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Sunil Chhetri pens new deal with Bengaluru FC

June 9, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Blues Skipper Expresses Delight At New Deal That Keeps Him With The Blues Till The End Of The 2016-17 Season

Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC, on Thursday, announced the signing of Sunil Chhetri on a one-year deal that keeps the club’s top scorer with the Blues till the end of the 2016-17 season. The India and Bengaluru FC skipper spent two seasons with the I-League champions before signing with ISL team Mumbai City FC and returning to BFC on loan last season and leading the club to a second I-League crown in three seasons.

“We are pleased to announce Sunil as a BFC player in what will be his fourth season at the club. I don’t think we need to be vocal about what he brings to the club and the kind of impact he has in the dressing room and outside of it. He’s been a top professional and leads the team by example and we feel he has a lot more history to script with Bengaluru FC,” said club COO Mustafa Ghouse.

Chhetri finished top scorer for the club for the third successive season taking his tally across all competitions in a BFC shirt to 35. His brace against Kitchee FC in the AFC Cup Round-Of-16 game in Hong Kong last month sparked a comeback from a goal down as Bengaluru carved a bit of history to make it to the quarterfinal to be played in September.

“I’ve always said BFC is family to me. We’re doing some amazing things at this club and I’m delighted to pen this deal. We’ve had a brilliant season and I’m really looking forward to build on it with the team. The fans, management, staff and dressing room have all made me feel at home from the day I stepped in to Bengaluru and there’s a connect with this city that is special,” said Chhetri – Press Release BFC

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Sunil Chhetri will be playing the AFC Asian Cup 2016 QFs with Bengaluru FC after the club managed to sign him up for another year. And that means he will not be with any ISL team doing their foreign pre-season jaunts in September when the AFC cup Quarter finals are scheduled to take place! Now, that’s some serious intent from BFC to conquer Asia!!

Should Aizawl FC be relegated?

May 5, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Aizawl FC, North East, Football, Mizoram, Aizawl, I-league, Relegation, Gowth, development

Before Aizawl FC played their first I-league match against Mohun Bagan, I had not seen them play ever. Against Bagan, under their Spanish coach, Manuel Retamero Fraile, they played some amazing football. Short crisp passing and movement, which is not a very usual sight in Indian football. Even though they lost the match 3-1, they did not look like a team who were newly promoted and looked like a solid unit. Joy to watch but not efficient enough. For all that flair and style, Aizawl was not able to convert their chances. When they played at home, matches were sold out and got good support all through the league. Eventually, they fell short and is about to get the boot from I-league. But do they really deserve to be relegated?

Should have been more ambitious and pragmatic?

Aizawl played good football but they lacked a good striker to convert those chances. It was clear that they wouldn’t have escaped relegation without some quality players. But instead of recruiting some players, they went ahead and sacked their coach.

Aizawl under Manuel Retamero Fraile : L D L W L L
Aizawl under Jahar Das : D W L D L W L D L W

As evident, their fortunes did not change drastically even after they replaced their coach. Under Jahar Das, AFC did add Joel Sunday, a Nigerian striker who scored quite a few goals for them. However, I feel they should have retained their Spanish coach and should have added some more quality players to their side. If I-league players were too costly, they should have checked for some 2nd division players. Some more quality in their squad would have definitely helped their case.

Should Aizawl FC stay up?

The northeastern region in India is currently the hotbed of Indian football, especially Mizoram. They have a very promising set up in the state in terms of league and development. No wonder there are over 40 players from Mizoram playing in I-league. This was not achieved overnight. It is the fruition of a dedicated effort over the years – the results are there to show. Mizoram’s Santosh trophy win in 2014 and their victory at the National Games is a testament to that commitment. Aizawl FC’s entry into I-league after topping the 2nd division is a gradual and logical progression in Mizoram’s football journey. The question is should we have to forcefully halt that progression?

Over the last few years, we have had many clubs coming in and going out of I-league, especially from North East. If Rangdajied was thrown out, Royal Wahindoh decided to shut down their senior team after a swashbuckling appearance in I-league. And now Aizawl is on the brink of relegation. Whatever the reasons are, this is some serious injustice to clubs from the North East where football is undergoing considerable growth and is a huge market.

Resources of these clubs from North East might not match with others in the league, but what they have is sheer passion and commitment towards the sport. Take Royal Wahingdoh for example. They withdrew from I-league, but they have been a strong presence in the U-15 League, of which they were the runners-up after going down to Minerva on penalties.

If we are to reward the North East region and their football, instead of being a destructive force, stakeholders in Indian football should handhold these clubs to success. That could only lead to more aspiring clubs from North East to vie for spots in I-league and 2nd division.

