‘Reds’ challenge await Chandigarh lads

But the life of a sportsperson is like a mounted deck of cards,never aware of where the winds of change are going to blow. The wind,a storm in Nishu’s case,blew so wild and so strong,that he no longer wanted to dream those dreams again.

But not for long.

In the coming days,Nishu would once again step out of the shadows and relive those dreams again. The Manchester United Premier Cup,the largest international youth football tournament in the world,involving over 6,000 teams from over 40 countries,would be another launchpad for Nishu and others of his ilk. However,dreams alone would not suffice. Over the next few days,a good performance would ensure that he does not get tangled up in the spider web again.

“It is an important tournament for all of us. For this tournament,I missed the finals of the seven-a-side Tata Jaago Re Football Tournament in Sikkim. If I keep performing well,I don’t see any reasons why I would not make it to the national junior team,” asserted Nishu,16.

The tournament to be held in Jamshedpur from May 2 to 5,would decide two best teams from North Eastern part of India that qualify for the India finals of the MUPC. But three days would be harsh and too less to decide the best teams from the northeast,that include heavyweights like Mizoram,Manipur,Orissa,Sikkim,Assam and Punjab.

Gunning for glory

Chandigarh,of course,cannot be considered minnows given their recent performances. But in tournaments like these,they need to be at their full strength to hurt other teams. “All the good teams from India are in our group. It would be tough for us as we are missing some top players. However,we are hoping that the players from our academy,who are attending the Indian camp,would join and add muscles to our team,” hoped Harjinder Singh,coach,Chandigarh Football Academy,the team which won the Chandigarh leg.

Hope still beckons for Chandigarh,a team full of beguiling players,that can stun top teams with individual players. And speaking about individual players,Daniel Lalhimpuia and AZ Lalramzauva are the two names that strikes the mind hard. Of course Chandigarh would no longer remain the same team with the addition of these two junior national players. “If Daniel and AZ reach the tournament on time,we are definitely hot contenders to qualify for the Indian finals and then for the South-East Asia regional finals,” added Harjinder.

The coach would also turn to Sandeep Singh,also a coach at CFA,who was earlier associated with the St Stephen’s Football Academy,that won the national finals and qualified for the South-East Asia regionals held in Kuala Lampur four years ago.

The top 16 CFA players,born after January 1997,would play three matches in the tournament at Jamshedpur and try to avoid defeats so that they can qualify for the India finals,then subsequently the South-East Asia finals and,finally play the world finals of the MUPC,to be played in England,in which top teams from the world would aim for the title.