Abhisar Gupta tries to answer an age-old question: Which is easier – defending or attacking?

Do you ever wonder why defenders and goalkeepers don’t get more credit? Why attacking players tend to dominate the Ballon d’Or and other awards? How many of the world’s most expensive players, particularly in terms of transfer fees, are those who protect the goal instead of creating or scoring one?

There seems to be this inherent bias in football towards the forwards and their cohorts in offence. But when we really sit down and think about it, a very clear reason appears that justifies this partiality towards the creative minds and clinical finishers.

Defending is easier than attacking.

Don’t mistake it to mean defending is easy per se – or you and I would be keeping clean sheets on our way to major trophies. Just that when compared to the nuances of attacking, breaking play down is a relatively straightforward task.

Ask yourself this – How many times does a team, any team, try to score a goal in a game, and how often do they succeed?

At the simplest level, we can safely assume that every time a player shoots at goal he is trying to score a goal. Let’s consider the teams in the Premier League; that’s as good a set as any for this discussion. At the time of writing, according to stats on the excellent WhoScored.com website, Reading’s 252 shots is the lowest total in the league. From these shots they’ve scored 33 goals at a conversion rate of around 13 percent. At the other end of the table, Manchester United have scored 62 goals from 391 shots. That means the Red Devils convert close to 16 percent of their chances.

Most teams are in the same ball park when it comes to shot conversion rates. Some websites tend to leave out blocked shots from the calculation and show a higher rate of chance conversion, but for our purpose we will include all shots.

Since we are simply trying to understand how often a team tries to score, every shot counts – whether it hits the post, goes off target, is saved, or actually results in a goal.

When we say teams succeed with 13-16 percent of their attempts at goal, there is an interesting corollary that is not to be missed. It is this – the defending team succeeds in keeping 84-87 percent of the shots out.

Right there we can see the difference in success of an attack and that of a defence. I’ll come to the reasons later but let’s explore this further because it’s not just about shots. Shots at goal are the culmination of an attempt to score but there are many other attempts that don’t even reach the stage of a shot.

For example, most teams put in 20 or more crosses into the box during a game. And the average success rate is between 20-25 percent. Of the successful crosses, only one or two result in a shot. Now, players don’t put crosses into the box just to enjoy the flight of the ball. The hope from every single attempt is to find a teammate who can score a goal. So we have to add crosses to shots attempted when we are trying to answer the question – how often does a team try to score?

Let’s add the crossing number for Manchester United to see how the math works. Ferguson’s side have attempted 542 crosses and delivered 131 corners into the box so far this season, of which only 141 have been accurate. I don’t have stats that say how many of the successful crosses actually led to shots so let’s leave all the successful ones out for the time being. We still have 532 balls put into the box with the hope of finding a teammate who can score, that didn’t result in a goal. Let’s add this to the number of shots attempted (shots cannot be attempted from unsuccessful crosses!).

391+532 gives us a total of 923 attempts to score. In reality, this number will be even higher because many of the successful crosses didn’t actually result in a shot. But calculating that would make things more complicated so we’re leaving it out.

In 26 games this season, the Red Devils have 62 goals from 923 attempts at a meagre conversion rate of 6.7 percent. Don’t forget they’re among the best attacking teams around!

Those with a keen analytical mind would have noted that we don’t have to stop with crosses. Every failed through-ball, every pass into the box that is intercepted or cleared, every time a player running with the ball is tackled, and so on, is an attempt to attack that has been successfully thwarted. We don’t have to go into numbers for all these cases, but suffice it to say that the conversion rate will drop below 5 percent quite easily. Most teams succeed with 1 or 2 percent of their attacks (although Barcelona this season probably have a slightly higher number). As a corollary, most teams succeed with 98-99 percent of their defensive efforts.

Often when watching matches, what happens is that we take the tackles, the misplaced passes, the interceptions, and other facets of the game for granted. Few of us see it as another attack that has been broken down. Furthermore, when we see highlights, we usually see goals and great saves. It tends to affect our perception. For instance, in a highlights package we see so many crosses headed in to goals, and so many spectacular long distance shots either going in or rattling the bar, that we tend to think that’s how it’s supposed to be. But I’d be surprised if more than 2 percent of crosses actually resulted in goals. Similarly, very few long distance shots genuinely trouble the goalkeeper leave alone result in goals. Highlights make us forget the failed events and with that we forget just how difficult it is to score.

