The ‘sleeping giant’ woke up to a new dawn with the ISL putting Indian football on the global map, but the national team continued to paint a grim picture, plummeting to its worst-ever rankings in an eventful year for the sport.

The national team’s prolonged decline got buried under the intense hype over what turned out to be a fairly successful inaugural Indian Super League, which was graced by former stars such as Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Robert Pires, Marco Materrazi, Luis Garcia and Nicolas Anelka, among others.

Seen for over two months on the dugout was Zico, a football legend in his own right not just in Brazil but the world over.

Goa FC did reach the semifinals of ISL but what was more important for the side’s players was that they were under the tutelage of Zico for over two months, something that would surely benefit them in near future.

Besides the franchise-based tournament, a model based on cricket’s popular Indian Premier League, bagging the 2017 Under-17 World Cup was another silver lining this year for the success-starved nation that is struggling at 171 in FIFA rankings.

In January, India were ranked 156th and by the end of year, they dropped 15 places, the never-ending spate of reverses leaving coach Wim Koevermans so frustrated that the Dutchman decided not to continue in the hot seat.

Another one from the Netherlands, Robb Bann, has also quit from the post of technical director.

A replacement is awaited with Stephen Constantine emerging as the front-runner for his second spell as India coach. ISL franchise NorthEast United’s coach Rickie Herbert’s name is also doing the rounds.

If the lack of enough international friendlies is one of the reasons for the national team’s decline, the Indians failed to perform the few times they played, most prominent among them being the defeat to Pakistan.

The women’s and the junior teams though fared better compared to the senior men’s team.

The on-field disappointments of the men’s national team aside, the year panned out to be quite a promising one for Indian football.

Not too long ago not many people would have imagined that footballers who were once big names, would be criss-crossing the country, dishing out the best they could offer in this stage of their lives in different cities.

The ISL made it possible, and how!

The presence of big attractions lured the fans and they trooped in to the stadiums in droves, cheering for their cities and some of the favourite stars who they saw only on TV in the past.

The likes of Del Piero, Materrazi and Trezeguet gave the fans just the kind of connect with club football that the I-League had struggled to provide over so many years.

Added attraction was the Bollywood and cricket connection that most of the clubs had with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly joining popular actors such as Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan as owners various franchises.

With legends on display both on the pitch and in the stands, fans turned up in droves to catch the action and the players too rose to the expectations providing engaging contests, making the ISL a success in its inaugural season itself.

According to figures released by ISL organisers in November, the eight-team tournament was the fourth highest attended league in the world with an average attendance of 24,357, only behind German Bundesliga, English Premier League and Spanish La Liga.

This was is stark contrast to the country’s premier domestic competition -- the I-League, which struggles struggles to attract even a few thousands to the stands, with the exception of maybe a few derby matches in Kolkata or Goa.

NEW DELHI: India has put on standby three ships and a maritime surveillance aircraft for assistance in the search operation after an AirAsia flight with 162 people on board on Sunday went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore after losing contact with air traffic controllers.

Indian Navy sources said one ship in Bay of Bengal and another two in Andaman Sea have been put on standby.

Along with these, a P-8I aircraft has also been put on standby. The aircraft is used for maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare operations.

"The assets have been put on standby in view of the gravity of situation. They will be rushed into service as and when any order is issued," the sources said.

India on Saturday asked Pakistan to hand over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, saying enough evidences have been given to it on the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said India’s stand has been very clear for a long time that Dawood has been in Pakistan and he has been living in Karachi.

“We have been asking to hand him over to India for a long time. Already many evidence have been given to Pakistan.

Pakistan should now act and hand him over to us,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

Rijiju said Pakistan should cooperate with India in its fight against terrorism if it is serious. “We want it to act on evidence,” he said.

In Lucknow, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Dawood is India’s most wanted terrorist and India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to hand him over to it.

'Wait and watch'

“Wait and watch,” Singh said without elaborating, when asked when India can get hold on him.

The comments came amidst reports which suggested that Dawood is running his business empire with impunity and the billions he makes are being spent in terror operations around the globe.

“Dawood has been tracked in Karachi, alive and kicking, and is heard expanding his real estate business,” web—portal NewsMobile said based on tapes received from western diplomatic sources.

“This clearly proves that the underworld don is blatantly running his terror supermarket from Pakistan and his real estate interests are helping him generate enough funds to expand his operations,” said NewsMobile editor—in—chief Saurabh Shukla.

The Home Minister last month had said Pakistan was providing shelter to Dawood and the underworld don was staying along the Pak—Afghan border.

India’s most wanted terrorist, Dawood is the mastermind of the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai that claimed around 300 lives.

Asked about the news reports, Rijiju said government will examine the fresh evidence that have come.

Mulky: Members of animal welfare board of India have registered 17 cases against the organizers of Mulky Arasu Kambala.

The two thick ropes have been inserted in the nose in the same hole. The organizers have not sought permission for this and they didn’t even seek permission to transport the animal, they complained. No FIR has been filed in the police station, the police sources clarified.  

Meanwhile locals and organisers of Kambala argued that the activists of animal welfare board are purposefully filing complaints against the kambala organizers to stop the kambala. The kambala has been organised as per the guidance of the high court. But animal welfare board is not satisfied with the arrangements and it is keen to somehow stop the traditional sports of coastal region, locals lamented.

Jeddah: Indian freedom fighter Abdulrahman Sahib was a visionary leader and a unique personality who devoted his life to the nation and people, opined participants of a symposium organized by a special committee in association with the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress.

Mohammed Raziq Abdul Vahid, chairman of the International Indian School Jeddah’s (IISJ) Management Committee, inaugurated the seminar highlighting Sahib’s towering personality as a religious reformer, political leader, educationist, writer, publisher and orator.

