Dose from Subha

Yes-yes, it’s Argies the whole way!

2010-06-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

A whole new generation was introduced to the beautiful game of football. Thanks to the FIFA World Cup 86, the champ Argentina, and many thanks to Diego Armando Maradona!

As an 8 year old kid, eyes would be glued to the television set to watch the men in light blue and white stripes playing. My scrapbooks were filled with the colorful pictures of players of the Argentinean team. Maradona took the lions share, followed by Burruchaga, Jorge Valdano, Nery Pumpido, and even coach Carlos Bilardo.

Argentina’s performance in the world cup like their star Maradona might have been mercurial, but the love and support showered to the country (as well as the individual) is unconditional. Majority supports Argentina, followed closely by Brazil, and then comes the European countries.

Little history

There’s a history of why the football-frenzy Bongs (and the Malyali’s to a greater extent supports Argentina. The Argentina team under the stewardship of Carlos Bilardo took part 1984 edition of Nehru Cup held at Kolkata. Under the tutelage of great Yugoslav coach Ciric Milovan, India played their best ever football against Argentina. The Indian brigade played their hearts out; conceded the only goal in the concluding moments of the match.

Apparently, it was the same team that formed the nucleus of the successful World Cup campaign in 1986. The Argentina team in the 1984 Nehru Cup had World Cuppers like Jorge Luis Burruchaga, Neri Pompidou, and Sergio Batista.

Maradona as a demi-god

He might have been making news for all wrong reasons since the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but people just love him!

Maradona himself had a taste of it when he visited Kolkata in the late 2008.

Few things attributes to this huge popularity

Speaks his mind, never frightened of calling spade a spade.
Loves to take challenges, suits his personality. Otherwise, who will dare to take the coaching assignment?

His player selection has been erratic, made several mistakes, but who cares – Argentina has made it to the world cup at South Africa!
I’ve seen the player Maradona winning the world cup for Argentina, and now I want the coach Maradona to lift it again for Argentina.

Go Maradona, go Lio Messi, and go-go MessiDona!

Diego chants Saraswati vandana

2010-03-08T04:35:00.001-08:00

KSFA announces squad for Manindra Dutta Roy Trophy

2010-02-08T04:27:00.000-08:00

The Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) announced their squad for the Manindra Dutta Roy Trophy, the 19th U-21 National Football Championship.

This tournament will be played in Gurgaon, Haryana from February 11 to 21. Karnataka is grouped in Cluster I, they will play their first match against Rajasthan on February 13 and next match against Punjab on February 15.

Early last month, the state association conducted a coaching-cum-selection camp in Bangalore. The state association officials are pinning high hopes on this team, especially, after winning the recently-concluded Dr. BC Roy Trophy, the U-19 National Football Championship.

Players list:

R Dayalan (ADE)
Biman Nandi (ASC Boys)
S Vinodh Kumar (HAL)
Clement Anthony (Southern Blues)
Rakesh Babu (KSP)
S Kiran Kumar (Bangalore Mars)
Ramesh (BEML)
Madhu Karan (SAI)
Rajesh (Bangalore Mars)
Karthigayan (HAL)
Don Bosco (BEML)
Akram (Davangere District)
Sanoj (SAI)
R Kiran Kumar (KSP)
Lokesh C (Vinayaka)
Gopi (Captain) (HAL)
Karunakaran (ASC)
Kewal Lama R (ADE)
Deepak Kumar (Government Press)
V Vinodh Kumar (RWF)
Abhilash (Mysore District)

Officials:

Imtiaz Ahmed, Manager
C Ravi Kumar, Chief Coach
Shantha Kumar, Coach

Dowlath Khan Trophy kicks-off from Friday

2010-02-08T04:25:00.000-08:00

Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) is organizing Dowlath Khan Trophy, a knock-out tournament for the C-division teams.

One of the oldest football tournaments of the Karnataka state, Dowlath Khan Trophy is revived by the BDFA. Record numbers of 38 BDFA C-division teams are participating in this tournament and will be played on a knock-out format.

Duration of each match will be 70 minutes (35+10+35). When a match ends in a draw in the regulation time, no extra-time will be played, and the match will go straight to the tie-breaker. All the games will be played at the Bangalore Football Stadium.

The association expressed satisfaction with the number of teams coming out to play such tournaments. They feel that organizing such tournaments should help the player’s caliber and their talent will be displayed, which will ultimately help the players as well as the teams scouting for budding talents.

In the first match of the tournament on Friday, February 12, 1.30 pm, Bangalore Blues takes on Young Gems. Later, Mohd. Sporting, Bangalore will play against Young Blues.

B for Bedi-sm

2010-02-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

Spin great Bishen Singh Bedi simply speaks his mind.

Here’s the latest:

Offie, Harbhajan Singh and leggie, Pragyan Ojha are playing with either full or three-fourth sleeves on. bedi questions, “why aren’t they playing with half-sleeve shirt?” He grins with a question-mark like expression!

Source: http://tinyurl.com/yekbux5

Few years back, he compared Muralitharan’s bowling action with a javelin thrower. In the cricketing context, He has expressed his reservation with the word doosra.

This is Bedi’s holistic take on doosra:

Q: What is doosra?
Bedi: The other man in a women’s life is doosra. The other woman in a man’s life is doosri. So basically doosra is unethical, immoral, and illegal.

Albeit lucid and not disjointed!

Prasanna Kumar Memorial kicks-off on November 25

2009-11-23T03:42:00.000-08:00

The Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) organized Prasanna Kumar Memorial Football Tournament gets started from Wednesday, November 25 at the Bangalore Football Stadium.

