Dhar: New hand at the helm of Indian football

Nilesh Bhattacharya, TNN 1 December 2009


KOLKATA: A former economics graduate finds himself among those at the helm as Indian football looks for direction on the tough turf of the world game.

A day after Sunando Dhar was appointed the I-League's first-ever CEO, the middle-aged sports management veteran prefers to take a cautious approach to the game's development in the coming days.

"I'm quite happy to get the job but I don't want to jump the gun as far as my future plans are concerned. I'll call on (AIFF secretary) Alberto Colaco in the middle of this month to get an initial brief on my job," he said on Monday.

Dhar, general manager (sales and marketing) of LSM, pipped AIFF competition director Anil Kamat and former Mahindra United coach Harish Rao to the post. Though he prefers anonymity, he has had a long association with the game's development.

He had a hand in managing the country's premier club tournament when it was known as the National Football League, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. "I've also been associated with the Bangladesh National League since his inception in 2000," Dhar informed.

His appointment could be interpreted as an initial step towards putting in place a professional set-up at a time when both FIFA and AFC have trained their focus on developing the game in India.

Source: TNN

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AIFF Announce Sunando Dhar As I-League CEO

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