2010 Hockey World Cup: Hero Honda bags title sponsorship

PTI

New Delhi (PTI): World's largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Honda Motors was on Monday named the title sponsor for the 2010 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup to be held here in March.

The announcement was made at a glittering ceremony here in the presence of International Hockey Federation President Leandro Negre, Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi, Hockey India President A.K. Mattoo and the 1975 World Cup winning members of the Indian team.

Negre said the mega-event would provide eight-time Olympic champions India the perfect platform to revive their past glory.

"The World Cup is the most important event in the game of hockey and we want to showcase before the entire world that the FIH can hold a truly mesmerising and beautiful event," Negre said.

"For global development of hockey, it is important that India should come up and play to its potential. The FIH hopes that hosting the 2010 World Cup will give a tremendous boost to Indian hockey," he said.

"I have been constantly travelling throughout the world and I must say many teams are eagerly waiting to be a part of the World Cup. Some of the teams have already qualified but qualifying tournaments are going on," he added.

Hockey India President Mattoo said 2010 would be a landmark year in the history of Indian hockey for the sheer magnitude of the event to be held in the national capital.

"Hockey India is proud to be associated with FIH in hosting the 12th Men's Hockey World Cup. We have taken the right step towards the revival of the game," Mattoo said on the occasion which also witnessed the unveiling of the gold and silver plated World Cup trophy.

"The year 2010 will be a milestone for Indian hockey because of the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. It's for the second time India has been given the honour to host the hockey World Cup," he added.

The only time India hosted the hockey World Cup was way back in 1982 in Mumbai, where arch-rivals Pakistan emerged as the winners.

Hero Honda Managing Director Pawan Munjal said although hockey went through many ups and downs in the last decade, the national game still continued to be an integral part of India's sporting tradition.

"Despite India being a cricket-frenzy nation, the game of hockey has managed to regain its identity. Hockey is not just a game, it's a very important part of our history and sporting tradition," he said.

"The World Cup will help revitalise the public interest in the game," he added.

Meanwhile, IOA President Kalmadi said the newly-formed Hockey India was determined to form a democratically elected body with men and women federation under one roof before the World Cup, a mandatory clause put forth by the FIH.

"We are duty bound to bring up the standard of hockey in India. We have a difficult task at hand to merge men and women's hockey at the state level but it is a challenge and we are certain to hold elections within the stipulated six month's time," Kalmadi said.

PTI

National hockey put off

Pune:

Pune: Blame it on H1N1 virus. The jinxed national hockey championship will be a non-starter. The championship, scheduled to be held here from September 13 to 27, has been postponed due to swine flu. The postponement comes days after the Hockey India shifted the national camp to Bangalore from Pune.

Soruce:http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_national-hockey-put-off_1283823

India To Face Lebanon In Nehru Cup Opener

India To Face Lebanon In Nehru Cup Opener

The (All India Football Federation)AIFF decided to make the Nehru Cup a five team tournament after Thailand was sending a junior side while their replacement Palestine was going to send a club side.

So now the competition will be played on a league format with the top two teams facing off in the final.

All the Fixtures :

Match No 1 : Wednesday :19.08.09 :India Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 2 : Thursday :20.08.09 :Kyrygstan Vs Syria : Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 3 : Friday :21.08.09 Srilanka Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 4 : Saturday :22.08.09 :India Vs Kyrygstan :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 5 : Sunday : 23.08.09 :Syria Vs Sri Lanka:Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 6 : Monday :24.08.09 :Kyrygystan Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 7 : Tuesday :25.08.09 :India Vs Sri Lanka :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 8 : Wednesday :26.08.09 :Syria Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 9 : Thursday : 27.08.09 : Sri Lanka Vs Kyrygstan :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 10 : Friday :28.08.09 :India Vs Syria :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 11 : Monday :31.08.09 : Final :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Speaking to the media at AIFF Football House on Friday, India’s coach Bob Houghton said that Syria start favorites based on their FIFA Ranking but all other teams will be competitive in the tournament.

The Englishman feels that it will be interesting to see how India play against Syria and Kyrygzstan who were also part of the competition in 2007. Sri Lanka who did well in the 2007 SAFF Cup will also prove to be a test for the Indians, according to the former China and Uzbekistan coach.

He said “Our preparation has been excellent with the training tours abroad. We brought the players to a good level of fitness in Dubai.

