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After all the uncertainty, Indian Football team will start their 2014 Asian Games 2014 sojourn on September 15th, when they take on a formidable opposition in UAE. India is grouped along UAE and Jordan in Group G and their matches take place at the Hwaseong Stadium and the Incheon Munhak Stadium. Two teams will qualify to the round 16 from the group.
Mumbai City FC today announced that eminent English football manager, television pundit and former England defensive midfielder Peter Reidw ill be the team’s manager while experienced football coach and former player Steve Darby will be assistant coach of the team in its inaugural Hero Indian Super League (ISL) campaign.
During his highly successful career as a manager, Peter Reid has been at the helm of affairs at top football teams that include Manchester City, Sunderland, Leeds United, Coventry City, and Plymouth Argyle, and has also been manager of the England U-21 team and the senior Thailand national team.
Speaking about his appointment as manager of Mumbai City FC, Peter Reid said, “It’s a great opportunity to coach in the Indian Super League. I enjoyed working overseas with Thailand and am very much looking forward to this new challenge! We have a very competitive side. Friedrich is a great signing. You don’t win Germany caps by luck or play over 300 Bundesliga games!”
Well-known English football coach Steve Darby is recognized throughout Asia as a pundit for
Star Sports and was most recently head coach of football club Kelantan in the Malaysia Super League. He has also coached in India, Bahrain, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the past. In 2011, he was appointed manager of India giants Mohun Bagan and holds the distinction of being one among a small number of foreign coaches to understand Indian football and players well.
Commenting on his appointment as assistant manager, Steve Darby said,“It’s always good to be part of something new. A great combination of youth and experience is what every team aims for! To us, Friedrich and Čmovš provide experience at the highest level, and in Subrata Paul, Syed Rahim Nabi and Deepak Mondal you have nearly 250 Indian caps!”
Nishant Mehra, Technical Director, Mumbai City FC, said, “Together, Reid and Darby will bring decades of top-notch football experience to Mumbai City FC, enriching us with their knowledge, understanding and headship as we look at being a formidable force in the forthcoming ISL. Highly experienced and proven leaders who understand Indian football, the duo will ensure our foreign and Indian players come together perfectly to perform as a cohesive squad.”
The Englishmen, who share mutual respect and high regard for each other, have worked together during the past while coaching Thailand’s national football team.
As a top defensive midfielder, Reid was regarded one of England’s most talented midfielders when he signed for Bolton Wanderers and then for Everton in 1982. At Everton, Reid enjoyed the most successful spell of his career, helping the squad win the English Football League First Division (the precursor to the English Premier League) twice apart from other domestic and European honours.
In 1985, Reid was voted PFA Players’ Player of the Year. He came fourth in the World Soccer Player of the Year awards behind icons Michel Platini, Preben Elkjær and Diego Maradona. He also received his first senior England call-up that year and represented his country at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and 1988 UEFA European Championship. He won 13 caps in total.
Reid joined Queens Park Rangers in 1989, but moved on to Manchester City a year later to begin his managerial career. He was player-manager for the Manchester side for three years before moving to Southampton, and then Sunderland. Under his leadership, Sunderland won the Football League’s First Division (now the second tier in English football) twice while the Thai national team won the T&T Cup. In 1996, he was awarded LMA Manager of the Year in England. The winner can come from any of the four professional leagues, but, to date, only three have come from outside the Premier League, Reid being one of them.
Talking about the ISL, Reid said, “I’ve watched a few Indian national team games and was very impressed with some of the players. I am convinced the ISL will eventually help the national team rise up the FIFA rankings.”
After obtaining his UEFA A License in 1979, Steve Darby became an official FIFA Instructor for the Oceania region in 1981 and AFC Instructor 1998. Followed by this, he was National Development Manager for the Australian Soccer Federation from 1990 to 1995. Darby has spent the last 16 years coaching football clubs in India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand.
Darby hopes the ISL will help raise the quality of football in the country in the coming years. “I have seen the effect the IPL has had on cricket and hopefully this will happen with football in India. India has great players; I hope this leads to further opportunities for them,” Darby added.
