The name Derek Anthony Redmond may not evoke memories of gold medals, but the retired British athlete behind the name defines in complete essence the human spirit.

Derek started young, shattering the British 400 metres record at the age of just nineteen. However, his career was plagued with a number of injuries, one of which ended his time on the track after an extremely unfortunate event during the course of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

The race began with Redmond breaking away from the group and seizing the lead. Things were looking good for him when,  just 250 metres short of the finish line, his hamstring snapped  and he hobbled to a halt in excruciating pain. Stretchers and doctors made their way over to him but he signalled that he would continue. His tormented screams were followed by a moment that will live on forever in the minds of each of the 65,000 spectators. Lifting himself to his feet, he started once again to finish the race—the race he knew he would not win, the race he was alone in running,  and the race that made him a hero.

The entire crowd rose to its feet in complete disbelief and erupted in a roar, and through it came a man sidestepping people, being jostled by others, shaking, crying, making his way through the security and onto the tracks. It was his father, and he helped him one painful step at a time to get to the end, releasing him just short of the finish line to complete his race. His face crooked with agony and tears and body broken, Redmond limped on as the crowd that appeared almost as pained rose to its feet to extend a standing ovation. It was in that moment that Redmond created a story that will live on and forever be celebrated in Olympic history.

To watch the video go to the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw

Years later, he relives the day that ended his career but also made him a source of inspiration to many. Describing the moment when his doctor told him he would never run for his country again, he remembers the inundation of emotions. He felt like there had been death, probably that of his dreams.

Today all that is gone; the pain, the anger, and the brutality of it all has faded to make way for what really counts—that Derek, in all his agony, finished the race, and ever so heroically.

Pavitra Parekh

Image Source [http://www.flickr.com/photos/47309173@N06/7716520858/]

Sports is all about achieving the “impossible”. Athletes are constantly pushing themselves to reach the perceived limits of human ability, and then once there, push to expand them even further. This Sunday, the world witnessed another stunning display of skill by Rafael Nadal in the final of the French Open.

Nadal emerged victorious 6-3 6-2 6-3 against David Ferrer, who was playing his first Grand Slam final against an opponent he has beaten only 4 times previously out of a total of 23 matches. Ferrer did not seem fazed by the occasion of his first Grand Slam final or the circumstances of the game; the presence of his opponent remained the most overwhelming factor of all. “Nadal, always Nadal,” he commented ruefully before the match, “He has everything, no?”

Yet as always Nadal remained modest, firmly refuting anyone who claimed that Ferrer did not pose a significant a threat. “If I don’t play perfect, I’m going to have a big chance to lose.  It’s impossible to arrive in the final of Roland Garros without losing a set if your game is not at a very high level,” he remarked pre-match on Ferrer’s winning streak thusfar.

Although Nadal may not have been perfect, he was not far from it this Sunday. After that fateful second-round defeat by world number 100 Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon last July—which has often been called one of the biggest shocks in tennis history—followed by a knee injury forcing a prolonged absence, Nadal has begun his comeback, having missed the US Open and Australian Open. And what a comeback it has been. Commentators have observed that perhaps his knee injury is more of a  silver lining than it seems—it has forced him to compress his physical style of playing the game. He now tries to end points quicker, going for more on his serve and forehand and taking more risks.

Amidst all the apprehension and speculation about how well his knee would be able to hold up, Nadal also had to cope with an extremely rattling disruption—as he prepared to serve during the second set, a male protester wearing a white mask and wielding a fiery flare ran onto the court. Security immediately tackled him as the cries of protesters from the upper deck began to get louder and louder. Both players lost serve immediately after the incident, undoubtedly shaken, but both soon snapped back into complete focus. The drizzly conditions, far from ideal, had added to the apprehension, but did not faze them either.

