Category: Sports

[2255] Of the Commonwealth Games disaster is good for India

Post author By Hafiz Noor Shams
Post date Sunday, September 26 2010
1 Comment on [2255] Of the Commonwealth Games disaster is good for India

A friend shared his thought about the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, which poises to be a disaster, the other day. The Economist with its typical humor wrote:

INDIAN officials insist that the Commonwealth games, to which Delhi plays host in October, should not be compared to Beijing’s Olympic games. They are right. The 2008 Olympics were a symbol of China’s emergence as a great power. The Commonwealth ones seem to be heading for disaster. [Running into the sand. The Economist. August 12 2010]

Allegations of corruption revolving around the Games are everywhere and it is likely that these allegations are true. On top of that, New Delhi is seriously behind schedule, despite the Games being just less than two weeks away.

The friend, in addition to saying that nobody cares about the Games, states that the disaster is good for India. For the longest time, India has its own way of doing things. The way the Games is developing even before it begins, it is likely to be a very public embarrassment for the country. That embarrassment might prove to be big enough for India to buck up and encourage the country to do something about the widespread corruption, and the Indian (government’s) way in general that appears to be chaotic.

Tags Commonwealth Games, corruption, India

Sports

[2250] Of and now, let’s go Blue

Post author By Hafiz Noor Shams
Post date Sunday, September 5 2010
No Comments on [2250] Of and now, let’s go Blue

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And gentlemen, it is football season all over again.

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Tags football, University of Michigan

Sports

[2241] Of to mark a return, let’s do a Group of Death

Post author By Hafiz Noor Shams
Post date Friday, August 27 2010
2 Comments on [2241] Of to mark a return, let’s do a Group of Death

After five disappointing years mingling with the unpure, Ajax finally return to top-flight soccer. Too excited Ajax are, that the Amsterdammers outrageously jumped straight into the so-called Group of Death, filled with AC Milan, Real Madrid and Auxerre. It is really hard to see a more competitive group for this season’s Champions League than the group Ajax are in.

Nothing could really describe how critical is the return of Ajax to the Champions League. Earlier in the season, manager Martin Jol who engineered the return almost left Ajax for Fulham. One of the reasons why he contemplated the move was money: Ajax had little to spare to strengthen its squad. The Champions League is big dollar championship that may solve the financial issues that Ajax face.

Apart from money is the issue of prestige. Especially after the Dutch’s good run in the latest edition of the World Cup, big rich clubs are targeting multiple Ajax players. Suarez is one. van der Wiel is two. Stekelenburg is three. Top-flight soccer is a factor that may encourage these players and others in the first team to stay a little bit longer amid opportunities to play in bigger leagues with bigger pay.

Ajax also need to attract good players for the obvious reasons. The youth is of course great but Ajax need more than just building the future. Ajax need to build the present.

Yet another reason why the return is important is the fans. One cannot begin to describe the shame of exile. Four-time European winner, down there, somewhere under the radar. “Ajax, oh, they were good.” They were good…

I am clearly delighted with the return but honestly, I do not think Ajax will advance too far this time around, especially with the like of AC Milan and Real Madrid.

Ajax have a good time. Last season was great. El Hamdouai so far has proven to be a good buy, clicking with Suarez and the rest of the team. But AC Milan and Real Madrid are not Vitesse, Groningen, Twente, PSV or even the old lady Feyenoord whom fate nowadays deserves pity.

Ajax struggled with PAOK and Dynamo Kiev during the qualification and play-off round. Based on that performance, frankly, Ajax will struggle against Auxerre. Ajax will struggle against the other two teams in the group.

Ajax played against Auxerre previously in the Champions League. I do not remember anything more than that.

I do not know if Ajax played Real Madrid in the Champions League before.

But I know that Ajax played AC Milan countless of times before. The most memorable meet-up for Ajax is, well, watch this:

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Tags Ajax Amsterdam, Champions League

Photography Sports

[2181] Of ANZ Stadium

Some rights reserved. By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams.

I had my first dose of Australia rules football here. Surprisingly, it is pretty absorbing and the rules seem simple enough for me to understand it.

The home team, Sydney Swans lost to St. Kilda. It was a close match, exciting enough for me to shout nonsense.

Some rights reserved. By Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams.

For its size, the stadium was pretty quite. Yes, part of the reason is that the stadium was not even three quarters full. The bigger reason is probably that the crowd, I can say with supreme confidence, was not as crazy as one in Ann Arbor.