From the German football team to a reckless BCCI: Sports winners and losers of 2014

The FIFA World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and three overseas tours for the Indian cricket team added to already packed sporting calender to make 2014 was a mega year for sports around the globe.

Naturally, there were some teams and individuals that won more than others. And some that lost more than others.

Here is our list of the the biggest winners and losers of 2014. Freel free to share your’s in the comments section below:

WINNERS

The German football team

Argentina winning the World Cup in Brazil had a certain charm. Lionel Messi would have finally added the Jules Rimet Trophy to his list of accomplishments, elevating him to the pantheon with Pele and Maradona and possibly leap-frogging them. Unfortunately for them, Germany were a better team.

Germany dismantled Portugal 4-0 before running into some trouble against Ghana and USA in the group stages and eking out wins over Algeria and France in the last 16 and quarterfinal stages. But their 7-1 dismantling of Brazil in Brazil in the semi-finals was the most remarkable game of the tournament and goes down as one of the most shocking results in World Cup history. Their winning the tournament after that performance felt right and just.

Mary Kom:

Many thought that Pinki Jangra’s selection over Mary Kom for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow meant a new dawn in Indian women’s boxing. Mary was 31-years-old and already and had just returned to the ring after giving birth to her third child. A comeback seemed unrealisitc, if not improbable.

The Asian Games told a different story. Mary was selected after beating Jangra in the trials and looked sharper than ever, She defeated Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan in the final to bring home her first Asian Games gold medal.

Rory McIlroy

Until the middle of the year, McIlroy was in the news more for his last minute cancellation of his wedding to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki than for his golf. By the end of the year, he was back to World No 1 and had joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as one of only three golfers since the first Masters Tournament in 1934 to win three majors by the age of 25.

While Wozniacki still seems troubled by the ordeal in her personal life, it looks like McIlroy has moved on and is back to his best. A new multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Nike didn’t hurt either.

The Sri Lankan cricket team:

World Cup 2007 - second place, World T20 2009 - second place, World Cup 2011 - second place, World T20 2010 - semis, World T20 2012 - second place. For Sri Lanka, it was becoming a case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride.. In 2014 though, they finally lifted their first world championship since the 1996 50-over World Cup when they beat India comfortably in the final of the World T20 - giving a fitting fairwell to Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene from the shortest format of the game.

The Pro Kabbadi League

Kabaddi is a sport all Indians seem to play till they pass out of school. After that, most of us forget the game exists. That a professional kabbadi league could not only survive but thrive was something very few people would have bet on. But that is exactly what the Pro Kabbadi League managed in its wildly successful first season. The PKL tweaked a few rules, added Bollywood glamour – Abhishek Bachchan owns a team – and a festive matchday atmosphere that gave enthusiastic crowds bang for their buck. The result was packed crowded across the country and a raucous match-day atmosphere that kept excitement levels high

Indian badminton

Indian badminton is no longer just about Saina Nehwal. PV Sindhu became the first Indian to win back-to-back medals in the World Badminton Championships and also won bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games at Incheon. She added a team bronze at the Uber Cup before capping the year with the Macau Open title.

On the men’s side, Kidambi Srikanth also shone. He beat five-time world champion Lin Dan to win the China Open and broke in to the top 10 for the first time.

The Indian contingent also picked up a first team medal at the Asian Games and world championships.

Special mention to P Kashyap for his performance and shirt-ripping celebration after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games and for Saina, who climbed back to No. 4 in the world rankings and won the China Open.

LOSERS

Indian cricket:

With Test series losses away to New Zealand, South Africa and England - and the IPL spot-fixing scandal – Indian cricket has never been questioned more.

MS Dhoni’s alleged failure to tell the Mudgal Committee the truth about Gurunath Meiyappan; N Srinivasan’s cover-up attempts and the BCCI’s usual stubborn way of working have haunted the sport off the field while losses abroad have bedeviled it on the field.

The case is still before the Supreme Court and heads may roll before the case is over.

There were also wholesale changes to the backroom staff after the Test series loss to England, with Ravi Shastri coming in as team director and a slew of Indian coaches replacing Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney.

The Brazil football team:

As if relocating from their homes with false government promises to make space for the massive infrastructure needed to host a World Cup (and the Olympics) wasn’t enough, the people of Brazil then had to watch their national team get destroyed 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semifinals. The run-up to the match was dominated by an emotional outburst for the injured Neymar — and the debris of the result left the world shocked. How could a country, which lives football, lose so badly? It was like the ghost of the Maracana had returned to haunt Brazil — this time in Belo Horizonte.

Sarita Devi:

Boxer Sarita Devi was primed to enter the finals of the lightweight category in the Asian Games but her world was turned upside down in an instant when the referee raised her opponent Park Ji-Na’s hand instead of hers. For many who saw the match, there was only one winner. Sarita had dominated the fight and appeared to have been denied an entry to the finals.

What followed was even more stunning — India’s officials hardly cared about helping Sarita lodge an immediate appeal or complaint, and she was further stricken by the lack of support. Convinced the match was fixed, Sarita burst into tears during the medal ceremony and gave away her bronze medal to Park.

There was no sympathy from boxing officials though. Sarita was banned indefinitely while her case is being heard though India’s sports ministry is trying to help her get back in the ring.

Tiger Woods:

Woods was back to No 1 at the end of 2013 — but a microdisectomy and back trouble meant that 2014 would go down as one of his least productive years. Woods missed the Masters for the first time since 1994 and then finished 69th at The Open Championship. He also failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship. Fans have seen few glimpses of his class as he struggles to regain form. Woods also parted with his swing coach Sean Foley and the future appears uncertain for the soon-to-be 39-year-old.

Manchester United:

From champions of England to not even qualifying for European football. One of the biggest clubs in the world had seen their club fail to grasp the effect of a change in manager after Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Under David Moyes, United broke every bad record the club had — worst start, worst home record, losses to teams the club had never lost against and lowest ever Premier League points tally. The ‘Chosen One’ was uncharacteristically fired by the club nine months into the job and replaced by Ryan Giggs for the last few games — and eventually by Louis van Gaal.

The I-League:

The brand new Indian Super League is peppered by former stars and football mercenaries from around the globe and has become the fourth most watched league in the world according to in-stadia numbers. But it’s still not the primary league of India — that’s the I-League — forgotten, buried and shunned (just like it usually is).

The response to the ISL has been remarkable, but is a stark reminder of what the I-League could have done if managed better. And with the ISL in full flow came the news of India slipping to 170th in the FIFA World Rankings. Indian football hasn’t been at a worse juxtaposition. With the ISL’s success comes added pressure on the I-League — and greater competition to the settled stars in the Indian senior team who have failed to achieve much.