So close yet so far; Hungary’s ‘Mighty Magyars’ famously lost the 1954 Cup, and never won it again
A legendary Hungarian Football team was formed in the 1950s comprising the greats like Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti, Zoltan Czibor, Gyula Grosics and Jozsef Bozsik. The team that successfully implemented the ‘Sebes Method’, the concept of ‘Total Football’ that was later adopted by the Dutch, went into the 1954 World Cup on a 32-game unbeaten run. Hungary was...
The ‘Maracanazo’ of 1950- when Uruguay brought ‘National Tragedy’ to Brazil
It was Maracanazo on 16th July 1950 at Maracana when Brazil was handed a sombre loss by Uruguay in the final of the World Cup. It was regarded as a ‘National Disaster’ in Brazil often compared to the bombing of Hiroshima. The Maracanazo impacted on the country’s self-esteem and effectively paralysed the country emotionally and psychologically. Brazil and Football are...
It was then as Dutch East Indies, Indonesia played the World Cup- the first from Asia in 1938
The World Cup moved from Italy to its neighbour France in 1938. Four of the globe’s continents had participated in the tournament in 1934. It was left for Asia and Oceania to be a part of the Football extravaganza. The team that brought the world’s largest continent into the World Cup was Indonesia, known as Nederlandsche Indiesche or Dutch East...
Child of ‘European Migration’, Luis Monti uniquely represented two nations in two World Cup finals
The stream of Italian immigration to Argentina started in 1880s and became quite a phenomena till 1920s. During this period of Great European Immigration, around 3 million people settled in South American countries among which Argentina was prominent. In 1914, the city of Buenos Aires alone had more than 300,000 Italian-born inhabitants, representing 25% of the total population. In this...
Asian Games preparation: Indian athletes undergoing high-quality training in Poland and Bhutan
Athletics Federation of India have initiated two training programmes- one at Spala in Poland for Indian quarter milers and the other in Bhutan for middle and long distance runners- as part of preparation for the upcoming Asian Games in Indonesia. A 14-member Indian athletics contingent comprising of 400m specialists (men and women) is undergoing an intensive five-week training at Spala...
Indian Hockey team win silver at the 5th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy
Defending champions Indian Women’s Hockey team won silver in Asian Champion Trophy as they failed to keep their title against hosts South Korea in the summit clash in Donghae City. South Korea scored the only goal of the match in the 24th minute when Youngsil Lee found the back of the net from a field effort. South Korea started the...
Guillermo Stabile- having a strange debut but becoming the first hero of Football World Cup
When Guillermo Stabile struck the ball into the bottom left corner of the post to give Argentina 2-1 lead in the final of 1930 World Cup, he etched his name in Football history forever. Stabile’s goal in the first half of the match earned him the Golden Boot making him the first recipient of the award. Stabile was the highest...
Asia Rugby Championship: India eye promotion to Division 1 in the event
The 26-member Indian team is all set to begin their campaign in the Asian Rugby Championship Division 2 Rugby 15s to be held at Pattaya in Thailand from 20th-26th May, 2018. The India team, led by Sujai Lama of Services, is aiming to better their position in Division 2 to get a promotion to Division 1. The Asia Rugby Championship...
The trip of Conte Verde to Uruguay in 1930, shuttling players and officials
In 1929, it was decided that the first Football World Cup would take place in Uruguay from 13th- 30th July 1930. The South American nation was handed over the responsibility due to their Olympic success in the 1920s. They were the clear favourite to win the tournament. The European nations like Sweden, Spain, Italy and Holland were enthusiastic to host...
WFI hands punishment to Phogat sisters by dropping all four from Asiad national camp
The Wrestling Federation of India has dropped all four Phogat sisters- Geeta, Babita, Ritu and Sangita- from the national camp for the Asian Games. The authority took the harsh decision due to the ‘tantrums and indiscipline’ of the four sisters. As a result, they will not be allowed to take part in the Asiad trials scheduled for May 2018,...