I like to think that a team tries to score a goal every time it gets possession of the ball. And they succeed with 1 or 2 percent of their attempts. However, there are times when it appears that a team wants to sit back and protect its goal rather than going forward and scoring one. Why do you think they do that? Why do teams park the bus against an opponent like Barcelona?

Teams defend instead of attacking because they feel that’s the easier option. Getting bodies behind the ball and protecting the lead is safer than going out in search of another goal because defending is easier than attacking.

It is an incontrovertible, albeit unwritten, tenet of the game.

Now let’s ask why defending is so much easier than attacking. As with any aspect of life, creation is infinitely harder than destruction. A great deal of precision and coordination is needed to put the ball in the back of the net. When a striker has to put a header towards goal he needs a great deal of accuracy. In order to get that, his positioning, body shape, and timing have to be flawless. For a defender, on the other hand, it is usually just a matter of getting some body part on the ball. Anywhere out of the danger area is fine. Just keep it away from the striker and you’ve done your job for that moment. Execution becomes so much easier.

Similarly, the passing has to be inch-perfect in the attacking areas as space gets tighter. A slightly shorter pass, a longer one, or a heavier one can all break an attack down. A bad touch, a wrong turn, or even a slight delay in making up one’s mind can spell the end of the offensive threat in a given move.

In attack, the players also have to think on their feet and combine instinctively. Attacking is about fluidity and spontaneity. Every move cannot be taught. In contrast, defending is about structure and discipline. Defensive players can be drilled meticulously.

Of course, doing it over and over demands a great deal of concentration, positional awareness, reliable decision-making, physical strength, and other attributes. That’s the reason I said defending in itself is not easy. It’s just easier than attacking.

The rules of the game also play their part. In basketball, for instance, there is no goalkeeper (basketkeeper?). So an accurate attempt often results in a score. Let’s conduct a couple of thought experiments.

What would happen if the goalkeeper in football was not allowed to use his hands at all? Suddenly, a lot of those diving saves would no longer be possible! The keeper won’t be able to catch or punch crosses. Players will be able to shoot from a distance and if they place the shot sufficiently high and wide of the keeper, their odds of scoring will increase exponentially. All-in-all, the gap between attacking and defending efficiency will decrease significantly.

Similarly, imagine a situation where the goal is replaced by a basketball hoop with no goalkeeper allowed. Do you think the scores will be higher? What if everything remains the same but the height and width of the goal is increased by a couple of yards from its current size? What if off-side is removed entirely?

I’m not advocating these changes but thinking about how they are likely to impact the scoring patterns will give you a better understanding of how the rules of the game affect the balance of play. At the moment, they heavily favour the defensive side.

As a consequence, the magic on a football pitch comes from the attacking players and that’s the reason they’re more valued. Many defenders are great players in their own right but few can compete with the Peles, Messis, and Zidanes of this world.

Defensive teams can get good success in cup competitions. Chelsea and Inter Milan’s Champions League wins in recent years are proof of that. But did you note they’re both playing in the Europa League this year? In contrast, Bayern Munich – who lost to both these teams in the final – are still up there as favourites. Barcelona have won Europe’s premier competition thrice in recent years. Sometimes a defensive team does get the better of them, but over a long period it’s their offence that dominates. Defensive teams can have their moments of glory, the truly great offensive ones have eras.

The next time you watch a match, see if you spot how often and for what reasons an attack fails. It just might change the way you watch the game.

“Why aren’t women easily accepted into the fold by male football supporters in India?”, asks Amreen Bhujwala…

India – Where everyone’s supposed to be equal according to our laws and there isn’t supposed to be any bias based on caste, religion, or sex.

India is where I live, and India is where I’ve learnt to survive as a female football fan.

I’m sure there are many like me out there, but when it comes to voicing our opinion, apart from ranting on Social Media there’s nothing much we can really boast about. Society is so used to demeaning the status of the Indian woman, that at the end of the day, she forgets who she really is at times.

And when it comes to something like football, which is one of those typical “guy things”, I’ve come to realize that most males wouldn’t appreciate it if a female challenged his skills or even his knowledge.

So what is it about the male section of our society? Are they jealous? Are they sexist?