“We also conducted training sessions in Barcelona where we played four practice games which helped to raise the confidence level of the team as we did not lose any game.”

When asked about Sunil Chhetri’s fitness he said “We have to wait a little longer to decide about Sunil .He will not play if we have doubts about his fitness.

“Samir Naik and Sushil are recovering quickly from their injuries and are back in training.

“Subhash Singh is a good player who did well last season in the I-league.”

Houghton also said that BCCI’s 25 crore grant to the AIFF for the 2011 Asian Cup will help the senior team to prepare for that tournament by organizing more camps and matches.

AIFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco furher added “ We are happy that BCCI has responded positively .The modalities and exact form of execution will be worked out after discussions.”

Goal.com India

AIFF to get Rs. 25 crore in two instalments

AIFF to get Rs. 25

Mumbai: In a far reaching decision that would encourage other sports federations to knock at the door of BCCI for financial assistance, the BCCI Working Committee here on Thursday decided to grant Rs. 25 crore to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The money will be paid in two instalments of Rs. 12.50 crore over a period of two years.

Praful Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister and acting President, AIFF had petitioned the BCCI for a specific sum to be used for development purposes and the BCCI Finance Committee at its meeting recommended in favour of making the grant.

The BCCI has already contributed Rs. 50 crore to the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) corpus of Rs. 80 crore to help Indian athletes win medals at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next year. The Ministry of Sports has contributed the remaining Rs. 30 crore to the fund.

One-off decision


Though the BCCI has taken a one-off decision to support football, it’s unlikely to withdraw support to other sports. It has in the recent past sponsored Karan Rastogi, Aditya Jagtap, J. Agnishwar, Anand Pawar and Surabhi Tipre.

The BCCI also rewarded Abhinav Bindra (Rs. 25 lakh) for winning the gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Vijender Singh (Boxing) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling) too received Rs. 10 lakh each for winning the bronze medals at Beijing.

“The BCCI will continue to support individual sportspersons, but purely on individual merit,” said Ratnakar Shetty, Chief Administrative Officer, BCCI.

AIFF pleased


The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for granting Rs 25 crore for the development of football in the country.

“This grant will help in the development and promotion of the game in our country. For long, India has been a great cricketing nation and I am sure it will be known as a great footballing nation in the future,” AIFF acting president Praful Patel said in a statement in New Delhi.

To monitor programme


“AIFF will closely monitor the development programme and hopes to see the revival of football in India as the country will participate in the Asian football championship after a gap of 24 years,” Mr. Patel said. — Special Correspondent

The Hindu

FIFA wants to promote football in India's villages

World soccer body FIFA

New Delhi (IANS): World soccer body FIFA has shown interest in developing the game in India's villages.

India's sports minister M.S. Gill during his meeting with FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Zurich, on Wednesday, discuses a road map for the development of Indian football.

Mr. Gill requested Mr. Blatter to give some FIFA assistance to the government-sponsored Panchayat Yuva Krira aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) to develop the game at the grassroots level in India.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary-general Alberto Colaco, who was also present in the meeting, said: "Gill requested Blatter if FIFA could help to develop the sport through PYKKA. The sports minister said that through this programme football can be promoted in areas where the game is very popular."

Mr. Colaco also said that Blatter was impressed with the idea and asked the sports ministry and the AIFF to send a proposal for the programme.

"The AIFF will prepare a proposal for the programme in association with the sports ministry and then FIFA officials will come here to finalise the plan," he said.

Since his maiden visit in 2007, Mr. Blatter has taken special interest in India and has launched the 'Win in India With India' project plan to develop the club level football in the country. The Vision India programme is also a part of FIFA's GOAL project.

Soruce:http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200908141751.htm

Indian football should learn from cricket: Bhutia

India's run

India's run-up to the Nehru Cup this year has not been the smoothest. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia talked about the injury worries and more importantly infrastructural worries that have hit him in the recent times. Here are some excerpts of the interview...

Do you think sports persons in India just need to be able to deal with infrastructural odds because there will always be some?

I guess so. While playing football for the last 17 years I have experienced lot of difficulties. It's also frustrating to see, in terms of sports in India but I guess you have to deal with it and just try and make your points, and try and see that the government or anybody involved with sports make sure that the infrastucture and development programmes are done sriously, so atleast kids get the oppurtunity to play any sport they want to. Infrastructure is big time lacking. So it's frustrating but you get used to it and any oppurtunity you get you try and get your voice heard and hope that someday somewhere somebody will listen.

