True lies

Sir ? What will we gain by forcing the cola giants to flash another statutory warning (?Cola laced with caution?, Dec 7)? The small print, unlike the liquid in the bottles, will be for the consumption of the limited few who can read, which means the urbanites. But they know the pesticide story already. And that has not stopped them from gulping down their colas. As for those consumers spread far into the fields from which the giants access their pesticides, the writing will not matter. The glitz of the cola advertisements ? with their screen heroes proclaiming that their ?pyaas? is even bigger than their king-size image ? will do the work. Besides, we at least have a semblance of truth on cigarette packets. What will the white lie (about pesticide traces being ?way below? the prescribed standards) on bottles achieve?

Yours faithfully,
J. Acharya, Calcutta

Foul play

Sir ? The death of Cristiano de Lima ?Junior? during the Federation Cup final is a glaring instance of how unprofessionally football is played in India. Officials of the All India Football Federation seem more interested in making foreign trips than in improving the standards of the game in the country. They must now be made to answer why the country?s most prestigious club football tournament was being held without basic medical facilities. A similar incident had claimed the life of the Railways footballer, Sanjib Datta, about a decade ago but nothing seems to have changed since then. It is up to Indian players and football fans to intervene in the AIFF?s affairs so that no player loses his life on the field again.

Yours faithfully,
Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay, Hounslow, UK

Sir ? It is unfortunate that an eminent sportsperson like P.K. Banerjee has held Junior indirectly responsible for the incident during the Federation Cup finals with his comment, ?Goal-hungry strikers like Junior must know when to save themselves, even at the cost of missing out on a goal? (?Little did I know I would be watching such a tragedy?, Dec 6). It is not clear how Banerjee came to the conclusion that the heinous foul (though overlooked by both the referee and the linesman) was not deliberate. Even the AIFF has concluded that Subrata Pal is guilty. Everybody has the freedom to express his views but seeing such comments in print is likely to encourage violence in the game.

Yours faithfully,
Mukut Nandy, Calcutta

Sir ? I am a 73-year-old sportsman, well known in his youth. Our family has been Mohun Bagan supporters for generations. But a criminal must face the law as any other citizen. In the recent past, the press has wrongly eugolized two other Mohun Bagan footballers. Subrata Pal is a hot-headed young man. If he is allowed to go scotfree, he is bound to bring discredit to the club.

Yours faithfully,
Bhabesh Banerjee, Calcutta

Sir ? The silence of the national media over Junior?s death is really mystifying.

Yours faithfully,
Sujoy Palit, Pune

Sir ? Besides adequately equipped first-aid kits, medical teams should be available during matches. There should also be resuscitation apparatus. Players and officials should also be trained to use them.

Yours faithfully,
K.B. Goswami, Calcutta

Sir ? The Mohun Bagan goal-keeper, Subrata Pal, made a horrendous and needless foul on Cristaino Junior after the Dempo striker?s second goal in the Federation Cup final at Bangalore. The same Pal had run from his goalkeeper?s area to the centre-line and knocked down the East Bengal striker, Jeremiah, in an off-the-ball incident in the Durand Cup final a few weeks ago. But the AIFF failed to act on both occasions, which paved the way for his participation in the Federation Cup. The AIFF should assume responsibility for the death of the young Brazilian striker, who had carved out a niche for himself in Indian football in less than a year. FIFA should investigate the matter and take AIFF and Pal to task.

Yours faithfully,
Shubhodip Pal Chowdhary, Calcutta

Sir ? The demise of Junior is an occasion to reflect on all that ails Indian football. Bhaichung Bhutia?s demand for an inquiry into Junior?s death also needs to be heeded. The lack of administrative leadership and innovation are lacking in Indian football. But we also need to improve coaching and bring in foreign coaches, if need be.

Lack of fitness and injuries to key players are a problem too. They explain the poor performance in the world cup qualifiers. This lack of fitness is the result of players not being looked after properly at the club level. At the lower level, there are problems with the quality of refereeing. Also, the AIFF seems to lack the teeth or the desire to improve the quality of officials. Besides, precious little seems to be done by the AIFF to educate clubs on the need for physical fitness and medical staff on the team. But it is impossible to expect the AIFF to preach what it does not practise itself. It is time the AIFF pulled up its socks.

Yours faithfully,
Irving Savio Sequeira, Singapore