The match began in Ferrer’s favour, but the King of Clay ensured that his opponent’s  lead was brief. The second set was majorly one-sided, albeit excruciatingly close at places, with Ferrer’s single gain being Nadal’s faulty service following the protest. One rally lasted so long that even the fans grew restless, beginning to murmur among themselves before shushing each other.  Impatient to secure his victory, Nadal broke at the beginning of the third, yet he made several mistakes. He soon broke through to secure a 5-3 lead, collapsing onto the clay in celebration in conventional fashion after his winning whipped forehand.

For the unprecedented eighth time, Nadal bit into the trophy as per tradion.” Its one of the most special ones,” he said emotionally at a press conference held in Paris. “In the last year I have had some low moments but without my family I would not have done this. Without my physio I could not have done this. I never realized something like this could happen for me.”

Sunday’s victory made Nadal the first man to ever win eight singles titles at the same Grand Slam tournament. It marks his 12th Grand Slam title, not too far behind record-holders Pete Sampras, with 13, and Roger Federer with 17. It also proved to those still in doubt—if indeed there were any left—who the sport’s greatest player on clay truly is. Asked to compare Nadal to Bjorn Borg, previously considered tennis’ clay champion, former world number one Mats Wilander said to usatoday, “It’s completely settled now. He’s more perfect than Borg.”

Ayushi Vig

Image Source [http://www.flickr.com/photos/66727626@N00/363464983/]

Ever since the recent spot fixing scandal and with new players being exposed everyday , it somehow leads us to think of those legendary players who glorified Indian cricket and made it what it is for the people of this country.

The Viewspaper conducted a twitter chat on “India after Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman” yesterday with eight panelists that included a number of different people with a common love for cricket. Here is what they had to say about some of the questions currently on everyone’s mind.

The fate of Indian cricket following a series of retirements, the difference between the greats and the new bunch of players, junior cricket and the end of an era were some of the major questions thrown at them.

On being asked what went right for India that we were able to produce so many great players in the 80′s , one of our panelists Venkat Anath stresses the 1983 world cup win , following which everyone wanted to play cricket.

Questioned about the end of an era, most believe that these players cannot be replaced. Many also feel that given time, our current players will also take the game forward after all legends do not emerge overnight.

With so many of India’s best and our favorites retiring we hope that Indian cricket can keep up. We will definitely miss them and continue to hold them high.

You can join The Viewspaper for its twitter chats everyday between 6 to 8 p.m. Just follow the hashtag #tvpchat and tweet away!

Pavithra Parekh

Image Courtesy [The Viewspaper]

Three Indian cricketers have been arrested over allegations of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League.

The players – S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – are all from the Rajasthan Royals team.

This is what I woke up to today morning. And as the day went by, everybody was talking about the incident. Be it in my office, on the road or even in the market; two words that I heard were “Sreesanth” and “spot fixing”.  Even my Facebook and Twitter timelines were flooded with statuses on the same.

But the most interesting among these was  a chat on twitter; The Viewspaper’s Twitter Chat on Cricket and IPL. You can read everything that was discussed by just logging onto your Twitter accounts and looking for #tvpchat. But for all the lazy people here are the highlights:

No thats not all, this is just a teaser, as I mentioned before you can read the entire conversation on Twitter like I did, just follow #tvpchat.

Have Fun, because I did!

Shraddha Jandial

Image Source [http://gosapporo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cricket_ball.jpg]

Usually, league titles are wrapped up in the last few weeks of every football season. Last season in Europe, every league had a breathtaking finish. Manchester United were English champions for “twenty-or-so” seconds but somehow lost on the tightest of margins to Manchester City; Real Madrid won the Spanish title after winning the late decider match versus Barcelona and amassing a staggering hundred points; Borussia Dortmund fought hard and won the German Bundesliga for the second year running, and Juventus won the Italian Serie A with a mere four point gap.

This year however, all these leagues have already been wrapped up. We will have three new champions this season in Europe, except in Italy. All of these new champions—Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich— have all played a sense of retribution in their games. It’s certainly justifiable that last season’s disappointments, different for each of the three, have driven them to surge ahead with power this season. And that surge has seen them play with vigour & style and ultimately, wrap up their titles earlier than the season’s end.

