Nothing but football.
New season of Airtel I-league got off to an exciting start today with Pune FC and Salgaocar FC registering wins. The match between Sporting Clube de Goa and Mumbai FC ended in a stalemate.
Results from the opening day are as follows :
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Pune FC Vs Mohammedan Sporting (3-1) |
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Salgaocar Vs Churchill Brothers (1-0) |
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Mumbai FC Vs Sporting Clube de Goa (1-1) |
Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org
Many say I-league has lost its sheen, it is not a viable package and so on. While all the criticism lingers on and some of them being true, it has to be said that this season’s I-league has attracted a formidable array of foreign imports.
Some years ago, foreign players mostly came from Africa and then on, some from Brazil. But were they good enough for the salary they were being paid here? I am unsure about that aspect. However, clubs have moved on from their traditional hunting grounds in Africa and Brazil and is recruiting decent players from Australia, Europe, Middle East and Asia now.
This season’s I-league has a former world cup player, some players who plied their trade in EPL and lower division English leagues and some from Spain and Portugal. Quality attracts eye-balls too. For instance, Bengaluru FC has recruited Ashley Westwood as their coach. He started his career as a Manchester United academy player and went on to don coaching roles at Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn. His pedigree certainly helped in getting sky-sports interested about his Indian assignment at Bengaluru FC. Skysports reporting about an I-league coach would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
While there has been passing remarks in the media about the foreigners in I-league this season, there has been no comprehensive report about them anywhere. Withstanding the question on how they will help Indian Football develop, as a package I-league does need good foreign imports to raise the quality of football.
Today TOI has taken some time out and has written a decent article about the foreign imports in I-league this season – Influx of quality foreign players on the upswing
Dug out a live streaming link of AFC U16 Qualifiers happening in Kuwait.
Click here to see the live stream : India Vs Tajikistan
A brand new season of I-league is here. 13 teams across India will fight it out the premier league of the country. Check the squads of all the participating teams here.
The matches from the opening weekend are as follows :
| 21-Sep-13 | Mohammedan Sporting Club | Pune FC | 3:00 PM |
| 21-Sep-13 | Mumbai FC | Sporting Clube de Goa | 4:00 PM |
| 21-Sep-13 | Churchill Brothers SC | Salgaocar FC | 4:00 PM |
| 22-Sep-13 | United Sports Club | Rangdajied United FC | 2:45 PM |
| 22-Sep-13 | Bengaluru FC | McDowell Mohun Bagan A.C | 4:00 PM |
| 22-Sep-13 | Dempo Sports Club | Shillong Lajong FC | 4:00 PM |
I-league has been garnering all the attention of Indian football fans so far and rightly so. However, young footballers from across India is fighting out in Jharkhand in the 49th Junior National Football Championship for BC Roy Trophy.
The tournament has been on for the last two days and there has been no coverage at all the media. It is rather very unfortunate that any coverage eludes this tournament where the upcoming football stars of this country fight it out. The following are the results so far from the championship.
The competition has entered the semifinal phase for the two tiers – I & II. In the first semifinal of Tier I that happened today (25th – Sep), Sports Authority of India (SAI) defeated Maharashtra by a solitary goal.
In the second semi-final taking place tomorrow, Kerala will take on Chandigarh.
Keep a watch here, we will bring you the semi final and final results.
Finals Tier I :
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29-Sep |
Mizoram Vs Assam |
6-1 |
Finals Tier I I :
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28-Sep |
SAI Vs Kerala |
5-2 |
Semifinals Results Tier I I :
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27-Sep |
Punjab Vs Mizoram |
1-3 |
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27-Sep |
Madhya Pradesh vs Assam |
6-7(Pen) |
Semifinals Results Tier I :
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26-Sep |
Chandigarh Vs Kerala |
0-3 |
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25-Sep |
Maharshtra vs SAI |
0-1 |
Group Stages results :
Date |
Matches |
Results |
| 25-Sep | Mizoram Vs Orissa |
1-0 |
| 25-Sep | Uttar Pradesh Vs Haryana |
2-0 |
| 25-Sep | Goa Vs Meghalaya |
1-0 |
| 25-Sep | Karnataka Vs Punjab |
0-5 |
| 25-Sep | Madhya Pradesh Vs UttaraKhand |
1-0 |
| 25-Sep | West Bengal Vs Manipur |
1-1 |
| 24-Sep | Tamilnadu Vs Delhi |
1-1 |
| 24-Sep | Jharkhand Vs Assam |
1-5 |
| 24-Sep | Arunachal Pradesh Vs Kerala |
0-1 |
| 24-Sep | Jammu & Kashmir Vs Rajsthan |
0-3 |
| 24-Sep | Sikkim Vs Tripura |
6-4 |
| 24-Sep | Chandigarh Vs Gujarat |
3-1 |
| 23-Sep | Madhya Pradesh Vs West Bengal |
1-1 |
| 23-Sep | Haryana Vs Mizoram |
0-9 |
| 23-Sep | Uttar Pradesh Vs Orissa |
0-0 |
| 23-Sep | Bihar Vs Nagaland |
1-2 |
| 23-Sep | Himachal Pradesh Vs SAI |
1-4 |
| 22-Sep | Kerala Vs Rajasthan |
10-0 |
| 22-Sep | Tamil Nadu Vs Assam |
0-0 |