On our faces, most men behave extremely sweetly and also pretend to be impressed when we say we follow football. Walk away and one will find them cracking slightly offensive jokes at our expense, which vary right from supporting a particular team to sporting a team’s jersey, and even about the offside rule.

Women have had to put up with some very patronising behaviour at times in the still fairly masculine world of football. We all recall Sky Sports dinosaurs Andy Gray and Richard Keys’ jibes at a female Assistant Referee – ’Do us a favour love, do you even know the off side rule? When male officials get it wrong, it’s because they’re inept. When female officials get it wrong, apparently it’s because they’re women?

Anyone with two eyes, a marginally functioning brain, and enough female friends, knows that women are a significant part of the football community worldwide, and now in India as well.

Women, and I’m speaking on behalf of all the female football fans I know, don’t watch or support a football team just because they have ‘cute players’. Also, supporting a team just because they’re winning trophies isn’t something a woman would do. But having said that, I won’t deny that there are a certain number of ‘plastic fans’. Those numbers, however, would be considerably less if compared with men, so the ‘plasticity’ of fans is common across both sexes.

In my opinion, there are three main types of female football fans:

1. The ones who love the game, and everything that has got anything to do with it. They’re the ones who won’t miss a single game for anything in the world, and even if they can’t watch the game live at the stadium, they make sure they watch it on TV.

2. The second type also love their team, however, they’re a little less dedicated (if I may say so). They’ll buy their team’s jerseys, support their team during their ups and downs and keep abreast with everything that’s happening. This section of fans is rather important for they’re the ones blowing up Twitter and Facebook, demanding that games get streamed if not aired live on TV; they’re constantly buzzing on Social Media when it comes to their team and football in general.

3. And the third type are the ones who’ve jumped on the bandwagon – just because everyone else was doing it! They know who the players are and they definitely know who the hottest players are, but ask them what was their team’s ‘back four’ during a particular game, and they won’t have a clue.

Too many times on Social Media and in person, female fans have been labeled “glory hunters” or “plastic fans”, which is rather uncalled for. I have to say this to all men, with due respect, that women are definitely aware of the “Offside Rule”, thank you very much. We cry when our team loses, cry harder when we win. A player’s injury affects us more than our own and it’s the end of the world when someone leaves our club.

We rant on Twitter not because we want to attract followers, but because it hurts us when our team doesn’t perform well. I don’t see a reason why people think we’re trying to boast about our knowledge of the game when we tweet about it; we just love the sport!

Growing up in India and breaking all the rules when I fell in love with Thierry Henry was the defining moment in my life. Football took precedence over everything else – even friends.

What was the case with me 12 years ago stands true until date. If my team has a bad game, my entire week is ruined. And if my team has a brilliant game, it goes without saying that I’d have a brilliant week.

Football is directly responsible for my state of mind. But no matter how much ever I love my club, and no matter how many tears I shed – not to mention the very colourful language I use during a game – I’ll always have that question mark on my loyalty. Speaking from experience, and I’m sure most girls’ experience, it doesn’t take long for a guy to point fingers and spew venom.

It’s really sad some of things women are told by various people, just because they love a sport.

“You’re fat and that jersey looks ugly on you.”

So if I’m not “sexy” or “hot”, I’m not supposed to wear my team’s jersey? Is that what all female football fans are perceived as? Sex symbols?

Just recently, I received a not-so-comforting tweet - “You’re a girl. What do you understand about football? Go make me a sandwich, *****!”

I laughed it off then, but somewhere inside it stung. Why can’t I have a place for myself in those hundreds and thousands of football fans? Do I need to prove my knowledge and love for the game at every single step?

A Nike campaign comes to mind at this juncture. Sometime during 2010, they released a new video – “Paving The Way” – which had young boys thanking the men’s national team for inspiring them, and surprisingly, it didn’t feature a single girl. The advertisement was subject to some criticism for the same, but the male community was quiet at large.

Just because I am a woman and I live in India, doesn’t mean my place is in the kitchen or inside the four walls of the house. We’re independent and strong women, and if we love a sport, as much as men can ever think of doing (or even more), it’s high time that they made space for us in their world.

We may be emotional goats, but we’re loyal football fans; and at the end of the day, that is exactly what matters.

