our house. Life couldn’t have been more cruel,” Subhasish clutches your fist. You gauge his power, the frustration, his fighting spirit, the attitude that made him win everywhere and everything he played in.
Truly inspiring & heart warming. My respect towards Subhasish has increased. All budding football players & sport persons should take him as an inspiration.
Truth is stranger than fiction. Edel Bete used to call him Roy and had doubt that he would ever replace Roy in the ATK goal in 1st ISL season. Edel Bete was no 1 for Paris St Germain and teammate of Ronaldinho in prime. Sandip Nandy, Abhijit (Dempo GK during Colaco's golden era) also had struggling background. Sandip is from Bardwan and Abhijit is from Balurghat, both places are far from Kolkata. Sandip Nandy used to play for Sonali Shibir. He was offered a bed in a youth hostel, kit bag and 10,000 bucks for entire CFL. He performed brilliantly against star studded Mohunbagan and hold them till 89th minute. Amal Dutta offered him a contract in Mohun Bangan next season. He played well and next year shifted to East Bengal, that year he won I League with East Bengal and next year was the Asean year and rest is history. Abhijit was a central government employee. He got a job in players quota in Post and Telegraph so he moved to Kolkata from Hili, district capital of Balurghat (probably before bifurcation). He was playing All India communication league (India had a reach office tournament culture, railways, petroleum, steel lot of segment wise tournament used to be held earlier) against ITI, Bangalore and was spotted by former Indian goalkeeper Balaji (Virender Singh's deputy in NT) and he introduced him to one of officials of Dempo sports club. He had the audacity to leave a secure job and embrace professional football. He played continuously for Dempo in golden era with Beto, Cliford, Ranty, Debabrata Roy etc. Fun-fact Subhasish was Sandip's deputy in Mahindra and Abhijit's deputy throughout this tenure in Dempo.
UEFA was never going to ban players and that wasn't the main reason at all. No one would watch the Euros or WC if the likes of Messi and Ronaldo were missing and FIFA and UEFA would never allow that. They would have lost way too much money.
What made them change was the extreme fan reactions leading the sponsors to start questioning clubs and backing out. At least that's what happened at Liverpool.
he All India Football Federation (AIFF) has
called for an executive committee meeting on April 30 with the
presidents and secretaries of all state associations. The AIFF's
technical director, Isac Doru, is scheduled to make a presentation
“regarding non-relegation” in the meeting, which will also have the
federation president Praful Patel in attendance.
According to
sources, the federation is likely to backtrack from its earlier agreed
roadmap -- jointly envisaged by the federation, I-League, ISL clubs and the Asian Football Confederation -- to introduce relegation-promotion from the 2024-25 season.
“I think they (the league and club owners) are not happy with the
proposal (relegation), so they might be pulling the AIFF to take a
decision that there will not be a relegation from the ISL,” a football
official said. “Nobody will want to buy a team if there is a danger of
the club being relegated. If someone buys a club for Rs 200 crore and if
there is a risk of relegation in the same year, who will pay such a
huge amount,” the official added.
they are saying about non relegation. promotion will happen as decided. i'm still ok with it. that means we will have more teams, more number of matches. hope the schedule is proper and not cramped.
Comments
"However, his story is fascinating. He once used to cut chicken in Teghoria market. He used to practice in night beside airport wall where flood lights were available. I once met him in CC2. He was chilling with his daughter / son (too young to get a clue). A real humble person. If you speak with him you will like him. "
One of the most heart-rending, and inspiring stories, I have encountered in recent times
From begging for leftovers to playing for Blue Tigers: Subhasish Roy Chowdhury takes his family forward together
“When you starve for days, and live on leftover pieces from your neighbour, that too not without any guarantee that you will even get them -- all romanticism goes out for a toss,” he looks deep into your eyes.
“We used to live in Teghoria (in Kolkata). My dad, Late Samiran Roy Chowdhury, got influenced by some evil souls and took up drinking. He was our sole earning member – we were a family of 8 – 4 brothers and 2 sisters besides my parents,” he narrates.
“With dad not earning anymore, my mom was left with no option, and took up the job of a maid nearby. My elder sister also went with her,” this time he breathes heavily. “I was barely 5, and when mom went out, I took care of everyone at home.”
“With more mouths to feed than the income, we were unable to pay the rent, and eventually had to vacate our home. We moved to Panapukur (in Rajarhat, Kolkata) in a small thatched house as tenants.”
“We were left to starve – at times for almost three days. I didn’t eat, we didn’t eat. Every morning, with much optimism, we used to walk barefoot to a house nearby and knock if they had any leftover rice from the previous night. At times, we got lucky, but not every day. And the quantity wasn’t enough to feed us all,” Subhasish pauses, his eyes fixed on the floor.
We used to have panta-bhaat (a rice-based dish prepared by soaking rice, generally left-over in water overnight). Mom never got to eat. She ate salt and chillies.”
“I remember my mom once fell ill. It was the first week of the month, and she asked me to get her salaries from the homes she worked as a maid in. But one certain home was not so kind. They complained as to who will wash the utensils, and mop the floor,” Subhasish chuckles.
“I offered to help. I washed the utensils, mopped the floor, persuaded them to give me my mom’s salary. Eventually, they obliged.”
The story stayed the same as I grew up. We were unable to pay rent, and had to vacate again. We went back to Teghoria, this time surrounded by four walls but no roof overhead. It was a house that was under construction but hadn’t been completed,” he goes on.
