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cricket Cricketers-turned-umpires
Afridi’s moment of truth Hungry for success
Bodybuilding: prospects and problems
The year that was in world football
cricket Blessing in disguise? Shahid Afridi should see his axing from Pakistan’s one-day squad as the biggest challenge of his professional career. By Khalid Hussain These days if
you talk to any of the current national cricketers, all conversation has
to be off-the-record. Unless you get prior permission from the Pakistan
Cricket Board (PCB), no player would be willing to give you an interview
or even a few comments. While it’s easy for scribes who are not very
critical of PCB policies to work their way around this gag order,
writers unwilling to overlook the Board’s blemishes are being kept at
an arm’s distance. Senior Board officials
argue that the gag order is necessary to avoid controversies. They may
have a point but the thing is that the PCB shouldn’t use it to oblige
a select few and penalise writers who are just doing their job. The reason why I’m
discussing this issue is that a very interesting situation surfaced
following the naming of Pakistan’s touring party for the brief series
against India. The highlight of last week’s announcement was the axing
of Shahid Afridi from the One-day International squad. Another key
aspect was the return of Younis Khan. I talked to a few
current and past players about the team selection and came to the
conclusion that there was both praise and criticism for the national
selectors, almost in equal measure. But while ex-cricketers like former
captain Aamir Sohail had no qualms about giving their views on the
line-up, the current players were scared even to say a few words about
the issue. Apart from Afridi’s
axing and Younis’s return, there were many other stories like seasoned
leggie Zulfiqar Babar finally getting his international break at the age
of 34. However, the biggest
talking point was Afridi’s omission from the ODI line-up. Till just
last year, Afridi was Pakistan’s most valuable player in limited-overs
cricketer. He captained the national team at last year’s World Cup and
guided it to the last four stage of the tournament. In the process, he
finished among the leading wicket-takers of the event after winning some
of the matches almost single-handedly. However, a spat with
Ijaz Butt — the former PCB chairman — forced Afridi to ‘retire’
from international cricket. He finally returned after Zaka Ashraf
replaced Butt last year but it seems that the damage was done. Though
there have been a few flashes of brilliance from the vastly-talented
all-rounder, in 2012 Afridi has failed to give the sort of performance
that made him a key player in Pakistan’s one-day and T20 line-ups. The selectors’
decision to omit him from the one-day squad for the upcoming series
against India could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Afridi. He is
still in the national squad for the two Twenty20 games against India to
be played in Bangalore and Ahmedabad later this month which means that
the former skipper is likely to get a couple of chances to bounce back.
For a combative cricketer like Afridi, the two games should serve as a
lifeline. His critics are certainly after Afridi’s scalp but the
32-year-old knows how to silence them. He has done that in the past and
can do it again. However, it’s hardly
possible that Afridi would be able to come out with the sort of batting
blitzes that enabled him to smash a 37-ball century — the fastest ever
in international cricket. After all, he is not a young daredevil any
more. But with his vast international experience, Afridi can still
contribute to the team’s cause, mostly as a wicket-taking leg-spinner. To make people believe
in him, Afridi will have to believe in himself. The one thing that can
motivate him to regain his lost form is Afridi’s desire to quit the
game as a hero. “Everybody loves to
be a hero,” he once told me in an interview. “I’ve always loved
watching movies laden with heroism because that’s the sort of stuff
that inspires you to do be a hero yourself,” added Afridi, whose
favourite actors are Mel Gibson in Brave Heart and Russell Crowe in
Gladiator. Just three years ago,
Afridi became Pakistan’s favourite son by spearheading the national
team to the World Twenty20 title in England. Afridi sizzled both in the
semi-final and final to help Pakistan win the world crown. It was his
finest hour. Talk to Afridi and you would instantly notice that he is
yearning to be that hero again. He may have lost the
ability to hit those towering sixers but the will to succeed is still
very much there. That’s what stopping him from succumbing to his
critics. Afridi actually believes that he would bounce back. And he also
knows that the clock is ticking. Khalid Hussain is
Editor Sports of The News, Karachi Khalidhraj@gmail.com
Cricketers-turned-umpires More and more
Test cricketers are adopting umpiring careers. During the last 25
months, three Test cricketers have begun their careers within the Elite
Panel Test umpires. Sri Lanka’s former
Test spinner Kumar Dharmasena, who was declared ICC’s best umpire of
the year recently, launched his career as Test umpire in a New
Zealand-India five-day encounter in November 2010 in Ahmedabad, India. Former Australian
pacer Paul Reiffel officiated in his first Test in the Caribbean, where
West Indies and New Zealand were involved in a Test match in July, 2012.