The latest edition of I-league was a nine-team affair after Royal Wahindogh and Bharat FC backing out. If Aizwal is retained in the league and with another team promoted from the 2nd division, the number of teams in the I-league for the next edition could be a respectable ten.

As the data from the poll, I conducted on FNI suggests, a lot of fans are in favor of Aizawl FC staying up in the league. It’s time the voices are heard out loud and clear – let’s hope someone is taking a note.

BIG Question : Should @AizawlFC be saved from relegation & allowed to play #Heroileague next season? #Indianfootball

— football news india (@fni) May 4, 2016

FC MIDTJYLLAND to select kids for 2 months training stint in Denmark

April 12, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

April 11, 2016: FC Midtjylland, the prevailing Champions of Danish Superliga, will be conducting an Intensive Football Training Program in Denmark for talented kids aged 12-14 from India. This will be a residential program for 2 months during June & July and will be managed by the Coaches of FC Midtjylland Football Academy, considered to be the best football Academy in Northern Europe.

The Program includes intensive training of 3 hours/day for 4 days in a week with match day over the weekend. Physical strengthening and video analysis sessions are part of the Program.

The Bangalore Selection Camp for the Program will be on 16^th April 2016 at Play Arena on Sarjapur Road from 8.30 am onwards. Registrations can be done over mail at fcmindiatrainingprogram@gmail.com or over phone at +91 73495 24234.

PDC Services Pvt Ltd & New World Consulting are managing the Program for FCM.

“We have designed this Program to offer a firsthand experience of intensive professional training to talented young footballers from India and this can be used as test bed to plan the future path for the aspiring kids and their parents “said Sunanda Das, Director, PDC Services Pvt Ltd.

Mumbai’s Premier Football League 2016 won by Kick FC

March 23, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

The 4^th edition Premier Football League was held at the Ascend International ground from 7 February to 13 March 2016 on Sunday mornings. The league was organised by PIFA.

There were 32 teams, 250 players playing in 4 age categories – U11, U13, U16 and open age.

This year the tournament was played on a league format with the winners declared on the highest number of points after all teams played one another. It was one of the closest contested league this season with all winners being confirmed on the last day.

The Open Category was won Kick FC headed by Prasham Shah and the Bajaj brother Yash & Kabir. Runners up – OIS ASB headed by Davi Netto, an ex Brazilian Club player.

The winners of the U16 category was Project Mayhem captained by Amaan Kharachiwala, they pipped Angry Bulls Captained by Ryan Pontis on goal difference.

The winners of the U13 category was Panthers from Ecole Mondiale, captained by Aditya Shivkumar, they too won on a one goal difference over Youngstars captained by Jordan Narohna.

The U10 was won by OIS United by one point beating Jedi Knights.

The event Energy Drink partner was Fruit Shoot and Refreshment partners was Fruit Aqua.

Chennai – Schools Premier League returns with ISL champions Chennaiyin FC as the partners

February 25, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Rated one of the best grassroots initiatives, Schools Premier League which was launched in the city in 2014, is back again. After being a massive hit with schools in the first season, the second edition of the league returns with Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin FC as the partners.

It kicked off today at MCC schools. Radiance Sports are title sponsors this season and the league will be called ‘ Radiance Sports – Schools Premier League ‘, whileArtemis Cars have agreed to be associate sponsors.Vidya Mandir won the first edition of the Schools Premier League, beating Velammal School in a nail biting encounter under lights at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The league will see 16 schools from the city compete in the under-14 age category. The 16 teams will be split into two groups with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. There are plans to expand the league next year to target more age-group categories and also increase the number of participants.

Chennaiyin FC will provide complete match kits for all the schools in the league. The top performing kids in this league will have a chance to be selected for Chennaiyin FC’s Centre of Excellence program. Newly-appointed Chennaiyin FC assistant coach and technical directorof grassroots Syed Sabir Pasha and the club’s development officers will be closely following the tournament to identify the best talents.

Varun Tripuraneni, Chennaiyin FC Chief Operating Officer and Founder of Schools Premier League commented, “The league was a massive hit in season one and schools were constantly behind us to organise the second edition of the league. We are now happy to return with Chennaiyin FC as the partners.

“We had terrific participation from schools in the first season where we had players, parents, school principals glued to the website for constant updates on matches, statistics, points table and we believe that this season, the league will be even bigger. The introduction of the schools league was something we felt was paramount for the development of football in local schools and this was the motive behind us starting such an initiative.

