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Journalism of Courage
Calcutta, August 14: All India Football Federation AIFF president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi said on Sunday that India8217;s prestigious soccer event Millennium Cup to be kicked off on January 10, 2001 is likely to have many top European, African and Asian countries vying for honours.
He told a press conference here that final, semi-final and quarter-final matches would be played in Calcutta and preliminary rounds of the tourney in other parts of the country.
He said the tournament8217;s cost would be borne by a sponsor and it would be a great leap forward for professional football in the country.
Referring to a controversy on proposed Indian football Association8217;s India cup tournament8217;s timing clashing with the Millennium Cup, Dasmunshi said that things would be resolved amicably in a next meeting with officials and IFA. 8220; I personally would not come in the way of IFA8217;s proposed India cup tournament but at the same time I believe some amicable settlement will be arrived at8221;, he said.
He said, 8220;I had a talk with IFA joint secretary Ranjit Gupta regarding the tournament and again will talk to him to settle the issue8221;.
Dasmunshi also said that AIFF does not want any player8217;s fate to be decided by whims of a sponsor or club authorities.
Referring to the recent tug-of-war between Calcutta8217;s two giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal over choice of midfielder Renedy Singh, Dasmunshi said that the former Manipuri player should have his choice of team.
The midfielder after playing for East Bengal last season had been in the Indian camp and on return switched over to Mohun Bagan, but the former club refused to release him without getting Rs 10 lakh as transfer fee resulting in uncertainty of his future.
Interestingly both the clubs having the same sponsor United Breweries in Bangalore, had also similar tug of war few months ago over the trasnfer of striker of Deependu Biswas, who wanted to change his side to East Bengal, but his former club Mohun Bagan had posed the same problem and demanded a transfer fee of Rs 10 lakh.
But Bagan club secretary Anjan Mitra took decision single-handedly and waived the transfer fee for Deependu, which was endorsed by the sponsor UB group.