England’s former
left-arm spinner Richard Illingworth is the latest Test cricketer to
take up the profession. He stood in both the Test matches of the recent
BD-WI Test rubber to open his account as Test umpire. Overall 473 umpires
have officiated in 2064 Test matches in the 135-year history of the
game. It is interesting to
note that a vast majority of the most respected Test umpires never got a
chance to play top-level cricket. The examples include Steve Bucknor
(WI), RE Koertzen (SA), D J Harper (Aus), D B Hair (Aus), Simon Taufel
(Aus) and Billy Bowden (NZ). Of the 473 Test
umpires, only 42 played Test cricket. The list of these is led by Indian
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, who had 57 caps as a Test spinner and
stood in 73 Test matches in a career that spanned from 1993 to 2004. He also officiated in
five Test matches as a referee, which gives him the distinction of
having been a Test player, umpire and referee. Curtis Alexander Reid
and Richard Benjamin Terry supervised the historic inaugural Test match
in 1877 in Melbourne, but James Lillywhite (jnr) of England was the
first Test cricketer to officiate in a Test match. Usually Test
cricketers turn to umpiring after spending some time off the field doing
umpiring courses. The history of Test
cricketers-turned umpires has some peculiar and interesting happenings. England’s Henry
Rigden Butt, popularly known as Harry Butt, played three Test matches as
wicketkeeper and supervised seven in his career. He had an amazing
experience of playing and supervising a Test match simultaneously. It
was Old Wanderers, Johannesburg, where England and South Africa played
the second game of the three-match series. Butt, along with four other
umpires — G Allsop, G Beves, AM Miller (England) and WB Woolley (South
Africa) stood in this rare Test match. Butt contributed unbeaten eight
runs in the Test that his team won by an innings and 197 runs. English cricketer
Audley Montague Miller wrapped up his brief Test career both as a player
and umpire in the same series against South Africa in 1896. Miller first appeared
in his solitary Test match in Port Elizabeth in Feb 1896 and then
officiated in the remaining two Test matches in Johannesburg and Cape
Town in the month of March. Australian George
Coulthard made his debut as a Test umpire at the age of 22 in Melbourne
in January 1879. Some three years later, he played his only Test match
in Sydney in February 1882 but failed to impress, making 6 at number 11.
Shortly after playing
his only Test, he supervised his second and last Test match as an umpire
in Melbourne in March 1882. Within two years, he died of consumption at
the age of 27. Like Coulthard,
Patrick George McShane of Australia also supervised a Test match before
making his debut as a Test player. He played three Tests against
England, one each in 1884-85, 1886-87 and 1887-88, without any success.
In 1884-85 he had umpired the fourth Test of the series in Sydney before
making his Test debut in the fifth at Melbourne. As far as longest
duration between Test playing and umpiring careers is concerned, three
English cricketers hold the top positions with over 25 years gaps. Arthur Fagg, who
played five and officiated in 18 Test matches, appeared in his last Test
against West Indies in Manchester in July 1939. Then after a long gap of
28 years he assumed the role of Test umpire against India in Birmingham
in July 1967. Fred Price played his
only Test against Australia in Leeds in 1938 and remained off the field
for some 26 years before launching his Test umpiring career at the same
ground against Australia in 1964. Sailor Young of
England also spent 25 years between his Test playing and umpiring eras.
