HT Kick Off: The sublime and the ridiculous
A prized collection at the Kop and a prize distribution that became controversial.
On Sunday evening, Mo Salah taking a selfie with the Kop summed up everything that was right for Liverpool. Hours before, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) held a prize distribution ceremony that encapsulated all that was wrong with the beautiful game in the world’s biggest democracy. The latest in that developing story is that Churchill Brothers are yet to return the I-League trophy as asked for by AIFF. But more of that later.
Dominating the season
“We truly deserve to be champions of England,” said Virgil van Dijk and not a syllable in that sentence was out of place from the skipper who has played every minute of Liverpool’s 34 matches. Salah was at the front and centre of a dominating show from Liverpool. He is so removed from the player who arrived from Roma in 2017, one who had been cast-off after 19 matches by Chelsea and had had a spell at Fiorentina. You couldn’t blame Juergen Klopp for wanting Julian Brandt over him just as you could not blame Liverpool for giving him a new two-year deal now.
Because by now, his position as “The Egyptian King” at Merseyside is secure. Salah has won the Champions League and scored in the final. He has two Premier League titles and two League Cups. Just as important, he has been a voice for gender parity in the Arab-speaking world and has spoken against the pummelling of Gaza.
And though Dominik Szoboszlai regularly covered 11km, as per Arne Slot, Salah has been their fittest player. His tally of 28 league goals this term includes strikes against Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Spurs and Manchester United.
“Super grateful for the past, super, super happy about the present, extremely positive about the future!” Klopp said in an Instagram post.
Trophy tug-o-war
From Liverpool to Goa, city to state. AIFF went ahead with its prize distribution ceremony for the I-League on Sunday, hours before kick-off at Anfield, even as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) asked it not to. That happened because AIFF said by the time it had received the intimation from CAS late.
Apparently, AIFF has an e-mail address for all official communication. And it being Sunday, the administrative office was shut, the federation said. But this being AIFF, you will hear many conspiracy theories. One of them is: it was only to embarrass AIFF that the e-mail was not forwarded by Inter Kashi to the AIFF deputy secretary-general who handed over the prize to Churchill Brothers or to anyone in the federation’s legal team with whom the club had been liaising over the past few months is not known.
Another goes like this; the e-mail also reached Churchill Brothers but maybe they too had missed it. A third version is: AIFF knew about it and kept quiet as its top officials wanted to keep Churchill Brothers in its corner.
AIFF is on record saying it got to know of the CAS order after handing over the trophy to Churchill Brothers who were adjudged winners by the federation’s appeals committee. It is puzzling why Churchill Brothers could not wait, as suggested by AIFF, to take the trophy at the federation's prize distribution night on Friday, before the Super Cup final. Exactly what anyone gains by having the trophy for a few days is not known. Nor is the deafening silence on being asked to return it (till Thursday evening that is).
In the middle of all this, the Goa federation president has written to AIFF's executive committee saying he was not informed by the federation where the I-League programme would be held. As Klopp did not say, the present and the future in India is not much to look forward to.
Play of the week
In other news
India’s group: India have been clubbed with Myanmar, Indonesia and Turkmenistan in Group D of the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup following the draw conducted in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, reports PTI. Myanmar will host the qualifiers between August 6 and 10. A total of 33 teams were divided into eight groups. Group A has five teams while the rest have four each The group winners and the three best runners-up, along with final round host country Thailand, will complete the cast of 12 teams for the 12th edition of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup, which will take place from April 1 to 18, 2026. The top four teams in the final tournament will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U20 Women's World Cup.
Thailand test for India: The Indian men's team will play a friendly against higher-ranked Thailand away from home on June 4, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced, reports PTI. To be held at Thammasat Stadium, the match will be a part of the team's preparation for its 2027 Asian Cup qualification match against Hong Kong-China on June 10. India are ranked 127th in the FIFA Rankings, while Thailand are 99th.
6th successive WSL for Chelsea: Chelsea clinched their sixth straight Women's Super League title on Wednesday to secure a second trophy of the season in its bid for another domestic treble, reports AP. After seeing second-place Arsenal lose 5-2 to Aston Villa, Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 away to move into an unassailable nine-point lead with two games remaining and stay undefeated in the league. Chelsea have already won the League Cup this season and advanced to the FA Cup final, where they will face Manchester United again at Wembley Stadium on May 18. The London club lost to Barcelona in the Women's Champions League semi-finals to end the quadruple hopes of Sonia Bompastor's squad.