This story originally appeared in the March 2013 issue of 90 Minutes. To subscribe, click here.

Atishay Agarwal writes on his experience of  visiting the Ten Sports studio in Dubai, where Joe Morrison and his team do their stuff…

Dubai is a city of unmistakable, in-your-face grandeur. From the moment you land in the UAE’s most popular destination, you’re almost made to feel inferior, inadequate, and in awe of the sheer brilliance that surrounds you.

While the country isn’t traditionally a footballing hotbed in any sense, the large expatriate population (over 80%), especially in Dubai, makes football the most popular sport in the city, at least when it comes to the European game.

Apart from the love for the European game, India does have another little football connection with Dubai, which resides within one building in the Dubai Media City. Taj Entertainment Network, or TEN, has its studio here, and it is this studio from where Champions League images (among other tournaments) have been reaching your TV screens in recent years.

Having never witnessed live telecast of a football show from a studio before, writing to Joe Morrison, the much-loved football presenter at TEN, was too tempting to resist. Joe has endeared himself to football fans in India since he became a TV ever-present on Champions League nights some years ago, and was typically casual and matter-of-fact in his reply. So I headed to the swanky Media City for lunch at a nearby café with the TEN presenter, which was to be followed in a few hours by a visit to the studio for C2K Extra Time.

The first thing that strikes you about the Englishman is that he isn’t uptight or formal in the slightest, but at the same time, he will make you take him seriously. When I insisted that I pick up the cheque for lunch, his instant response was, “Ah, you’re a journalist; you don’t want to be bought.”

It is such offbeat yet uniquely amusing remarks that have seen him carve out a niche for himself on Indian television, and even garner a personal fan following of sorts. Conversation at lunch centred around football, and particularly Indian football. It brings me to why Joe Morrison is different from any other football presenter we’ve seen on Indian television before – he seems to genuinely care about where Indian football is going. While others talk about Indian football purely out of curiosity, one can sense that he shares the general sense of frustration with the stagnancy of Indian football, like we do as fans.

However, he zeroes in on what he says is the biggest deficiency in Indian football, and which holds the key to a better future. “You need a hero,” he exclaims, “and the rest will simply follow”. He goes on to add, “You can build as many academies as you want, and bring in better facilities and what not, but real footballers, the best footballers, are first made in the backyard, on the street, and they will come along only when they have that hero.”

It’s a fair enough point. But what can we do except fold our hands and wait for that long-awaited hero to turn up? “You have a hero already”, he says, before revealing the name, almost to imaginary drumrolls in my head – “Gurpreet Singh”.

The conversation ended abruptly as the only Newcastle fan I’ve ever met was required at his office, but I held on to the topic in my mind as I visited their office a few hours later, half an hour before C2K Extra Time went live on air.

As it so turned out, I happened to bump into Budgie while waiting for the elevator. True to his on-screen persona, the man was in a yellow suit and a black t-shirt, looking as outrageous yet nonchalant about it as ever. After I introduced myself, he led me to the green (read: make-up) room, where Mr. Morrison was being made as pretty as possible for the show. “That’s the other, not-so-cool part of being on TV”, he joked, and turned back instantly to receive a few more brushstrokes on his cheek.

It was a co-incidence that the February issue of 90 Minutes had profiled Gurpreet Singh, so when Budgie began flipping through the copy I handed him, his eyes lit up at that page, and he burst out, “This young guy of yours has so much talent, but time’s running out for him. The coaches at Wigan liked him, and something could have happened, but his club back in India won’t let him go.”

Budgie went on about how Gurpreet has barely gotten playing time this season for the Red and Gold, all the while seeming as if he was talking about his own protégé. Meanwhile, Joe added from the make-up chair, “On the first day of his trial at Wigan, he made a terrible mistake in the very first minute, which led to a goal. It was the worst possible start, but then, a few minutes later, he came out and made up for it with a stunning save. It showed guts, it showed character. It showed he had what it takes. He impressed the coaches there.”

In the view of both, Gurpreet could potentially go on and play in one of the better leagues in Europe, but only if he is coached the right way immediately. Unfortunately, both think it is now almost a lost cause.

I caught my first glimpse of Carlton Palmer as he walked into the room in shorts and snickers, after what must have been a run or workout of some kind. He’s easily the most soft-spoken of the three, which might not always be the case on TV. Budgie and Joe on the other hand, kept up their verbal sparring throughout, with the make-up girl often having to take sides.

