14 Tuesday 23rd August, 2011 After cricket, football may be the next big thing in India

By S VENKAT NARAYAN clubs including Manchester United, Our Special Correspondent Arsenal and Chelsea boast of a ris- ing fan base and increasing mer- NEW DELHI, August 22: chandise sale in India. Thanks to Argentine superstar However, the real catalyst for the , a football friendly world’s most popular game in India match between Argentina and will happen when the country starts Venezuela in (Calcutta) on winning matches in the global September 2 may prove to be the arena, soccer writer Simon Kuper most lucrative 90 minutes in Indian points out. India’s interest in cricket sport. shot up after its team won the World Messi, who scored a brace to help Cup for the first time in 1983. his club Barcelona edge out Real At present, India ranks a lowly Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup 153rd in the latest FIFA global rank- last week, is the biggest attraction of ings. the match in Kolkata that is on Football pundits feel the country course to make a cool $4.5 million needs much more than financial (INR 200 million) from broadcasting support and occasional matches by rights, sponsorship deals and ticket global soccer stars to inspire the sales. national team and raise standards of That is twice the amount a One the game. Chuni Goswami, who cap- Day International (ODI) will rake in tained the Indian soccer team to an India. Analysts say this suggests Asian Games Gold medal in 1962, that football may soon be the next says: “We need to create infrastruc- Novak Djokovic (right) congratulates Andy Murray after big thing in this cricket-mad coun- ture, catch budding players young retiring in the second set due to shoulder soreness. try. and give them global training and Says Bhaswar Goswami, execu- exposure, which is not happening tive director of sports management yet.” company Celebrity Management “Messi playing in India can at Djokovic falls to Group (CMG): “The game has gener- best be an inspiration, but such ated unprecedented interest across matches alone will not help Indian India. We expect to generate at least soccer much,” he cautions. 57-2 after loss INR 200-million revenue as com- But AIFF’s Dutta says such pared to some INR 100 which a one- matches will help improve football day cricket match generates.” infrastructure in the country. “The near Cincinnati CMG is organising the match government is spend- along with Indian Football ing some INR 110 million to improve infrastructure at the Salt Lake Novak Djokovic’s loss of the season, in the Association and All India Football remarkable winning streak semifinals to Roger Federation (AIFF), the country’s Stadium in Kolkata. This will help ended with a grimace, one Federer on June 3 at apex football body. If the targeted us to organise more international revenue is generated, AIFF says it matches in India,” he adds. that puts a new spin on Roland Garros. will become the biggest money Big money is beginning to come the U.S. Open. “There is no good loss, grosser in a single game in the in. Reliance IMG, a joint venture The world’s top-ranked that’s for sure,” Djokovic. country. between richest Indian business player was forced to retire “The good thing is there’s tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance The ICC Cricket World Cup in in the second set Sunday a week, eight days to the 2011 was estimated to have generat- Industry and IMG Worldwide, has committed INR seven billion for the because of a sore right start of the Open. I’m con- ed total receipts of US$328 million shoulder, giving Andy fident I can recover and be (INR 14.76 billion) across 49 match- game in the country over the next 15 es. The cost for organising the 2011 years, and Sajjan Jindal of JSW Murray the championship ready for the U.S. Open.” World Cup was INR 5.71 billion. The Group has promised INR two billion at the Western and It was Murray’s second 74-match Indian Premier League to improve infrastructure. Southern Open in Mason, title this season. The 24- (IPL) is an estimated $1-billion busi- Dutta declares: “The commercial- Ohio. year-old Scotsman also ness. isation of the game has started in It was the Serb’s first won at the Queen’s Club. “This match will herald the era India. Such big corporate houses will never invest on anything which bad moment in his 57-2 He lost his other final of international soccer in India and season. Djokovic had won match to Djokovic at the will inspire more such games in the has no potential.” 16 consecutive matches Australian Open. country,” predicts AIFF Vice- According to him, footballers’ President Subrata Dutta. remunerations too are increasing in since his only previous (AP) Besides Messi, the other big India’s cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays football during a practice the country, with a few earning up names in the Argentinean squad for to INR 20 million a year with other session at The Oval cricket ground in London. After cricket football may be the perks. Also, the federation has the FIFA-approved friendly include next big thing in India. Carlos Tevez, Angelo Di Maria and decided to completely profession- alise itself. It has roped in Kushal Xavier Mascherano. it expects 80,000 people to attend the stars. Soccer legends like Pele, Das as general secretary from the CMG has already sold the broad- match. It has already sold