Confirmed Champions: Bayern Munich and Manchester United

Bayern Munich this season have unmistakably the most lethal team in all of Europe and it comes as no surprise that they’ve already won the German League with an astounding twenty point lead over Dortmund. They’ve successfully obliterated fellow German teams with skill and authority, winning games by five goal margins quite regularly.

They’ve already broken many records and could still break many of their own previous records. They are on course for a treble season—winning three trophies in one season—and are destined to be remembered amongst the best teams in their history. Filled with supremely talented players in every position, this Bayern team looks set to win more than just the league, which they had already won in the first week of April. They’re my favourites to win this year’s Champions League Trophy.

Manchester United also had set out to win the Holy Grail (the Treble), but losses to Real Madrid and Chelsea meant that they could only get one trophy this season. The Premier League has been the trophy they’ve wanted the most, after losing last year’s title in the worst way possible, in the dying seconds of the last league match. Heartbreak at the end of the season

This season, the signing of Robin van Persie from Arsenal has been the clearest signal of their intent. And he has been the catalyst of their trophy mission throughout the season, scoring the most goals in the Premier League. They won 25 out of their first 30 league games (a premier league record) and have just won the league with a sixteen point lead over second-placed Man City.

Their drive and more importantly, their consistency has been the cause of them winning the title, with four games still left to play. This team is more “European” than just the swashbuckling team of last season. They’d initially set out for more, but at least they got back what they wanted the most— The English Premier League— and they’ve been this year’s deserved Champions of England.

Eventual Champions: Juventus and Barcelona

Juventus Football club are four points, i.e. a win and a draw away from being officially crowned the Champions of Italy. They have formed an unassailable eleven point lead over second-placed Napoli and are very close to a second successive title win in two seasons.

In the past years, Juventus have been relegated to the lower leagues for match fixing, come back into the Serie A, gotten back amongst the top three Italian teams and won the Italian league. Needless to say, it’s been a spectacular turnaround.

They’re amongst the few clubs who play with a rare 3-5-2 formation, which has 3 central defenders and 2 full backs. They got absolutely destroyed by Bayern Munich in that formation, and that doesn’t mean good for the quality of Italian Football. But in Italy, with Andrea Pirlo’s world-class vision in particular, Juventus have clearly become the team to beat.

FC Barcelona have been the best team in the world for about five years now, but this season they’ve received some criticism about their football. It’ll be interesting to see them play heavyweights Bayern Munich in the Champions League but in the Spanish league, they’ve been extremely consistent and look set to win another league title.

They’re already thirteen points ahead of Real Madrid, who have faltered due to their early-season inconsistencies. They’ve gotten a lot of stick for their poor defensive performances this season, but they’ve still been constantly winning matches. Lionel Messi has again been exceedingly vital in their season and needing another nine points from six games, they look certain to be crowned La Liga Champions for the fourth time in five years.

Admittedly, these early conclusions have made the title races in these countries a little mundane, but the race for the Champions League places is still going strong in each league. Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad will be competing for those places and they’re all extremely gifted. So sit tight, because the season’s not over yet.

Akhil Thakur

Image Source [http://p2.trrsf.com/image/fget/cf/619/464/images.terra.com/2013/04/06/bm2e9461dnm01166435816.JPG

Bayern, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Dortmund make the last four

The Wembley Stadium will host the Champions League Final this year on May, 25. The last time the match was held here, Barcelona obliterated Manchester United to win their second Champions League title in three years.

This time, Barcelona is in the last four, but they have some more than able opposition. The Semi Final draw held yesterday confirmed that the tie breakers, Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid — the top teams two in Spain vs. the top two in Germany — no Italy, no France, no England. And you’d have been foolish not to have expected these four teams to come so far.  Believe me, they’re undoubtedly the best teams in the competition this year.

When I thought about the clubs’ histories, I realised that they share a staggering eighteen European titles — half of which have been won by Real Madrid.

Here’s a comprehensive look at the four heavyweights for the biggest football club trophy.