Played between the BDFA A division teams, this will be the 60th edition of Prasanna Kumar Memorial and this tournament serves as the season opening tournament for the BDFA A division teams.

A total of 16 teams are classified in four pools, the top team from each pool qualifies for knock-out round. The knock-out round will consist of 2 semifinals and a final. The final will be played on December 9.

With the artificial turf laying work gathering momentum, it is interesting to see how BDFA manages to accommodate the other football commitments lined up for the current season - a knock-out tournament for the BDFA B division teams (similar to Puttaiah Memorial Cup and Prasanna Kumar Memorial), B Division, A Division, and Super Division League.

Talking to IndianFootball.Com, one of the BDFA official said that they will act as per the guidelines provided by their parent body, Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA). It is quite possible that the BDFA league would be moved from Bangalore Football Stadium to some other alternative venues.

BDFA would get much clarity in the next weeks, when the Prasanna Kumar Memorial Football Tournament concludes.

ADE plays against Government Press in the inaugural match of the tournament.

Will ground play a spoilsport in Pune

2009-11-12T02:37:00.000-08:00

Just when Mohun Bangan and Pune FC are gearing up for the Friday the 13th clash, the ground condition at the Balewadi Sports Complex might just play spoilsport.

Minutes after landing in Pune, the AIFF appointed Match commissioner, who will be on duty for the Friday’s match made a quick round to the stadium. He sounded positive, given the chance that no more shower is expected in the city, hopes match will be on schedule.

The drainage system is working fine. To decide the final fate of the match, match commissioner will make another trip to the ground on Friday (match day) morning. Should the weather will be bright and sunny tomorrow as it is today, then the ground conditions would be decent enough to constitute a match.

Both are teams are dying to practice at the Balewadi stadium to get accustomed with the pitch, but the weather has really deprived them.

Till date, Mohun Bagan had practiced only once in Pune, at the Bharati Vidyapeeth ground on Tuesday. Once they came to practice at the match venue, however, they could not due to incessant rain. They had to content with some indoor drills. Ditto with the host, Pune FC, they have been carrying out their sessions at their practice pitch.

Any delay in this round 8 match would call for a reschedule. Next meeting between these two teams will happen not before February next year.

ITI provides financial help to Subramanis family

2009-11-09T01:52:00.000-08:00

Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) donated Rs. 70,000 to the family of the former Karnataka state footballer Menous Subramani.

Subramani, 44, died on August 10 after sheer medical negligence from a city hospital. Subramani was employed with ITI and incidentally, he was on the way to his office when the unfortunate event happened.

An exhibition match was organized in honor of Subramani. This match was played between the ITI veterans and Gowthamapuram veterans at the Gowthamapuram football ground. Subramani hailed from Gowthamapuram, in the Ulsoor locality in Bangalore.

Gowthamapuram has presented numerous national and international footballers and it is considered to be the breeding ground for Bangalore football. Ulaganathan, Sreedharan, and several former national players took part in this exhibition match.

Venkataramana Murthy, President of the ITI Sports Club presented the donation to the widow of Menous Subramani. Also heard from a reliable source that the hospital authority has paid a heavy price as compensation to Subramanis family.

Hamza’s brace helps BEML to lift Puttaiah Memorial Cup

2009-11-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

BEML lifts Puttaiah Memorial Cup by defeating MEG convincingly by 2-1.

It was a difficult pitch to display spirited performance, thanks to the incessant drizzle that is happening in this part of the world for the last few days. But both the finalist teams displayed a lively game and entertained a crowd of more than 8000 fans.

Finally, it was BEML the most consistent team, who emerged as the true champion of the Puttaiah Memorial Cup by scoring a goal in each half of the match.

And yet again it was the young and energetic striker from Nigeria, Abdulla Hamza who came to the rescue for BEML. This 20-something happy-go-lucky Nigerian is trying hard to mark his presence felt in India and aspires to play in Europe.

The striker duo of Tiken Singh and Hamza combined well for BEML, coming down from the left flank, Singh’s drifting ball was gathered-up well by Hamza, he coolly beat the charging MEG keeper, and headed the ball into the net.

Prior to the goal, BEML keeper, S Rajan, thwarted a series of attacks from MEG.

MEG tried hard to comeback into the game, however, their attempt took a back seat when their left winger, Girish was shown marching order after commiting a serious offence by deliberately fouling BEML striker RC Prakash.

BEML scored the second goal in the 77th minute, play-maker Mahendra Mani’s right-footed cross was perfect for Hamza to score his 7th goal in this tournament from head.

Later, in the 89th minute, MEG reduced the margin from Ramu’s low grounder free kick.

Cash bounty for the champs

The BEML top brass who were present at the match announced a cash prize of Rs 10,000 for each player. Also, a special cash reward of additional 15,000 went to the top goal scorer Hamza and goalkeeper Rajan.

BEML thrash HAL in Puttaiah Memorial Cup

2009-11-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Continuing the good run, BEML walloped their arch rival and defending champion HAL 4-2 on the semifinal encounter in the Puttaiah Memorial Cup.

The knock-out stages of the Puttaiah Memorial Cup was postponed by a week to accommodate the foundation stone ceremony for the football academy under FIFA Goal Project.

It was a derby-day of sort, the soccer-frenzy crowd in the garden city gathered in the Bangalore Football Stadium. Finally at the end of the day, the crowd got their moneys worth by watching a fast-paced lively match that experienced 6 goals.

