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2009 SAFF Cup Special: Eight Things To Expect From The Eighth Edition...
Ahead of the start of the eighth edition of the SAFF Cup, Goal.com's Amoy Ghoshal and Rahul Sengupta discuss the eight things one can expect from the tournament...
04-Dec-2009 1:32:28 AM
Unearthing of New Talent:
This edition will certainly become a good platform for many young footballers to establish themselves internationally. Other than India’s U-23 team, many other countries will also be banking on their young players, so we will definitely see some of those fresh young talents rising up to the occasion and making a name for themselves.
Rise of New Continental Power
Possibly for the first time in the SAFF Cup, India will not be regarded as the favorites as they are sending an Under-23 side. So teams like Pakistan and maybe even Nepal, who have never won the SAFF Cup before, could just take advantage of that and break their duck.
Intense Competition
Teams in the SAFF Cup are similar in terms of their physical attributes, geography and also FIFA ranking. So there is no doubt that there will be a lot at stake and therefore each match will be very intensely contested.
Revival Of The Great Indo-Pak Rivalry In Sport:
This rivalry has a lot of importance both politically and socially. India against Pakistan in any sport is always exciting and an Indo-Pak football match could be no different. They can only meet in the semis or final and so if they do go head to head one can only expect a high voltage encounter.
Upsets:
Upsets are common in any international tournament and SAFF Cup will be no different. In the last edition, Bhutan emerged as the surprise package as they held Bangladesh and gave India a scare in the semis. This time also there can be quite a few shocking results.
Big Crowds:
Bangladesh is a football crazy nation, so it will not be a surprise to see a packed stadium when the Bangladesh team is playing. But people there are also emotionally attached to India and Pakistan so one can expect a good turn out during the tournament. Back in 2003, more than 50,000 fans in Dhaka saw Bangladesh beat Maldives on penalties in the final.
Interesting Goal Celebrations:
Most of the participating teams hardly get to play any international games. The exposure to international football for most SAFF Countries is very limited. So we could get to see some humorous and even strange goal celebrations because it could be very difficult for the players to control their emotions after scoring a rare international goal.
Penalty Shootout(s):
As mentioned earlier, there is not much of a difference between the teams so there will be close encounters in the knockout matches. Historically many semis and finals have been decided on penalties in this tournament and this time also there is a high possibility of that happening.
Amoy Ghoshal & Rahul Sengupta
So do you agree or disagree with your views? Let us know what you expect from the 2009 SAFF Cup.
This edition will certainly become a good platform for many young footballers to establish themselves internationally. Other than India’s U-23 team, many other countries will also be banking on their young players, so we will definitely see some of those fresh young talents rising up to the occasion and making a name for themselves.
Rise of New Continental Power
Possibly for the first time in the SAFF Cup, India will not be regarded as the favorites as they are sending an Under-23 side. So teams like Pakistan and maybe even Nepal, who have never won the SAFF Cup before, could just take advantage of that and break their duck.
Intense Competition
Teams in the SAFF Cup are similar in terms of their physical attributes, geography and also FIFA ranking. So there is no doubt that there will be a lot at stake and therefore each match will be very intensely contested.
Revival Of The Great Indo-Pak Rivalry In Sport:
This rivalry has a lot of importance both politically and socially. India against Pakistan in any sport is always exciting and an Indo-Pak football match could be no different. They can only meet in the semis or final and so if they do go head to head one can only expect a high voltage encounter.
Upsets:
Upsets are common in any international tournament and SAFF Cup will be no different. In the last edition, Bhutan emerged as the surprise package as they held Bangladesh and gave India a scare in the semis. This time also there can be quite a few shocking results.
Big Crowds:
Bangladesh is a football crazy nation, so it will not be a surprise to see a packed stadium when the Bangladesh team is playing. But people there are also emotionally attached to India and Pakistan so one can expect a good turn out during the tournament. Back in 2003, more than 50,000 fans in Dhaka saw Bangladesh beat Maldives on penalties in the final.
Interesting Goal Celebrations:
Most of the participating teams hardly get to play any international games. The exposure to international football for most SAFF Countries is very limited. So we could get to see some humorous and even strange goal celebrations because it could be very difficult for the players to control their emotions after scoring a rare international goal.
Penalty Shootout(s):
As mentioned earlier, there is not much of a difference between the teams so there will be close encounters in the knockout matches. Historically many semis and finals have been decided on penalties in this tournament and this time also there is a high possibility of that happening.
Amoy Ghoshal & Rahul Sengupta
So do you agree or disagree with your views? Let us know what you expect from the 2009 SAFF Cup.
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