Slovenia and Bangladesh for Millenium soccer

Mr Das Munshi said he had already discussed with West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakrabarty for smooth conduct of the meet.

He would do the same wth the Sports ministers of Goa andKerala, Das Munshi said. The AIFF president informed that a little problem had cropped up regarding police bandobast at Salt Lake stadium, venue for Millenium matches at Calcutta, as a sizeable number of the state police force would be busy for Sagar Mela during the inaugural match.

He said he would meet state chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in this regard and hoped to sort out the problems soon.

The AIFF supremo intimated that the teams playing in Calcutta would do their practice at Sai complex. The tickets for the matches of this meet would be sold through State Bank of India (SBI). He said during the inauguration of the tournament AIFF had planed to honour those footballers who have represented the country in international meets, FIFA badge holder referees and journalists who have covered the World Cup meets.

Asked whether Baichung Bhutia would play for Indian team in the Millenium cup. Das Munshi said that AIFF had already wrote to F C Bury in England on whether Baichung would be available to play for the country during this tournament and next pre-world cup engagerments.

Das Munshi said that AIFF had also decided to donate Rs. one lakh to the Sports journalists clubs in Kochi, Goa and Calcutta where the matches of the Millenium cup soccer would be held.

Functional Reforms: In a bid to professionalise its set-up, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to appoint four paid functionaries and said that a new National Soccer Policy would be announced on February 1.

Disclosing this to newspersons here, AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said on Sunday that a seminar-cum workshop would be held here on January 11 to draft the policy.

Other than AIFF office-bearers and executive committee members, former soccer internationals and scribes would attend the workshop, he said.

The four paid functionaries are Administrative Secretary, Assistant Secretary (Competition and referring), Assistant Secretary (finance, sponsorship and marketing) and Director of Coaching. The last post was likely to go to a foreigner.

Former FIFA referee Melvyn D’Souza would be appointed as Assistant Secretary (Competition and Referring).

Uzbekistan’s Rustam Akramov, a former coach of the Indian team, has been sounded for the post of Director of Coaching through the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), while the other two two posts would be filled up through interviews.

Dasmunshi said the AIFF was yet to finalise a sponsor for the ongling National league, but talks were on with Zee Television in this regard.

He regretted that Doordarshan was yet to pay the AIFF thedues for last year’s League. “But now they have promised to pay up after January seven.”

When a scribe pointed out that Doordarshan had not undertaken any promo for the league or the Millennium Cup, he said it had promised to launch promos from December 26.

AIFF protests: India has lodged a complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over the rescheduling of matches involving it in the pre-world cup soccer tournament next year.

According to the original programme, India was to play all its matches between April and May. “But suddenly the AFC has rescheduled our matches. Now, we play our first match in April and the last tie in July,” Dasmunshi said.

As a result, the National League fixture would be in peril. “If the AFC forces us to take part in the tournament, then obviously the League will have to be deferred,” he said.

India would play their home matches in Calcutta. Dasmunshi said that he would hold a meeting with the Indian Football Association (IFA) office bearers in this regard on Monday.