NFL starts off with a jolt

The National Football League NFL has been christened a semi-professional league by the All India Football Federation AIFF in this tenth ...

The National Football League NFL has been christened a semi-professional league by the All India Football Federation AIFF in this tenth year. The number of teams has been reduced to 10 from 12 and a 10-year contract has been signed with Zee Sports to beam 45 matches live in its first year.

The AIFF is also planning to sign a three-year deal with ONGC as title sponsors. But, what the federation bosses failed to foresee was Kolkata8217;s decadent sporting culture, even as West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee kicked-off the event in a short ceremony today.

Even before the tournament began the AIFF8217;s moves raised more questions than it answered. Getting Bhattacharjee as the chief guest was a last-minute arrangement and the organisers were also clueless about whether there was any Man of the Match award.

The timing of the opening match between East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting had to be changed according to the availability of the chief minister whose entry resulted in a rather embarrassing situation for the organisers.

Noted Bollywood playback singer Shaan was getting the pre kick-off show into high gear when the chief minister entered the stadium. The local organisers asked the singer to vacate the stage, much to the singer8217;s chagrin. Later, one of the senior Zee Sports officials said that it was a complete loss of face for them. 8220;I don8217;t know if we can approach him for any more shows again. This is the worst that could have happened,8221; he said.

People were in for another shock very soon. AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi announced that the NFL matches scheduled at the Salt Lake Stadium on January 18, 19 and 20, had been postponed. The reason: the CII was holding its seminar there on those three days and the state government wouldn8217;t be able to arrange for sufficient police protection since both the President and the Prime Minister would be present.

Dasmunsi later said the state government8217;s decision had resulted in a huge problem since the telecast schedule had gone haywire. 8220;I told the chief minister that I would personally arrange for para-military forces during the matches, but he did not relent,8221; he said. It8217;s likely now that the matches would be shifted to a neutral venue that has floodlights.

Bhutia helps East Bengal win

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If a spectacular strike by Bhaichung Bhutia propelled three-time winners East Bengal to a 1-0 victory over Mohammedan Sporting in the opener of the ONGC Cup National Football League at Kolkata, it was a damp squip at Panaji where Dempo drew goalless with Clube de Goa.