He played last of his two Tests in Manchester in 1899 and turned to
umpiring against South Africa at Lord’s in 1924. ghalibmbajwa@hotmail.com List
of Test players-turned Test umpires Venkataraghavan (Ind)
57
73 Paul Reiffel (Aus)
35
2 Kumar Dharmasena (SL)
31
10 Gerry Gomez (WI)
29
1 P Willey (Eng)
26
25 Leonard Charles Braund
(Eng)
23
3 Richard Gorton Barlow
(Eng) 17
1 Nazir Junior (Pak)
14
4 E J (Tiger) Smith
(Eng)
11
8 Billy Wade (SA)
11
1 Asoka de Silva (SL)
10
49 Jack Cowie (NZ)
9
3 Arthur Richardson
(Aus) 9
2 Richard Illingworth
(Eng) 9
2 J H Hampshire (Eng)
8
21 Jack Crapp (Eng)
7
4 John William Hitch
(Eng)
7
4 Frank Hearne
(SA) 6
6 George Thompson (Eng)
6
2 J Hardstaff (Eng)
5
21 Arthur Fagg (Eng)
5
18 Jack Birkenshaw (Eng)
5
2 Eric Tindill (NZ)
5
1 Harry Elliott (Eng)
4
7 Charles Bannerman
(Aus) 3
12 Harry Butt (Eng)
3
7 Mordecai Sherwin (Eng)
3
1 Patrick George McShane
(Aus) 3
1 James Lillywhite (jnr)
(Eng) 2
6 Neil Alan Mallender
(Eng) 2
3 Sailor Young (Eng)
2
3 Allen Hill (Eng)
2
1 MR Benson (Eng)
1
27 KE Palmer (Eng)
1
22 Javed Akhtar (Pak)
1
18 Fred Price (Eng)
1
8 Arthur Dolphin (Eng)
1
6 Nadeem Ghauri (Pak)
1
5 M Aslam Khokhar (Pak)
1
3 Audley Montague Miller
(Eng)
1
2 Buddy Oldfield (Eng)
1
2 George Coulthard (Aus)
1
2
Afridi’s
moment of truth There can be
few more exciting sights in cricket than watching ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi
bat at his best. Whenever he does that, the spectators are on their
feet, cheering his displays of lusty big-hitting. Last week, national
selectors announced ODI and T20 squads for the India tour, which is to
begin later this month. There were some surprising omissions and
inclusions. Especially the exit of all-rounders Shahid Afridi from ODI
and Abdul Razzaq from both formats surprised their fans. Pakistan are to play
two Twenty20 and three One-day Internationals in India from December 25
to January 6. In the Twenty20 format
first three top wicket-takers belong to Pakistan: Saeed Ajmal (69), Umar
Gul (62) and Shahid Afridi (62). Afridi’s fan club is
dejected at his exclusion from the ODI squad. His involvement in the
game is never in question but critics say that he doesn’t play up to
his potential and that Afridi’s career statistics does not indicate
something extraordinary. There is little doubt,
nevertheless, that Afridi is an entertainer. For quite sometime, his
performance as a bowler has been better than his batting. So far, his 349
One-day Internationals have fetched Afridi 7,075 runs at a modest
average of 23.34. He has taken 348 wickets at an average of 33.69. In Twenty20
Internationals, the game’s latest, shortest and liveliest format, 56
games have resulted in 584 runs at a very ordinary-looking batting
average of 16.95. He has claimed 62 scalps at 21.16 runs per wicket. Afridi’s importance
to Pakistani cricket is unmatched. Not only is he a skillful player, he
is also the biggest star in the Pakistani dressing room. It is
Afridi’s star power that can fill up stadium. Afridi’s below par
performance for last one year caused his exit from the ODI squad. Afridi
played 16 One-day Internationals in 2012 and scored only 182 runs, at an
average of just 15.16. This included only one fifty, against England in
Dubai. He claimed 15 wickets at a high average of 43.13. In 11 Twenty20
Internationals he played this year he managed only 118 runs, averaging
15.75. He took only eight wickets at an expensive average of 33.87. Afridi made his ODI
debut on October 2, 1996, against Kenya in Nairobi. He conceded 32 runs
in 10 overs without taking a wicket and did not get a chance to show
what he could do with the bat as he was at No 9 in the order and
Pakistan won the game by four wickets. But he did not have to
wait for long. Afridi shot to international fame in only his second ODI,
when he scored the fastest ODI hundred off just 37 deliveries against
Sri Lanka. The record is yet to be broken. His knock included 11
towering sixes and six boundaries. However, after that
record-breaking achievement, Afridi had to wait for 57 matches before
getting his second hundred against India in September 1998 in Toronto. Afridi is only the
second all-rounder to score over 7,000 runs and take over 300 wickets in
One-day Internationals after Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya. He also holds a joint
record with Brian Lara for the third fastest ODI century that came off
in 45 balls in April 2005 and resulted in Ravi Shastri giving him the
