KOZHIKODE, SEPT 1: Uncertainty looms large over the successful conduct of the country's prestigious football tournaments this year, with the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) still unable to rope in sponsors for the National League and the Federation Cup.With AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi busily engaged in election campaign, efforts to find new sponsors for the tournaments have virtually come to a standstill.``No sponsor is keen to associate itself with the tournaments, mainly due to the poor management of the game in the country,'' disclosed a top federation official who preferred anonymity.``Doordarshan's failure to telecast crucial league matches last year is another major reasons. Add to it the dismal quality of the coverage.''AIFF senior vice-president PP Lakshmanan, who was nominated as the acting president by Dasmunshi recently, however sounded optimistic while reacting to the sponsorship issue.``The president was handling the affair, and hopefully a new sponsor would surface by the time the league begins,'' said Lakshmanan who is presently busy with preparation of the National team for the SAF Games and the Asia Cup.Efforts to persuade the Vijaya Mallya-owned Kalayani Black Label to continue its association with the Federation Cup, are still on according to the federation sources.The liquor baron, after taking over Mohun Bagan and East Bengal had recently doled out a whopping Rs 25 lakh sponsorship to the Mohammedan Sporting which was going through severe financial crisis.The UB Group had reportedly indicated that if there was a clear-cut agreement on the live telecast and the conduct of the matches under floodlights, the decision to disassociate itself with the Federation Cup could be reconsidered.Coca-Cola, sponsors of the last edition of the National League, has however ruled out an extension of the contract with the AIFF, citing financial constraints.If no sponsors turn up, the AIFF will be forced to conduct the tournaments on its own.FC Kochin surprised: Top level clubs of the country, too, are facing a similar crisis. For example, the FC Kochin, the country's first professional side, is still on the lookout for a sponsor, following Coca-Cola's reluctance to renew the contract.The club management, meanwhile, was surprised by the reports about Vijay Mallya showing interest in the club, along with the Bengal Mumbai Football Club.``We are negotiating with a few groups like Sahara India, but nothing concrete has emerged. We are unaware of the reported move by Mallya to take over the club,'' said a club official. ``He has not even contacted us.''The club management felt that the sponsors' lack of enthusiasm was mainly due to the Doordarshan's cold attitude towards the game. ``It is high time the AIFF signed a fresh deal with either Star Sports or ESPN so that at least the quality of the coverage would be ensured,'' said an official.The lack of sponsorship has adversely affected the club's programme for the season. ``We were planning to rope in a foreign coach and a few players from abroad. These will be too difficult without the help of a sponsor,'' said the official.Meanwhile, Uzbek coach Rustom Akramov is expected to take over the juniors' coaching programme this week. The French coach, who was tipped to take over the senior team, is yet to give his consent to the AIFF. The reason, as usual, is money.