Talking about the Mumbai City FC Squad, Darby said, “I have worked with Nabi before at Mohun Bagan, and believe he is one of the best all-round footballers I have ever worked with. I have no doubt he could play English championship level football. Subrata is a top keeper and he was outstanding in the AFC Asian Cup. Bobby Houghton thought he was one of the best keepers he had worked with. I commentated on the India games at the Asian Cup and I kept saying…“Great save by Subrata!”
Reports are surfacing that the Indian football team may miss out on participating in the upcoming Incheon Asian games 2014. With Indian Olympic Association submitting a bumper list of 900 people including athletes and officials, to the sports ministry for approval for travelling to the Sept. 19-Oct. 4 Games in the South Korean city of Incheon, sports ministry would be forced to prune the list.
Lacklustre performance against Pakistan in the recently friendlies have also not helped the team’s chances. SAI director Jiji Thomson was in attendance at the Bangalore stadium when the Indian team comprising mainly under-23 players took on the Pakistan team.
Jiji Thomoson was quoted in Times of India saying :
“I am a football fan and I was present at the match. I can only say that the performance was very disappointing,”
If the team is not cleared by the ministry, All India Football Federation would be forced to pay from their pockets to send the team for Asian games 2014. In an article in The Telegraph a senior official is quoted that the government will not bear the cost of the men’s and women’s football teams in the Asian Games 2014.
“A final decision would only be taken after a week, but there is every chance the government would not bear the cost of the men’s and women’s football teams in the Asian Games. Of course, the AIFF (All India Football Federation) can send the team on their own,”
However this is not the first time that the football team is being forced out of Asian Games by government. In 1990 and 1994 the government had stopped the football team from going for the Asian Games.
In line with its philosophy of creating a difference in the sphere of sports, especially Soccer. Delhi Dynamos Football Club today announced the launch of a novel initiative to take football to the grassroots by tying up with schools of National Capital Region of Delhi. This initiative is of utmost importance to Delhi Dynamos, as it will help identify, nurture and train talent. It will also provide the necessary platform to the talented young children across Delhi/NCR & the North region. Under this programme, Delhi Dynamos will organize training camps and inter-school tournaments and create opportunities for the young generation. The campaign will kick start with the first ever Junior Dynamos Inter-School Championship, a 7-a-side football tournament, to be played in 4 zones of Delhi/NCR across 3 different age categories (U12, U14 & U17).
Delhi Dynamos FC, Founded and developed by DEN Soccer Pvt. Ltd. (a wholly owned subsidiary of DEN Networks Ltd.), will compete in the Indian Super League (ISL) for top honors against other clubs from India.
The first leg of the junior championship will be played from 19th-22nd August at Jaypee Sports Complex, Greater Noida and Ajanta Public School, Gurgaon. It will feature the top schools from East Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Gurgaon. A week later, action will shift to DDA Sports Complex, Vasant Kunj & Ganga International School as the young prodigies from schools of Central, South, North & West Delhi will showcase their football skills. The Zonal Champions of the Junior Dynamos Inter-School Championship would then get the opportunity to play at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium training ground as they face each other in a knockout format to seize the ultimate crown – The Junior Dynamos School Champion.
While these players will attack and defend on the field, the Junior Dynamos Scouts will constantly analyze their performance to select the best 100 players (U14 & U17) to be trained under the Junior Dynamos Coaches for the next 2-months on full scholarship. These young players will then play in the Junior Dynamos Elite League at JLN Stadium training ground during ISL match days.
Based on the performance, Scouts would then select the top 30 players (U14) who would form the Delhi Dynamos Youth Team. The chosen stars will undergo a 6-month long training program under the Junior Dynamos Coaches on full scholarship. These players will represent Delhi Dynamos in Youth Leagues across India. Scouting exercise will also continue for the U17 FIFA World Cup 2017 – India Dream Team.
Junior Dynamos City Championship
With a mission to identify talented players and train them using international methods, the Club will also organise the Junior Dynamos Inter-School City Championship at Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jaipur & Kanpur in North India. These inter-school championships will be played in the months of September, October and November 2014.
