 you're watching play things of alien forces news clicks weekly sports news roundup update with myself to the Antani and news click sports editor Leslie Xavier. What's up Leslie? How are you doing? Yeah, it's been good. Just figuring out stuff with the sports scene happening. I mean, Nadal's victory. I was really impressed. At our age also, we can probably try something. So yeah, I watched that match and otherwise it's been like a normal sports weekend. A lot of action happening. AFC women's nation cup, for instance. And I was just following all these things over the weekend and figuring out. Yeah, yeah. So like you said, it's been it's been a busy week on sports grounds, sports fields, I think, all over with tennis courts or football pitches. We started actually last week with some pretty bad news from the AFC women's Asian Cup. In terms of host India's exit from that tournament, not because of what happened on the pitch, but because the COVID bio bubble, the bio secure bubble in which the tournament was being played was somehow breached. And almost all it turned out members of the playing staff and many members of the support staff contacted or were infected by the virus. And therefore India did not have enough available players to field a team in the schedule game against Chinese Taipei and had to withdraw from the tournament as per the rules that was put forth by the AFC before the tournament actually began. This was it was one of our biggest fears that the tournament will be hit by COVID-19. And I don't know, all of the preparations, all of the time spent, all of the effort that these players and the coaches and all of their staff have put in to preparing for it, especially for India, appearing at this stage after for the first time since 2003. So a long gap there. But all of that came unfortunately, the worst possible scenario is exactly what played out. And let's see in response to that, we have to have done a couple of shows on our other channel for 20 grams, where we concentrate on what's happening in Indian football, talking about whether or not the leaders or the leadership of the All India Football Federation, the people who were tasked with making sure that these women were kept safe and allowed to put their best foot forward, feet forward, in this sense, quite literally. What was their reaction to what happened, Leslie? What did we make of that? I mean, it's firstly, the thing is, I don't know the All India Football Federation, for instance, how they have looked at it, how the possible actions that need to be taken and how they have been silent about it. I would like to believe that they are doing so that they can wait out for the tournament to get over and then probably leading to the inquiry that is required. And it has to be a pretty much high level inquiry where outside some agency should be brought in. I hope that the sports ministry steps in, the government steps in and conduct a thorough investigation into what exactly happened. Yeah, I will say that we have discussed this in our shows and it's not about finding out where the players got infected, etc., but finding out how such a lapse could happen when it was very clear what is at stake. It's so seen set with the Federation officials, including Prabhu Patel, the president, coming out with weird statements like, don't point fingers. Of course, it's a time to point fingers and it's a time to point fingers with the right intent in mind to take this forward, not just to find the guilty party, but also to take Indian football forward. And that's at stake here. That was always at stake with the women playing the Asian Cup. So that gravity of the situation seems to have missed among the governing body of officials, the governing body itself. And at the same time, the women's football team coaches' statement, I mean, it's illogical to the core, right? He has come out blaming the AFC for lax protocols in the hotel that the Indian team was seeing. Apparently, statements that there were a few positive cases in the hotel staff and that was not conveyed to the team management. And also, hotel staff was not retested in the frequency that it was supposed to be tested. But again, we had this discussion in 420 grams, saying that presenting the case, the right fact that it was not in AFC's control in any case. AFC's overseeing body and the local organizing committee, which comes under the All India Football Federation, that was directly in charge in ensuring the bioburbalists kept intact. So all fingers actually point towards the Federation and how they conducted that random system. And it's unfortunate beyond words. And still, we are yet to get clarity on how the players have taken it fully. We are trying to, I mean, in that sense, there was a gag on them to remain silent about this till possibly. And I'm still hopeful that that investigation will bring out shed more life into it. And also, we would like to hear what the players are going to, I mean, what they went through in the past one week. And of course, they have to clear themselves of the, I mean, they have to test negative before they get out of the bubble. So the tournament has moved on, semi-final lineup is out. And just now it's, it's, it hits further when, aside like Thailand, for instance, played the quarterfinals and they are at stake for the World Cup spot also, qualifying spot also. So aside like Thailand is, we would like to believe that India had a fair chance of giving a fight. So, so that's, that's the point. So now it's, it's harder where we were, before the start of the tournament, we were talking about them leaving the group stage, managing to leave the group stage and also having a say in, in World Cup qualifying. And they just didn't get a chance to fight at all. And that's so unfair. And why, I mean, the degree of unfairness is, is, is astronomical when, when, when it's, it's evident that it's because of laxity on the part of authority. So that's, that's the thing. So one week down the road, I myself am still sad. So you can imagine what, what the stakeholders, the real stakeholders were, Indian women's football, what the players or the youngsters who were looking up to, up to these women to lead, lead the path, bring out Indian women's football onto the continental stage. They never got a chance. So I can just imagine how much they would, disappointed they would be. Yeah, absolutely. I'm gutted. I'm, I'm absolutely certain of that. I think the good bit of news from the India team perspective is that at least we