You've said that the BCCI giving 25 crores to the AIFF is a good thing, but in some ways would you also say that it is a huge warning as well that there's a complete dearth of sponsors in Indian football?

It is a worrying sign. The game itself has to be marketable for the sponsors. I don't think any corporates will come and do charitable work with any sport. They would want to do something that gives them returns. We can learn from cricket which is a marketable sport. It can take time, but I hope that one day football can be a marketable thing for corporates to come in, and BCCI giving 25 crores is a positive sign because the Indian team has qualified for the Asia Cup for the first time in 25 years, so it'a big step for football and any financial angle coming can only benefit the federationn in terms of building infrastucture as well as preparing the team for 2011.

There's still no resolution is sight as far as your dispute with Mohun Bagan is concerned. Do you think that in some ways you are being victimised because of your star status?

It's very frustrating for me to miss one exhibition match and a club like Mohun Bagan takes a decision 6 month suspension without pay. I can't understand the decision they take just because I missed one friendly match and that too after the season got over. It's even more frustrating that it takes even longer for a decision to be taken and the matter to be solved. It's been 2 months and I am yet to hear from the federation. I think the federation has to be stronger, take decisions faster. This means that players lose out on 2 to 3 months of football and salaries while the decision is being taken.

Nehru cup kicks-off from August 19. What is your message for all the Indian football fans out there?

I can only expect fans in Delhi to come out and support us the way they have been doing. I hope they come in large numbers. As a player and captain of the Indian national team I can tell you that we have had a great preparation and will do our best on the ground. We want to win this championship. It's going to be difficult but I can guarantee on behalf of the team and the players that we will be giving a 110%. We just need all the fans to come and support us on the ground.

Do you follow the EPL? Which is your favourite team?

I do follow English Premier League. I don't watch it very closely, but I do watch and I like watching Arsenal.

Source;http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage.aspx?id=SPOEN20090105718

India play first tie on Sept. 11

Colombo:

Colombo: India will play back-to-back matches against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in next month’s tri-series here after the organisers rescheduled the tournament following a request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

According to the new schedule, India’s first match against New Zealand has been pushed back by a day from the earlier scheduled September 10. India will play its second match the next day, against the hosts, on September 12.

Soruce;http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090820/jsp/sports/story_11385036.jsp

Nine Delhi players stay away from Ranji fitness camp on Day 2

The revolt of Delhi players against the DDCA continued on Thursday with nine players of the Delhi Ranji team not attending the conditioning camp on the second day.

Pacer Ashish Nehra who had attended the camp on the first day was also missing today.

After Virender Sehwag's outburst against "nepotism and corruption" in the Delhi District and Cricket association (DDCA), seven players including pacer Ishant Sharma and opener Gautam Gambhir had skipped the opening day of the camp on Wednesday.

However, DDCA Vice-President and Selection Committee chairman Chetan Chauhan had insisted that the players were absent because of other engagements.

Apart from the revolting quartet of Sehwag, Ishant, Gambhir and Nehra, others missing from the camp were Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas and Chaitanya Anand, Aditya Jain and Sunny Sherawat.

Sehwag had earlier threatened to quit the Delhi team for Haryana.

Sehwag has alleged that the selection process in the Delhi team is manipulated by the all-powerful Sports Committee. He has received support from other senior players like Gambhir, Ishant and Nehra on the issue.

Soruce:http://www.hindustantimes.com

Strauss gets England off to sound start

England captain Andrew Strauss

England captain Andrew Strauss led from the front as his side reached 108 for one at lunch on the first day of the decisive fifth Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval here on Thursday.

Strauss, England's best batsman this series, was 50 not out and Ian Bell 41 not out in a match the hosts had to win to regain the Ashes.

England were in trouble at 12 for one when Alastair Cook fell cheaply after fellow left-handed opener Strauss had won the toss and chosen to bat.

But this time there was no repeat of the first morning collapse at Headingley which sent Australia on their way to an innings and 80 run fourth Test win that levelled the series at 1-1.