Junior Dynamos Train the Trainers Program
The success of a footballer’s career depends on the quality of coaching imparted by his gurus. 
With an aim to create the next generation of specialized football coaches and equip them with all necessary tools to produce top quality players, the Club has put in motion the Junior Dynamos Train The Trainers initiative. Under this exclusive program, the Junior Dynamos Coaches will conduct a series of 2-day workshops for over 100 P.E. Teachers in Delhi & NCR throughout the year.
Commenting on the Junior Dynamos program, Mr Piyush Goyal, Head new Initiatives-DEN Networks & Director-DEN Soccer, said: “Aligning with schools is the best way to identify and promote talent and football is no exception. We are kick starting this elaborate campaign across NCR and four other cities in the very first edition of ISL .We have seen the passion for Football growing by leaps and bounds. There is raw talent & energy in the youngsters and we are here to channelize this energy. I am confident that with guidance from top notch coaches, and our commitment, these players will surely make a mark at various levels including international tournaments.”
Pakistan football team put up a great show in Bangalore to defeat a shambolic Indian side. India did not have an answer for the two goals Pakistan scored and looked totally lost in most parts of the match.
We went about doing this match review a bit differently. Here we took a look how the match was played out on twitter.
Delhi Dynamos FC today announced the signing of Belgian Kristof Van Hout for the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League. An accomplished goalkeeper, Van Hout played for Belgian powerhouse 
last season.
With the signing of Van Hout, the New Delhi based club has made a fine addition to one of the most vital positions in football. At 6ft10 (2.08m), he also has the distinction of being the tallest professional football player in the world, making him an imposing figure at the goalpost. At the age of 27, he is at the peak of his footballing prowess and will have plenty to offer to the club.
Van Hout burst on to the scene in 2008, becoming the hero of Kortrijk after saving three penalties in the shootout against league champions Standard Liege to help his team progress to the Quarterfinals. This earned him a transfer to none other than Standard Liege itself, with whom he won the Belgian Cup in 2010-11. Van Hout was on the bench for Liege’s matches in the Champions League, including two games against Premier League giants Arsenal.
In 2012, Van Hout made the move to another Belgian superclub, Racing Genk, one year after the club sold prodigious talent Thibaut Courtois to Chelsea. That season, Van Hout led Genk to a 3rd place finish in the Pro League, earning them a place in the Europa League. He also won his second Belgian Cup.
Van Hout will arrive in Delhi fully fit and raring to go. He featured in the Europa League for Genk as recently as February 27 of this year, playing the full 90 minutes against Russian club, Anzhi Makhachkala.
Commenting on his inclusion in the Delhi squad, Van Hout said, “I am eagerly looking forward to playing in India, which has a sizeable fan following for the game of football. I am confident that it will be an enjoyable and fruitful experience to play in Indian conditions.”
On Van Hout joining the team, Delhi Dynamos FC Coach Harm van Veldhoven said, “Van Hout is a seasoned player, who has contributed immensely to his teams in the past due to his fine goalkeeping skills. We are sure that he will display the same alacrity and judgement when defending Delhi Dynamos’ goalpost. His height is a big advantage, especially in close games that go down to penalty shootouts.”
Kristof Van Hout has added to the already impressive line up of international talent assembled at the Delhi Dynamos under the guidance of fellow countryman Harm van Veldhoven. The club has signed prolific strikers Mads Junker and Morten Skoubo, as well as experienced Belgian defender Wim Raymaekers following their strategic tie up with Feyenoord Rotterdam.
ISL today announced a list of 49 international players that will feature in the International player draft that will be held in Mumbai. ISL has managed to gather a mix of experienced and young players for the ‘central player draft pool’. The average age of the international players featuring in the draft is 28 and that is quite impressive.
Pic Credit : https://www.facebook.com/IndianSuperLeague
Spain tops the list of players that are part of the pool with 9 players featuring in the draft. 8 players from France and Czech Republic will also feature in the draft. Other nations from where players will be part of ISL are Brazil (5), Portugal (5), Colombia (4), South Korea (2), and one each from Argentina, Canada, Serbia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, England, Greece and Cameroon.
