India – Page 15 – Football News India

Bengaluru FC’s Ashley Westwood interested in national team job

October 8, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org

According to a report in Gulf News, Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood has expressed interest in taking up the coaching role of Indian national team. All India Football Federation has to scout for a new manager for the national team after the current coach Wim Koevermans recently stepped down.

Ashely Westwood guided Bengaluru FC to last season’s I-league title. This was a remarkable achievement since it was Bengaluru FC’s debut appearance in India’s top tier league. Previously he has donned the role of assistant coach at English clubs; Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers.

“If they think I’m good enough then obviously they would have to approach the club, but I don’t really know how that works, I’m just interested in doing a good job for whoever that would be. I’ve studied the opposition throughout India and watched a lot of football and I’ve watched it for a purpose and I’m learning all the time. That’s what I want to keep doing, I want to keep learning and striving and bettering myself, said Ashley Westwood to Gulf News.

Wim era ends as Palestine defeats India

October 6, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Palestine, the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup Champions beat India 3-2 in a friendly match that was played at the Kanchenjunga stadium in Siliguri, on Monday evening. India were leading the match 2-1 at the half time.

India conceded as early as the 8th minute in the match. However Sunil Chhetri and Francis Fernandes scored apiece in the first half as India finished on top. The second half saw Palestine strongly coming back into the match and scoring two goals. Eventually India had to settle with a defeat in the friendly.

As yet another international friendly went by without telecast, fans were very vocal on social media about their displeasure.

Its sad that no sports channel in India is telecasting the international friendly against Palestine! #IndianFootball

— Ajith Vijayan (@AjithMe) October 6, 2014

Notable was also the complete silence from the ISL media team and the social media channels of ISL teams. Completely oblivious about the match, social media channels of ISL teams went about sharing totally irrelevant content. While this is not a big surprise for us, ISL which claims to take Indian football to another level omitting the national team’s friendly certainly does not bode well for the sport in India. All India Football Federation’s social media channels that used to be very active recently was also missing in action today.

Complete news blackout on #Palestine friendly. Looks like @AiffMedia is sleeping – #Indianfootball — football news india (@fni) October 6, 2014

@ChiranjitOjha _/\_ 🙁 As usual, #AIFF hav no interest in promoting/helping #Indianfootball..! 🙁 #IndVsPal

— Nijin Koshy (@Nijin_Koshy) October 6, 2014

There’s a India-Palestine friendly going on, but not a single #HeroISL team nor the official page have promoted it #IndianFootball 1/2

— OutsideoftheBoot.com (@OOTB_football) October 6, 2014

This friendly against Palestine also marked the end of the Dutch coach Wim Koeverman’s stint as the national team’s manager. In the post match presentation ceremony Wim Koevermans confirmed that he is going to step down.

“This was my last match as the coach of the national team and I will not be taking up the post of AIFF’s Technical Director for private reasons,” said the Dutch coach.

How much will you shell out to watch Indian Super League?

September 25, 2014 footballnewsindia One comment

Football fans across the nation were curious about the pricing of upcoming Indian Super League’s tickets. Atlético de Kolkata is the first team in Indian Super League to come out with ticket prices for their seven home matches. We can expect rest of the franchises to also follow suit and price tickets for their respective home games along these lines.

It is confirmed that Atlético de Kolkata supporters will be shelling out anything between Rs. 200 to Rs. 2500 to watch their home matches. Tickets are already available online at atleticodekolkata.ticketgenie.in.

The Kolkata franchise has also provided an option of purchasing a season ticket, where a fan needs to pay only for six matches and get to watch the seventh home match for free.

Sourav Ganguly and Utsav Parekh, co-owners of the Atlético de Kolkata has urged fans to turn up to the stadium early, as plenty of entertainment both before kickoff and at halftime is planned.

“We want the people to come with their families and have a good time at the stadium. Plenty of entertainment is being lined up,” said Sourav Ganguly in a press note from the league.

Details of ticket prices are below:

Prices that are being offered

Rs. 200/-; Rs. 300/-; Rs. 400/-; Rs. 500/-; Rs. 750/-; Rs. 2000/- (for the opening match) and Rs. 1250/- (for the remaining 6 matches); Rs. 2500/- (Hospitality tickets)

Discounts for institutional and corporate bookings From 100 to 500 tickets booked – flat 5% discount; Above 500 tickets booked – flat 10% discount

Ticket Helpline Numbers: 8697045013, 8697045107, 080-49125900

Courier Helpline: 8697045236, E-Ticket: 8697045427, Bulk Booking: 8697045387

German Coach for Indian National Team?

September 24, 2014 footballnewsindia One comment

According to a report in Hindustan times, AIFF has sought help from DFB (German national football federation) to share knowledge in areas such as coach education and player’s development. The German FA is willing to help India as well.

Markus Weidner, the head of coach education and international relations, DFB is quoted in Hindustan times, “The AIFF recently asked us to share our knowledge, especially within the technical fields such as coach education, players’ development, etc. The DFB (German national football federation) is willing to assist the AIFF,”.