About to witness a live telecast, I was under the impression that the studio, producer included, would be a house of panic before and during the show, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Jason, their Aussie producer, was as cool as they come, and everyone in the studio was mostly calm, smiling, and content.

Maybe the reason for it was Annah Jacob, the young lady (of Indian origin) who hosts the Gossip Girl segment on C2K Extra Time, and was the cynosure of all eyes in red. Budgie, never one to hold back, also turned out to be quite the smooth talker when chatting up Annah, and things did get a bit ‘spicy’ when talk turned to his suit, leading to inevitable jokes about bananas, which I’d better leave out of this.

Carlton walked in a few minutes before they went on air, and everyone was set to go! While most football programming on TV aims to be serious and intellectual, the team at TEN have their own way of doing things, which often polarize the audience. While topics of discussion on the show that day seemed to be decided in advance, all three kept things mostly spontaneous.

‘Captain Marvels’ was the subject of the ‘Legends Debate’ on the night, and almost all the names were thought of on camera. There was absolutely no discussion about it off air. Even the tweets that Joe read out during the show were picked at random, and at that very moment. It is one of TEN’s biggest successes – the way in which they have interacted with their audience and kept them engaged. While other channels have begun giving Twitter importance as well, they do so in a more structured and rigid manner, which makes the whole exercise redundant anyway.

The trio switched off during breaks, casually joked with one another about what could have been avoided or said earlier, and switched back on as soon as the cameras rolled again. Budgie, for all those who might be interested, is almost exactly the same on and off camera. Even during telecast, he’d make a comment and then search for eye-contact with people standing behind the cameras to share a childlike smile. It was as if he didn’t even know he was on national television. The constant joking and one-upmanship among the trio kept the entire camera crew in splits as well, as they constantly laughed sheepishly while behind the lens.

Once the show was over, Carlton gave most pages in the magazine his scholarly glance, while Joe was particularly impressed by our “Remember The Name” section, in which Marcus Haydon runs the rule over some of the upcoming youngsters you may not have heard of. For all their outspokenness, both Carlton and Budgie came across as extremely courteous, likable and genuine people off camera; people you’d like to watch football games with.

After I thanked Joe for everything, he put me on the spot: “What do you think of our content Atishay, honestly?” It took me back to the interview I’d done with him for the magazine over a year back, where I asked him about how difficult it was for him and the team to follow John Dykes and ESPN’s act. My answer was on the same lines.

“You guys might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the best thing you’ve done is stay true to yourselves. You know what you’re trying to achieve. You haven’t tried to be anyone else, which in turn has won you several fans over the years. You focus on entertainment along with analysis, which also attracts viewers who are new to football”, I replied.

Joe shot back, “You know which is the best compliment I’ve received while working here? It was when a young boy told me that his mother loves our show. That’s a win for us.”

It surely is.

This article first appeared in the March 2013 issue of 90 Minutes. Click here to subscribe to India’s only football magazine!

Happy New Year everyone!

The new year promises much hope and joy, something we’re looking to provide to you with our January edition. The 90 Minutes team worked nights even during holiday season, (although we did party all night on the 31^st) to make sure you started your year with 90 Minutes with a smile.

While December saw some fantastic football action in India and across Europe, there were two incidents of fan violence that brought extreme disappointment, and they came on the same day, at two different derbies – Kolkata and Manchester.

Kolkata was buzzing with excitement on the day of the derby fixture between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, with several foreigners (most of them Englishmen who were in town for the cricket) also in attendance to soak in the atmosphere of what is often called the world’s biggest football derby.

While most of the football in the first half was cagey and scrappy, which is often the case on such occasions, Harmanjot Khabra lit up the scene with a superb header to give East Bengal the lead. Football was to take a backseat thereafter, though, as first Odafa gestured aggressively at the referee only to get sent off, and then spectators at the ground showed why the meaning of ‘passion’ is often misunderstood by Kolkata football fans.

In the midst of all of that, it was one of India’s best footballers in the last few years – Syed Rahim Nabi – who got hit by a stone thrown from the stands (Incidentally, the stone was part of the stands!) and fractured his jaw. Blood, chaos, ambulances, and subsequent violence followed, and Mohun Bagan refused to come out for the second half, citing ‘law and order’ reasons.