The match strated in a lively note with both teams exchanging big hits. Once, HAL was unclucky when Xavier’s diagonal shot was not placed in the goal.

HAL draw the first blood in the 25th minute, Bimal Minz’s powerful swerving left footer found the BEML goal after a defensive lap.

Within 2 minutes, BEML scored the equalizer when a HAL defender hand-balled inside the penalty box area. Defender Alex Shamaki made no mistake in converting the penalty for BEML.

HAL captain, Xavier VijayKumar, made some neat moves from the flanks, however the HAL strikers failed to convert thre moves into goal.

At the fag end of the first half, former national player and veteran BEML striker RC Prakash who had a bad day at the office messed-up a golden opportunity. The ageing striker had to just place the ball in the open net, however, the opponent defender outran him by sheer pace.

In the second half, HAL was seen mainly attacking from the right side but failed to see a goal.

BEML took lead when Nigerian striker Abdulla Hamza scored in the 65th minute. Within 8 minutes, it was another one from Hamza, and this time, it was Manipuri Tiken Singh who provided a picture-perfect cross to Hamza.

It was Tiken again, few minutes after their 3rd goal dribbled past a couple of HAL players, and let loose a powerful shot to make the score 4-1.

HAL striker Fredrick Okwabe pulled one in the 89th minute, but by then the door was already shut for HAL.

This loss would not do any good for HAL who will be playing in the Federation Cup qualifiers at Calicut later this month.

The final of the Puttaiah Memorial Cup will be played between BEML and MEG on Sunday, November 8. In the other semifinal played on Friday, MEG defeated Karnataka State Police (KSP) by 2-1.

The gate money for today’s match went for a noble cause, in the Chief Ministers Flood Relied Fund for the recent flood that mainly affected northern part of Karnataka.

Five-star celebration by the Mohun Bangan fan group

2009-11-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

This Mohun Bangan Club Yahoo group, where members mostly interact via email is celebrating the record-breaking 5-goal win against arch-rival East Bengal by presenting a multi-gym equipment to their beloved club.

Many witnessed the mayhem and many have heard this incident from their father, uncles, or brothers. For whatever may be the case, it was a black day for them and their club. We are talking about that day way back in 1975, when East Bengal pumped-in 5 goals against Mohun Bangan.

For past few years, Mohun Bangan is dominating the scene, however, the 5-goal victory has always eluded Mohun Bangan.

Cut to October 25, 2009, and Mohun Bagan equals the 34-year old record of scoring fiver in a derby. This eventful day was indeed a golden letter day for Mohun Bangan fans who for ages and for generations had borne the burnt of that defeat.

Now this victory calls for a celebration, what would be a better way to celebrate than to get involved in something that will help the club!

This first and the biggest ever internet football fan group in the country is a close-knit unit that comprises fans across the globe of different age group and from varied profession.

After a quick brainstorm, the members zeroed-in on buying gymnasium equipment – an asset that will benefit the players and can be utilized in coming years.

Club management welcomed the initiative and Mohun Bangan coach, Karim Bencherifa suggested the type of the equipment needed – a multi gym, which can be used by 4-5 people simultaneously for chest press, shoulder press, sit ups, bench press, hip flexor, and various other exercises.

Mohun Bagan fans put forth the celebration idea on a fast-track. The contribution money got pulled together in a quick turnaround, in less than 48-hours, and everyone contributed for the wonderful cause.

Also, coach Karim took keen interest and accompanied the fan group members in selecting the equipment.

The celebration was successfully held in the club tent today. Club secretary, Anjan Mitra, handed over the amount to the gym-equipment vendor executive in the presence of media and many members of the Mohun Bangan Club Yahoo group.

This celebration is perhaps first only in Indian football that an internet fan group assisted their club for a cause.

The multi gym will be installed in the Mohun Bangan Club tent in a fortnight’s time.

Seeds planted for FIFA Goal Project in Bangalore

2009-11-04T01:51:00.001-08:00

The foundation stone laying ceremony for the football academy kicked-off the FIFA Goal Project in Bangalore.

This residential football academy will nurture 40-60 talented footballers at one time and the academy will be equipped with international coaches, trainers, gymnasium, and various other required state-of-the-art amenities.

In a brief but eventful function, Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa laid the foundation stone for the football academy at the Bangalore Football Stadium today morning.

Also present in the occasion were the AIFF president and Union civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, AIFF general secretary, Alberto Colaco, AIFF vice-president and KSFA president, A.R.Khaleel, several other former international football players, and distinguished dignitaries.

The AIFF president applauded the fact that the Bangalore Football Stadium is perhaps the only football stadium in India which is owned by a state association and could utilize the area for this project.

It was way back in 1975, when the Government of Karnataka granted 17 acres of land to the Bangalore Football Stadium. Even the stadiums in the football-popular states like Goa and West Bengal are either own by the state government or by the defense establishments.

Patel thanked the state government for providing necessary support to enhance the football infrastructure in the city and also requested to continue doing so.

Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa sounded cheerful and announced a grant of 5 crore for upgrading the stadium. Also, the chief minister thanked FIFA and AIFF for showing keen interest in developing football in India.

The other two venues selected by AIFF for the FIFA Goal Project are Sikkim and Andaman. Bangalore football is benefiting the most by such initiatives.

Earlier, FIFA has selected Bangalore Football Stadium as one of the venue in India for laying artificial turf under FIFA’s "Win in India with India" initiative.

The onus is now up to the state association, KSFA to create an excellent infrastructure and promote the game by nurturing talents across the state.