Vijayan promoted: The Kerala government has passed an order to create a supernumerary post of Deputy Commandant in the Malabar Special Police Battalion for I M Vijayan and appoint him to it, given his contribution to the sport, reports PTI. Vijayan is currently the Assistant Commandant in the Malabar Special Police Battalion. The government directed the State Police Chief to take further steps following the order and submit a report. The order, on Vijayan’s request, comes a day before Vijayan is set to retire from the force.
13-match ban: Tranmere Rovers midfielder Sam Finley has been handed a 13-match suspension and a £2,000-fine for homophobic language towards an opponent in a game against Walsall in January, England's Football Association has said, reports Reuters. During Walsall's 5-1 win over Tranmere in January, Finley admitted to the referee that he had called Jamille Matt a homophobic term after the Walsall striker notified the match official. The FA alleged Finley's language was “abusive and/or insulting and/or improper” and constituted an aggravated breach as it included a reference to sexual orientation. Finley later admitted the charge against him.
Li Tie loses appeal: Former Premier League midfielder Li Tie has lost his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for bribery, a Chinese court said on Wednesday, reports AFP. A lower court jailed the former China coach in December, snaring one of the country's best-known football figures in a sweeping government crackdown on corruption in sport. The Hubei Provincial Higher People's Court said in a statement on Wednesday it had rejected Li's appeal and ruled to uphold his original jail term. He was found guilty of a string of offences relating to giving and receiving bribes. The 47-year-old represented China nearly 100 times and moved to Everton in 2002. After retiring from playing, he served as national team coach from January 2020 to December 2021.
FIFA study: A groundbreaking FIFA-funded study at Kingston University will investigate whether hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles could be contributing to an alarming rise in career-threatening knee injuries in women's soccer, says Reuters. The research comes after players including Arsenal's Beth Mead, Manchester City's Vivianne Miedema and Chelsea's Sam Kerr have all suffered serious injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which runs diagonally in the middle of the knee. Led by PhD student Blake Rivers alongside a team of sports science experts, the year-long study at Kingston near London will analyse blood samples from elite and grassroots footballers to track hormone concentrations through their menstrual cycles.
Rüdiger’s problems: Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra-time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday. He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field. Rüdiger apologised for his behaviour but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany's squad for the Nations League final four in June. German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticised Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others.
Premier League office in Mumbai: The Premier League is expanding its global footprint with the opening of a new office in Mumbai, strengthening its commitment to one of football's most passionate fan bases, says Reuters. The Mumbai hub will build on nearly two decades of Premier League engagement in India, where the league has run grassroots initiatives since 2007 through its Premier Skills programme, supporting thousands of coaches and young people in 18 states. Premier League has also collaborated with the Indian Super League since 2014, sharing expertise in governance and development. Their joint Next Gen Cup youth tournament will feature its sixth edition in Mumbai next May, featuring ISL youth teams competing against Premier League Under-19 sides.
Dorival Jr at Corinthians: Former Brazil coach Dorival Jr has been appointed as the new manager of Corinthians till December 2026, the Brazilian club said on Monday, reports Reuters. The 63-year-old was sacked by Brazil following their 1-4 loss to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier last month. He replaces Ramon Diaz at Corinthians, who are 12th in the league with just seven points from six matches. “It's an important moment in my career. I hope to leave a legacy within the work that has already been going on,” Dorival Jr said in a statement.
Vardy to leave: Jamie Vardy will leave former Premier League champions Leicester at the end of the season, the relegated club announced on Thursday, describing the lightning-quick forward as their “greatest-ever player,” reports AFP. The talismanic striker, a key member of the side that lifted the English league title against seemingly impossible odds in 2016, vowed to continue playing even at the age of 38. The former England international joined the Foxes in 2012 from non-league side Fleetwood for just £1 million and has scored 198 goals (143 in Premier League) in nearly 500 appearances.
Iconic moment
Meghalaya’s Riiohlang Dhar will be the first Indian to be part of the refereeing team for the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final and final. The FIFA assistant-referee is among the eight chosen for the last two rounds in May. Dhar has officiated in under-17 women’s World Cup and the AFC under-17 women’s Asian Cup.
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