For AIFF, the priority is to find a coach for the India U-17 team which will taking part in the 2017 World Cup taking place in India. The article also reports that AIFF will seek help from DFB for replacing the current national team coach Wim Koevermans, whose contract expires on October 31.

Earlier media reports suggested that Wim Koevermans will be appointed as the Technical Director of national team once Rob Baan’s stint ends by Dec 31. This article speculates that there would be a change in this plan after India’s pathetic show at the Asian Games.

Kerala home to the only FIFA 2-Star certified football field in India

September 22, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

According to a press note from Great Sports Infra and the wikipedia, Thrissur in Kerala is home to the only football field in India to currently have a FIFA 2-Star certification – the highest rating for artificial turf from FIFA. Kerala has waited far too long for an artificial turf installation. FIFA assisted artificial pitches were being laid across India but some how Kerala kept missing its chances.

Kerala football fraternity is generally elated as Indian Super League team Kerala Blasters have set up the stadium as its training base and a recent friendly with Kerala Police drew a decent crowd.

Press Note from Great Sports Infra : –

The Corporation Stadium in Thrissur, Kerala becomes the only Football field in India to currently have a FIFA 2-Star certification – the highest rating for artificial turf from FIFA. This world-class Football field was conceptualized and planned by the Kerala Government for the upcoming 35^thNational Games to be held from January, 15^th, 2015.

The synthetic turf was imported from the world leader in artificial grass, FieldTurf, USA. This project was meticulously planned, designed, engineered and installed by Great Sports Infra Pvt. Ltd – FieldTurf’s exclusive licensee for Southeast Asia.

The FIFA recommended 2-Star certification is issued after a series of both on-site and lab tests conducted by a FIFA approved laboratory. The on-field tests included vertical ball rebound, angled ball rebound, ball roll, shock absorption, rotational resistance, linear friction and deformation, while the product’s composition and resilience were tested with special equipment in the lab.

“We thank the National Games Secretariat for giving us this opportunity to be part of this prestigious national event. This is one of 5 projects – including two IAAF standard athletic tracks, FIH standard Hockey field and Futsal field – that we are executing for the National Games.” says GSI Managing Director, Mr. Anil Kumar.

“Passing a FIFA 2-Star test is a true testimony to FieldTurf system’s quality, performance and durability. And we complement this with our vast experience and engineering skills in executing these projects as per world-class standards. It’s also good to know that Kerala Blasters (Kochi’s Franchise) for the maiden Indian Super League have set-up their training base at Corporation Stadium, Thrissur.” says GSI Director of Operations, Lt. Col. John K John.

Great Sports Infra has, to date, installed over 100 sports fields in India, including over 15 FIFA standard Football fields, FIH approved hockey fields, IAAF certified athletic tracks, and several indoor & outdoor sports facilities for the government, defence, educational institutions, corporate campuses, residential societies & training academies.

8 Channels, 5 languages – Hero Indian Super League’s ambitious broadcast plan

September 19, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) will be the first sporting event in the country to be backed by a never-before seen, ubiquitous broadcast platform plan, with the potential to reach around 85 per cent of India’s television audience. This ambitious plan is expected to herald an unparalleled reach for any content, in the history of Indian television.

In a pursuit to enthrall football purists as well as generate mass fan-following for Indian football, the ISL will be telecast LIVE on a range of Star India’s sports, movie and regional channels – a first in the history of broadcast in India.

Spanning over eight channels in the sports and general entertainment category across five languages, the Hero Indian Super League will be televised on Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). Further more, live streaming will be available on www.starsports.com.

“We believe in the potential of football as a sport that cuts across culture, race, religion and economic might. The Hero Indian Super League heralds the Birth of India as a Footballing Nation and as the leading sports broadcasting network in India, we plan to take the viewer experience to the next level. In order to take the game of football closer to its fans, we are providing a never-seen before plan, leveraging the strength of sports, entertainment, regional and multi-screen. The magnitude of what we are setting out to do has never been attempted.” said Mr. Sanjay Gupta, COO, STAR India

Hero Indian Super League is scheduled to kick off from 12th October 2014, featuring eight clubs. There will be 56 league matches followed by two home-and-away semifinals, with the final on 20th December 2014.

The Hero Indian Super League’s official TV campaign – a panoramic 100-second film – launched earlier on 7th September. The first TVC sparked the start of the League’s lead up to a 36-day, 360 degree marketing campaign, bringing alive the hopes of over a billion people to live their dream of building a footballing nation.

Squad for Palestine friendlies announced

September 19, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Wim Koevermans has announced a squad of 20 for the upcoming friendlies with AFC Challenge Cup Champions Palestine. Both the matches will take place at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri, West Bengal on October 6 and 9 respectively.