“The Radiance Sports – Schools Premier League, in partnership with Chennaiyin FC, is an opportunity to provide these hopeful youngsters a platform to showcase and refine their football talents. The response from the schools has been extremely positive from the first season and it was extremely tough shortliting the 16 school teams this season. I would like to thank Radiance Sports, for buying into our vision and supporting us in what will be a first of its kind league in the country.

“Having Chennaiyin FC as the partners will also give the participants extra motivation as our club will closely monitor the matches and select the best performers for our Centre of Excellence.”

Chennaiyin FC assistant coach and technical director of grassroots Syed Sabir Pasha said, “We at Chennaiyin FC are always looking to develop the best talent of the state and partnering with this league gives us an opportunity to see more talented young footballers in action. I encourage all the schools, kids, coaches, teachers and parents to give their very best in this tournament.”

Mr Varun Manian, Managing Director – Radiance Developers Pct Ltd commented, “We are very proud to associate with Schools Premier League as principal sponsor. We were associated with this initiative in the first season as well and we believe that this initiative will go a long way in developing the young talent in the country. We wish all the participating teams the best of luck. “

SportsMechanics – Schools Premier League : Strategic Partnership

Schools Premier league along with SportsMechanics India a leader in Sports Analytics, Consulting, technology services today announced a strategic partnership with the schools premier league to leverage the latest technological advances, fan engagement and analytics to transform the experience of local football fans in the city, teams and players in the grassroots segment.

As part of this Deal, Sports Mechanics will become the Fan Engagement Partner and Technology Sponsor of the Schools Premier league for the next two years.

Varun Tripuraneni, Founder, Schools Premier League said, “ we welcome an industry leader in SportsMechanics to this league and take an important step towards exploring new opportunities in this area “.

‘’ Our partnership with Sports Mechanics will focus on fan engagement across various digital mediums.An important part of developing players is ensuring they are prepared in the best possible way. The players can watch highlights of the goals scored, look at the other important statistics like shots on target, minutes played and also analyse the opposition by knowing their performance in the previous games which will all be available on the website,” added Varun.

C.K.M.Dhananjai, One of the Founding Members and Vice President, SportsMechanics, said, “ We are looking forward to create a unique digital platform and think about how we can discover and execute differential and engaging experiences for fans for a unique tournament like this.

Playing sports in school is something we would have all cherished and enjoyed. SportsMechanics would like to re invent and bring these memories using our Platforms to give schools, players, coaches and fans with an immersive experience across the schools premier league’s digital channel.

This will also mean that the information available can be used by coaches, players and teams to analyse their own performances too.

Santosh Trophy 2016 : Final Round – Groups & Fixtures

February 24, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Santosh Trophy 2016 : Final Round will be held Nagpur. Two teams qualified from the zonal qualifiers are grouped into two groups.

Venue:

Matches will be played at South East Central Ralway ground in Motibagh and Nagpur University ground

Group A: Services, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir, Railways, Maharashtra

Group B: Punjab, Tamilnadu, West Bengal, Assam Goa

Matches Group A :

Date	Schedule			Results
Feb. 29	Mizroam	vs	Railways	1-1
Feb. 29	J & K	vs	Maharashtra	1-3
Mar. 02	Services	vs	J & K	1-0
Mar. 02	Maharashtra	vs	Railways	3-0
Mar. 04	Mizoram	vs	Maharashtra	0-1
Mar. 04	Railways	vs	Services	0-2
Mar. 06	Maharashtra	vs	Services	0-1
Mar. 06	J & K	vs	Mizroam	1-4
Mar. 08	Railways	vs	J & K	1-2
Mar. 08	Services		Mizroam	1-

Points Table Group A :

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
Maharashtra	4	3	0	1	7	2	5	9
Services	4	3	0	0	5	2	3	9
Mizoram	4	2	1	1	7	4	3	7
J & K	4	1	0	3	4	9	-5	3
Railways	4	1	0	3	4	9	-5	1

Matches Group B :

Date	Schedule			Results
Mar. 01	Tamil Nadu	vs	Assam	3-0
Mar. 01	West Bengal	vs	Goa	1-3
Mar. 03	Punjab	vs	West Bengal	0-1
Mar. 03	Goa	vs	Assam	1-0
Mar. 05	Tamil Nadu	vs	Goa	0-0
Mar. 05	Assam	vs	Punjab	0-2
Mar. 07	Goa	vs	Punjab	1-0
Mar. 07	West Bengal	vs	Tamil Nadu	0-1
Mar. 09	Assam	vs	West Bengal	1-5
Mar. 09	Punjab	vs	Tamil Nadu	0-5

Points Table Group B :

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
Tamil Nadu	4	3	1	0	7	0	7	10
Goa	4	3	1	0	5	1	4	10
Bengal	4	2	0	2	7	5	2	6
Punjab	4	1	0	3	2	7	-5	3
Assam	4	0	0	4	1	9	-8	0

Semi final :

Date	Schedule			Results
Mar. 11	Tamil Nadu	vs	Maharashtra	0-1
Mar. 11	Services	vs	Goa	1-0 (ET)

Final :

Date	Schedule			Results
Mar. 13	Maharashtra	vs	Services	2-1

Kerala – Just Play Project Manager Applications invited

February 22, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

The Australian Football Federation with the support of Australian Govt along with the Oceania Football Confederation have with the approval of AIFF decided to implement the award winning grassroots football development program “JUST PLAY” in Kerala on a pilot project basis.