International Football Academy in Bangalore

2009-11-04T01:48:00.000-08:00

The foundation stone laying ceremony for the International Football Academy under FIFA’s Goal Project II will be held at the Bangalore Football Stadium on November 4.

The foundation stone for this prestigious project will be laid by Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in the presence of All India Football Federation president and Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel and other distinguished guests and dignitaries.

The academy will come up on the Southern wing of the Bangalore Football Stadium.

The academy will be jointly managed by FIFA, AIFF, and Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) and will host international coaches, deputed by the world governing body, to train talented footballers of the state as well as from other parts of the country.

It will accommodate 60 trainees and the academy will be equipped with state-of-the-art gymnasium, boarding, lodging and a seminar hall.

Mini upset in Puttaiah Memorial Cup

2009-10-30T05:52:00.000-07:00

In an exciting match, MEG defeated Bangalore Super Division League champion HAL by 4-3.

It was the day of the right-winger Ramu, who tricked HAL’s defense not only once, but thrice and assisted his team, MEG to create an upset win over HAL.

Ramu was fast enough to put give side 2-0 with the first 7 minutes of the game. Also, HAL was equally fast enough the make amends by scoring 2 goals in the span of 6 minutes (31st and 37th minute) in the form of Jotin Singh and Murali.

Ramu finished his quota of hat trick in the 74th minute. HAL equalized again in the 82nd minute through Jotin Singh.

The deciding goal came in the very next minute when Lokeshwar Singh, who came as a substitute striker and scored for MEG.

Knockout postponed

The semifinals, slated for November 1 and 2 are postponed to November 6 and 7. These dates will be utilized for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Football Academy set to take place at the Bangalore Football Stadium under the FIFA’s Vision Asia program. The final of the Puttaiah Memorial Cup will be played on November 8.

Knock out fixtures:

Semi final:
Semifinal 1: November 6 - MEG (Group A winner) V/s KSP (Group B runner-up), 3.30 pm.
Semifinal 2: November 7 - BEML (Group B winner) V/s HAL (Group A runner-up), 3.30 pm.

Final: November 7, 3.30 pm.

Lajong boys are ready to face Bagan

2009-10-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

After their convincing victory over Air India, the Lajong FC boys are ready to take on Mohun Bagan.

On the eve of the match between Shilong Lajong FC and Mohun Bagan, IndianFootball.com talked to Stanley Rozario, coach, Shilong Lajong FC.

Stanley touch based on the following points:

Confidence factor in this match

Our boys had a big win at home against Air India and we are ready to face Bagan.
But all said Mohun bagan is after all Mohun bagan!
Even though they are not getting the service of Barretto, yet they are a formidable side with competent bench strength.
Also, their recent win at the Kolkata derby has boosted their morale.

High altitude home advantage

I do not agree on the high-altitude thing, a match is a match, and the professional players have to perform.
Bagan consists of many players from NorthEast. Surkumar Singh, James Singh, Tomba Singh, and Genius Zenith are all experienced in playing in high altitude condition.
Moreover, the weather here is chilly unlike the any other I-League venues, and the players will be comfortable playing in such soothing condition.

Chief custodian Gumpe Rime’s absence

Gumpe absense won’t deter much, our other goalies are also good.
Marus Basutarari is an experience keeper and so is R Lalthuammawia, who has already played against Sporting Club de Goa in the I-League.
Will take the decision on fielding either of these two keepers tomorrow, just before the match.

Mission to visit Kolkata to see Mohun Bagan’s game (at the derby match against East Bengal on Sunday, October 25

Was there as a spectator (winks)!
I always do that, like to take notes on the opposition. Have even done that before the Air India match (East Bengal - Air India match was played at Kolkata).
I’ve shared my observation with the team and accordingly the team has worked on it.
You can say that the planning part is done it is up to how the players execute in the field. (laughs)

Brazil factor in Chirag

2009-10-28T00:05:00.001-07:00

A short story about the Brazilians who are making it happen for Chirag United SC in the ongoing I-League.

They were not the first choices of foreign players. The first one failed to impress the coach as well as the club management. However, he was still included in the team due to lack of quality foreign strikers around.

Talking about the other one, he had played in East Bengal few seasons. However, just before the start of the I-League, he was discarded from the team. Lucky enough to find an I-League Division 1 team in Chirag!

Meet the Brazilian-striker duo for Chirag United SC – Josimar da Silva Martins and Edmilson Marques Pardal.

Are they going to hunt in pairs? Just like the Ba- Bha (Barretto and Bhaichung) partnership a few season back. Will they be the next big pair in Indian club football? Jo-Ed!

These questions are definitely worth asking and only time will answer them.

IndianFootball.com was talking to Djair Garcia, physical trainer for Chirag last night. It was Djair, another Brazilian, who introduced Josimar to Chirag. Though, initially Josimar failed to impress one and all, but his inclusion into the team is bearing fruit for Chirag.

Djair sounded happy that the management had expressed faith in recruiting Josimar, “Josimar now understands the pattern of football played in India; he is improving day-by-day.”

“Happy to see our players in good physical condition! The players have formed one cohesive unit, they are dedicated, and takes each practice session seriously,” adds Djair.

“Chirag will create more surprise in the I-League,” reckons the Brazilian physio.

Picture this, post round 5 of I-League, Chirag has scored 11 goals, and 9 goals are scored between Josimar (5) and Edmilson (4).

Definitely great start!

