Prior to the coaching camp in Dubai Chief National Coach Robert Douglas Houghton addressed a press conference at the AIFF Football House , Dwarka (Delhi) here on Thursday. Indian team will depart for Dubai on Friday evening and will undergo training from February 6 to 26. India will play two practice matches with one against Al-Shabab on February 20 followed by second match on February 23. In a run up to Asia Cup the Indian team after the completion of the ONGC I-League will hold a camp in Portugal in the month of July-August 2010 before playing five International friendly matches in September. Bob Houghton stressed on practise matches and said that,’’ We will be playing five International friendly matches in the month of September prior to Asia Cup 2011.’’ The India team is expected to play their first International friendly match on September 4 against Thailand in Bangkok, while the rest of the matches will be held in India. '' Asia Cup will be a real test and we need to play as many friendly matches as only National team will drive the game forward in the country,’’ said Houghton. “We will have 30 players in the national team from June 2010 till the Asia Cup concludes in January 2011,’’ he added. Apart from the friendlies India will play their world cup qualifiers in the month of October. Bob Houghton acknowledged Panasonic joining hands with AIFF for the development of football and considered a good boost for the Indian football.
India today drew up an ambitious roadmap in the run-up to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup with at least seven international matches lined up for the national team till the end of this year. Addressing media for the first time this year, national coach Bob Houghton said India will play against top-ranked Asian countries except for Japan, South Korea, Australia and Iran. "We will play Thailand in Bangkok on September 4. After that we will have four or five one-off international friendly games. The matches will be played on September 8, 15, 22 and 29. We have invited eight countries -- Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, DPR Korea and China. Out of this eight we will play against four countries," Houghton told reporters.
The Preparatory camp for the AFC Challenge Cup scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka will kick off from February 4 in Pune. Following are the list of 29 players who have been called for the camp: Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers), Karanjit Singh (JCT), Laxmikant Kattimani (Dempo S C), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Kingfisher East Bengal) Defenders: Nirmal Chetri (Kingfisher East Bengal), Ravinder Singh (Air India), Dharmaraj Ravanan (Mahindra United), Denzil Franco (Mahindra United), Debabrata Roy (Mahindra United), Rowilson Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers), Thokchom Naoba Singh (Churchill Brothers ), Robert Lalthlamuana (Churchill Brothers), Raju Eknath Gaikwad (Tata Football Academy), N. Mohanraj (Mohun Bagan), Gurvinder Singh (JCT) Midfielders: Baldeep Singh (JCT), Balwant Singh (JCT), Joaquim Abranches (Dempo S.C), Jibon Singh (Kingfisher East Bengal), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers), Subodh Kumar (Tata Football Academy), Jewel Raja Skeikh (Dempo S C), Manish Maithani (Mohun Bagan) Strikers: Sushil Kumar Singh (Mahindra United), Subhash Singh (Kingfisher East Bengal) Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune F.C), Jagtar Singh (Tata Football Academy), S. Tuboi (Shillong Lajong F.C), Baljit Sahni (JCT) Officials: Sukhvinder Singh (Coach), Syed Sabir Pasha (Assistant Coach), Chandru Jayaraman (Physiotherapist), Dr. Kiran Kulkarni (Doctor), Hardev Jadeja (Head of Delegation)
Re: I-League 9/10 standings after RND-13 Standings after Round 13 1) Dempo SC ---------- (26pts),(GD,+13) 2) Chirag United ----------(23pts),(GD,+5) 3) Mahindra United --------(22pts),(GD,+13) 4) Churchill Bros-----------(22pts),(GD,+6) 5) Mohun Bagan ---------(20pts),(GD,+7) 6) East Bengal FC -------- (20pts),(GD, +3) 7) Pune FC ------------- (19pts),(GD,+4) 8) Mumbai FC --------- (18pts),(GD,+2) 9) JCT FC -------------- (14pts),(GD,0) 10) Viva Kerala ---------- (14pts),(GD, -6) 11) Air India FC ---------- (11pts),(GD, -12) 12) Salgaocar ------------ (10pts),(GD ,-7) 13) Shillong Lajong -------- (10pts),(GD, -16) 14) SC Goa ------------- (5pts),(GD, -10)
Re: I-League 9/10 standings after RND-13 So Churchill get AFC Cup holders Al Kuwait and Yemeni kingpins Al Hilal. Two go through, seem's very possible for Churchill. Two away games will be tough, but i think they can get 6 points from home matches. What do you guys think?
