Straight Answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">Renedy Singh, Footballer, On the success of the Indian football team at the Afro-Asian Games <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The team has put up a great show. What do you think contributed to the success?</span><br /><br />With a FIFA ranking of 133, it’s feels great after you defeat teams like Zimbabwe which has a much higher ranking.And now we just have one hurdle before the gold medal. I guess this success can be attributed to a combination of good coaching, team spirit and the fact that all of us are taking each match equally seriously. We’ve put 100 per cent in each game and taken one match at a time. Besides, the coach has got the right kind of players for each position. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Do you think that the strict discipline during the tournament has helped in the team’s performance?</span><br /><br />I think so. In fact over the last month we have not only made it a point to end the day early, our coach has not even allowed us to carry our cellphones while with our team members. In fact if someone’s phone rings when the team is together, then that person has to pay a spot fine of Rs 500. The same applies for being late for practice even for a minute. All this helps to build a sense of discipline and teamsmanship. In fact the punishment amount from all players has already gone up to Rs 50,000. We’ll donate that to an NGO. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">With East Bengal bagging the ASEAN Cup title and now the national team doing so well, do you think football in India is improving?</span><br /><br />It is becoming better slowly. In fact the national team’s LG Cup win in Vietnam last year was also a feather in the cap. While we are trying to prove our worth, we need all the support we can get from the people of our country, and not criticism or sharp remarks. </div> </div>