Debasish Mukherjee takes up Pune FC’s goalkeeping tutelage

2009-10-27T03:52:00.000-07:00

Former India goalkeeper Debasish Mukherjee will be in charge of training Pune FC’s last line of defense.

Debasish Mukherjee has started his stint with the team today. On Thursday, October 28, Pune FC takes up the mighty challenge of the winner of the last edition, Churchill Brothers at the latter’s home turf at Goa.

Talking to the IndianFootball.com, Debasish Mukherjee sounded enthusiastic! He is just out from his initial training session with the PuneFC keepers.

He iterated that it too early and too difficult for him to comment on a subject which is just one session old. “Ideally it should take few sessions to comment on something”, said the former keeper.

The Pune FC management has not done any formal contract with Debasish Mukherjee till date. They want so see how Mukherjee integrates with the team and yields better result.

Talking to the IndianFootball.com, General Manager, Dr. B Ashok Kumar sounded optimistic, “We are definitely on the right direction. Paul stressed on having a full-time goal keeping coach and we have it in the form of Debasish.”

“Debasish will train the guys for few weeks, till November 13, (round 5 thru round 8)”, said Dr. Ashok Kumar.

Mukherjee, who was one of the most consistent performers for over a decade, had represented India in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Also, he holds the world record for clocking the longest time being undefeated under the bar.

Last season, Debasish Mukherjee had a similar stint with East Bengal. His association with India’s (and Pune FC’s) numero uno goalkeeper Subrata Paul goes a long way. Paul regards Mukherjee highly and considers him his mentor.

Earlier, when Subrata Paul was going through some torrid times, Debasish Mukherjee imparted technical and mental support, and now we have all witnessed how Subrata Paul has surfaced much better as a person and goalkeeper.

Lackluster win for HAL

2009-10-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

HAL opened their account in the Puttaiah Memorial Cup by defeating CIL by a solitary goal.

Bangalore football giants Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC played their first match in the Puttaiah Memorial Cup against CIL at the Bangalore Football Stadium yesterday evening.

HAL enjoyed most of the possession in the first half, however, the attacking duo of Fredrick Okwabe and Jotin Singh missed the sharpness, and could not get past their opponents to score. Also, a few good solo efforts by their foreigner Fredrick failed to open the goalmouth for HAL.

The second half started on a dull note with the ball mainly played in the middle-third. HAL was fortunate enough to get a penalty from a handball inside thebox. Veteran midfielder J. Muralidharan made no mistake to convert thus saving the blushes for his side.

In the other match, a 10-men team of Rail Wheel Factory was good enough to defeat Super Division newcomers Dharmaraja Union by 4-2.

Ecstasy in Shillong!

2009-10-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is what happens with the fans when a football team from an unknown region gets their first home victory in the I-League Division 1.

The Shillong Lajong FC fans thronged the stadium and the stadium was jam-packed with capacity crowd.

The expectation from the team was high, the team leaved upto it with a thrashing 3-0 margin, and finally the crowd went ecstatic!

Always a great acheivement to garner full points in the first ever I-League Division 1 home match. A special mention goes to the Lajong players for displaying their character, mental strength, and attitude against the Airmen.

Also, Lajong so far has managed to win an away match. These matches are very difficult for any newly promted team and they are no exception to this, still they managed to win a match. Great show!

Applaudable is coach Stanley Rosario’s approach towards I-League, “Too dificult to predict in a marathon league like this. Forget saving relegation, aiming for a spot, et al., I would like to concentrate one match at a time. Aim for full 3 points at the home matches and 1 point in the away matches, anything more is bonus to me.

Also, commendable is the fact that the except for Gumpe Rime, Daniel Bedemi, and Aibor Khongjee, all the other players in the team are new to this format. They do not have any idea about I-League, yet they responded positively, and improving day by.

Veteran keeper, Gumpe Rime feels that the Lajong crowd by far is the most impressive home team crowd he has ever experienced in the I-League.

Gumpe remembered that once he told to IndianFootball.Com about the joining Lajong FC and be a part of the history. How does he feel now to be a part of the history?

Gumpe says, “I’m very happy, let’s not be content with this, and hope to continue with the same spirit.”

Unfortunately for Lajong, Gumpe will be sitting out in the next match due to a suspension over 2 yellow cards.

With a performance like this, Shillong Lajong FC can expect nothing but crowds support!

Super Division teams for Puttaiah Cup

2009-10-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Top Super Division teams will be participating in the Puttaiah Cup, which gets started from October 21.

Puttaiah Cup is organized by the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) where top Bangalore teams like HAL, BEML, Rail Wheel Factory (RWF) Bangalore will be participating.

A total of 10 teams will be participating in the league-cum-knockout tounament. The teams are divided in 2 groups, 2 teams from each groups will qualify for semifinals. The final will be played on November 3.

In the opening encounter on October 21, RWF will take on Dharmaraja Union, and later in another match HAL will take on CIL.

The teams feel that this tournament will be a perfect build up for the BDFA Super Division league, which will be followed after Puttaiah Cup.

Team listing

Group A: CIL, Dharmaraja Union, HAL, MEG, and RWF
Group B: BEL, BEML, ISRO, KSP, and SAI

Football camp for girls in Bangalore

2009-10-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

The Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) will conduct a coaching-cum- selection camp for the girls aged between 16 to 19 years.

The selected players will be participating in the Junior Girls National Football Championship. This tournament is for the girls who are aged below Under-19.

The 8th edition of the Junior Girls National Football Championship will be held in next month at Orissa.