Re: I-League 9/10 standings after RND-13 C.Bros are very dissapointed with da ACL loss!!!!!! And dey r a team dat can beat any team on its day so i think dey will go much farther dan grp stage
I have a curiosity : in your opinion how many Indians will watch the next World Cup final ( Brazil - England for example ) ? 50 million of viewers ? 100 million ?
World cup will be very big event in Indian television!!! I gues there will be more than 100 mil watching it this time
14 I-League Teams Officials will meet AFC President The Asian Football Governing Body AFC will be organizing a meeting which will be held today in Kuala Lumpur, where Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohammad Bin Hammam and AIFF would sit with the 14 I-League teams to discuss in details what are the strict rules and regulations for licensing . THE AIFF and I-League Teams DELEGATES Mr. A.R.Khaleel Vice President, AIFF Mr. Subrata Dutta Vice President, AIFF Mr. Ankur Dutta Vice President, AIFF Mr. Alberto Colaco General Secretary, AIFF Mr. Sunando Dhar CEO, I-League Mr. Liaguat Ali General Secretary, Viva Kerala FC Mr. Larsing Swayan General Secretary, Shillong Lajon FC Mr. Rajeev Piramal Club Director, Pune FC Mr. Nandan Piramal Club Director, Pyne FC Mr. Peter Vaz President, Sporting Clube De Goa Mr. U.K.Ganguli President, Chirag United Mr. S.Bhamach a Director, Chirag United Mr. Shrinivas V.Dempo President, Dempo Sports Club Mr. An'an Kumar Mitta General Secretary, Mohun Bagan A.C Dr. Pronab Das Gu to President, East Bengal FC Mr. Amit Sen Director, East Bengal FC Mr. Alan Durante President, Mahindra United Mr. Joa uim Alemao President, Churchill Brothers Club Mr. Mukul Choudhari Head-Business Development & Marketing, Mumbai FC
A win will be the utmost requirement for India when they take on Turkmenistan in their second group league match of the AFC Challenge Cup on Friday at the Sughatadasa Stadium, Colombo. India drew blank from their opening match going down 1-2 to Kyrgyzstan in a close encounter but will aim to pocket three vital points to stay in the contention for a place in the last four against Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan managed to garner one point from their opening encounter against DPR Korea after they were held to 1-1 draw. ‘’ India, DPR Korea, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan are placed in a very tough group. All the teams are physically and technically strong. Boys could not cope up in the first half against Kyrgyzstan but came back strongly in the second half to reduce the margin. We also created two to three open chances and the way we played the second half, we didn’t deserve to lose’’ Sukhvinder Singh told to www.the-aiff.com. ‘’ Turkmenistan is also a very good team as they have pace in their attack and utilize long balls to marshal their attack,’’ added Sukhvinder Singh. The former JCT coach believes that Turkmenistan will not be easy team to defeat and said that,’’ They did well to restrict DPR Korea to a 1-1 draw. They are also a strong side but we have to play with same zeal as we did against Kyrgyzstan in the second half to get the result in our favour.’’ There may be few changes in the squad for Friday’s encounter due to injuries to left back Robert Lalthalma and Joaquim Abranches. The final team will be decided on Friday morning after monitoring players fitness. India will have to be on their toes right from the outset in order to have a perfect outing on Friday.