Bayern Munich

In the seventies, Bayern won three consecutive European Cups, which is a very rare feat to achieve. Since the champion’s league began in the early nineties, no club has ever successfully defended their title (back to back trophy winners). But this team is so strong that it can win this year’s title and still have a strong chance of defending it.

In fact, they have been the finalists, twice in the last three years — losing to Inter Milan and Chelsea. As for last year’s final, it was particularly heart-breaking to see them lose in their own stadium after dominating the entire game against the underdogs, Chelsea. Bad luck made them lose both the finals.

However, by wrapping up the league title, with a twenty point lead and ten games to spare, they have made up for last season’s embarrassing domestic performance.

If you analyse the team you realise that they have a rare combination of style and efficiency in their team. They have two excellent wingers, Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery, who have only a few peak years left, as they are 29 and 30 respectively. Phillip Lahm’s leadership, Bastian Schweinstieger’s drive, Thomas Muller’s efficacy and Toni Kroos’s flair is more than enough to send Bayern through to the final.

They face an equally combative Barcelona, who is perennial favourites to win. With the average age of the first team being twenty seven, time might soon run out for Bayern to win a trophy they’ve longed for, since the year 2001.

Barcelona

This Barcelona team has been declared as the best side in the European history. Though some say their period of dominance (2006- 2012) might have ended, the truth is that this team still has most of the core players who have won them the 2006, 2009 and 2011 trophies. Some say things would’ve been different had Arsenal won the 2006 final; I say this  team was just waiting to unleash itself, and with Messi, who is 25 years old, it will continue to do so. Such is the greatness of this team that the last time they won this trophy before 2006 was in the year 1992.

With a thirteen point lead in the Spanish Liga, the title is effectively theirs to lose. They’ve already scored ninety plus goals in thirty games — that’s more than three goals a game.

Barcelona’s strength can be compressed into one word and that is Messi. If you know anything about football, then that’s his name. Praising his qualities and achievements is a waste of time since there are so many and honestly, his talent needs no explanation. Like Zlatan Ibrahimovic said, “Ronaldo is a product of training, Messi is a natural”.

The vitality of the midfield trio, Busquets, Iniesta and Messi is unrivalled in World Football. Each with their own skill sets; they’re all equally responsible for Barca’s victories.

The only issue with this team would be their defence and that’s where Bayern could punish them. Although with their possession skills, you’d have to wonder if Bayern would ever get that much of the ball. History between the two, favours Barcelona with seven wins of seven against German teams. Nonetheless, it will set up an encounter worth watching.

Borussia Dortmund

This team has come a long way since 1997. They’ve come close to the finals, gone through major financial crises, gone close to bankruptcy and even relegation. So, they won’t really mind being the underdogs; they’re just ecstatic to even be here.

That doesn’t even remotely mean that they’re not the contenders for the title. Dortmund finished first in this year’s group of Champions, finishing ahead of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax. They’ve won two back to back German league titles, ahead of Bayern Munich, which is one accomplishment. So there’s no denying that they deserve to be where they are right now.

With a more European competition Dortmund has virtually lost out on the Bundesliga, but they remain unbeaten in the Champions League, being the only unbeaten team in the competition. With a young yet extremely skilled trio of attackers: Mario Gotze, Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski — this team is expected to give a strong challenge to Real Madrid. All three players are the players of the future and Dortmund should expect bigger clubs to bid for them, but if they do hang on, Dortmund can surely expect to solidify their status as European Heavyweights, in the coming years.

Real Madrid

A lot can be said about this club— with the richest history, including numerous La Liga titles and nine European crowns, players like Zidane, Di Stefano, Ronaldo, FIgo, Raul, Roberto Carlos… It goes on and on.

Even the Galactico era could muster up only one win in the year, 2002 and since then, each year Madrid has been faltering. Considering the players they’ve had, it’s surprising to say in the least.

Domestically, they haven’t been consistent as a result of which they’re thirteen points behind the leaders, Barcelona. In Europe, they finished second after Dortmund, which again says a lot about how strong Dortmund can be. They managed to beat the Manchester United under outrageous circumstances and even got a fight from Galatasaray, and if they expect to really reach Wembley, they’d better bring their “A Game” this time.