There’s been enough controversy about the incident since, but the AIFF took the matter to another level altogether by announcing that Bagan would be banned for the remainder of the season plus another two league seasons. While most would agree that the club did deserve a punishment for refusing to play, the eventual punishment meted out was rather impractical and over the top.

With the I-League struggling anyway, banishing one of the top teams in the country for two and a half years from the competition would only do harm to the game in India. Would a large fine and points deduction have been enough punishment? Could the AIFF have asked Bagan to play the rest of their home games this season behind closed doors? Perhaps.

We have the man in the middle of it all, Syed Rahim Nabi, speaking to us in a lengthy interview this issue, as he discusses his feelings post the incident and the ban.

The cover story though, is all about Man United, which should please all Red Devils out there. United have been strangely cavalier in the league this season, scoring for fun but leaking goals at the back too. Abhisar Gupta takes a closer look at their performances and tries to figure out whether a different Man United can yield the same results this season. It’s a fascinating read.

There’s a lot more in there as usual, including a statistical look at the best teams and players in Europe over the last 18 months. Happy reading everyone, hope you enjoy!

To read the January issue, pick up a copy of 90 Minutes today, or click here to subscribe!

Statistics, in every sport, are sought for various reasons. For players, it gives them a sense of achievement when looking back. Coaches and managers monitor them on a regular basis to assess their players, while fans spend hours each week browsing through various numbers and combinations, in order to enhance their connection with the sport, as well as to delve deeper and become pseudo-analysts.

By the end of the season, or the year, we all know who the top scorers have been, which team has won most trophies, or which player has led the assists charts. But perhaps it’s time to look at some of the finer points and numbers, in order to come to a few more conclusions, and direct the spotlight on players who might have gone unnoticed.

Just like last year, we did some serious number-crunching for Europe’s four best leagues – the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, and the Serie A – for the entire 2011-12 season, as well as the current campaign, and came up with some interesting conclusions for all of you. Are the winners of various categories the same as last time? Who are the new entrants? Have a look!

The Most Efficient Attacker

It’s getting to a stage where we can tell who the most efficient attacker is, without even looking through one stat. Just to be clear, the concept is to include both goals and assists and combine them as ‘goal contributions’, with the most efficient attacker being the player who made the most contributions per game.

As expected, the winner (by far) is Lionel Messi. Whaddaplaya! The Barca talisman has had a phenomenal last 18 months, and also scored a record-breaking 91 goals in 2012. For the record, Messi racked up a grand total of 97 goal contributions (76 goals, 21 assists) in 54 league games, at a rate of 1.79 contributions per match.

Cristiano “Always the Bridesmaid” Ronaldo finishes second yet again, with 1.36 contributions per game. Third place in such a list is a prize of its own, to see who’s the best behind Messi and Ronaldo. This time around, it’s Zlatan who has Zlatan-ed his way to this list, finishing with 1.16 contributions per match. The Premier League’s topper is Robin van Persie, who has 1.01 contributions per match in the last 18 months for Arsenal and Manchester United.

The Best Passer

Good quality passing is one of the most pleasing and aesthetic aspects of football, and no team embodies this more than FC Barcelona. It is no surprise then, that like last time, Xavi heads the list this year as well. Completing 93.47% of his passes, the Spaniard has yet again shown no sign of ageing, and will remain a crucial part of the Barca set up for a few more years at least.

The surprise entry in this list is Swansea City’s Leon Britton, who finishes second, completing 92.94% of his passes in league matches. The Swansea midfielder is an important part of the team’s short-passing style, and keeps the ball moving quickly as the Welsh team builds momentum in attack. While not the most hyped footballer, numbers-wise he one of England’s best midfielders. Third in the list is Barca youngster Thiago Alcantara, who completed 92.87% of his passes in 35 league appearances in the last 18 months.

However, if we only look at players who have played a majority of their team’s games, it’s Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta who comes in third, successfully completing 91.52% of his passes.

To read the complete story, pick up a copy of 90 Minutes today, or click here to subscribe!

Hi Nabi, many congratulations for being named the AIFF Player of the Year. You’ve joined the ranks of Vijayan, Bhutia and Chhetri with this award. How does it feel? Many also say that you’ve received the award too late. Do you agree?