nickname of ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi. Apart from that, he
holds the record for four of the top eight fastest ODI half-centuries
— twice doing it in 18 balls and twice in 20 balls. But after all
above statistics, it is also a fact that his performance, especially in
batting department, is going from bad to worse. Performance against
India in India always counts and so Afridi could make a comeback if he
regains his form against the hosts in the two T20s. Khurrams87@yahoo.com
When Pakistan
regained the Asian Games hockey crown back in 2010 in Guangzhou (China)
there were expectations that the national team would go on to make its
presence felt at major international tournaments like the Champions
Trophy in 2011 in the Olympic Games in 2012. But our hockey players
failed to live up to expectations as they slumped to a disappointing
seventh-place finish at last year’s Champions Trophy in Auckland (New
Zealand) and then failed to impress much at the London Games last
summer. In London, they finished seventh again after crashing to a 0-7
defeat against Australia. Just when it seemed
that all hopes of a hockey revival were lost, things are suddenly
looking better for the national game. This month’s bronze medal at the
2012 Champions Trophy in Melbourne could not have come at a better time
as it has once again revived an interest in hockey. The red-carpet
welcome that Pakistan’s players received in Lahore on their return
from Australia underlined the fact that hockey remains a major sport in
the country and all it needs is a good showing from the national team at
the world level. For a moment, it
seemed that Pakistan would even qualify for the Champions Trophy final
but the Netherlands ended their hopes by beating the Green-shirts 5-2 in
the semi-finals of the eight-nation event. But the tears of that loss
were soon washed away by the Pakistanis who tamed the resurging Indians
3-2 in the play-off for the third position. The victory gave Pakistan
their first Champions Trophy medal in eight years. It was in 2004 that
Pakistan edged out India by a similar margin to win the bronze medal on
home turf in Lahore. “The Champions
Trophy medal marks a new era for Pakistan hockey,” believes Akhtar
Rasool, the chief coach of the national team. “Our hockey had been
whirling in a quagmire of defeat but now it is out of it. Things will
now only get better for Pakistan,” stresses the former Olympian. Whether Akhtar is
right should soon become evident as Pakistan would be taking a shot at
the Asian Champions Trophy title later this month. Though South Korea
have stayed away from the tournament to be held in Doha (Qatar),
Pakistan will have to beat teams like old foes India and Malaysia in
their bid win the crown. In fact Pakistan have a score to settle against
the Indians after falling to them in the final of the inaugural Asian
Champions Trophy held in Ordos (China) last year. Pakistan were
favourites for the title in Ordos but suffered an unexpected defeat at
the hands of India who won the final following a penalty shoot-out. The Asian Champions
Trophy to be played from December 20-27 would be Pakistan’s third
international assignment in a month’s time. Asif Bajwa, the
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary, is confident that his team
would shine in Doha. “Our boys are
looking good and now that they have broken their Champions Trophy jinx
by finishing on the podium in Melbourne I must say that the team would
go to Doha with high hopes for the title,” said Bajwa, a former
Olympian. However, the PHF
secretary was quick to add that the team management will have to take
steps to make sure that their charges give their best in the five-nation
tournament. “Doha would be our
team’s third tournament within a short span of time and I hope that
our players would rejuvenate quickly in order to give their best in the
Asian Champions Trophy,” he said. The tournament in Doha
will also feature China, Japan, Malaysia and Oman. Unless there are
major upsets, it seems set that Pakistan and India would meet in the
grand finale on December 27. “We would certainly look forward to such
a clash because matches against India bring the best out of our team,”
says Muhammad Imran, the Pakistan captain. “We lost (to India) in last
year’s final but I’m confident that the result would be different
this time.” bilalsports86@yahoo.com caption PERTH: Muhammad Rizwan