Strauss, batting in the composed, "emotionless", fashion which he said Wednesday would be vital to his team's chances of success, completed an 89-ball fifty featuring 10 fours but without taking any undue risks.

At the interval, his stand with Bell was worth 96 in 128 balls.

Bell, promoted to No 3 after Ravi Bopara was dropped, was himself under pressure after twice falling to left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson for a total of 11 runs at Headingley.

England began cautiously against Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle before Cook struck the day's first four, an off-drive off Hilfenhaus, in the third over.

He also pulled Siddle for another boundary but Cook, a 95 in England's second Test win at Lord's apart, had had a lean series.

And Siddle had his revenge when he squared up Cook, static on the crease, and had him caught at second slip by Australia captain Ricky Ponting for 10 to leave England 12 for one in the sixth over.

Bell, often criticised for an inability to make runs when England need them most, struck Siddle for three fours in six balls.

Second change Johnson had a huge appeal for caught behind against Bell correctly rejected by Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, the ball brushing the batsman's shirt.

While Bell left that delivery alone, it was a different story with Johnson's third ball, a rearing bouncer which flew off the splice but, fortunately for Bell, landed away from a fielder.

Strauss though on-drove Johnson for four to bring up England's fifty in the 14th over.

And Bell's boundary off Stuart Clark saw England's second-wicket duo post a fifty stand of their own in 70 balls.

However, the Warwickshire batsman kept both short leg and short backward square interested as Johnson tested him with rising leg-stump deliveries

Bell cover-drove Hilfenhaus for four, a stylish shot but then squatted down, seemingly suffering with cramp and required on-field treatment before resuming his innings on 29.

Strauss, who several times struck his trademark square-cut for four was equally strong off his pads when Australia's four-man pace attack strayed off line on a typically good Oval pitch for batting.

Australia need only a draw to retain the Ashes.

Scoreboard
England 1st Innings

A. Strauss not out 50
A. Cook c Ponting b Siddle 10
I. Bell not out 41
Extras lb2, nb5 7
Total for 1 wkt 108

Fall of wkt 1-12


Source:cricbuzz.com

New Zealand save follow-on against Lanka

Resolute

Resolute batting by New Zealand's eighth-wicket pair of Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori denied Sri Lanka a follow-on in the first Test here on Thursday.

The duo, who came together with the Black Caps still needing 30 runs to avoid the follow-on in the rain-hit Test, put on a defiant stand of 36 after tea on the third day.

Ryder was dismissed for 42, but skipper Vettori returned unbeaten on 33 as New Zealand ended the day at 281-8, still 171 runs behind Sri Lanka's first innings total of 452.

Tailender Iain O'Brien was the other batsman at the crease on three.

Sri Lanka have two days, weather permitting, to force a win at the Galle International Stadium on a wearing wicket that has already started to assist the spinners.

Just 76 overs were bowled during the day after heavy rain delayed the start by 90 minutes and bad light ended play 20 minutes early.

The Black Caps, led by a gutsy 69 from left-handed opener Tim McIntosh, were sitting pretty at 180-3 when three wickets fell for 15 runs in the post-lunch session.

The collapse was triggered by two wickets from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara, who had Ross Taylor caught behind for 35 and bowled Brendon McCullum for one off the inside edge.

Star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan had two lucky breaks when he earned a leg-before verdict against the sturdy McIntosh and had Jacob Oram caught off the pad at short-leg for 12.

Television replays showed Australian umpire Daryl Harper erred in both decisions.

The middle order collapse undid the good work of McIntosh, who had batted through the rain-affected morning session after resuming at his overnight score of 36.

The left-hander survived two blows on his helmet and shoulder by rising deliveries from Thushara, but hung on for six hours to anchor New Zealand's reply.

The 29-year-old Auckland batsman, who has a century to his credit in five previous Tests but had never played an international match outside New Zealand, hit six boundaries and a six.

Nightwatchman Jeetan Patel helped McIntosh put on 49 for the third wicket, himself contributing 26, before he was leg-before to Muralitharan 20 minutes before lunch.

Taylor added 51 runs for the fourth wicket when he edged a well-pitched delivery from Thushara to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Muralitharan, the most successful Test bowler in history, took his record tally to 773 with the wickets of McIntosh and Oram.

New Zealand play two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and a limited-overs tri-series also featuring India during the five-week tour.

Soruce:Cricbuzz.com