According to a PTI report Andy Knee Andy Knee, VP, IMG football said :
“We are thrilled with the calibre of international players who will be participating in the Hero Indian Super League this season. They have the quality, skill, determination and ambition to thrive in India and ensure a great playing product to entertain the fans. These players have committed to play in India given their excitement and belief in the future of Indian football,”
The list of 49 players available for draft are :
Striker: Michael Chopra (England), Arnal Llibert Conde Carbo (Spain), Diego Fernando Nadaya (Argentina), Eduardo Silva Lerma (Spain), Iain Hume (Canada), Ivan Bolado Palacios (Spain), Luis Alfredo Yanes Padilla (Colombia), Miguel Bruno Pereira Herlein (Portugal), Miroslav Slepicka (Czech Republic), Pedro Adriano Veloso Gusmao (Brazil).
Goalkeepers: Andre Matos Dias Pereira (Portugal); Apoula Edima Edel Bete (Cameroon); Gennaro Bracigliano (France); Jan Seda (Czech Republic); Marek Cech (Czech Republic).
Defenders: Andres Felipe Gonzalez Ramirez (Colombia), Erwin Spitzner (Brazil), Henrique Dinis Oliveira Dias (Portugal), Ilias Pollalis (Greece), Massamba Lo Sambou (Senegal), Raphael Romey (France), Sylvain Monsoreau (France), Tomas Josl (Czech Republic), Gregory Arnolin (France), Bernard Mendy (France), Pavel Cmovs (Czech Republic), Youness Bengelloun (France), Johann Letzelter (France), Cedric Hengbart (France), Jairo Andres Suarez Carvajal (Colombia), Jose Miguel Gonzalez Rey (Spain).
Midfielders: Park Kwang-Il (South Korea), Bojan Djordjic (Sweden), Bruno Augusto Pelissari de Lima (Brazil), Cristian Hidalgo Gonzalez (Spain), Edgar Carvalho Figueira Marcelino (Portugal), Francisco Javier Fernandez Luque (Spain), Gustavo Marmentini dos Santos (Brazil), Victor Herrero Forcada (Spain), Jan Stohanzl (Czech Republic), Omar Andres Rodriguez Martinez (Colombia), Saidou Mady Panandetiguiri (Burkina Faso), Bruno Herrero Arias (Spain), Bruno Filipe Tavares Pinheiro (Portugal), Guilherme Felipe de Castro (Brazil), Pavel Elias (Czech Republic), Jakub Podany (Czech Republic), Jofre Mateu Gonzalez (Spain), Do Dong-Hyun (South Korea).
India, Bangalore, 12th August 2014: PUMA today introduced the much-celebrated Arsenal Football Club kits in India for the 2014/15 football season. PUMA unveiled the Home, Away and Cup kits through a spectacular Arsenal Tunnel of Time and larger-than-life projections on the facade of Bangalore’s iconic UB City building – Oakwood Suites. Fans were also treated to a special appearance by Gunner invincible- Fredrick Ljungberg, who launched the new Kits and took 11 Gooners through the Tunnel of Time.
Freddie unveiling the new Arsenal FC Puma kit
In a one of its kind set up, PUMA created a football Tunnel called ‘The Arsenal Tunnel of Time’, which traces the history of one of the most popular clubs in the Premier League. With signed memorabilia, a Trophy Trilogy with the current FA Cup, The Invincibles Trophy (awarded to Arsenal in 2003-‘04 for remaining unbeaten in the Premier League season) and the Premier League Trophy, as well as photographs of Arsenal legends and key moments from the Club’s history – The Arsenal Tunnel of Time is a fitting tribute to a legendary Club and its rich history.
Tunnel of time set up by Puma
Arsenal legend Fredrick Ljungberg not only unveiled the Jerseys, but took 11 lucky Arsenal fans for an exclusive walk through the Tunnel of Time. Earlier in the day – he visited the Bangalore Football Stadium and engaged with players from the PUMA Sponsored team – Bengaluru FC as well as students from the Arsenal Soccer Schools – for which he is an Ambassador. PUMA is tied up with Arsenal Soccer Schools as well.