Jr of Pakistan (centre) chases Barry Middleton of England (right) as he
moves to score a goal during their match on day two at last month’s
International Super Series hockey tournament
caption PERTH: Shakeel Abbasi
of Pakistan (left) dribbles
the ball away from Michael Hoare of England during their match at last
month’s International Super Series hockey tournament
Bodybuilding:
prospects and problems The history of
bodybuilding is too old to determine. If we go back to ancient times we
can say that man has always strived for maximum strength and physical
perfection. Men like Rustam, Sohrab, Apollo, Hercules and Samson will
always be remembered with respect. Towards the end of the
last century the late Fugene Sandow started schools in England to build
graceful, symmetrical bodies. The movement gained
popularity and the sport spread all over Europe and America in no time.
Today almost every country in the world has regular bodybuilding
competitions. Pakistan is not far
behind in the field of bodybuilding. People of this region had been
involved in this sport even before the partition of the sub-continent. In 1948, the Health
Culture Movement began in Lahore with the Bagh-e-Jinnah Health Club as
the centre of activity. The youth of Lahore responded to bodybuilding
with great enthusiasm and other health clubs were formed in different
parts of the city. In 1952, the first
competition for the selection of ‘Mr Lahore’ was held followed by a
competition for the selection of ‘Mr Punjab’ at a local hotel. Things progressed
further when in August 1952, the Pakistan Amateur Bodybuilders
Association (PABBA) was formed with the late Justice MA Soofi as its
first President. In December 1952, the
first-ever ‘Mr Pakistan’ contest was organised at the Railway Burt
Institute hall Lahore. By that time district
and provincial bodies had been formed, which were holding their own
competitions. Since then, the annual
contests for the selection of Mr and Junior Mr Pakistan (introduced in
1956 to encourage youngsters) have been organised by the PABBA every
year. In this article ‘The
News on Sunday’ focuses on what is going on in Pakistan bodybuilding
today. This microcosmic study may not present the overall picture with
100 percent precision but will discuss all the main issues,
nevertheless. There was a time when
Pakistan had a good reputation in world body building circles, having
produced some great bodybuilders. Yahya Butt won Mr Asia title three
times for Pakistan and shared the title one time each with Masoom Butt
and Mushtaq Ahmed. Four competitions of Mr Punjab, five competitions of
Mr Pakistan and two competitions at international level are held
annually by different organisations. Bodybuilding needs
proper attention from the concerned officials which can lead us to win
Olympics medals for Pakistan. But, unfortunately, we are going into
ruins because the officials are not managing it properly. There is lack
of check and balance. Some players sent by
Pakistan for international body building competitions tested positive in
drugs tests. Initially warnings were given to Pakistan by International
Federation of Body Building (IFBB) and eventually its membership was
cancelled. Talking to TNS,
Alla-ud-Din Bhatti, a former Mr Pakistan Top Ten said, “IFBB cancelled
Pakistan’s affiliation a few years back but the fact was hidden by
Sheikh Farooq Iqbal, General Secretary of the association. “It came to fore
when a city-level body building player Mian Liaqat Ali visited USA. He
contacted IFBB officials who informed him that the affiliation of
Pakistan Body Building Federation had been cancelled a few years back
because most of the Pakistani players visiting the US for competition
had been banned due to use of prohibited drugs.” Bhatti added that
Pakistani players had been facing similar charges in Asian level
competitions. Recently, Pakistan was to compete in India but the result
of dope test of four players came positive, leading to their
disqualification by the competition authorities, he said. Bhatti said that the
general-secretary of the association was fully responsible for ruining
this game in Pakistan. He asked as to why the general-secretary failed
to call a meeting of organisations’ officials to discuss disciplinary
action against the players. Bhatti added that with
proper guidance of players the country could overcome this issue. The
players should be well aware about the game rules and use of drugs.
