11: The number of Indian players who take the field. But to actually compete against any other international squad, they probably require twice as many. Actually, if the Indian football coaches and officials are to be believed, there are just a couple of things wrong with our players. Those just happen to be skill, speed and stamina.
I0: The number of foreign players who join the squads of India's glamour clubs for extravagant sums. Nigerians, Ghanians and others from assorted African nations are signed up even if they have barely played Third Division league games back home. To make matters worse, they're actually superior to the Indian stars. In addition, any Brazilian, even a cripple, would be welcome to any of these teams.
9: The average number of spectators on the ground to view any match of what was billed as the Greatest Football Show In Asia. Interestingly, the venues were Kolkata, Kochi and Goa, where even a club game featuring the likes of Tollygunge Agragami, Churchill Brothers pack the stands.
8: The number of minutes into an international that even the most optimistic of Indian football fanatics can hope for a positive result.
7: In crores, the number of Rupees the event management agency for the Millennium Cup, Studio 2100, stands to lose. No wonder it's seeing red. Slashing ticket prices thrice hasn't helped. Any one would rather watch Krishi Darshan on TV. By the way, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was to pick up 30 per cent of the "profits" from the tournament and use it to develop the game in the country. Brilliant planning, no?
6: The number of goals conceded by the Indian team in two games, including a hat-trick by an Icelander. Iceland? We've heard of Jari Litmanen but have they ever even qualified for the Euro? Actually, that margin of defeat should also afford some relief to Indian football fans (all 28 of them) since the 8 to I drubbing against Indonesia in the recent past has set the standard for penetrating the porous Indian defence.
5: The number of games Bhaichung Bhutia started for a failed second division team in England.
4: The number of Indian soccer superstars who could make it to the third or second string team of any of the national teams ranked in the top 100 by FIFA. Among them, of course, is Bhaichung Bhutia, who is currently playing for a failed second division team in England.
3: The number of teams that cancelled out of the hyped Millennium Cup. Cameroon and Iraq dropped out and Indonesia was barred for fielding foreign club players. The Indians, of course, participated only to prove that competitive soccer was foreign to them.
2: The number of flop shows organised by the AIFF….so far. Number One was and remains the National Football League which was expected to rejuvenate the game but only resulted in providing it with the parting kick. The second is the Millennium Cup.
I: The biggest number of them all. A certain Bengal MP called Priya Ranjan Das Munshi who heads the AIFF. Das Munshi has wrought a miracle when it comes to Indian soccer - taken it to depths from which even dozens of excavators working for a 100 years would find it difficult to bring to the surface. Only in Indian sports is such an administrator re-elected for another term.
0: The number of goals scored by India in any international and the sum total of Das Munshi's achievements.

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