know that most of the players and staff that did get the virus are doing well. Many have recovered since then. So no, no serious, serious cases from that point of view. So at least that some little bit of good news, not that it takes away in any sense from the disappointment that you were very rightly pointing out. And it's not, it's not, I think just the disappointment of what happened from the point of view of one tournament. But that, unfortunately, this is kind of just the way things are with women's sport and with women's football in particular is kind of half, half baked treatment that, that is given out. When on the one hand, we're going all out saying we want to host major tournaments and all of those things. But on the other hand, when, when it comes down to it and like you've rightly pointed out, I think the ministry needs to take note of this because I think some amount of public resources have also gone into ensuring that the team gets the little bit of exposure. We've talked earlier of how they went to Brazil and Sweden and other parts of Europe and to at least try and get some kind of competitive football because the other fact is that Indian football, women's football has been largely ignored by the Federation. The women's league hasn't happened in a couple of years. So no club level competition either. Fortunately, the senior nationals were conducted. And I'm very pleased to see actually on some of these new channels that have also come up that are focusing on covering what's happening in the women's game, women's football, women's football India and some other channels. And some of the players coming out and saying how well organized it was, good facilities, good training pitches, good, good sort of playing facilities and how pleased they were to be out there and, and, and you know, competing with women from around the country, at least all those states that managed to send in teams. Kerala was playing host to that tournament. But, but moving on a little bit, Leslie, like you said, the tournament has moved on. We're looking forward to some exciting semi-final action, at least four of the best teams. I guess from our pre-tournament assessment of it, there were always going to be five teams in the running for a semi-final spot. And predictably the quarterfinals between South Korea and Australia was very close, just the one goal in it, South Korea knocking out the Australians, which in a sense could be considered an upset, although, although Korea has a strong team as well, they've been, I think, in, in the last four finals, never having won it. But, but a strong performance from them. And of course, China and Japan both doing extremely well. So, so, you know, the, I guess, at this point, the, the, the kind of outsiders in, in this final four are the Philippines team who've done exceptionally, exceptionally well to reach the stage. And I think they'll be delighted. If I'm not wrong, Leslie, this means they've already qualified for the next FIFA World Cup. Yeah, they have qualified for the FIFA World Cup. And also, I just, I'm lucky that Japan and China are playing, playing the semi-finals, one of those sides, both sides deserve to be in the finals. But yeah, so South Korea, that way, I think, have a easier road, but not discounting Philippines' quality. That way, they are through the tone of, and they have showed that they belong there. That's why they are there in the semi-finals as well. And let's see how it progresses, because that's the beauty of being neutral, that way, that we can just enjoy the football. And I'm sure high-quality football will be the world-class football, because these teams have played at the World Cup multiple locations, and it's going to be fun in that sense. Yeah, really will be. Hopefully, once again, we don't want to get too much into it, because we still have this very real specter of Omicron around us. Yeah, so let's hope that those semi-finals and the final of the tournament, as well as the playoffs, because of that still matters in terms of World Cup qualification. Those things can hopefully proceed. Thursday, I think, is when the semi-finals are being held. Like we said earlier, we have a show where we talk about all the football stuff happening in India for 20 grams. We will be doing a post-match, well, after both the games, a show on for 20 grams. Hopefully, we're trying to get in some guests, including Bala Devi, who of course went off to Glasgow Rangers and spent a season, season and a half. Unfortunately, a COVID hit season as well, but still she spent some time there and unfortunately missed out on even that one match in the Asian Cup that India did play, the draw against Iran, because of injury. But she's very much a member of the senior women's national team, and one of the top talents in the country. So hopefully, we can get her on, and it will be, I think, great to hear from her. She would have, no doubt, spoken to some of the other players, her teammates, her clubmates, some of them. So she can give us a sense of that as well. So do join in for that show on Thursday evening around 9.30pm when the game is done. But Leslie, from here, now we'll put this topic to rest for the moment. Another sort of bizarre series of events in terms of football leadership unfolded when the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, he was addressing the Council of Europe and essentially presenting FIFA's proposal for hosting the World Cup every two years, as opposed to every four years the way it's currently held or has been since 1930. Now FIFA are looking at this, Leslie, because the World Cup is the men's World Cup, is really the only event, and I think the women's World Cup is now catching up on that front. But the men's World Cup is really the main event, it's FIFA's money spinner, Golden Goose, whatever you want to call it. So if you look at their kind of profit and loss books, you'll find that in World Cup years FIFA makes a profit and in other years it doesn't. So they want to have it more often, clearly include more teams in that process, making it a 48 team tournament as opposed to a 36 team tournament as it is now, if I'm 32 teams, sorry. So that expansion is actually already is happening, has happened. So the 2026 World Cup that will be co-hosted by the US and Mexico will have 48 teams. UEFA and the South American countries, traditionally the powerhouse is both one in terms of because they have some of the best players and end up winning the World Cup quite often, and Europe because