Players from the Karnaka state who are born on or after January 1, 1991 and not later than December 31, 1993 are eligible to report to the camp at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Tuesday, October 20 at 8 am.

Pune FC all set to clash with Sporting Club de Goa

2009-10-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

In their first away match in the League Division 1, Pune Football Club (FC) is all set to lock horns with host, Sporting Club de Goa on Friday on October 17.

The team so far had a mixed outing - draw against Kingfisher East Bengal in their first match and a loss against Air India. All these matches were played on their home turf at Shiv Chatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune.

However, being an away match, Pune FC would be still looking for a positive outing. The host, Sporting Club de Goa, would be low on morale after their home loss against another new comer, Shillong Lajong FC.

Pune FC is bolstered with the addition of the striker Jeje Lalpekhlua, who was away on duty for the India Under-19 team. His return would definitely give an edge to the team.

Pune FC signs striker P Muthu

2009-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

New comer to the I-League Division 1, Pune Football Club (FC) has signed a striker, P Muthu to their roster.

Muthu hails from Chennai and he was awarded the Player of the Tournament in this year’s edition of Santosh Trophy.

Muthu has represented his state team, Tamil Nadu in the last 8 editions of Santosh Trophy. The striker stands 5’7’’ tall and had previously played for AGA Club, Chennai for last 10 years.

Muthu joins his team, Pune FC today in Goa. In all possibility, he will be making his debut in the I-League Division 1 by playing the match against Sporting Club De Goa on October 17.

Bagan will come back strongly: Manju

2009-10-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Backbone of the Indian and Mohun Bagan defence, Nanjangud Shivananju Manju is confident about his clubs good show in the ongoing I-League.

He has been the mainstay for the Mohun Bagan defence for last 2 seasons. But he is out of action since mid-August, thanks for a hairline fracture due during the match against Lebanon in the ONCG Nehru Cup.

N S Manju has been in the oblivion since then, silently recuperating from injury in his home town.

He is now ready to travel to Kolkata to consult his Physiotherapist, Dr. Jibak Mukherjee to decide the future course of action.

“I’ve started walking after one and half months, however it is not smooth as I limp while walking”, says Manju.

“I will meet Dr. Jibak Mukherjee on Thursday, October 15, I believe I need to undergo a series of physiotherapy.”

When asked about his team’s dismal performance at the beginning of the I-League, Manju sounded very nonchalant, “Even the start of the previous two editions of I-League were not smooth. We struggled at the beginning, yet we came back well, geared up at the right time, and in the last season we missed I-League by a whisker”.

“I am sure this will happen again, I have full faith in coach and my teammates”, Insists Manju.

He was light-heartedly asked that why does he always gets injured during National duty, Manju laughed, “Injury in not in my hand and similarly not in AIFFs hand.”

Manju supports the idea of the National body, the AIFF paying the players salary on behalf of the club if the player gets injured while playing for country.

“I think Bagan has every right to ask to AIFF”, he sounded cautious, “I do not want to rake up a controversy by saying this. I am not aware of the technicalities involved here and neither I am aware of the communication that happened between my club and the AIFF”.

“I have been totally aloof from the scene, whatever little information I’ve gathered is through reading newspaper and by learning from my friends”, says Manju.

Recently, Mohun Bagan secretary, Anjan Mitra had issued a letter to the AIFF, asking Manju's salary.

Manju is eager to come back to the game. He plans to work hard - undergo a proper treatment program, plan and work on his fitness level so that he is not bother about any minor niggles.

For the sake of Indian Football, IndianFootball.com wishes a fast recovery to Manju.

So far so good for Lajong: Gumpe

2009-10-13T02:27:00.000-07:00

Shillong Lajong FC's captain Gumpe Rime sees the positive side of the performance of his team after their first three matches in the I-League's top Division.

“Three points from three away matches, that too for a team that is newly promoted into the I-League Division 1, this is a decent start!”, recons the veteran custodian of Shillong Lajong FC, Gumpe Rime.

The team was returning to Shillong after playing their away matches in Goa, while IndianFootball.Com caught up on Gumpe at the Mumbai Airport.

All said but Gumpe is very much concerned about the two big losses, 5-1 against JCT and 4-1 Dempo. “We do not have any big-bodied overseas player playing in the defence and need to work on that area.”

“I am sure our coach Stanley has made plans to fix it once we get started with practice after reaching Shillong”, says Gumpe.

Lajong will play their next match against Air India in Sunday, October 18. “It’s good that we will be playing our next three matches are home, we must utilise the home advantage.”

Air-India has always been a tough nut to crack. Though playing in the high altitude is a challenge for any visiting team, but Gumpe feels that it would not be that difficult for the Airmen. Bimal Ghosh’s team boasts of numerous Northeastern players who are well acclimatized playing in such conditions.

An interesting match would surely be on the cards and one would welcome Shillong as the latest I-League venue!

Ghosh wary of opponents’ competence

2009-10-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

Air India coach Bimal Ghosh showed full respect for his opponents, newcomers Pune FC.

On Thursday evening, Air India will meet Pune FC in Pune to play their round 2 I-League match. In fact, this will be the first match for Air India as their earlier match was postponed due to heavy rainfall.

Ghosh is aware of the strengths of Pune FC. In their earlier encounter in the IFA Shield, Air India got the better of Pune FC (the match finished 2-1 in favour of Air India) but the Air India coach reiterated that come Thursday, it would be a different ball game all together – different format, different pitch and above all, different conditions with the backing of the home crowd.