The “JUST PLAY” program will be implemented by a Project Manager which will be a full time position based in Kochi. The Kerala Football Association on behalf of “JUST PLAY” invites applications from candidates who are interested to take up the posting.

The Project Manager will co-ordinate with the KFA as well as the Oceania Football Confederation to implement the program, he/she will also be responsible for expanding the program across the state, consult and work the state government, monitor and evaluate the program and report the same.

The candidate must be a Master’s Degree holder in Program Management/MBA/Economics/ Social Science and have 2 years professional experience in Program Management.

Selected candidate will be trained by Oceania Football Confederation and provided competitive remuneration package based on Skills and experience.

Applications must be mailed to KFA office by post or email on fakerala@rediffmail.com by latest Feb 25th evening.

Job Description & How to apply :

Santosh Trophy 2016 : West Zone Qualifiers – Groups & Fixtures

February 10, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

West Zone qualifiers for Santosh Trophy 2016 are held Goa. Following are the team participating in the West zone qualifiers.

Goa and Maharashtra qualified for the final rounds in Nagpur.

Teams : Goa, Daman & Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat

Date	Schedule			Results
Feb. 9	Goa	vs	Gujarat	6-0
Feb. 10	Daman & Diu	vs	Madhya Pradesh	0-3
Feb. 11	Gujarat	vs	Maharashtra	2-6
Feb. 12	Daman & Diu	vs	Goa	1-11
Feb.13	Madhya Pradesh	vs	Maharashtra	0-8
Feb.14	Gujarat	vs	Daman & Diu	8-0
Feb.15	Goa	vs	Madhya Pradesh	1-0
Feb.16	Maharashtra	vs	Daman & Diu	9-0
Feb.17	Madhya Pradesh	vs	Gujarat	1-2
Feb.18	Maharashtra	vs	Goa	4-1

Santosh Trophy 2016 : East Zone Qualifiers – Groups & Fixtures

February 10, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

East Zone qualifiers for Santosh Trophy 2016 will be held Kolkata. Teams in the East zone are divided into two groups.

West Bengal and Railways qualified for the final round in Nagpur.

Group A : West Bengal, Orissa, Sikkim

Group B : Jharkhand, Railways, Chattisgarh, Bihar

Date	Schedule			Results
Feb. 08	West Bengal	vs	Sikkim	2-1
Feb. 9	Railways	vs	Chattisgarh	1-0
Feb. 9	Bihar	vs	Jharkhand	0-3
Feb. 10	Sikkim	vs	Orissa	1-2
Feb.11	Bihar	vs	Railways	0-3
Feb.11	Chattisgarh	vs	Jharkhand	1-2
Feb.12	Orissa	vs	West Bengal	0-3
Feb.13	Chattisgarh	vs	Bihar	1-2
Feb.13	Jharkhand	vs	Railways	0-0

From the Street to Santosh trophy – Inspiring Story of Bibin Ajayan, Jharkhand’s Santosh Trophy player

February 9, 2016 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

When Bibin’s mother Vasantha left their home, with her toddlers after persistent harassment from her husband, she would have never imagined what lay in store for her son, Bibin.

Her misery did not end after leaving home either – She was brutally attacked by some people on the street in Kochi in June 2006 and was shifted to a near-by hospital. She left her four kids including Bibin in Janaseva Sisubahavan in Aluva, a care-home for street children.

Bibin learned the basics of football from the Janaseva sports academy under the guidance of former Kerala Santosh trophy player Soly Xavier. He then went on to captain Ernakulam district team and then the Kerala state team. In 2014, Bibin was selected to the SAIL football academy in Bokaro. Since then he has been training with the academy in Jharkhand.

Now, his talent has been recognized and is being rewarded as he got selected to represent Jharkhand in the 2016 Santosh Trophy East Zone qualifiers taking place in Kolkata. Bibin is only 17 and is probably one of the youngest players ever to play in Santosh Trophy. He has a long career ahead and we wish him all the best!

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