The key players in this team would be Xabi Alonso, for his ability to dictate the pace of the game (and pick out Ronaldo from anywhere), Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria for their skill and creativity and Cristiano Ronaldo, for his sheer ability and consistency. He has a shocking stat of scoring a goal in every game on an average. Even nineteen- year-old youngster, Raphael Varane has come up as a first-choice player, with his reading and anticipation of the game.

Since Madrid has already played Dortmund twice this season, they’ll know a lot about each other. Tactically, Madrid has the best counter-attack in Europe while Dortmund’s fast-paced possession of football is something that could end up hurting Madrid. It’s another match truly made to be a semi-final.

The fascinating thing is that while people will have their favourites, any one of the four can reach the final and set up a great occasion. It could be an all-Spanish or all-German final, but I’d rather prefer a Germany vs. Spain final. For me, it would have to be a Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund in the finals. And if Dortmund do end up winning, it would be one heck of a fairy-tale journey.

Akhil Thakur

Image Source [http://u.goal.com/271400/271499hp2.jpg]

[ http://www.ronaldo7.net/news/2013/04/cristiano-ronaldo-657-uefa-champions-league-2013-semi-finals-real-madrid-barcelona-bayern-munich-borussia-dortmund.jpg]

Who Should be the PFA player of the Year?

It is a strange tradition in the English Premier League that the voting process for the Player of the Year Award takes place before the season concludes its business. Already, the votes are being dutifully collected within the Professional Footballer’s Association (PFA) to see who will follow in the renowned footprints of Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. This time the players are the ones who will vote, not the critics or the fans. The top three contenders stand to be Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur, Luis Suarez of Liverpool and Robin van Persie of Manchester United.

Despite the fact that they each play very different roles in their different positions in different teams, there are a number of similar qualities in them.

They are all extraordinary finishers – their 73 goals in all competitions between the three of them so far is undoubtedly the first and foremost reason one of the trio will be awarded Player of the Year and one of them will win the Golden Boot. They are each technically exceptional – with the ball at their feet they are the most feared opponents of any defender in the Premier League – their skill and movement on the ball, combined with clever movement, make them virtually unstoppable.

Gareth Bale, who has won the award back in the year 2011, has had a breath-taking season. He has led the line at Tottenham and enjoys being the main man. With more freedom to roam across the pitch, Bale has fully utilized this role by showing his wide range of skills; his speed can leave almost any defender out of sight; his Cristiano Ronaldo-esque free kicks are venomous; his technique has had him compared to Ronaldo and Messi, even though he still has some way to go to reach that level.  Bale has netted 16 league goals and five in cup competitions, whilst also netting another four for Wales over the season, all due to the shift from winger to forward. The only flaw in his game is diving- having picked up the most yellow cards for simulation. He certainly has the potential to become world class and if Spurs do finish this season in the top four, it’ll be largely due to Bale’s contribution.

In this team-in-transition, up till January, Luis Suarez was the only recognised striker Liverpool had, without any backup. And considering how well they have done despite that just shows how much Suarez has carried the team. He is currently the EPL’s top goal-scorer with twenty three goals; he has taken over free-kick duties from Steven Gerrard (who himself is a brilliant finisher); he created the most chances amongst the three candidates (79 chances to) and his aesthetic quality on the ball and effective finishing should justify why he’s in genuine contention to win the award. Personally, his goal scoring record has been a bit of a surprise, but still he is a player you’d love to watch. Working with the weakest of the three teams, individually, he has shined the most. But, despite all his wondrous qualities, his “bad boy image” (with the racism issue last season) and his reputation for being a diver (hundreds of YouTube videos can vouch for that) might come in the way of his win.

