India in LG Final Hi all the indian fans out there that the under-23 team has made it to the LG Cup final! India drew with Singapore U-23 2-2, beat Vietnam U-23 3-1, and now beat Petrokimia (top Indonesian club with 6 internationals on the field) 3-0. I think that this is a great achievement, and the reports say that India played with positive attitude and in a professional way. The Petrokimia coach says that this is the fittest Indian team he has seen, and its not the full national side! (although Baichung Bhutia was in the team). Stephen Constantine, the new manager is doing a good job. With india qualified for the Asian U-17 and U-20 (i think) tournaments, and now this maybe India is ready to make the next step. India has a lot in common with China with demographics, and has a rich football history, yet still doesn't get much media attention.
Good to see India coming back slowly but steadily into the Asian scene... But it took me a while to figure out the tournament fixtures... confusing! [Group A] *Singapore U-23 *India U-23 (+ Baichung Bhutia?) Vietnam U-23 [Group B] *Vietnam Full National Team *Petrokimia (Indonesia) Thailand U-20 (?!) [Semi-Finals] Petrokimia 0 - 3 India U-23 Vietnam Full ? - ? Singapore U-23
Great to read that news. Stephen Constantine has a great attitude and modern ideas about football training. He has all the UEFA & FIFA badges to show that he understands the theory, now he just needs to have a willing federation or club who will back him financially. Hope that India can give him enough resources to succeed. It would be great if they win the championship.
While I congratulate the Indian team (and the Vietnamese as well) for making it to the final, I must say I feel disgusted for what Indian captain Baichung Bhutia did in the semifinal game against Petrokmia Putra. In the second minute of the game, Indonesian international midfielder Bima Sakti was horribly tackled from behind by Bhutia, and this resulted for Bima Sakti to be carried out so early in the game. Later scan confirmed that his left ankle was fractured, and he may be out for about eight weeks. No warning, no card, no nothing for Bhutia from the Vietnamese referee Duong Van Hien. But such a horrible, irresponsible action from a professional player who had experienced European football is a shame, a darn shame. Bima Sakti is the engine in the midfield for the team, and perhaps Indonesian best midfielder for years now. He had been playing really well in the Cup thus far, and even Indian coach Stephen Constantine singled him out. Bima Sakti and striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto are the only two recognizable internationals in the club side, consistently picked for the senior national team. Four other players are not yet picked for the national team; they're in selection for the upcoming 2002 Tiger Cup.
Actually the site where i got the news didn't show any reports of this, but im sure if it was a 2 leg tackle to the back the ref wouldve at least given a card... But just to mention India won the LG Cup last night 3-2 over the full Vietnam National side!! after being down 0-2, Bhutia scored twice and Yadav scored the winner just before full time. This in front of a packed national stadium. the full report is here: www.rediff.com/sports/2002/aug/10foot.htm This is the first international tournament India has won since 1970! Great news
Just some wrap-ups. Translated from www.sepak-bola.tv: "The final match was tainted with an embarrassing incident when the head coaches from the two countries, India's Stephen Constantine (English) and Vietnam's Henrique Calisto (Portuguese), accused each other's team of playing unfairly. "Calisto said that the Indian team played harsh football with the intention of injuring his players, just like what happened to Petrokimia Putra's midfielder Bima Sakti in the semifinal. "Calisto said after the match, 'They were playing way too harsh and non-sportsman-like. There are rules for that.' "He added, 'I feel that a coach like Stephen Constantine should not be allowed in the international scene because he instructed his boys to injure my players. They don't know the ethics of playing football.' "Meanwhile, Constantine said that the coach doesn't have the right to be the judge of the game. 'The referee is the judge on the field. Whoever cheats during a game, it's up to the referee to call,' he said emotionally. "Winners receive $15,000 in prize, while second and third place receive $10,000 and $5,000 respectively." Update on Bima Sakti: He was flown right away to National University Hospital in Singapore and is being treated there at the moment. His injuries are worse than expected earlier. His left-foot fibula bone is broken and his left-foot ankle ligament is torn. The surgery is planned to take place Monday (8/12), and the doctors say that he will be out of the game for about 3.5 to 4 months. This means he's ruled out of the 2002 Tiger Cup in December.
that sounds really bad. but i really don't know how intentionally the tuckle was made to Sakti's ankle just hearing what people say. we've seen a lot of fancy play which resluted in no carding no nothing in the wc. some of them really cracked me up indeed. how bad was the bhutia's case comparing with those fancy ones?
Hamatachi, I don't even know how the tackle took place. Everything that I wrote was taken from Indonesian websites, and the tournament itself was rather poorly covered by the media there ( I live outside the country). There were no complete details on how the tackle happened, but it was written clearly that the tackle was from behind, just two minutes after the game started, and it was very harsh, thus resulting in the horrific injury. I hope it wasn't intentional, for the sake of every player. But reading from the Vietnamese head coach's comment after the final game, one can't help but wonder.
Glad to see India making progress, now I just hope that all the players are truly in the right age bracket. They've had the problem of putting overage players in age restricted tournaments before.