SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2014

Football legend India’s league ‘more’ popular than Serie A

NEW DELHI: India’s fledgling football league has become Pele on dialysis the fourth most popular in the world after just six weeks, surpassing Italy’s long-standing Serie A in average crowd attendance, according to organizers. The Indian Super SAO PAULO: Brazil football legend Pele’s health is improving League (ISL) has lured former international veterans such but he is still receiving an intensive treatment known as as Sweden’s Freddie Ljungberg, Frenchman Nicolas hemodialysis for a urinary infection, the hospital treating him Anelka and Italian great Alessandro Del Piero for the 10- said yesterday. Pele, 74, “is in better clinical condition,” said week competition. the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, adding that he was The league, played around the country, has been hit by “lucid” and breathing on his own but still receiving hemodialy- injuries to some of its biggest stars, while some football sis, which involves filtering a patient’s blood through an artifi- experts have questioned the quality of the matches. cial kidney that cleans it before returning it to the body. Cricket dominates on the subcontinent, and football at The hospital said the measure was a “temporary kidney the grassroots level has long been neglected. But organiz- support” and that no other treatment was currently required. ers said more than one million fans have turned out, with Pele, whose real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is an average match attendance of 24,357, making it the widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. He was fourth most popular football league behind Germany’s admitted to hospital Monday and diagnosed with a urinary Bundesliga, the English Premier League and Spain’s La infection. After the hospital said Thursday that he had been Liga and ahead of Serie A. placed in intensive care, he took to Facebook and Twitter to “We have always believed that the sport of football, if insist that he was fine and had simply been moved to another given the right platform, has the potential for tremendous room for more privacy. growth in India,” an ISL spokesman said late Thursday. “I want to take this opportunity to let you know that I am Backed by some of the biggest names in business and doing fine,” he wrote. “I am blessed to receive your love and sport, the league is modeled on cricket’s glitzy Indian support, and thank God this is nothing serious. “I was simply Premier League. Bollywood A-listers and cricket stars are relocated to a special room within the hospital for privacy pur- co-owners of the eight city-based football franchises, while poses only. While I appreciate all the visitors that came to see Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV is broadcasting the games. India me, I really need to continue my treatment and recovery in has always fared poorly in world football rankings and cur- peace.” He said he would spend the upcoming holidays with rently stands at 159 out of 208 countries. But FIFA chief family and looked forward to beginning 2015 “with renewed Sepp Blatter has dubbed the world’s second most popu- health,” adding he had “many international trips already lous country the sleeping giant of football. — AFP planned.” His agent Jose Fornos said that the star was tired after receiving too many visits, and added that his treatment “could go on for eight days.” River edge Boca to reach Recent surgery Copa Sudamericana final Pele underwent surgery for kidney stones at the same hos- pital on November 13. He had to cancel an appearance at his museum in Santos, on the coast near Sao Paulo, on November BUENOS AIRES: River Plate will meet Atletico Nacional of HONG KONG: File picture shows football legend Pele ges- 12 as he began showing symptoms of the illness. And he was Colombia in the Copa Sudamericana final after the Argentine turing to head a cardboard football at a promotional press also forced to miss a gathering of members of the Brazil team side eked out a 1-0 home victory over arch-rivals Boca Juniors. conference in Hong Kong. Brazil great Pele, 74, was taken that won the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, who had come Midfielder Leonardo Pisculichi scored the only goal of the into a special care unit in a Sao Paulo hospital after his together to mark the 45th anniversary of his 1,000th career match in the 16th minute of Thursday’s semi-final second leg at health worsened, three days after being admitted with a goal. El Monumental for a 1-0 aggregate win. The victory keeps urinary infection. —AFP But he appeared to be in good humor when he was River’s double dream alive although they were overtaken at the released from hospital two days later, joking with journalists: “I country and won his first World Cup aged just 17, scoring top of the Argentine league championship standings by Racing am ready to play tomorrow.” Nicknamed O Rei (The King), Pele twice in the 1958 final win over hosts Sweden. In 1977, he Club, who beat them 1-0 at the weekend. It is the second time was born in a humble home in the city of Tres Coracoes. He is inspired New York Cosmos to the US national title in his final River have reached the final of South America’s second-tier considered by many as the greatest footballer in history with season with the club, which featured fellow greats Franz intercontinental club competition after they lost to Peru’s his exploits for Brazil and a career that saw him score 1,281 Beckenbauer, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and former Brazil Cienciano in 2003. Boca won the tournament in 2004 and 2005. goals in 1,363 games. He scored 77 goals in 91 games for his captain Carlos Alberto. — AFP River goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero saved a fourth minute penalty from striker Emmanuel Gigliotti, who had the ball in the net later in the match but was flagged offside. “We deserved a bit more,” said Boca’s former Atletico Madrid Chalmers holds a one-shot defender Daniel “Cata” Diaz, who was sent off in added time for kicking out at River’s Colombia striker Teofilo Gutierrez. Nacional advanced on Wednesday after beating 2012 winners lead at the Australian Open Sao Paulo 4-1 on penalties following a 1-0 defeat in Brazil. They had won the first leg 1-0 in Medellin. “I heard they (Nacional) wanted (to play) us, now they have us,” Gutierrez McIlroy lurking, Scott revived said of his fellow Colombians.— Reuters

SYDNEY: Australian Greg Chalmers pen on Sunday night.” a day to forget, bogeying two of his first held a one-shot lead at the halfway Northern Irishman McIlroy had an up four holes and finishing with a 72 to stage of the Australian Open yesterday and down round with an eagle, six drop to a share of sixth on three-under but defending champion Rory McIlroy birdies and six bogies for a share of sec- with three others. “It was a struggle, big was well-positioned for the weekend in ond with American Conrad Schindler as time struggle,” he said. “I wasn’t hitting a share of second place. Chalmers, twice well as Australians Adam Crawford and it well. If I wasn’t putting well I may a former winner of his national open, Todd Sinnott on four-under. “I felt like I have shot 45 on the back nine.” Scott snared his seventh birdie on the last had an opportunity today to shoot a was in a group of six players sharing green for a five-under-par 66 to edge good one and put a little bit of space ninth on two-under having soared back ahead of a congested leading pack at between myself and the rest of the field into contention with a blemish-free 66 five-under for the tournament. but it didn’t really turn out that way,” that was also fired by an eagle at the The 41-year-old was not getting too McIlroy said. “A few too many mistakes 14th. The 34-year-old former US carried away with his early lead, howev- and it was pretty tricky out there to be Masters champion, an early starter, held er, with the world number one on his honest. Swirling quite a bit, which made the course record on the newly-recon- heels after a second 69 and Adam Scott it hard for club selection. Misjudged a figured layout at The Australian Golf having revived his tournament with a few wedged shots and got bogies from Club for half an hour until Jamie sparkling 66. “I think it’s very early to be those. “I was happy with how I finished, Lovemark completed a round of 65. BUENOS AIRES: Boca Juniors’ midfielder Cesar Meli (front) talking about winning given who’s right picked up shots in four of the last five “We had a good morning for it, so I had vies for the ball with River Plate’s defender Leonel behind me and who’s playing very holes and I’m still in a good position to take advantage just for the sake of Vangioni during their Copa Sudamericana 2014 semifinals well,” he told reporters. “Very early to heading into tomorrow.” getting back in the tournament,” Scott second leg football match at the Monumental stadium in be thinking about what’s going to hap- Overnight leader Jordan Spieth had said. — Reuters Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 27, 2014. — AFP