Vaibhav Raghunandan

Vaibhav Raghunandan
Chennai, Bengaluru and the Indian Football Game That Shall Never Finish
05 Apr 2019
I-League champions Chennai City FC’s victory over Indian Super League (ISL) champs Bengaluru FC can be interpreted in many ways but there is only one meaning that matters...
Vaibhav Raghunandan
Moise Kean Racial Abuse Shows Ugly Reality in Sport; India is No Exception
04 Apr 2019
Sport should not be about judging a person on pigment, but on the basis of merit on the playing field. Juventus striker Moise Kean’s racial abuse incident at Cagliari, and similar incidents across…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
India to Host 2020 U-17 Women’s World Cup; Indian Football Should Make it Count
20 Mar 2019
With no proper grassroots academies, club teams or financial incentives, women’s football in India lives an ad-hoc existence. With the country set to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2020, the…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
Indian Football’s Super Cup Drama: I-League Clubs Pull Out of Pull-Out
14 Mar 2019
On March 13 a press release stated that seven I-League clubs — Minerva Punjab FC, Quess East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, NEROCA FC, Gokulam Kerala, Aizawl FC and champions Chennai City FC — decided to pull…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
Chennai City FC’s Indian Football Journey: I-League Champions Now, Uncertainty Ahead
11 Mar 2019
Chennai City FC, the 2018-19 I-League champions, may not be playing the top division of Indian football next year... At the end of the past three I-League seasons, no matter who the champions, the…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
The Missing Logic in Indian Hockey Team’s Coachless Existence
07 Mar 2019
The Indian hockey team, plagued by a growing injury list at the coachless national camp, will travel to Ipoh for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup without someone at the helm -- just 18 players, support…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
Emiliano Sala’s Death, Hakeem al Araibi’s Life and Football’s Ugly Face
13 Feb 2019
FC Nantes and Cardiff City FC’s tiff over transfer money of the deceased Emiliano Sala, and FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC’s) lack of intent and effort in releasing Hakeem al Araibi…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
Qatar vs UAE: Blockade Derby, the Ugly Truth of West Asia Politics
30 Jan 2019
Qatar football team beat the UAE 4-0 to enter the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2019. The match, however, was marred by unruly and ugly behaviour from the UAE fans, something that was not expected…
Vaibhav Raghunandan
AFC Asian Cup: How Japan Drew Triangles Around Linear Iranians to Repeat History
29 Jan 2019
Yuya Osako scored twice as Japan beat Iran 3-0 to enter the final of the AFC Asian Cup, outfoxing one of the favourites to continue their domination in the continental football showpiece.
Vaibhav Raghunandan
Japan, Asian Football’s Perpetual Rising Sun
24 Jan 2019
Japan’s football revolution began at the AFC Asian Cup back in 1992, when they hosted the tournament and won the first of their four continental titles. Three decades later, Japan national football…