“Pakistani body builders have high potential. They should be trained
under supervision of qualified coaches. Our future is bright and we can
win body building competition at world level or in world Olympics.” General secretary
Sheikh Farooq Iqbal said that the Indian embassy had not issued visas
for players. There was no other reason for Pakistan’s absence, he
said. “We set up a new body and our affiliation is now with Asian
Federation Body Building whose chairperson is Paul Chua.” He said when IFBB
cancelled Pakistan’s affiliation, “we asked Pakistan Olympic
Association and they told us to get attached with ABBF and now PBBF is a
member of ABBF.” m.ahsankhalid@yahoo.com
The year
that was in world football The thing with
football year-enders is that they are to be scribed at the end of the
calendar year, not at the culmination of the season. With the top
European leagues at their halfway point — there or thereabouts — the
reviewer gets to look back at both the ongoing season as things stand,
and how things panned out in the previous campaign, quite often
conjuring contrasting sketches. However, featuring the European
Championships and the African Cup of Nations, 2012 gives this writer the
opportunity to blend together a recap of top international and league
action that saw status quos dismantled at various levels. Spanish Armada reigns
supreme Despite all the
hierarchal reshuffles, we start with an emphatic title defence. Spain
became the first side to successfully defend their crown with their Euro
2012 triumph, becoming the only side to win three straight major
tournaments. The Spanish side of 2008-2012 is staking a strong claim to
being the best-of-all-time, giving the Brazilian teams of 1958-62 and
1970 a veritable run for their money. Playing without a
recognised centre-forward in a 4-6-0 formation that was partially
borrowed from Luciano Spalleti’s AS Roma side, Spain continued to
revolutionise football and showcased how the best way to defend is to
hog possession. Conceding a solitary goal in the Championships, Spain
had the perfect merge of steel and style with everything falling
perfectly into place in their 4-0 triumph over Italy in the final. Chelsea vanquish the
Holy Grail Chelsea’s
penalty-shootout victory at the Allianz Arena against the home side
Bayern Munich, finally gave Roman Abramovich the accolade he had broken
the proverbial bank to get his hands on. Chelsea’s maiden UEFA
Champions League (UCL) title also meant Roberto Di Matteo succeeded
where the likes of Jose Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo
Ancelotti failed. The Italian’s reward for a historic Champions
League-FA Cup double, however, was Abromovich’s notorious axe that
fell after the Blues began to stutter in November. Rafael Benitez was
ushered in through the revolving door with the Spaniard failing to pull
the rabbit out of the hat as Chelsea became the first title holders to
bow out at the group stage of UCL. Chelsea’s first
round exit has been matched by Manchester City, who failed to squeeze
out of this season’s Group of Death, making it two group-stage exits
on the trot after being bundled out at the same stage last year along
with Manchester United. United on the other hand appear to have sorted
out their complacency this year around and along with Borrusia Dortmund,
Munich, and Juventus look the most likely to challenge the Spanish
giants Barcelona and Real Madrid for European glory. Noisy neighbours
bellow in Manchester Even though they
struggled in Europe last year, the EPL title became a neighbourhood
affair as the City and United redefined taking things ‘down to the
wire’. After being neck-and-neck throughout the campaign, and both
blowing seemingly decisive leads, the EPL crown was won on goal
difference courtesy a 94th minute Sergio Aguero winner against QPR on
the final day of the season. If you had to pick the moment of the year,
Aguero’s winner after an unfathomably miraculous rescue act — that
ended a 43-year league title drought — would be it. Just like the previous