Last season’s winner, Robin van Persie moved to a Manchester United team ready to win the EPL trophy back. He didn’t seem like a smart signing in the beginning. He joined for twenty four million pounds at the age of 29, though at the peak of his career but still with quite an injury-prone past. He had only had one good season, still the manager Sir Alex Ferguson brought him into a team already having four strikers. His start was blistering; he scored his first goal five minutes into his debut and has now scored 23 goals in all competitions. With two more months left till the end of the season, he will score more goals. The huge fifteen point lead at the top of the EPL table probably wouldn’t have been there without van Persie. He is playing with a hunger and drive, almost like on a personal crusade. He’s adding a new dimension to an already strong team. He has scored seven of his nineteen league goals in the bigger games, while Suarez and Bale have scored more against the lesser teams. He has been going through a goal drought recently, but the fact that he has already contributed so much into Manchester United’s season highlights why he isn’t being criticised that much.  He has surely won Manchester United this year’s league title.

While Bale has brought dynamism to a smart Tottenham team and Suarez has almost single-handedly carried Liverpool’s season, Robin van Persie has become that final piece in Manchester United jigsaw puzzle. The fact that van Persie’s contribution will lead to a bigger aftermath, and that the other two aren’t considered better role models due to their simulation antics, surely suggests than he is the frontrunner in this award race.

Akhil Thakur

Image Source [http://www.7msport.com/news/upload_img/20130301/he21_2013030109591252.jpg]

[http://soccerlens.com/files/2013/03/PotY-Persie-Bale-Suarez.jpg]

]]> http://theviewspaper.net/bale-suarez-and-van-persie-lead/feed/ 0 http://theviewspaper.net/nothing-new-nothing-surprising/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nothing-new-nothing-surprising http://theviewspaper.net/nothing-new-nothing-surprising/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:15:43 +0000 TVP Admin http://theviewspaper.net/?p=48022

Doping In Sports 

Survival of the fittest. That’s what everything in the world spins down to. Be it corporate culture, studies and exams or competitive sports. No one remembers who came second or third – the winner is always stamped on the crowd’s fond memories. In such a scenario of cut throat competition, one can obviously expect man to devise ways, ethical or unethical, to make his road to success, shorter and easier. And when it comes to sports and games, “doping” makes for an unethical yet easy way out.

“Doping”, or the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs, is condemned for providing unfair advantage to those who indulge in it. Cases of doping date back to time immemorial when such unfair practices were adopted by sports persons to gain an edge over their competitors. From the year, 1807 to about three days ago, doping in sports has made news all round the world.

Many international organizations have banned the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and have strict rules in place. Lance Armstrong was stripped right away of his titles when it was discovered that he was a culprit of drug-usage.

More recently, and closer home, Ram Singh was expelled from the hostels of NIS after having admitted the use of heroine. Ram Singh, Olympic medalist Vijender Singh’s close friend, also named the latter and the drug dealer during the interrogation, thus making it easier for the police officials.

As per Ram Singh’s statements, the use of drugs in this case was solely for the “adventurous purposes”. From what he tells us, they did not consume the drugs as an unfair means to win their sport, but as an imitation of the high class celebrities who take drugs in Mumbai’s rave parties.

“We had taken very small quantity of drugs, less than two grams each. But we are not habitual takers of drugs and had tried it just for adventure. We did not intend to improve our stamina or performance by taking it,” he said. Why, then, should they be booked for doping?

While the world in general condemns the use of such drugs, there have been help and support from the top officials in some sports organizations to facilitate this practice among the country’s athletes.

“The witch-hunt that is currently going on will lead us nowhere. Those who have tested positive are not cheats; they are our national pride. The episode reflects the failure of our sports system in many ways,” said a top government sports administrator, back in the year, 2011.

Yes, it is true that doping will get you results in the form of medals, but so will proper training, improvisation of facilities and rigorous hard work.

The current controversy surrounding this arena is that of Vijender Singh, and his claims against the use of banned substances. Where on one hand he pleads not guilty, on the other hand he refuses to provide the police with his blood and hair samples to verify the same. All this, after the recovery of 26 kilogram of heroin worth 130 crore rupees that was recovered from Kahlon`s (the drug dealer) residence in Zirakpur, does not portray Singh in a favorable light.  The Punjab Police is hence mulling over the option of approaching the court for legal proceedings.