| 22-Sep | Orissa Vs Haryana |
2-1 |
| 22-Sep | Delhi Vs Jharkhand |
1-4 |
| 22-Sep | Tripura Vs Gujarat |
0-3 |
| 22-Sep | Sikkim Vs Chandigarh |
`1-3 |
| 22-Sep | Arunachal Pradesh Vs Jammu & Kashmir |
6-1 |
| 21-Sep | West bengal Vs Uttarakhand |
0-4 |
| 21-Sep | Punjab Vs Meghalaya |
2-1 |
| 21-Sep | Madhya Pradesh Vs Manipur |
2-0 |
| 21-Sep | Karnataka Vs Goa |
2-2 |
| 21-Sep | Mizoram Vs Uttar Pradesh |
5-2 |
| 21-Sep | Nagaland Vs Maharashtra |
0-2 |
| 21-Sep | Chhattisgarh Vs Himachal Pradesh |
0-0 |
| 20-Sep | Assam Vs Delhi |
4-0 |
| 20-Sep | Jharkhand Vs Tamil Nadu | 7-1 |
| 20-Sep | Chandigarh Vs Tripura | 6-0 |
| 20-Sep | Gujarat Vs Sikkim |
3-1 |
| 20-Sep | Jammu & Kashmir Vs Kerala | 0-12 |
| 20-Sep | Rajasthan Vs Arunachal Pradesh | 0-8 |
| 19-Sep | Maharashtra Vs Bihar | 3-2 |
| 19-Sep | Sports Authority of India (SAI) Vs Chattisgarh | 6-0 |
India is in Group A comprising Kuwait, Tajikistan, Lebanon and Bhutan. India will start of the qualifiers campaign by taking on formidable Tajikistan on 21-sep. There are a total of ten groups and the winners from all the groups and the best five runners-up will qualify for the finals happening next year in Thailand.
India’s fixtures for the qualifiers are as follows.
| 21-Sep | Tajikistan Vs INDIA | 19.20 IST |
| 25-Sep | INDIA Vs Lebanon | 23.20 IST |
| 27-Sep | INDIA Vs Bhutan | 23.20 IST |
| 29-Sep | Kuwait Vs India | 23.20 IST |
Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org
Indian football aficionados are in a delirium after news broke out that Airtel is sponsoring I-League. Before the euphoria settles, we at Football News India wants to share yet another incredible piece of news – Bengaluru FC coach Asley Westwood is featured in skysports.com
There has been quite a buzz about Bengaluru FC, the new entrant to I-league. We have heard our national team captain Sunil Chhetri saying that European standards are set at the club but we never got to know the finer details. Well, this interview brings out the kind of initiatives that Bengaluru FC is bringing to the table.
Sample this : “We had to get over to them really that this isn’t Indian football as it was in the past where they are used to bringing in their bag, dropping it by the side of the field, doing your two hours, then picking your bag up to go home and that’s it – you’re a footballer for two hours a day. We’ve had to get them to understand they are a footballer 24 hours a day. We supply the top heart-rate monitors, we’ve got recovery monitors and sleep monitors. We give them protein shakes and electrolyte drinks. We have breakfast together an hour before training. We have lunch together and supply four chefs at the lads’ apartment where they all live together.
Read the excellent piece put together by skysports scribe Adam Bate : Indian adventure
In a surprising and hugely positive move Airtel has been roped in as the title sponsor of I-league!
Here is not short note from AIFF on Airtel’s decision to sponsor I-league : Airtel roped in as I-League’s Title Sponsor
Image Courtesy : http://www.footballzz.com
While news trickled in yesterday about Rangdajied United’s new recruit Yohei Iwasaki, the Japanese who last played for a Paraguayan outfit Independiente F.B.C, most interesting aspect about the player is his extensive experience in Latin American football. In his two years stay in Brazil, he seems to have appeared for five clubs!
The 26 year old has been plying his trade in Brazil from 2008 before he made a move to Albirex Niigata, a J-league team in 2010. A year after he seemed to have signed on with another Japanese club Ganju Iwate and made seven appearances for the club. In 2012 he returned to Latin America playing for the Paraguayan outfit Independiente F.B.C
While you would see a lot of Brazilians plying their trade across the world, i guess it is not very common to see Asian professional footballers plying their trade in Latin America. However Japan and Brazil has a unique connection and Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan. I tend to digress here.
Getting back to Yohei Iwasaki, Rangdajied United got a prize catch in him and he seems to have got in to strides already. He scored an 81st minute goal for the Rangdajied United in Shillong Premier League against Malki and was adjudged Man of the match.
Hope that Yohei Iwasaki brings in some Latin American flair and Japanese efficiency in helping the newly promoted Shillong side Rangdajied United.
Rangdajied United will face United SC at Kolkata in their first match. The newly promoted North-Eastern club has announced their team for upcoming season – Rangdajied announce I-League squad
I-league will kick off this Saturday but there is no confirmation on the telecast and title sponsor. Even though AIFF published an article on their website saying that fans would be able to watch the season opener between Churchill Brothers vs Salgaocar FC, broadcaster Ten Action has not so far put up the schedules on their website.
If you are to go by available reports, there will be no telecast for the 1st round of matches. Supposedly the broadcaster has not been able to recce of the stadiums so far and they are going to do it at the earliest.
I-league will also be without a title sponsor this season as well. IMG-Reliance, the marketing partners of AIFF have been striving to rope-in a sponsor but so far that efforts have not been fruitful.