Well, naturally I’m feeling great. Always feels good to get such an award and be recognized for your efforts. As for the timing of the award, I don’t really look at it that way. I’ve got it now, and that’s that! There’s no point thinking about the past and whether I deserved it earlier anyway, so I just look forward!

How have you reacted to the AIFF’s decision to ban Mohun Bagan from the I-League?

You tell me, are you happy with the decision? Is it correct for Indian football that a club like Mohun Bagan will not play in the country’s top football competition? What will happen to the players and their families if Mohun Bagan does not play any more in the I-league?

So what should have been the decision, according to you?

Well, I am not a law maker or one of the AIFF officials. However, I think AIFF could have given us a temporary suspension and a fine, which would have been enough. But then again, maybe I do not know that much about the rules.

While I respect rules and the guidelines in place, we must consider social reasons as well. Mohun Bagan has a big impact in Bengali society, and one must take note of that as well before such a big decision.

You wrote an open letter to the AIFF regarding their decision. Was it motivated by anyone or anything?

Not at all. I wrote the letter because I am loyal to my club. Why should anyone tell me what to write or not?

It was reported that you had even thought of hanging up your boots after the derby incident. Is it true? If yes, why?

Well it’s not that, exactly. The nature of the incident was such that people at home were heavily affected by it and it seemed as if they wouldn’t like it if I played again. But now that things have calmed down a bit it’s all okay. I’m not thinking of any such thing at the moment.

After the derby, have you considered moving and playing outside Kolkata?

I have one year left with Mohun Bagan, and after that I do plan to play outside. It can be in India or even abroad. I have even signed with an agent who is looking for offers abroad. If God is willing you might see me playing for a foreign team in the near future. I played three years for Mohammedan, four years for East Bengal and now two years for Bagan. I think now is the best time to move outside.

To read the complete interview, pick up a copy of 90 Minutes today, or click here to subscribe!

Hello all!

2012 is coming to an end! It’s flown by for all of us at 90 Minutes, as we kind of live our lives month-to-month. Issue-to-issue, rather. Hopefully all of you who were reading at the beginning of the year are still with us, and will remain next year as well.

We’ve got some cracking articles for you once again, some which address very important issues indeed. The cover story focuses on racism in football, but instead of getting into arguments over whether the bans handed out are adequate and whether the men found guilty have any defence and what not, we’ve tried to look at the bigger picture.

We focus on whether racist abuse means that a person is a ‘racist’, or is guilty of racist discrimination at any point in his life. Racism, in its truest form, refers to any kind of discrimination faced by a section of society or a community simply because of their skin colour or ethnicity. If Luis Suarez uttered a word to Patrice Evra, is he a racist? Will he not like being around Glen Johnson? Will he treat him differently than his other teammates at Liverpool? Similarly, John Terry, who has played a majority of his career with several African and other black footballers, would probably feel harshly done by if branded a racist by his peers from now on.

But before passing judgment on others, I think all of us need to look ourselves. If we see a black man, do we not notice that he’s black? Is that not one of the characteristics we immediately recognize and remember about that individual? That is simply natural. If you had to describe an oriental man to someone who couldn’t remember him, would you not mention that he’s oriental? It’s just human nature to notice and differentiate using skin colour, height, weight, and other physical attributes.

What’s important is that we don’t treat them any differently, or deny them what they merit. Will we ask our near and dear ones to not befriend members of another community? Will we avoid spending time with and judge people of other ethnicities simply because of that difference? That is when we cross that dreaded line. It’s very easy for us to criticize footballers and other celebrities, but we probably need to delve into our conscience to understand everyone better. We all have skeletons in our closet.

All of this is not to defend or justify the actions of Terry or Suarez. What they said wasn’t pleasant and was indeed wrong, but if someone called me an “Indian bas****” or a “short bas****” (yes I’m not the tallest), I wouldn’t feel the difference. I would take both those instances as someone calling me a “bas****”. Maybe I feel differently about this, but then that is my personal feeling.

Abuse is abuse. Whether with racist or any other connotation, no form of abuse is acceptable, and there’s too much of it in football. Passion is necessary, banter is enjoyable, but perhaps some of the vitriol mouthed by fans at players, players at players, and players at referees is over the top, and needs to be addressed.