All in all, what one can decipher from the ongoing cases being unearthed now and then is that man will go to any extent to win. The only question that lies ahead of him is that, is that ten seconds of fame more precious than his license to play the sport?

Ayushi Trivedi

Image Source [http://www.khelnama.com/sites/default/files/mediaimages/gallery/2012/May/Vijender%20SinghResized.jpg]

Shocking Red Card Ruins a Spectacle

This match was deemed to be the second half of the tie for which the world was holding its breath. Manchester United versus Real Madrid- two of the world’s richest, prestigious and most popular teams were playing for a spot in the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League, the biggest football tournament.

Such was the enormity of this match that it was being televised in hundreds of millions of homes, pubs and bars worldwide. Every football fan, whether a Manchester United fan, a Madrid fan or even a neutral, knew that this match was one they just couldn’t miss.

Stats-wise, United had a slight advantage coming into the game with the away goals rule after their 1-1 draw in Madrid in the first leg. The “away goals” rule states that if the aggregate score after two legs (matches) remains a draw then the team who has scored more goals away from home would win the tie. However, with Madrid’s attacking prowess, almost everyone knew that they were going to score at Old Trafford.

The match had much more glamour than that- Cristiano Ronaldo was returning to his beloved former club where he had spent six years transforming from a young teenager to a world-class player. It was bound to be an emotional night for him and the opening minutes of the match showed that, with him having poor touches on the ball. Such is his quality that even the smallest of his faults was noticeable.

As kick-off approached, the fans around the world were ready, the players were ready and so were the managers. Nerves were kicking in on and off the pitch. Twitter was going crazy as well, with people tweeting full of excitement and anxiety.

The game didn’t seem to disappoint and with sixty minutes gone, it seemed like Manchester United could finally win against Madrid after losing the same game ten years ago. After all Manchester United had scored. Leading the tie 2-1, every United fan was starting to believe that they could beat this Madrid team.

The players were performing like Spartans- giving all they had got. The tactics were working- Ronaldo was doing nothing, and despite all their possession of the ball, Madrid weren’t creating any real chances.

Then that moment came. Patrice Evra, the Manchester United defender, cleared the ball high and Nani went up for it, with his feet high up. In doing so, he caught Madrid defender Arbeloa on the chest with his boot. Both players were down, and it seemed like Nani was about to get a yellow card. But it was red. Sent off.

It was as if beating Madrid was something too good to be true. Not a single person in the stadium would’ve even thought that; that tackle was deserved a red card. The whole crowd was stunned. So were the people watching on TV, presumably? Even the Madrid players were surprised at their luck.

After the match, the referee said that according to the rules, Nani’s boot was too high and he was at risk of critically injuring the other player and had to be sent off. But as replays suggest, he was only going for the ball and had no intent of tackling the other player. He didn’t see him, and he didn’t even know he was there. It wasn’t a deliberate foul, just a coming along of two players.

I acknowledge, that the high boot and what other commentators were saying after the match that he deserved the red card. However, it just seemed like he was bound to control the ball and with Arbeloa coming in between, that gap of a millisecond convinced the referee of his decision. Needless to say, it was a very harsh decision, but more of a game-changing one. Even Madrid manager Jose Mourinho admitted to that, saying, “I doubt that if it was 11 versus 11, we would have won the match”.

Despite the protests from the United players and fans, the game went on and United had to somehow, defend their lead . Sadly, within ten minutes, Real Madrid were leading the game and the tie. Luka Modric scored with a stunning strike and the prodigal son, Ronaldo scored the winning goal.

The task ahead seemed more of an uphill battle, with United needing two goals to win the tie (3-2) while being down to ten men. The players put up a brave fight, creating good chances in the last twenty minutes but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

Now those who saw the match cannot deny that if Nani stayed on the pitch, the match would’ve been a more even and balanced one. The result might possibly have been quite different. The truth is that one moment of callousness killed off the game- I knew it, the fans in the stadium knew it and so did every neutral viewer. United were strong, composed and the better team. Yet they lost. Credit has to go to Madrid for taking advantage of that opportunity though.