FIFA Ranks : India – 158, Palestine : 102 [As of Sep 2014]

Palestine football team recently had a setback in their preparations for the upcoming Asian Cup when their coach Jamal Mahmoud resigned citing personal reasons.

Pritam Kotwal of Mohun Bagan is the sole debutant in the 20 member team. Lalkamal Bhowmick, the Mohun Bagan midfielder and Pune FC’s Arata Izumi will make a comeback to the national team.

Squad :

GOALKEEPERS: Subrata Paul, Karanjit Singh, Amrinder Singh.

DEFENDERS: Denzil Franco, Pritam Kotal, Arnab Mondal, Raju Gaikwad, Sandesh Jhinghan, Aiborlang Khongjee, Narayan Das.

MIDFIELDERS: Mehtab Hossain, Lenny Rodrigues, Arata Izumi, Lalkamal Bhowmick, Francis Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Victorino Fernandes.

FORWARDS: Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, Balwant Singh.

STANDBYES: Shilton Paul, Arindam Bhattacharya, Rowilson Rodrigues, Gabriel Fernandes, Seminlen Doungel, Siam Hanghal, Lalrindika Ralte, Thongkhosem Haokip.

Libero Sports India finalists in Football Business Awards 2014

September 18, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Libero Sports India Private Limited will become first ever business firm from India to get selected as a finalist for the annual Football Business Awards.

Libero Sports, a football advisory and player representation firm from India is nominated under the Best Business Serving Football – up to £2m turnover (non professional service) category in the 2014 awards.

Football Business Awards instituted in 2012 is an annual networking and recognition platform involving various partners operating across the globe. The 2014 panel of judges include Kevin Keegan OBE (Former Player and Manager. Football Broadcaster) Alistair Mackintosh
(CEO, Fulham FC), Kenny MacLeod (Commercial Director, Scottish FA) among others.

This is a massive achievement for Libero Sports which was formed in 2010. It has grown considerably by involving in strategic consulting and other areas related to football in India and abroad.

Glittering function marks Mizoram Premier League’s third season return

September 18, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Mizoram Premier League, Football, Mizoram, League, Chanmari West FC, Dinthar FC, Reitlang FC, Bethlehem Vengthlang FC, Aizawl FC, Chanmari FC, Mizoram Police FC, Lunglei FC, North East, Soccer, MPL The 16th of September brought with it the much awaited kicking off ceremony of Mizoram premier league Season 3 with the President of Mizoram Football Association Mr. Lalthanzara doing the honours. Attendants of this ceremony were serenaded with songs by two local artists TBC-a and Feli Fanai while K.Vanlalruata hosted the ceremony.

Mizoram Premier League, Football, Mizoram, League, Chanmari West FC, Dinthar FC, Reitlang FC, Bethlehem Vengthlang FC, Aizawl FC, Chanmari FC, Mizoram Police FC, Lunglei FC, North East, Soccer, MPL The Captains of each club partook in oath-taking led by Mr. PC Vanlalhruaia, Senior Advisor of the MFA and Chairman of Mizoram Premier League Board. Everybody’s attention then turned to the beautiful Mizo models who walked on stage sporting the jerseys of the different clubs.

Mr. Lalthanzara also spoke about the progress of football in Mizoram, and highlighted the recent achievements of Mizoram Football Team. He also mentioned that the MFA is at present taking many measures to ensure the success of Coca Cola Under 14 tournament, and also talked of the great rapport shared by the MFA with the Assam Rifles, who are the authority over AR Lammual where Mizoram premier league matches are being played.

MPL will kick off on September 18. The following eight clubs will be participating in the League which will be sponsored by local businesses Samsung 3:16 Plan Solution, Nivia and NetSurf. :-

Chanmari West FC
Dinthar FC
Reitlang FC
Bethlehem Vengthlang FC
Aizawl FC
Chanmari FC
Mizoram Police FC
Lunglei FC

Content and Picture Source : http://www.inkhel.com/index.php/football/tualchhung/item/8237-mpl-returns-for-its-third-season-with-a-spectacular-kick-off

AIFF tying up with Brazilian club, Atletico Paranaense

September 16, 2014 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

According a PTI report, All India Football Federation is tying up the with Brazilian club, Atletico Paranaense keeping in mind the 2017 Under-17 World Cup that is slated to take place in the country.

Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF was quoted as saying “To give exposure to the players, AIFF is tying up with Brazilian team, for an exchange program of the U-17 team,”

The other points that has got a mention in the report are FIFA’s visit to India in November to inspect stadiums for 2017 U-17 World cup, the viability of football as a profession and the need for state associations being agile for the development at grass root level. Kerala and Mizoram were picked out and mentioned by the General Secretary on the last aspect.

Apart from the usual backing up of ISL from the federation, Kushal Das has mentioned the importance of connecting to the fans through regional languages. Star Sports will be broadcasting the new league in 5 languages – Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada.

Santosh Trophy also gets a surprise mention. Apparently there are plans to telecast Santosh Trophy matches as well.

Read the report here.

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