Ghosh expects a stiff challenge from the Pune lads, especially, after their impressive debut match against East Bengal last week. Inclusion of the Brazillian striker, Edmar Figueira, has increased the striking ability of Pune FC. It is a definite worry for Air India as he is an unknown factor.

Meanwhile, in the Pune FC camp, the players were relaxed and the mood was upbeat. Izumi Arata, who scored the only goal against Air India in the previous encounter, was confident and insisted that he would just give his best!

Arata’s best performance against his former club

2009-10-13T02:20:00.000-07:00

The Japanese Player of Indian Origin is happy with his play against East Bengal in Pune FC's I-League debut.

He had turned out for East Bengal in the I-League just two-seasons ago, however, East Bengal did not retain him. He had a mediocre last two seasons with Mahindra United. He has since joined the newly promoted I-League Division 1 team, Pune Football Club (PFC).

Meet the the attacking midfielder, who is filling the PIO quota for Pune FC, Neelkantha Narendra Khambolja, or popularly, Izuma Arata.

Arata yesterday played exceedingly well against his former club. His powerful shot pierced East Bengals’ defence, and only found the keeper before the goal-net.

Talking to IndianFootball.com, Arata insisted that there was no such urge to give the best agianst his former club, but there was enormous crowd support, so that motivated him to give his best.

When asked about his reaction when missing the man-of-the-match (MOM) award narrowly to defender Chika Wali, team man Arata promptly responded, “It really does not matter to me who gets the MOM award, we played well, and one of my teammate got the award.”

"I am happy!", laughs Arata.

Arata is gradually living up to his billing. Maybe this season of I-League will provide him the platform.

Ulaganathan is proud of Odafe's feat

2009-09-24T01:42:00.000-07:00

Scoring a hat-trick is a difficult task and that too in the finals – a rare feat! Odafe Onyeka Okolie has achieved this accomplishment in the 2009 Durand Cup final against Mohun Bagan yesterday.

However, Odafe is not the only one who has achieved this rare feat. Way back in 1974, football star of the 1970's, N. Ulaganathan tricked JCT's defence, and scored three goals against them. In that exciting Durand Cup final, Mohun Bagan got the better of JCT by 3-2.

Talking to IndianFootball.Com from Bangalore, Ulaganathan was elated, "I am proud that Odafe has joined me, I was quite feeling alone for many decades." Laughs Ulaga, who was popularly known by this name to his Kolkata football fans.

"It is always difficult to score so many goals in the finals - lot of pressure, you get the best opponent, and you are always marked. Odafe is a great player and he displayed his class in the final," adds Ulaganathan.

Bangalore Kickers lift the BDFA 3rd Division title

2009-09-24T01:38:00.000-07:00

Bangalore Kickers defeated Jawahar Union 2-1 in a keenly contested match to win the BDFA 3rd Division title.

Both teams gained a promotion spot to the B Division after impressive performances in the league.

Jawahar Union, coached by veteran Thyaga Rajan, lead by a solitary goal in the first half. Bangalore Kickers came from behind in the second half with a flurry of attacks two slot in two goals.

'Fair Play Day' observed by BDFA

The BDFA organized a prize distribution ceremony for the 2008-2009 B and C Division leagues after the match. Cash prizes and several individual awards were given away to the winners.

Further a unique football press photography award was given away to the print media to promote football in Bangalore.

Bangalore Football Stadium to become 'weather-proof'

2009-09-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

The process has started to make football pitches in India weatherproof – be it incessant rain or scorching heat, the grass shall always remain green in the football stadiums.

As IndianFootball.Com reported a few days back, the representatives from FIFA inspected the Bangalore Football Stadium, home to the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA).

As a part of the "Win in India with India" initiative by FIFA, artificial turfs consultant, Dr. Eric Harrison visited the Bangalore Football Stadium on Thursday, September 17. Dr. Harrison was also accompanied by Chrysantha Perera, FIFA's Assistant Development officer who is also the CEO of Football Federation of Sri Lanka.

The FIFA consultants expressed satisfaction over laying the synthetic turf in the stadium. The work should start anytime in January next year once the tendering process is completed. The installation typically takes four months.

The FIFA consultants are touring India to finalize the other locations for artificial turfs.

Former Bangalore city footballer Amal Dass dead

2009-09-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

Former Bangalore city footballer, Amal Dass, expired on Friday, September 11. He was 77 years of age and was suffering from long illness.

Dass, who played in the forward position, represented Services in the Santosh Trophy. He was also a part of the Rovers Cup winning team of 1966 which won the then prestigious tournament.

He regularly turned out for EME Secunderabad in several other national-level tournaments, including Durand Cup and Chakola Gold Cup.

A breath of fresh air in the Bangalore football scene

2009-09-02T01:54:00.000-07:00

Current football season in Bangalore is definitely not going to be a boring affair for the footballers as well as for the football lovers.

Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) has roped in a sponsor for the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) league.

Leading sports management company, SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. will be conducting the BDFA league for this season. Speaking to the IndianFootball.Com, KSFA president, AR Khaleel gave this news. Also, he was cheerful about the fact that this initiative will bring in more professionalism to the game here. There will be various cash rewards for the best performing teams and players, added Mr. Khaleel.

Earlier, the IndianFootball.Com had covered an article on the grass-root level initiatives taken by SPT Sports in Bangalore. Sponsoring the local league is a new foray in the sports management space for SPT Sports.

The Bangalore Football Stadium is also readying for a major facelift. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has selected the Bangalore Football Stadium as one of the 10 venues for laying synthetic turf. Mr. Khaleel said that the ground experts from FIFA will inspect the Bangalore Football Stadium on September 14.