However unfair the result was in the end, the fact is that Real Madrid will now march on and Manchester United is now out of the competition. I’m not saying that United would’ve surely won without the red card (maybe Real Madrid would’ve scored anyway and the match could’ve gone into Extra Time and who knows after that, maybe penalties? ), but at least a match of such significance and stature wouldn’t have been ruined like this.

Akhil Thakur

Image Source [http://www.wearegoingup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Red-Card1.jpg]

USA Footballer comes out, “steps away” from Football

News came out last week that the American footballer Robbie Rogers had announced that he was gay, and that he had decided to “step away” from his career as a professional footballer.

On his blog (http://robbierogers8.moonfruit.com/) with the title “The Next Chapter”, he wrote, “For the past 25 years I have been afraid, afraid to show whom I really was because of fear. Fear that judgment and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations. Fear that my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret. Fear that my secret would get in the way of my dreams.”

Rogers’ blog post is remarkably honest, brave and well-written. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for him to make this public- considering the fear that he has been feeling for years now.

Even though the times have changed, making such an announcement in public is still extremely rare in the world of team sports, especially for current players.

In soccer, former Columbus player David Testo came out in public in the year 2011.

In fact, he stated that the teammates and management had long known of his sexual orientation. His public announcement came after he had been released by the club, and he never played a professional match after that.

As for Rogers, there was an outpour of support for him on Twitter from the U.S. soccer community — from fans to media to a Who’s Who of players including Carlos Bocanegra, Omar González, Sacha Kljestan, Stuart Holden, Ali Krieger, Oguchi Onyewu, Lori Lindsey, Heath Pearce, Benny Feilhaber and Kei Kamara. He even drew praise from players in Europe. That’s not all, Marseille’s midfielder Joey Barton and Norwich City’s Robert Snodgrass also tweeted their support.

Now that he has announced that he is gay, Robbie Rogers seems to feel liberated. Whether that freedom includes a career in professional soccer remains unclear, but regardless, he has gained another gift: acceptance.

He has showed immense courage for revealing his true self, taken a big step forward and has become a hero for the gay rights movement worldwide; he has set an example for others, who might be in hiding.

But why is he retiring? Imagine how interesting it would be if he would keep playing.

But after going through so much and revealing via social media, he has done more than enough. And if he doesn’t want to, nobody can force him. However firm his decision may seem, I did notice that he didn’t actually use the word “retire”. And at the age of twenty five, if he ever wanted to come back to the field, he’d be greeted with enormous support.

Despite all this, there is still the issue that professional sports and homosexuality are still not compatible. No matter how many advanced we as a society have become, or think we are one, they remain mutually exclusive — a sort of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” code of the locker-room.

And that is very, very upsetting.

Rogers should not only be applauded for his valour in finding his true self, but also be encouraged and supported. The fact that he felt he had to retire from soccer to move on with his life is an indicator of the discrimination he knows he’ll receive from sections of soccer community.

The fact that “coming out” is so widely interpreted as some sort of “confession” is even more appalling, and it falls on the shoulders of the broader society, to the conscience of every individual, to rectify that.

Rogers’ words revealed a world that is, itself, a danger to so many; a danger to their dreams.

By taking a step back from soccer,  he is leaving behind him a professional soccer career that included an MLS Cup in 2008 and 18 international appearances for the United States of America, including three at the Beijing Olympics. And that he has decided, at the age of 25, to not continue that career as a gay man should be seen as a challenge to sports authorities, fellow players and everyday fans.

Robbie Rogers is moving on, and in doing so, he has posed a question to the rest of us: “Are we standing in the way of someone else’s dreams?”

Akhil Thakur

Image Source [http://fearandloathinginls11.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/robbie-rogers-1.jpg?w=750&h=380&crop=1]