NEW DELHI: India hit a new low with their “humiliating” loss to tiny Guam in World Cup qualifying, the country's media said Wednesday. India, once hailed the sleeping giants of football by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, were outclassed by the Pacific island minnows on Tuesday night. The 2-1 defeat was made even more embarrassing as India, with a population of 1.25 billion compared to Guam's 160,000, are 33 places above Guam Matao (174) in the FIFA world rankings. “HUMILIATION”, screamed the Mail Today tabloid which said the defeat was the latest in a string of poor performances. “There is a point after which the word embarrassing does not do justice while describing repeated debacles,” the newspaper said in its back pa...
June 17, 2015 at 6:24 pm | News Desk
KUALA LUMPUR: Asian Football Conference general secretary Alex Soosay has resigned, the regional body announced Wednesday, amid allegations he was involved in a cover-up during the reign of scandal-tainted former boss Mohamed bin Hammam. “Alex Soosay has tendered his resignation as AFC General Secretary with immediate effect,” the Kuala Lumpur-based AFC said in a statement. Soosay, a former coach and Malaysian international midfielder, was suspended last month pending a probe into allegations he tried to obstruct a 2012 audit of AFC accounts. The investigation was triggered by the emergence in April of a videotaped interview in which an AFC official said Soosay asked him to “tamper (with) or hide” documents during the audit. P...
June 17, 2015 at 6:21 pm | News Desk
New dawn for the street children footballers In April 2014, the street children from Pakistan had made the nation proud by finishing third and beating our eastern neighbor in the Street Child Football World Cup held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Pakistan Child Football Team returned home with a bronze medal. To honor the much-celebrated-street-footballers from Pakistan, Mr. Afredo Leoni, the Ambassador of Brazil to Pakistan, hosted a ceremony at the Embassy of Brazil in Islamabad on May 19th 2014, as the 2014 FIFA World Cup draws near which will be held in June and July this year. It is the second time Brazil is hosting and the 20th FIFA World Cup overall. Among the participants of this ceremony were all members of Pakistan footbal...
June 12, 2014 at 2:50 am | News Desk
By Dr Fawad Kaiser -- In cricket, a batsman nearing a century will frequently manifest signs of negotiating the aptly named ‘nervous nineties’ and he would hone his skills through mental process while refusing the opposition that cruel moment of satisfaction. Sticky wicket; this phrase comes from the game of cricket and refers to an uncovered cricket pitch that is in the process of dying out after being affected by heavy rain. A hard crust forms over the soft, wetsoil. This helps the ball to bite, turn and lift variably. On a sticky wicket, batting is awkward and sometimes hazardous, as the ball will spin, seam and bounce sharply and unpredictably. Given the absence of material tangibility, symbols occupy the space and I have chosen...
August 25, 2013 at 11:36 pm | News Desk