In a run up to Asian Cup 2011, the India senior team is currently in Dubai for a twenty day camp. India was supposed to play two friendly matches but due to local league happening in UAE, there will be now only one friendly match. India will take on Al Shaab in the only friendly match on February 20. ‘’ The camp is going on very well. The training facilities and climate are good,’’ said India coach Bob Houghton. Meanwhile, Indian Skipper Baichung Bhutia, goalkeeper Subrata Pal and central defender Gouramangi Singh will not be available for the friendly match. ‘’ Baichung, Subrata and Gouramangi will miss out the Saturday match due to injuries,’’ said Houghton. http://www.the-aiff.com/pages/news/index.php?N_Id=1165
KUALA LUMPUR: The Piramals of Pune are Indian businessmen who believe in the huge potential of Indian football. For the passionate Nandan Piramal, Indian football can achieve greater heights but the clubs need to shed their conservative mentality and play to their strengths. "Indian football has got a lot of potential. I think the Indian clubs can play their part by setting up long-term targets and thinking broader,” the 28-year-old director of the newly-promoted Indian League club Pune FC told www.the-afc.com. “They won’t improve if they opt to solely depend on the association's funding year after year. Indian football will also suffer as a result," Although this is easier said than done, Piramal is ready to take up the gauntlet. He wants Pune FC to set an example and act as a pioneer of Indian football’s “revolution”. The youngest son's of the late Ashok Piramal, who owned the Ashok Piramal Group, Nandan co-founded Pune FC in August 2007 with his brothers Harsh, 36, and Rajeev, 33, and four other friends, who studied in Europe. The Mumbai-based company has vast interests in real estate, textiles, automobile and retail (Pyramid Retail). "We have set a six-to seven-year plan for the club. We want to mount a serious challenge for the I-League title besides playing an influential part in changing the face and mentality of Indian clubs,” said Piramal. "Football is a business nowadays. You need to run it like a business and need to be economically viable. "We are rich but we are not throwing money away without purpose. You can always make money with anything, including football." In a country steeped in age-old traditions, this is what Piramal has to say to the ancien regimen. "With due respect to the old hands, we know what we are doing. We are young and passionate and we are trying to do something different in India to help improve Indian football. “What we are going to implement in the future is not something new as Europe, especially England, where I and my brothers studied, has had a successful football system for everyone to see." Pune FC is now using the Balwadi Sports Complex as its venue for I-League matches. The club has built its own training ground on the outskirts of Pune at an area called Mamurdi, near where the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway ends. The training ground has three pitches and high-class infrastructure, much to the envy of many I-League clubs. The youngest club in the I-league, Pune FC from Maharashtra, is also one of the two top flight clubs (the other being Shillong Lajong), who sell their own tickets unlike the other clubs whose ticketing matters are run by their respective state associations. "We also sell our merchandise and set up our own ticket kiosks. Almost everything is done by us. We want to have our own revenue." "All our matches are played at 6.30 in the evening in floodlights as we don't think it is realistic to play under the sunlight. You lose spectators because of that. If possible, I would also like to play on the weekends unlike every weekday. “If we want to be really professional, we cannot ignore even a single detail." "In three to four year’s time, after we establish ourselves, we can start thinking about building our own stadium." "We have on average 6,000-8,000 spectators for every game. Considering the fact that we are a new club and a full-house capacity of 12,000, this figure is very good.” Piramal also outlined his own dream. "Now, Pune FC’S principal sponsors is the Ashok Piramal Group's flagship company, Peninsula Land Limited and and co-sponsors Morarjee Textiles Ltd fund the club’s various activities at senior and youth level. “When other corporations come to negotiate and fight to be our sponsor, I can say we have arrived. "Trophies are important for the club but the bigger picture is the general improvement of Indian football. We must work together to make it better.” http://the-afc.com/en/member-associ...sia-news/27100-piramals-dream-big-for-pune-fc
