SAFF Cup: Afghanistan fairytale stings India

India coach Wim Koevermans’s gamble of leaving out regular captain Sunil Chhetri from the starting XI didn’t exactly pay off although the efforts from Robin Singh and Jeje Lalpeklhua were praiseworthy. It was their inexperience on big occasion that cost India dearly as they fumbled repeatedly on the opposition’s attacking third.

For Afghanistan,it was a moment they had waited for two years having found the defeat in Delhi a hard to swallow. A fleet of Afghan Parliamentarians arrived in the

afternoon to cheer their team and one of them even went onto the extent of announcing an apartment and USD 25,000 each for the whole squad if they happen to win the match.

Whether the announcement egged them is hard to know but they certainly played to their plan as they were able to keep the Indian team at bay despite a wave of attacks. Both the strikes came off counter-attacks and after each goal,the ‘Men In Red’ tightened their defence.

Just like their semi-final match,Afghanistan got the much-needed goal as early as the eighth minute when right wing back Mustafa Hadid beat opposition left-back Syed Rahim Nabi as he got a lot of open space down wide right to enter the penalty box and passed it on to Belal Arezo. Belal managed to hoodwink stopper back Arnab Mondal with a pass for Mustafa Azadzoy to slot it past Subrata Paul.

India played better after conceding the goal as there were a flurry of attacks with some fine build-ups with assistance from Mehtab Hossain in the central midfield and Farncisco Fernandes down right.

‘Worried for future’

Indian football team’s chief coach Wim Koevermans today looked a worried man as he spoke about the side’s future,with seven of the current national team players not having any contract with I-League clubs.

“I am really worried with the situation we have in India right now. It’s a threat for national team. Two boys from disbanded Arrows (Allwyn George),five from IMG-R (Syed Rahim Nabi,Nirmal Chhetri,Subrata Paul,Gourmangi Singh,Sandesh Jhingan) and one from Mumbai Tigers (N Mohanraj) will be without clubs.

“Now what are these boys supposed to do? Just practice? And how do I react to this situation as a national coach,” Koevermans said after his team’s 0-2 defeat to Afghanistan in the the SAFF Championship final.

The Dutchman wasn’t amused that the AIFF has so far failed to break the deadlock by talking to the I-League clubs.

“I thought that by now,AIFF would have spoken to the clubs but what I have gathered is that the clubs are not taking these players. You have to understand there is a vast difference between playing club football and then coming to play international football.”

Talking about the final,Koevermans rued the missed chances. “Look at the number of chances we created but we simply couldn’t put the ball at the back of the net. Wish I had a magic wand by which I could tip on their head and they would score,” the coach said.

Celebrations begin in Kabul

Kabul: Bullets whizzed through the air in the Afghan capital Wednesday night,this time in celebration rather than anger: Afghanistan had just won its first international trophy in football. The Afghans beat India 2-0 in the South Asian Football Federation Championship,a tough match whose result brought a rare moment of unity to this ethnically fractious,war-weary nation,which the U.S. invaded in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks 12 years ago.

In Kabul,young and old cheered,clapped and laughed as their team seized the win in Kathmandu,Nepal. Cars horns blared,and some Afghans waved national flags on the streets. The gunfire,meanwhile continued for about an hour after the win,raising safety concerns.“I am extremely happy,and I am very proud,” said Waheedullah,who like many Afghans goes by one name. “How I can explain my feelings? My friends and I were just praying,praying to be champions. It’s one of the happiest days of my life.”

The Afghans,who were a founding member of the Asian Football Confederation in 1954,have a long football history but only recently re-emerged on the world scene after decades of war and insurgency. When the Taliban ruled the country from 1996-2001,they severely restricted sports and football stadiums were used to stage executions of those who ran afoul of the Islamist movement’s harsh laws. After the U.S. ousted the Taliban in 2001,sports here were reborn.

Although Afghanistan has never played at the World Cup,or even at the Asian Cup,the country has been getting better in recent years,rising up the FIFA rankings to No. 139 on the latest list.

On Wednesday,Mustafa Azadzoi put Afghanistan ahead early in the first half,and Sanjar Ahmadi doubled the lead in the second. When it was over,the Afghan players danced around the field with Afghan flags draped on their shoulders. “I’m proud of my whole country. I congratulate my dear countrymen,” said Afghanistan goalkeeper Mansur Faqiryar,who made some key saves during the game.

Afghans gathered in homes,restaurants,offices and even small markets to watch the game. President Hamid Karzai’s office tweeted a photo of him watching the players celebrate their win.

“The youth of Afghanistan showed that our nation,our people have the ability to make progress and succeed,” said a seemingly choked-up Karzai in a multilingual message posted on YouTube.

Even the Afghan intelligence service issued a statement congratulating the football champions. It also later issued a statement asking celebrants to stop firing guns.