it not only has some of the top teams in world football but also all the money. So they are both opposed to it because FIFA's revenues going up means their revenues going down and Infantino has gone on and said in a quite bizarre use of language that somehow hosting the World Cup every two years would give Africans hope and reduce the numbers of them trying to migrate to European shores. Leslie, your comments please on this. Bazaar is the word, maybe it's a bit of an understatement as far as word is concerned because I was going through it multiple times, the video as well as trying to make sense what this man is trying to achieve by saying this. It's very clear that he's trying to push for the two-year cycle for World Cup, but making this kind of a connection with African countries and African migration and which is a raging issue in itself but completely disconnected to football because as far as migration of football talent is concerned. So initially I tried to correlate whether this guy is talking about footballers traveling to Europe and whether for some reason, some odd reason a two-year World Cup would boost African football, club football, so much so that African talent can remain in Africa and make a decent living, make a great living. So I was trying to wonder whether he's mentioning that, then I realized no because he's talking about general immigration and completely out of his league, he was blabbering, he was clearly blabbering and as far as the two-year World Cup push is concerned FIFA should realize that they are going to mess it up because we have discussed this previously about how sport economy works these days, big sport organizing and how hostilities are not exactly in a great state of health after an event is hosted and in the case of FIFA World Cup, it's the country that hosts the World Cup and ultimately balance sheets, books, everything FIFA earns out of it, FIFA uses that for the larger good of football for sure but the country which hosts it, they're not necessarily earn a profit or get a rise in stature on par with what FIFA is gaining out of it. So if for instance a two-year World Cup is being staged after 10, 20 years, two decades, after 10 cycles, maybe they won't be any takers for the tournament. But expanding the tournament to 48 teams is great in the sense that it is in a sense more inclusive, more countries get a chance to play, definitely there'll be more representation from the Asian continent as well as Africa and I think the proposal for a two-year World Cup is largely being supported by some many of these countries who will benefit directly from that opportunity to play in the World Cup because of course it does also make money for some of the smaller nations in order to fund their football programs sometimes to the extent where an entire year's budget or more can come in as a windfall from various things like sponsorship money, television rights and other grants that FIFA gives out to countries that are participating in the World Cup year. But 48 teams means 48 teams being based in your nation for a month, you are playing host to these 48 teams that means you require each team has a base, a training base. So in addition to the stadiums that you need to conduct matches, you also need 48 bases which means hotel facilities, press facilities, training facilities, all in one location or close enough by the teams can access them, use them on a regular basis. Not too many nations have that kind of infrastructure available to even think about kind of hosting it. So I think if it happens at all, there will have to be some kind of a model where countries will share hosting rights, it will become more of a regional tournament, maybe like five European countries or five or multiple countries in South America or Africa wherever it happens where things are at least contiguous or maybe even not. I'm not sure how they envision the execution of this massive tournament. Let's just discount Africa and South America from it because I don't think they'll be coming forward because they are very unhappy about it because they have their own elite tournament, the Continental Tournament which is which has a global following for America. Every two years. Every two years and so huge following for that and you see it's a matter of revenue generation then FIFA and UFR should probably join hands together and ensure that the global bodies and the Continental bodies stay relevant because the real push and challenge is coming from I mean in a purely business sense it's coming from the club establishment. So we have had this discussion when World Cup happened 2018 World Cup when you were in Russia also I mean the doubt whether at some point the relevancy of World Cup is it valid at all because for neutral fans following a country being fan of a country and enjoying the World Cup a month tournament great but how far will it happen because as far as neutral fans are concerned the infiltration has come from European clubs now I mean all us I'm talking specifically about India or South Asia or countries which don't have a stake at the World Cup I mean which which would world do they follow which world they want to follow it's it's it's always blood football so FIFA should understand that look at look back at the history that is happening in Fentino and and the officials who are pushing for this it's the tournament how it started how relevant was it in for instance in in the mid mid 20th century when there were many countries including India who would look at the Olympic football championship as the holy grail as and the World Cup World Cup was still small in the 1950s World Cup was still small and it it took a few years it took so many decades for FIFA to reach where it is I hope that they understand that and I hope that they don't ruin the business model ruin the working model that is that is working so far I mean good for them and two years is a disruption two years not going to add or take football forward it is going to create fissures within the ecosystem within sporting governing bodies and it would be a mad fight of who's who wants to come on top and so it's it's as far as now is concerned it's a point like a pointers exercise because again the world of football is reeling and recovering football not just football any sport for that matter the sporting organizers the organizers are having trouble figuring out means including money to host tournaments and when these all these things are happening you throw in the standard into the