Mansoor Palloor, OICC global committee spokesman, gave the keynote speech on Sahib who was nicknamed “The Lion of Kerala,” and commended his contributions to the country and people. He was president of the Pradesh Congress Committee and died at the age of 47 on Nov. 23, 1945.

“Sahib’s life was replete with examples of how a true believer can become a staunch advocate of secularism and a national leader acceptable to all sections of India’s pluralist society,” Palloor said. K.C. Abdul Rahman, who presided over the event, said Sahib’s patriotism emanated from his religious faith, adding that he never compromised on his commitment to secular credentials. 

Gopi Nedungadi, a community leader, commended Sahib’s role in promoting communal harmony in the Malabar region of Kerala. Ismail Maritheri of King Abdulaziz University underscored Sahib’s honesty and transparency. 

“This made him a unique personality and a role model,” Maritheri said. VM Ibrahim, executive editor of Gulf Madhyamam, Hassan Cherupa of Saudi Gazette, CK Shakir of KMCC, KTA Muneer of OICC, VK A Rauf, Abdul Majeed Naha, Moideenkutty Chemban, Nazeer Vavakunhu and Abdul Rahman Kavungal also spoke on the occasion.

New Delhi: India today repatriated 30 Lankan fishermen, a day after courts in Sri Lanka ordered the release of 66 Indian fishermen arrested by its navy. "Thirty Sri Lankan fishermen released by the Tamil Nadu State authorities were repatriated to Sri Lanka today (23 December) enabling reunion with their families in 
time to celebrate Christmas," External Affairs Ministry here said in statement.

The Sri Lankan fishermen boarded SLNS Ranagaja at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and arrive at the Kankasanturai harbour this evening."The release of fishermen reflects the keen desire of the two governments to continue consultation for expeditious action on the respective fishermen in custody, with a view to addressing this issue on a humanitarian basis," the statement said.

"It also demonstrates the goodwill and understanding which exists bilaterally in addressing issues relating to fishermen of the two countries, and a manifestation of the warm and abiding relationship," it said.

 

Riyadh: An Indian housemaid who has not been paid for six years by her employer in Riyadh is still awaiting her salary in arrears and a final exit home. Shamsumma, a native from Kollam district in the south Indian state of Kerala, was brought to the Kingdom about six years ago by a recruitment agency in Umm Al-Hammam area, and was later handed over to a Saudi family as a domestic help.

According to Shamsumma, the recruitment agency fixed her monthly wage at SR900 but this was cut down to SR700. She said that she received payments for four months only and later the employer refused to pay any more wages.

“I was paid for only four months and then suddenly they stopped paying my monthly wage,” she said. She also said that she wasn’t allowed to speak to or contact anyone. However, two months earlier, she managed to get in touch with a compatriot, a native from Kerala named Jamal who works in Riyadh and he advised her to call her family back home to send a request to the Indian Embassy to lodge a formal complaint.

“My family followed Jamal’s advice and with the help of the Riyadh police, the Indian Embassy succeeded in tracing my whereabouts,” Shamsumma said. Speaking to Arab News, J. K. Dalapati, community welfare attache, Indian Embassy said on Sunday, “We contacted the employer and reached his place to solve the matter.” 

Dalapati said that the employer had agreed to pay SR33,000 and make the arrangements for her air ticket and final exit. He had further asked for a three-week period in order to make these arrangements, the attaché said.

He said that Shamsumma has been taken from the employer’s house and is currently staying at the government’s housemaid welfare center here. However, despite the lapse of three weeks, the employer has failed to make good on his promise, the welfare attaché said. Dalapati assured that the embassy is following up the matter and Shamsumma will soon go back home with her dues.

New Delhi: Intense cold coupled with dense fog played havoc in north India on Monday, claiming at least four lives, and affecting road, rail and air traffic. A thick blanket of fog disrupted normal life in vast swathes of north India, including Uttar Pradesh, where three people were killed and several others injured in separate road accidents in Badaun and Barabanki districts due to low visibility. 

Cold-related incidents have so far killed 60, while reports of 10 more deaths coming from different parts of the state in the past 24 hours. Bijnore was the coldest place with 1.5 degrees Celsius. The state capital of Lucknow has also been experiencing severe cold-wave conditions, with the mercury plummeting to 4.9 degrees. The winter chill also prompted advance closure of schools in Uttar Pradesh and many other parts of north India. UP Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has ordered the closure of all schools up to 12th standard till December 28.

Flight operations were virtually paralysed in many airports: In Jaipur, where 10 flights including four international services were delayed, while no flight could take off from the Amausi international airport in UP. Train services were also affected largely across north India, with more than 70 running behind schedule by several hours, causing great inconvenience to passengers.

Intense cold conditions also continued in Rajasthan, with the mercury dropping at several places, and claiming one life in Jaipur.  Fatehpur in Rajasthan's Sikar district recorded a minimum temperature of 0.5 degree Celsius, followed by Mount Abu (2 degrees) , Pilani (3.8 degrees) and Churu (4.2 degrees). Jaipur recoded a minimum temperature of 5 degrees Celsius. A street-beggar in his 30s was found dead outside Ganesh temple in the Chandpole Gate area on Monday morning due to cold weather conditions, said the police. Mount Abu was the coldest place in Rajasthan with a low of 2 degrees Celsius.

The Kashmir Valley continued to experience dry and cold weather on the second day of “Chillai-Kalan”, the 40-day period of harshest winter, as the minimum temperatures remained below the freezing point, with slight respite at some places.
Punjab and Haryana have been experiencing extreme cold too, with the day temperatures in capital city Chandigarh being recorded less than even hill stations like Shimla for the last two days. The minimum temperatures there have been ranging from 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.