but they are not in camp + Romeo played I League... i think playing in i league will surely disqualify u..otherwise teams wud have taken arrows players!!!
Also if AIFF accept the get ready for IFA, WIFA etc to complain because they have there teams but would have loved u23 players in there team.<br>
<br><div><br></div><div>the problem with u23 tournament is as follows -</div><div>Most state associations dont have teams ready, and for them getting a u23 team is even difficult so they revolt against AIFF</div><div>Secondly, controlling overage practices in a u23 tournament is very difficult. There are controversies, other states complain etc. At the moment AIFF dont want to take all these headaches, as there are many pending things</div>
Also if AIFF accept the get ready for IFA, WIFA etc to complain because they have there teams but would have loved u23 players in there team.<br>
<br><div><br></div><div>the problem with u23 tournament is as follows -</div><div>Most state associations dont have teams ready, and for them getting a u23 team is even difficult so they revolt against AIFF</div><div>Secondly, controlling overage practices in a u23 tournament is very difficult. There are controversies, other states complain etc. At the moment AIFF dont want to take all these headaches, as there are many pending things</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>No, you dont get what I said.</div><div><br></div><div>I dont mind it being a over 23 tournament. I am just saying that if Goa is allowed to use u23 registered I-League players then the IFA, WIFA etc will revolt as they already have there squad which have no I-League players.</div>
Also if AIFF accept the get ready for IFA, WIFA etc to complain because they have there teams but would have loved u23 players in there team.<br>
<br><div><br></div><div>the problem with u23 tournament is as follows -</div><div>Most state associations dont have teams ready, and for them getting a u23 team is even difficult so they revolt against AIFF</div><div>Secondly, controlling overage practices in a u23 tournament is very difficult. There are controversies, other states complain etc. At the moment AIFF dont want to take all these headaches, as there are many pending things</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>No, you dont get what I said.</div><div><br></div><div>I dont mind it being a over 23 tournament. I am just saying that if Goa is allowed to use u23 registered I-League players then the IFA, WIFA etc will revolt as they already have there squad which have no I-League players.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>Hmm probably players who didnt play any games will be allowed...</div>
<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Ya, maybe. I would prefer the AIFF to have a squad rule where only 5 of the players can be I-League players and those I-League players must be u23 and not have played at least 5 games in the previous season.</font>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; ">Santosh Trophy: Off the spot</span>
</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><font face="arial, verdana"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br></span></font></div><a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_santosh-trophy-off-the-spot_1684608"; style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; ">http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_santosh-trophy-off-the-spot_1684608</a><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">............................................................................................................................................................</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">A nice article sharing views of some of former and present top personalities in indian football in the Santosh trophy..</div><div>most seems to be against the view of holding this tournament just for sake of organizing it given that it is really costly to organize one</div>
<div><font size="6">Santosh Trophy: Off the spot</font></div><div><font size="6"><br></font></div><div>Former India coach Bob Houghton had a plausible explanation when asked what held Indian football back. “<b>It’s the reluctance to do away with the past and look into the future</b>,” he remarked less than a year after his appointment.</div><div><br></div><div>That, by no means, was a startling revelation, but he did make a pertinent point. “<b>A professional playing Santosh Trophy against a bunch of amateurs at the end of the season doesn’t make any sense. Do you believe Steven Gerrard will play for some hotchpotch trophy at the end of the season?”</b> Houghton said.</div><div><br></div><div>By calling it a ‘hotchpotch’ trophy, Houghton touched nerves. Many, including the federation officials, launched a tirade. ‘How can you scrap a tournament as prestigious as the Santosh Trophy? It has so much history attached to it’— was the all-too-common refrain.</div><div><br></div><div>The prestigious tournament will start in a week but, with each passing edition, one can’t dodge the obvious question. Is the Santosh Trophy relevant anymore? Or a mere academic exercise?</div><div><br></div><div><b>The All India Football Federation (AIFF) spends not more than Rs1 crore to conduct the tournament as compared to Rs15 crore for the I-League. The state associations do not shell out a penny, apart from the initial training costs. Apparently, the AIFF had decided to scrap the tournament in May last year. <u>They would rather use the funds reserved for the Santosh Trophy to give exposure to the junior team.