world so let's let's let's just hope I mean if they are I think if the point is to expand or take football forward and that is the focus of these kind of moves then maybe what they should be talking about is having the women's World Cup every two years and the men's World Cup keeping it as it is because exactly I exactly that's that's a that's a I mean the best thing to go forward because then it also lifts stature of the women's game and also at the same time it's opening up an avenue for FIFA to explore a new revenue stream it's not it's a win-win situation for the game as well as for the body. All right okay we'll leave it there Leslie for this part finally Rafa Nadal your favorite player I see I mean like we talked before I think on this subject but the pandemic really has made us very much aware of who our friends are and who are who are not and you know while I have tons of respect for Novak Djokovic and his tennis playing abilities and for a long time he was a guy because you know he's a bit of an upstart and all that and challenging the greatness of Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal in a generation of I think men's tennis that was quite special I mean to to live through to witness to watch see these guys in action in in in the flesh against one another I mean it's been spectacular Nadal yesterday though taking it to to another level in in some ways and he was two sets down people were writing him off and I think they forgot who who's in the game Nadal of course you can you can never discount him but of course you look at his age 25 and he's playing 25 year old Medvedev who is considered one of the best hardcore surface players at present and in his prime world number two and yeah and in the absence of the top player of the world you expect the world number two to win it and then you get a hold right in front of you but Nadal's game so physically demanding and he has not changed at all and it's it's just I mean when I when I saw him play yesterday and make that come back and I was still the fifth set till the end of the fifth set towards the end of the sixth set you still know that Medvedev is winning I mean I have I mean if you look at the three great players you mentioned I consider Federer to be a noticeable all the other two just for his artistry and I tend to admire artistry more than anything else but Nadal's work ethic Nadal's kind of grit and fight that he brings onto the game as it's for a person who has come to fight sport that is one value that that you you just can't ignore you just I mean whatever the artistry whatever the other part of it and you just can't be without respecting that and then you bought it out you bought it out he is fighting pain he's fighting injuries he's making that come back self doubt whatever that is happening because it's very clear at certify you can't play at that level how we how is he managing to play we just understand it is in the mind and this is going to be a Nadal's here because imagine the next match now is old play and so I'm expecting him to extend the record a couple of this thing and also I'm a couple of trophies but also I'm expecting Novak Djokovic to actually catch up with Nadal and overtake him because Djokovic as a player is is he's still got a few more years and is is capable of winning a few more championships getting back to Nadal what is what makes him special is probably I mean beyond the game he has he has decently talented with this with his back end with his forearm with his top spins whatever but he also improvised yesterday against Medvedev brought out all his experience but also a clear strategy was trying to vary the length he was trying to upset the length with which he was returning to medvedev so that he gets and slowly he got into the game if you look at the first set it was it was one sided in a way and second set Nadal could have won it it was tight Medvedev I mean being the player is you can't discount him he keeps coming back at you coming back at you Nadal almost healed him then he broke back and that baker of course Nadal was leading again same thing and he came back and he won that but for a Nadal fan that probably would have been the moment they would realize see there is something special that is going to happen now because he was he had really he had measured him he had gotten him measured he had really third set again it it could have gone the other way because he was down by a break by four three break points and then from there the turnaround happened and when that was happening the only thing that you do when Nadal marathon comebacks happen marathon matches happen it's just to see enjoy enjoy what's out there and I'm just glad with with with by for being a sports journalist in this era where we have seen the greatest ever generation of tennis players and I I'm not even saying arguably here this is the greatest ever tennis generation as far as longevity is concerned as far as quality is concerned as far as records are concerned beyond power we we are just lucky that we were able to be tested and Nadal personally I've seen him in action in 10 years once and also in the Davis Cup in Delhi a few years back and just simply simply medical but yeah I was I was just saying that I absolutely agree with you man when when Nadal is on a roll like that all you do is sit down and you get yourself a you know refill of whatever it is that you're drinking and you watch till till the end of the ride because that's what it is and and I think he's someone who is inspired also fans across the world for the tennis he's and also the kind of off court stuff the kind of person he has shown himself to be or at least appeared to be so yeah congratulations to Rafael Nadal and and to us for being alive in this time to be witness to some of this greatness absolutely right between between you know Serena Williams and and Federer Nadal Djokovic it's been a special I think couple of decades for the game of tennis on that note I think we'll also put an end to this episode of play things thanks very much Leslie for sharing some of your thoughts on some of these I think quite interesting talking points from the world of sport that went by last week and even beyond that like we said lots more to look forward to particularly the AFC Asian women's cup semifinals and final coming up later on this week the final of that tournament is on the sixth of Feb being held in Mumbai if I'm not wrong so we'll be covering those matches on our sister channel for 20 grams so do join in