SAAF Championship : A mediocre affair

India’s domination of the South Asian Football Federation Championship was unchallenged in the recently   held edition in   New Delhi, India. In an anti-climax final they   prevailed   over a defiant Afghanistan 4-0.

India made an unimpressive start but finished off   strong   in a competition that lacked genuine quality. The kind of football one witnessed is a grim reminder   to all of us that South Asian countries   have a lot of catching up to do with the rest of the world.

The action can be   best   summed up   in one sentence:  it was mediocre,   listless   and   drab.  Most games were   played at a leisurely   pace and never rose to dizzy heights in terms of   excellence   and thrill.

Evidently   every   team   struggled to find their rhythm, tempo   and   momentum, and   they never really got going.

There was one common   denominator   ; however,   the teams were on an equal footing when it came to   approach, style and standards. Nothing   much separated the teams for most part   of the    competition.

Afghanistan’s   foray into the championship was the   single most important highlight. The matter of fact is that they unexpectedly took the competition by storm and came very close to win their maiden international   title. 

The   second place finish in itself is a huge accomplishment for a   country   devastated   by war, where   sporting events are rare and sports infrastructure barely exists.

I salute them for   their   endurance and   conviction to   withstand   the enormous   adversity. The   gusto and doggedness   they have   displayed   in   sporting arenas   are examples we need to imbibe. Without a doubt they are the emerging force in South Asian sports.

Served   by their foreign based players the Afghanis   impressed with their sturdy and tough brand of football and deserved a place in the final.

Nepal was the other big surprise of the championship. In the eyes of football pundits, observers and fans    they were by far the most impressive outfit. They played solid, aggressive and organized football throughout the competition.

Despite   excellent   and consistent play they stumbled against   Afghanistan in the semi-final, which they should have won.  It was our offensive line as an eleven that was our Achilles heel. For fans like me it was like   watching a movie with a bittersweet ending.

India’s success   was expected. Like any team in the competition they looked unconvincing and struggled quite a bit. Nonetheless, they managed to find   some timely form in their last two crucial matches that ultimately proved decisive.

 Maldives came alive, following initial mediocrity but were unable to hold off India in the semi-final. Their semi-final   spot point to the fact that   they are slowly but steadily improving.

Without   conceding a match Pakistan exited the tournament. They   failed to garner enough points to seal   themselves a place in the last four despite their physical power and thrust. They have the potential to become a much better team.

The   present Sri Lankan   team is a far cry from the one that won the 1995 SAFF Championship at the expense of India, and they failed to make any impression at all.

 In my   opinion Bangladesh was the biggest disappointment.  Not only were they unable to live up to their expectations but played second fiddle much to my chagrin.

Bhutan   which took a drubbing in three successive matches was the weakest link in the championship.    Nevertheless, the boys from the   land of the thunder dragon performed spiritedly.

With seven goals to his credit India’s Sunil   Chhetri was the highest goal getter, and he   ended the tournament on a high by scoring in every game.

Apart from   Chettri,   a   good   number of   highly promising   youngsters   emerged in the competition, something to feel good about.

 Overall   attendance   that   was   an all time low   defies   logic. Most   of   the matches were played to near empty galleries.  Obviously, local   sport buffs   literally   rejected   the competition.

The   organizing committee’s   failure to   adequately market   the championship aggressively and effectively might have resulted in low   attendance.

I   have   followed South Asian football for close to   two decades    but the state of the game remains unchanged, which is discouraging and   troubling.

The national   football   associations   of the seven nations    deserve the most blame  for  failing  to take all necessary   measures to prop up football development .  In addition, the     dirty politics of   football   that persists   has done more harm than good to the beautiful game on all fronts.

The region needs true visionary professionals not pretenders   who have the commitment, honesty and integrity to get things moving and done.  Otherwise, South Asian football   will continue to languish.