Re: Key Indian Official Meet AFC President KUALA LUMPUR: In a ground-breaking move that promises to unleash the potential of Indian football, Indian League clubs will receive artificial turfs to boost their infrastructural facilities. This decision was taken at a special one-day AFC-sponsored workshop for Indian clubs here at AFC House on Friday. The pitches are been offered to those clubs who have grounds of their own or on long-term leases from their respective state governments, under FIFA’s ‘Win in India, with India’ initiative, which was launched by FIFA President Sepp Blatter in 2007. A decision to set up a committee, headed by AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam, to steer Indian football into a new era of professionalism was also taken during the workshop. In attendance were key officials of several Indian League clubs while the AIFF was led by its President Praful Patel and General Secretary Alberto Colaco. Before the discussions kicked off, Bin Hammam underlined the pivotal place of Indian football, saying development of the sport in India was vital for the progress of football as a whole in Asia. “India should be in line with other developing Asian countries and as the governing body of football in Asia, it will be our biggest achievement if Indian football takes off.” Bin Hammam also called for radical and urgent structural changes to bring Indian football on par with the best in the continent. “The main obstacle in the development of Indian football is an unusual mixing between national and state football,” said Bin Hammam. “The AIFF should separate these two as a first step. The clubs playing in the Indian League should be separate and should not play in the state leagues.” The AFC President strongly raised the issue of revenue sharing with the 14 I-League teams. “The money generated by Indian clubs does not cover their expenses and I would like to suggest that the AIFF give the revenue generated by the I-League to the clubs for a few years so that they can re-invest in football and development of infrastructure.” “There is also a need to start second and third division leagues and the clubs should start looking at sources of revenue generation,” he added. AIFF President Praful Patel said the time for Indian football has come and bold decisions were needed to take Indian football to the next level. “It is an opportunity for the Indian clubs to have first hand knowledge of AFC and FIFA’s thinking about Indian football. It’s our responsibility and we should put our best foot forward to develop the game in India,” he said. “Some of the suggestions will not be easy to implement but we will have to take bold decisions to take Indian football to the next level.” http://the-afc.com/en/member-associ.../27101-afc-moots-big-lift-for-indian-football
Re: Key Indian Official Meet AFC President It's interesting how the AFC want to take clubs who play in the I.League out of the state leagues. Surely a lot of teams would be against this as it is an extra competition that they have a chance of winning things in?
Re: Key Indian Official Meet AFC President I think AFC is exactly right in this decision.These states leagues are all crap,its just useless to have them Yes almost every team would oppose it,but they have no choice but to follow AIFF and help the cause of India Football I guess AIFF would Probably start a professional second division and maybe use State leagues as third division
Re: India vs Al-Shaab,Match report and Pics India playing IX The Indian Sr.Football team today played and won the friendly match against a club side Al Shaab of UAE during their practicing camp at Dubai.The Indian side had a few important names missing in the starting line-up in the match played at Khaled bin Mohammad stadium . Subrata Pal, Rennedy Singh, Bhaichung Bhutia and Mehraj were rested and instead Subhasis Roy C howdhury, Nabi, Anthony Periera and Rahim Nabi and Abhishek Jadav were tried out initially. The Indian team were very fluid in attack and the first chance came as early as the 3rd minute when Chetri shot over the cross-bar. The next opportunity was muffed up by Abhishek Yadav on the 17th minute when his shot was aimed not at the two sides of the goalkeeper but straight at him. The first of the three goals that India and Sunil Chettri scored was on the 20th minute when he coolly slipped one over the head of the advancing goalkeeper Ramadan malalla after having received a measured pass from Climax Lawrence. The second goal was a couple of minutes(22nd) later when Sunil headed home a cross from Steven Dias from the right side.Al shaab Keeper Ramadan malalla was unable to resist it. (2-0) The third and final goal for India was immediately after the lemon break and as early as the 47th minute when Sunil Chettri made a darting solo run from the middle third after having received a measured through ball from N. P. Pradeep. The custodian of Al Shaab advanced in an effort to narrow down the angle but Sunil Chetri maintained his poise and nerve to complete his hattrick of goals. (3-0)
Re: India vs Al-Shaab,Match report and Pics India’s supremacy was beyond doubt as Al Shaab could not penetrate inside the Indian zone and quite a few of the Indian players kept missing chances. They did get a reducer as late as the 78th minute by Rashid Al Dosari, but by that time the match was under the total dominance of the Indian footballers.(3-1) INDIA TEAM Subhasish Roy Choudhury, Surkumar Singh, N.S.Manju, Anwar Ali, Rahim Nabi, Anthony Pereira (Clifford Miranda), Climax Lawrence (Mehrajuddin Wadoo), N.P.Pradeep (Renedy Singh), Steven Dias, Sunil Chhetri (Mohamed Rafi), Abhishek Yadav.