season the EPL title looks like heading towards Manchester this year as
well, with the challengers falling off the pace. Following last
Sunday’s 3-2 win over City in an exhilarating Manchester derby, United
hold a six-point lead over their neighbours at the summit, with Chelsea
10 points adrift after looking like running away with the league early
on. Other big names like Arsenal and Liverpool are dealing with crises
of varying scales, with the latter traversing a rebuilding process under
Brendan Rodgers and the former retracing the same predicaments that have
seen the club endure seven barren seasons. Everton and Tottenham Hotspur
look up for the battle for fourth, as well. The attacking midfield
troika of Eden Hazard and Oscar and Juan Mata would look to rekindle
Chelsea’s title aspirations and City might look to shepherd in a high
profile signing or two to bolster their title defence. United, however,
seem like the team to beat, with their newfound talisman Robin Van
Persie looking like the crucial differential. Real shatter records Barcelona were looking
for their fourth La Liga title on the bounce as Mourinho finally managed
to derail the Catalonian juggernaut. However, Madrid had to shatter
scores of records to outdo Barca. Real became the first team to rack up
100 points, scored the most goals (121), had the biggest goal difference
(+89) and won the most away games (16) and overall matches (32) in a
single season. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo also continued their
much exalted rivalry as the Argentinean outdid the Portuguese to win the
Pichichi with 50 goals — four more than Ronaldo. Messi also broke Gerd
Muller’s record for the most goals in a calendar year (85) last
weekend after his brace against Real Betis took him to 86 goals for the
year. Meanwhile in the
ongoing season, Barca under new manager Tito Vilanova look like breaking
Real’s records, with 14 wins out of 15, giving them an 11-point
cushion over third-placed Real with an exceedingly impressive Atletico
Madrid challenging the duopoly. Dortmund Defends, Old
Lady Sings After ending a 9-year
Bundesliga draught in 2011, Dortmund defended their crown at the expense
of a Munich side on the brink of conquering Europe. Dortmund’s
DFB-Pokal victory after a 5-2 win over Munich in the final gave them a
historic League-and-Cup Double as well. By topping the UCL Group of
Death this season Dortmund have established themselves as a European
force, even though Munich are threatening to run away with the show
domestically. Meanwhile in Italy,
Juventus had a ‘recapturing-old-glory’ act of their own to end the
stranglehold of the Milanese clubs on Serie A and claim their 30th
title. It was their first official league title since 2003, after the
Serie A match-fixing scandal stripped them of their titles in 2005 and
2006. It was a two-horse race between Juve and AC Milan, with the Old
Lady winning the league after going through the entire season unbeaten
— the only Italian side to do so in a 38-match season. Juventus are at
the summit of the current Serie A standings with 38 points from 16
games. Milestones for
Montpellier, Galaxy and Zambia Montpellier and Zambia
sprung surprises and won their maiden French Ligue 1 and African Cup of
Nations titles respectively. Montpellier outdid the latest footballing
moneybags Paris Saint-Germain, with PSG looking stronger this year,
after recruiting the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva.
Another notable addition to the Parisian revolution could be one David
Beckham, who is “looking for a new challenge” after helping LA
Galaxy win back-to-back MLS trophies. There’s everything
to play for as top European leagues approach the winter break, and games
come thick and fast in the EPL. The business end of the Champions League
would kick start in February with qualification for the 2014 World Cup
being the goal for international teams. 2012 has been an absolute
humdinger and we’ll be hoping for more of the same in 2013. khulduneshahid@gmail.com
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