Each of the three Arsenal kits has a unique design, inspired by the values identified by PUMA as being the foundation of Arsenal Football Club that form the basis of the Future, Forever, Victorious story.
Freddie at the BFC stadium
The blue and lime green Future Cup kit will be worn by Arsenal away from home in Cup competitions, including the UEFA Champions LeagueTM and FA Cup. It symbolises the desire for innovation and progression that has driven the club through its history, resulting in Arsenal becoming the first team to wear numbers on shirts and the first club to have stadium flood lights so the team could play at night. It also acknowledges the focus on youth development that has become synonymous with the club.
The home kit stays true to the traditional red and white Arsenal colours that first appeared in 1933. It represents Forever, inspired by the strong and loyal fan base Arsenal has built over the years, and the importance of this community to the Gunners. From the very beginning, Arsenal supporters have been at the heart of the club, a sentiment that stands true today as Arsenal’s appeal continues to spread across every corner of the world.
11 lucky Gooners who got an exclusive tour of the tunnel
Victorious is the theme of the Away shirt, designed in the iconic yellow and navy blue colours worn by Arsenal during some of the most famous Gunners victories away from home. Arsenal’s players and supporters have always demonstrated a class and excellence away from home, the yellow and blue colours are inextricably linked with some of the Gunners’ greatest moments including the 1971 and 1979 FA Cup Final wins, and the title winning victory at Anfield in 1989.
Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg said, “It’s great as a former Gunner to see how loved and celebrated the Club is in India. Indian fans know a lot about the Club and the Arsenal Tunnel of Time by PUMA is an incredible tribute to the legacy of the Club and its ever-exciting Future.
Mr. Rajiv Mehta, MD PUMA India said, “We are very excited to be associated with a club as legendary and historic as Arsenal. Arsenal Supporter Clubs in India are among the biggest in the World, and the club boasts a massive following here. Gooners have already bought out the Arsenal jerseys from PUMA Stores around the country and we’re thrilled to be a part of this journey with them”.
The Home and Away Replica kits and a full collection of fan wear is now available for fans to purchase online at www.pumashop.in, in PUMA stores nationwide and Myntra.com. The Arsenal Tunnel of Time will be open for public viewing between Aug 13 and Aug 17 at the UB City Piazza from 11am to 10pm.
I-league club East Bengal launched their football team in a glittering ceremony at South City Mall in Kolkata. The ceremony saw the East Bengal team for next season being unveiled.
Apart from launching the team, East Bengal also took a big step towards club merchandizing by launching a brand of deodorant named the “East Bengal Deo”
Hero MotoCorp Ltd has signed a three-year deal to be the Title Sponsor of the Indian Super League – the first-of-its-kind franchise-based football league in the country. With this sponsorship, the much-awaited new football league, promoted by IMG-Reliance and Star India, will be called the ‘Hero Indian Super League’.
According to a PTI report, Pawan Munjal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hero MotoCorp Ltd, said:
“Football is not just the world’s most popular game, it has today become a phenomenon sweeping across continents.
“I witnessed this myself while moving from one Brazilian city to another to watch the games at the recent World Cup. Like every other part of the world, India is also in the grip of this magic called football as millions of youngsters across the country are taking to the game with enthusiasm,” he said.
“The Indian Super League, therefore, is a timely initiative, and we are delighted to be partners in this journey for the common goal of promoting football in the country. As the title sponsor of the league, we are happy to being catalysts in bringing in much-needed professionalism and promote the game at the grass roots level to help identify and promote local talent,”
Star India CEO Uday Shankar, was also quoted in the report :
“The Hero name brings with it credibility, commitment and passion to the cause of sports. I am deeply pleased because Hero and Pawan Munjal are true ambassadors of sports with a commitment that goes beyond sponsorship. It is great to see them take centre-forward position to support ISL and the future of Indian football.”