</u></b> The idea was shelved, however, as the AIFF feared a backlash.</div><div><br></div><div>Founded in 1941, the tournament, named after Maharaja Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh (now in Bangladesh), acted as a feeder competition for the Indian team.</div><div><br></div><div>Most Indian sides, including the one chosen for the 1956 Melbourne Games, had risen to prominence in the Santosh Trophy. Talents would be scouted at Rovers Cup and Durand Cup, however, Santosh Trophy was the stepping stone to graduate to the next level. “That used to be the case until the mid-90s. To play in Santosh Trophy was a prestigious thing,” recalls SS ‘Babu’ Narayan, India’s goalkeeper in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics.</div><div><br></div><div>With the National Football League (NFL) taking over as the premier domestic competition in 1996, the Santosh Trophy has gradually lost its significance.</div><div><br></div><div>Now, it’s even more irrelevant after the NFL was re-christened for a relatively professional I-League five years ago. In 2009, Houghton barred the national team from playing the Santosh Trophy, following Sunil Chhetri’s injury that ruled him out of the Nehru Cup. The move further dimmed the Santosh Trophy’s glamour.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the new AIFF regulations, players contracted with I-League clubs cannot play the Santosh Trophy. A few states called for an amended rule. They requested the federation to permit U-23 players.</div><div><br></div><div>But, unlike in the mid-90s, the Santosh Trophy doesn’t create a sense of anticipation. Why, even India’s junior teams are chosen from AIFF’s U-16 and U-19 tournaments. The manner in which it’s conducted is laughable. The 66th edition will kick off in Orissa with no publicity as if it’s some state secret. Top Indian players have kept away. There’s no adequate preparation either. States have had little or no training which could impact the tournament’s quality.</div><div><br></div><div>The Rajasthan team is a case in point. Sharing their plight, one Rajasthan player, Arun Rathi, said<b> the team trials were held just two weeks before the tournament. The selection would happen later, leaving the players with no time to practice. “How can the team expect a good result in such a situation? Also, there’s no advertisement, which means 90 per cent of players here aren’t aware that the trials are being held,</b>” said Rathi, a North-Western Railway employee.</div><div><br></div><div>The Maharashtra team didn’t have a decent ground to train. <u>They held their camp at the St Xaviers Ground, a venue usually used to conduct local second and third division matches</u>.</div><div><br></div><div>So, back to the question of Santosh Trophy’s relevance. A positive argument is that it develops fresh talent and the participation certificate helps the players get jobs in the government. AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said, “Potentially good talents are already scouted by the I-League clubs and contracted. In that sense, the Santosh Trophy might throw an odd player or two. India is one of the few countries to have such a tournament,” Das said.</div><div><br></div><div>Narayan shares the view. “Some are exceptionally talented but do not make it to an I-League team. Santosh Trophy is the best platform for such players,” he said. Yet, he’s irked by the way the tournament is conducted. “It is not treated as a big tournament now which is a shame,” he said. “Maybe, they failed to adapt with time. Radical ideas are needed to revamp it. Hopefully, that will make it relevant again.”</div>
Comments
<br><div><br></div><div>the problem with u23 tournament is as follows -</div><div>Most state associations dont have teams ready, and for them getting a u23 team is even difficult so they revolt against AIFF</div><div>Secondly, controlling overage practices in a u23 tournament is very difficult. There are controversies, other states complain etc. At the moment AIFF dont want to take all these headaches, as there are many pending things</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>No, you dont get what I said.</div><div><br></div><div>I dont mind it being a over 23 tournament. I am just saying that if Goa is allowed to use u23 registered I-League players then the IFA, WIFA etc will revolt as they already have there squad which have no I-League players.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>Hmm probably players who didnt play any games will be allowed...</div>
</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><font face="arial, verdana"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br></span></font></div><a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_santosh-trophy-off-the-spot_1684608"; style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; ">http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_santosh-trophy-off-the-spot_1684608</a><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">............................................................................................................................................................</div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br></div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">A nice article sharing views of some of former and present top personalities in indian football in the Santosh trophy..</div><div>most seems to be against the view of holding this tournament just for sake of organizing it given that it is really costly to organize one</div>