Nehru Cup draw will be made Thursday (Lead, with dates changed)
By IANSWednesday, August 5, 2009
NEW DELHI - The revival of the Nehru Cup in 2007, after 10 years, rejuvenated Indian football and the draw for the six-team 2009 edition will be made here Thursday.
The tournament, being sponsored again by the state-owned ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Commission), is lucky to retain the Rs.35 million sponsorship money at a time when recession has crippled global sports activities.
Last year’s runners-up Syria will be the highest ranked team, followed by Thailand, champions India, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka in that order.
The tournament, which will be played at the Ambedkar Stadium here from Aug 19-31, will prepare the national team for the 2011 Asian Cup in Doha.
Syria, who lost 0-1 to India in the 2007 final, are 95th in the latest FIFA rankings. Thailand, at 117th place, are the second highest ranked team. Lebanon are 148th, hosts India and Sri Lanka are tied at 156th while Kyrgyzstan are 160th.
The six teams will be divided in two groups and the top two from them will qualify for the criss-cross semi-finals.
The tournament, kicked off in 1982, was revived in 2007 after a gap of 10 years.
Nehru cup ushered in the modern era of Indian football in more ways than one, and it also brought world stars like Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay), Laszlo Kiss (Hungary), Jorge Luis Burruchaga (Argentina), Euzebiusz Smolarek (Poland), Rinat Dasayev and Alexei Mikhailichenko (both Russia) to showcase their talent in the country.
The erstwhile Soviet Union had won the title on four occasions, Iraq and Hungary triumphed twice each while Poland, Uruguay, North Korea, Romania and India have tasted success once.