three- Maradona, Branco, Romario, Diego Larry Shockman was International Cricket Council (ICC), casting rights for the match for $1 fourths of the tickets with huge Forlan and Oliver Kahn have played and Subhankar Mukherjee as direc- million (INR 45 million). ESPN has interest from cities like New Delhi, friendly matches in the city. tor of national team from the IPL bought the rights for South Asia, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, The last major international team Delhi Daredevil. exceptionally gifted and Eurodata for Africa and rest of Hyderabad, Kochi, Trivandrum and exhibition match in India was in AIFF will host more internation- Asia, while Switzerland-based Goa. 2008, when German club Bayern BY SHARM DE ALWIS al matches in a bid to improve the Kentaro has bought the rights for CMG’s Goswami says tickets played India’s Mohun country’s FIFA ranking to sub-100 Larry Schokman played STC, which at that time did Europe, North and South America. priced INR 700 and INR 2,570 have Bagan in Kolkata in a farewell over the next two years. rugby for Dimbulla and not play rugby, he did not The match will be telecast live in 150 been sold out. match for legendary goal keeper PK Banerjee, crowned the Indian Ceylon in the ‘60s and he was know that Dr. K. B. countries. “We have also sold eight corpo- Oliver Kahn. footballer of the 20th Century by an exceptionally gifted wing- Sangakkara coached Trinity The organisers are negotiating rate boxes for Rs 7.5 lakh each. It is The appetite for international FIFA, too is optimistic that India three-quarter. in 1958 and produced a with Hero MotoCorp and Cello Pen booked by corporates like the UB football is on the rise among Indian will become a soccer power house. His father and the two galaxy of super stars. The big for title sponsorship for around Group, film stars and other celebri- fans and corporates. “It is the right time to improve the uncles were the legendary names among them were Ken $450,000 and hope to rake in another ties,” he told The Economic Times Last year, Pune-based poultry standard of the game. Once that Trinity cricket and rugby de Joodt, Tony Buultjens, $500,000 from other sponsors. in an interview published today (22). firm Venky’s bought English happens, football can generate much Lions of the ‘20s. Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Eric CMG expects $2.5 million (INR This is not the first time that Premier League club Blackburn more money in India than cricket,” Because Larry decamped Roles, Rohan Abeykoon and 110-120 million) from ticket sales as Kolkata will host celebrity football Rovers while several European he says. from Trinity and went to Mohamed Azain. U-15 ‘B’ Division Basketball Lyceum Nugegoda Under-15 cager champs BY ROSHEN STEELMAN

Lyceum International School, Nugegoda thrashed Ananda College, Colombo 81-33 in a one-sided final of the Under-15 ‘B’ Division Basketball Tournament 2010 worked off at Police Park in Colombo yesterday. Lyceum International School was too strong for Ananda College and some argued whether Lyceum should have played in ‘A’ Division instead as they domi- nated proceedings from the word go. Although, generally the teams are selected to various divisions according to their per- formances during the zonal stage, the organizers allowed the teams to decide their own Division due to the postpone- ment of the tournament last year. The score line at the end of the first quarter itself suggested where Lyceum stand as they scored 28 to 5 against Ananda. The offensive players had no pressure at all during the entire game as Lyceum coach Roshan Gunasekara’s plan worked brilliantly. Lyceum were powered by Viren Samaranayake who top scored with 26 points while he was ably supported by Yusuf Farook who netted 22 points. Sanju Lyceum International School, Nugegoda who won the Under-15 ‘B’ Division Basketball Tournament 2010 pose for photographs with their trophies. (Pic by Dharmasena Welipitiya) Dilanka played a lone hand for Ananda Ananda College had a poor run in the Meanwhile, Mahanama College, Minister of Education Bandula Basketball Association were present as College scoring 27 of their 33 points. inter-school basketball for nearly two Colombo defeated Lyceum International Gunawardena was the chief guest at the guests of honors. Tishan Moondhu who took the majori- decades, but as of late have revived under School, Wattala 65-52 in the consolation final, while MP Mohan Lal Grero, the The tournament was organised by ty of rebounds for Lyceum was named the the guidance of former Police player final. Bimsara Chandrasena and Tikiri Founder of Lyceum International School, Lyceum International School, Nugegoda on best defensive player of the Tournament, Sampath Herath. They won the Under-17 Dissanayake scored 13 and 14 points Venuri Hettiarachchi, principal Lyceum behalf of Sri Lanka Schools Basketball while Yusuf Farook was named the best ‘B’ Division title two months back and yes- respectively for the winners, while International School, Nugegoda and L.M.D. Association. The final match was officiated offensive player. Viren Samaranayake was terday’s runner up title was their second Vishalram Shanmuganathan scored 32 Dharmasena, principal Ananda College by referees Prasad Ranasinghe, Buddika named the most valuable player. notable performance this year. points for the losers. and the president of Sri Lanka Schools Samarasinghe and Christopher Joseph.