Pritam was about to say something. Subhasish gestures him to stop, and adds: “The first night itself, it rained. We ran for shelter, and stood all night under a sunshade. All of us. And when the sun came out the next day, we again ran to the same place and stood. Food wasn’t a regular visitor. The same fate continued. At times we didn’t eat for 3-4 days. But by then we had got used to it,” Subhasish caresses his gloves which were lying nearby.
“Taking pity on us, the locals sheltered us in a makeshift home in a basti (jhuggi), just next to the pavement. But at least, there was a roof,” Pritam has sliced some apples by then and brought some for everyone.
“My mom started a tea shop. I had just turned 7 and understanding I had to help her, I joined Joydeb-da (Haldar) in his poultry shop. My job was to take care of his shop, bring the chicken from the mandi, peel and sell them, manage the cash flow. I became quite an expert in no time. In return, he gave me food and allowed me to play football,” Subhasish punches his gloves for himself. “I even joined a football coaching centre – Nirbhik Songho in Baguihati (in Kolkata).”
“Were you always a goalkeeper?” Pritam quips.
“Always,” Subhasish nods. “I felt the goalkeeper stayed in the thick of the action all throughout. So I wanted to be a goalkeeper. At the centre, some of the days some goalkeepers would not come. That allowed me more time to stand under the bar.”
“There was a school next door, and there was an inter-school tournament going on. I finished all my work at the shop, and ran to watch from the side-lines. I was wearing the same shirt, and it was dirty and had blood all over, and even on my face and hands. But I never cared,” Subhasish continues.
“It so happened that the goalkeeper hadn’t turned up, and some kids suggested that I be fielded as a goalkeeper. Hurriedly, I was enrolled into the school, and given admission. I played, and took them to the final where I saved penalties against a school from Phoolbagan. We were the champions. I knew how to fight. I had learnt it the hardest way possible.”
So you never went to school prior to that?
“We didn’t have anything to eat. School needed a uniform, fees, books. We could not afford that,” you spot his moist eyes.
“The school tournament spurred me on. Lalu-da came into my life. He took me to train with the seniors. At that time, Bivash Ghosh (former India goalkeeper) used to practice there. He was so tall. He used to drive a car which he always parked around the entrance of the playing arena. I adored his car. I used to touch it, peep inside and ask myself – ‘Will I ever be able to drive my own car?’”
“Kishore Mukherjee, Proloy Saha also used to practice at the same venue.”
“But it didn’t take off from there,” Subhasish leans back on his sofa again. “To get extra time for practice, I started waking up at 3 am in the morning. I went to a compound that had a wall and street lights. I used to kick the ball myself into the wall and catch it. Sometimes I used to do my own commentary,” he laughed. “I also did my drills, all of which was taught to me at Nirbhik Sangha. Thereafter, I sat at the poultry shop and did the errands.”
“My dad passed away. It was a day I won’t forget ever. The civic authorities had come over to clan off the jhuggi as there were plans for the expansion of the road. May dad’s dead body lay on the pavement, even as our family quarreled, and pleaded in a desperate effort to pacify the authorities not to break our house. Life couldn’t have been more cruel,” Subhasish clutches your fist. You gauge his power, the frustration, his fighting spirit, the attitude that made him win everywhere and everything he played in.
https://www.the-aiff.com/article/from-begging-for-leftovers-to-playing-for-blue-tigers-subhashish-roy-chowdhury-takes-his-family-forward-together
Sandip Nandy, Abhijit (Dempo GK during Colaco's golden era) also had struggling background. Sandip is from Bardwan and Abhijit is from Balurghat, both places are far from Kolkata. Sandip Nandy used to play for Sonali Shibir. He was offered a bed in a youth hostel, kit bag and 10,000 bucks for entire CFL. He performed brilliantly against star studded Mohunbagan and hold them till 89th minute. Amal Dutta offered him a contract in Mohun Bangan next season. He played well and next year shifted to East Bengal, that year he won I League with East Bengal and next year was the Asean year and rest is history.
Abhijit was a central government employee. He got a job in players quota in Post and Telegraph so he moved to Kolkata from Hili, district capital of Balurghat (probably before bifurcation). He was playing All India communication league (India had a reach office tournament culture, railways, petroleum, steel lot of segment wise tournament used to be held earlier) against ITI, Bangalore and was spotted by former Indian goalkeeper Balaji (Virender Singh's deputy in NT) and he introduced him to one of officials of Dempo sports club. He had the audacity to leave a secure job and embrace professional football. He played continuously for Dempo in golden era with Beto, Cliford, Ranty, Debabrata Roy etc.
Fun-fact Subhasish was Sandip's deputy in Mahindra and Abhijit's deputy throughout this tenure in Dempo.
According to sources, the federation is likely to backtrack from its earlier agreed roadmap -- jointly envisaged by the federation, I-League, ISL clubs and the Asian Football Confederation -- to introduce relegation-promotion from the 2024-25 season.
“I think they (the league and club owners) are not happy with the proposal (relegation), so they might be pulling the AIFF to take a decision that there will not be a relegation from the ISL,” a football official said. “Nobody will want to buy a team if there is a danger of the club being relegated. If someone buys a club for Rs 200 crore and if there is a risk of relegation in the same year, who will pay such a huge amount,” the official added.