Nigel Empson has written, in my view, a very important article on the entire saga, which will hopefully connect with all of you somewhere. There’s a lot more in there as usual, so have a good read, and a cracking end to 2012.

See you next year!

Atletico Madrid have made many a signing since their promotion in 2002 that has gone horribly wrong, many a gamble that has not paid off. Signing Radamel Falcao was not one of them, although at the time there were suggestions that they were taking a huge gamble in bringing the striker to the Vicente Calderon.

The Madrid club sold Sergio Aguero to Manchester City for 45m Euros in late July last year, and were in the market for a replacement. Aguero had come as a talented teenager in 2006 and had seamlessly replaced Fernando Torres as the club’s talisman a year later. The Argentine would go on to lead the Rojiblancos to the ‘promised land’ of the Champions League and then to Europa League success in 2010, before finally leaving as a world-famous and world-class striker for the Premier League.

Replacing Aguero was going to be tough and Atletico took a gamble – just as any club making any signing would – by splashing out 40m Euros to recruit Falcao, the Colombian striker who had been in Europe for just two seasons, and that too in Portugal. There was scepticism at the time that the former River Plate forward would struggle to fulfil his potential as Atletico’s most expensive signing ever.

Those apprehensions were misplaced, and not just in hindsight. Falcao may have been playing in Europe for just two years before he moved to one of the most historic and biggest clubs in Spain, but he had just led Porto to Europa League glory by shattering Jurgen Klinsmann’s record of 15 goals in the competition.

To read the entire story, pick up a copy of 90 Minutes today, or click here to subscribe!

Following a lengthy unsuccessful spell by the national football teams (men/women/youth), Her Majesty’s Football Association finally woke up to try and fix a major issue concerning English football – the development of quality youth players.

British under-21 players comprised 4% of the league’s total appearances last season, while only 34% of top flight players are home grown. The same figure stands at 52% in Germany and 72% in Spain.

The Premier League decided to tackle the issue by consulting the football clubs, representatives of the Football League and the Football Association, and announced an initiative to improve the long term development of home-grown players. They called it the ‘Elite Player Performance Plan’ or the EPPP.

To read the entire story, pick up a copy of 90 Minutes today, or click here to subscribe!

Hello again!

Welcome to another issue of 90 Minutes, one that I loved putting together thanks to some exceptional work by our writers. There are some articles in here that might stay with you for a long time, and that’s what we aim to do.

Our cover focuses on two things at once. While we also refer to whether Lionel Messi deserves to be named the Player of the Year once again this time around, we also discuss Barcelona’s reinvention (or not) under new manager Tito Vilanova, and whether they’re still as good. While there is a school of thought that Vilanova is changing a few things and looking to stamp his philosophy on the team, he only seems to just be continuing and building on the good work of Pep Guardiola. It’s a bit of both, perhaps, and which way he eventually leans only time will tell.

Barca are top of La Liga, but failed to beat Madrid in the Super Cup as well as at home in the league. Many say it’s the end of their domination in the league, but there’s a long way to go, and it would be a touch premature to signal an end to their dominance domestically, or in Europe.

While not the cover story, Akshay Mhaskar’s article on the foreign player quotas in Spain is an absolute gem, and is one we can all refer to in moments of confusion! EU laws have always been slightly unclear, and the result is a system filled with loopholes, which will become clear after reading the story, to those of you who aren’t in the know.

Our interview for this month is a slightly different one, as it isn’t with a footballer but with an administrator (not anyone from the AIFF though, who are still generally loath to speak at length to the media). We speak to Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran, a highly respected man in Indian football, who has been working with FIFA as the Development Officer for South and Central Asia.

As is expected, he was extremely cordial throughout the length of the conversation, and was reluctant to say anything negative about anyone, something magazines don’t appreciate much! However, Mr. Prabhakaran spoke sense and was honest throughout, which is the most we can expect from a FIFA official of any kind these days.

We would love some feedback from you guys on the content every month, as well as the new features we push through every now and then, like the “Scouting Report” written by Marcus Haydon, who specializes in following young talent across Eastern Europe and South America. More features will follow soon, so any feedback/suggestions are more than welcome.

Have a great month you all, see you in December!

To read the November issue of 90 Minutes, pick up a copy today, or click here to subscribe!