Ronaldo Jr thinks he’ll be a better footballer than dad —but the Juve star is not so sure Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed son Cristiano Junior thinks he’ll be a better footballer than his dad. But in true Cristiano style, the Juventus forward believes that will be “difficult”.

Ishfaq Ahmed

Outrage as football players ‘black-up’ as Serena and Venus Three amateur football players have caused outrage by blacking themselves up as the Williams sisters and a prominent Aussie rules player.

Bengaluru FC

Srinagar

Navi Mumbai

UNITED THEY STAND! Real Kashmir FC players take a break from their pre-season preparations to pose for Mumbai Mirror in

nice people

We hide but somehow reach the ground. it’s important to not get caught because everything will end if that happens -Real Kashmir midfielder Danish Farooq

Clearance to play in Kashmir



History on their side



British OBE Bill Bryson writes in his book, Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, about how foreign journeys made one’s existence into a series of interesting guesses. “You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life,” he explains in his travelogue.Scotsman David Robertson comes across as a person who takes Bryson’s words very seriously.Maybe it was the monotony of his life or maybe it was just in search of a fresh start. But here was a man, who one can almost imagine, traced a lone finger across a map, stopped at a particular point and nodded to himself. That place was India – to be precise – that place was Kashmir.Robertson’s introduction into football was through another Scotsman, albeit a very famous one. It was none other than Sir Alex Ferguson, who gave a 17-year old Robertson his first-team debut for Aberdeen. While Ferguson moved towards the greener pastures of Manchester, Robertson went to Scottish powerhouses Rangers FC and had stints at Leeds United and FC Montrose.“I don’t know if you’ve seen this British TV show called ‘An Idiot Abroad’,” Robertson says. “It’s about this guy who goes to the wonders of the world and then arrives in India. You watch the country on the telly and ask yourself, ‘It can’t really be like that!’” It really wasn’t.In January 2017, Robertson joined Real Kashmir FC as head coach. Kashmir, the state, has had modest forays into Indian football. The only well-known regional team was Lonestar Kashmir — and only two national level players answered the Indian senior football team’s role call in the form of Mehrajuddin Wadoo andSo how then did a former Scottish player, who was given his professional debut by arguably one of the greatest managers of all time, end up coaching a club that started playing professionally only in 2016?The answer lies in the blank canvas that is Real Kashmir FC. Robertson figured that he would only be able to move the needle slightly if he went to an established club. But the outfit from the valley was a challenge like none other he had faced in his life.In May 2018, the Srinagar-based outfit made history by being the first ever team from the valley to enter the ILeague. They were initially in I-League 2, the creatively-named second-division of Indian football, for two seasons. In their second season, they defeated Delhi club Hindustan FC 3-2 on the last day, to access the top tier of Indian football.What makes Real Kashmir FC special is that this team doesn’t have the historical dogma that wraps itself in chains and drags clubs such as East Bengal and Mohun Bagan down. It doesn’t have the financial clout that a club like JSW-backedhas enjoyed. It sadly doesn’t invoke the hysteria that a state like Kerala can whip up when it comes to supporting its local football.Real Kashmir was the footballing equivalent of a clean slate – a do-over of sorts where nothing of note has actually happened.But this was just the footballing state of affairs. Robertson admits he was clueless about Kashmir and actually thought the state would be hot, much like the rest of India. One can only imagine his surprise when he landed in India in January and foundsimilar to Scotland than he could have ever comprehended.The weather, though, was the only thing working in his favour. “It was a difficult start and I wanted to go home within the first few days,” remarked the Scotsman, sitting across this writer, in a condo in, where his team had been for the past few days on a short pre-season stint.He continued, “I had never been to India before. There were power cuts. There was no internet. And turning up in Kashmir during the winter is probably the worst time you could have come. But the owner, Shamim (Meraj) persuaded me to stay.“For me, it was a real culture shock. I didn’t know anyone. I had only talked to the owners on phone before coming here.“You go to Srinagar and things are different. The way people dress is different. Initially, people would always stare at me. It’s just the way of life as well. Sometimes, players can’t get to training because there are curfews in place on certain days. It’s not a lot – but it’s there,” said Robertson, reminiscing instances when he has had to adapt to a more ‘Indian’ approach to life.Some of the problems faced by the team are unique. Their ground, the TRC Turf Ground, is the only playing area in Srinagar that has astro turf and is used by local clubs as well. Training is conducted after they book the turf for a couple of hours.Practice sessions happen in the morning because unlike professional footballers in most parts of the world, a large group of local players must hold two jobs to make ends meet.The team’s attacking midfielder Danish Farooq is one of the rare local players who doesn’t have to rely on a second job to make his income. His father, Farooq Ahmed, was also a professional footballer. He played for the Jammu and Kashmir state team, as well as Kolkata’s Mohammedan Sporting. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the art of the business and its failings is something Farooq is very much in touch with.“Everybody who plays football in Kashmir faces problems. Mahaul hi aisa hai (such is the climate),” says Farooq.“Even going to something as basic as practice, especially when curfews are in place, is something all players have mastered. We practise in areas which don’t have a ‘tight curfew’. We hide but somehow reach the ground.Obviously, it’s important to not get caught because everything will end if that happens,” remarked Farooq.He remembers an instance during Muharram when players had to keep their vehicles at a considerable distance away from the curfew. And when they weren’t allowed to go any further, they had to take shortcuts and sneak their way through to get to practice. “Only locals face these problems. People from out of the state are kept in safer areas. Unfortunately for us, we can’t shift our homes to play football.”Despite the projection of Kashmir as an ‘unsafe’ state, the club has managed to attract foreign talent. For instance, Nigeria’s Loveday Enyinnaya has spent a majority of his life playing in India. From Malabar United in Kerala to Royal Wahingdoh in Shillong, Enyinnaya’s career has been all about helping various teams escape the I-League second division.This time, though, he wants to make an impact in the I-League and cites the example of Aizawl FC, a small club from the state of Mizoram, that won the tournament in only their second-ever year in Indian top-flight football.But when it comes to having an active social life in Srinagar, Enyinnaya knows where to draw his lines. “Kashmir is religious.It’s not a place where you can party. Very... nice weather. “They have a very nice lake!” he immediately adds, almost apologetic about selling Kashmir short. Life can be tough in the valley for outsiders, but as Enyinnaya so hastily puts it, there is beauty in it as well.Enyinnaya’s intricate understanding about Indian football shows in the way he explains how the league can be decided in the ‘first two-three games’.Good results can only determine whether you stand on the table. It’s the experience of grinding matches that this team needs to adapt to a new league.In a region where different cultures clash to create an atmosphere of volatility, Real Kashmir FC’s success might very well lie in diverse individuals – be it from Scotland, Nigeria or from their very own state – swimming together when all indications point towards them sinking.According to coach David Robertson. I-League officials have visited the TRC Turf Ground twice and the club is close to receiving clearance to play their games in the valley. There have been talks to introduce floodlights as well.Both Aizawl FC and last year’s I-League champions Minerva Punjab won the league in only their second season of topflight football. While this is going to be Kashmir’s first season in the big leagues, going by the trajectory of the last two league winners, next season might just be their year.