This plan will be done under the Win in India with India project. The experts will also inspect the grounds in Imphal, Shillong, Hoshiarpur, and Cooperage.

AFC Referees Day awards
Celebrating AFC Referees Day, the KSFA awarded Vijayakumar, employee of the Postal department as the referee of the year. The best assistant referee award was given to Andrew Shekhar, employee of AGORC.

KSFA to celebrate AFC Referees Day

2009-08-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

Asian Referees Day, the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) initiative to recognize the contribution of the referees in the game will be celebrated with much fanfare at the Bangalore Football Stadium on tomorrow, September 1, at 4 pm.

Earlier, to acknowledge the referees in the wonderful game of football, the AFC had decided to celebrate September 1 as the Asian Referees Day.

On the similar lines of AIFF, the KSFA too will honor two local football referees. The name of the recipient will be announced during the celebration.

A friendly football match will be played between the Referees XI and the Former State Footballers XI.

Edu signs for Mohammedan Sporting

2009-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Come Sunday, August 30, Brazilian Eduardo Escober or popuarly Edu will don the black and white colors, and turn out for Mohammedan Sporting against Lajong F C, Shillong in the IFA Shield.

Edu played for JCT Mills, Ludhiana in the last two seasons. He was a goal machine for JCT Mills in his first season in the I-league 1st division, however, he failed to keep the same momentun in last season, and later released from JCT Mills.

Edu embarked in Kolkata two days ago and was waiting for his formal clearence from his previous club. He joined the practice session today and later completed the signing formalities in the IFA tent.

Edu exuded confidence in today’s practice session – be it converting goals from the dead ball situations or creating passes to his fellow strikers. He was quite satisfied with his own performance, but reckoned that it will take another month to reach to his prime form.

Coach, Shabbir Ali expressed his satisfaction in Edu’s form. In the IFA Shield, Mohammedan Sporting will go out to play with two foreigners, Brazillian Edu and Nigerian Peter Odafe.

Breather for Snehasis
The IFA, today reduced the penalty ammount of Snehasis from Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 50,000. He is now free to play for the Green and Maroon brigade. Earlier, in a highly debatable decision, the IFA Players’ Status Committee penalized the mid-fielder for forging his signature in the contract paper. Interestingly, Snehasis’ previous club, East Bangal was given a clean chit by the committee.

IFA Shield fixtures out

2009-08-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

The Indian Football Association (IFA) has released the fixture of the 114th edition of IFA Shield. The tournament kicks off on August 30 with the game between Mohammedan Sporting Club (SC) and Lajong Football Club (FC), Shillong.

The teams are divided into 4 groups with each group comprising of 3 teams. The winner of each group will qualify for the semi-final spot.

Senegal team, Association Sportive (AS) Douanes, Dakar will add the African flair in the tournament, Tata Football Academy (TFA) has been the qualified to play in this tournament after winning the Prodyut Dutta Memorial Cup, and the rest all are the I-League teams.

The final will be played on September 12. ESPN will telecast the 2 semi-finals and final live from the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Salt Lake.

The organizer, IFA is yet to decide on the venues for the league matches. The probable venues would be Mohun Bagan Athletic Club (AC) ground, Howrah Municipal Stadium, Vidyasagar Krirangan, Barasat, and Kalyani Municipal Stadium.

Participating teams and groups

Group A

East Bengal
Chirag United
TFA

Group B

Mohammedan SC
Lajong FC
Churchil Brothers

Group C

Mohun Bagan AC
Camelia George Telegraph
Mahindra United

Group D

Air India
Pune Football Club (FC)
AS Douanes

Fixtures

August 30, 2.45 pm: Mohammedan SC v/s Lajong FC, Mohun Bagan ground
August 30, 2.45 pm: Air India v/s Pune FC, Howrah Municipal Stadium
September 1, 2.45 pm: Chirag United SC v/s Tata Football Academy, Mohun Bagan ground
September 1, 2.45 pm: Camelia George Telegraph v/s Mahindra United, Khardah Stadium
September 2, 2.45 pm: Mohammedan SC v/s Churchill Brothers SC, Barasat Stadium
September 2, 2.45 pm: AS Douanes v/s Air India, Howrah Municipal Stadium
September 3, 2.45 pm: East Bengal v/s Tata Football Academy, Barasat Stadium
September 3, 2.45 pm: Mohun Bagan AC v/s Camelia George Telegraph, Mohun Bagan ground
September 4, 2.45 pm: Churchill Brothers SC v/S Lajong FC, Mohun Bagan ground
September 5, 2.45 pm: AS Douanes (Senegal) v/s Pune FC, Howrah Municipal Stadium
September 6, 2.45 pm: East Bengal v/s Chirag United SC, Barasat Stadium
September 6, 2.45 pm: Mohun Bagan AC v/s Mahindra United, Mohun Bagan ground

September 8, 3.05 pm: 1st Semi-final (Winner of group B v/s Winner of group D), Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Saltlake
September 9, 3.05 pm: 2nd Semi-final (Winner of group A v/s Winner of group C), Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Saltlake

September 12, 3.05 pm: Final (Winner of 1st Semi-final v/s 2nd Semi-final), Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Saltlake

Sub-junior national championship kicks off in September

2009-08-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

Coca Cola sponsored sub-junior (under-15) national football championship will get started in the last week of September. On a press release issued by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), all the member state associations are directed to conduct inter-school, -district, or –club tournaments to select players for the state team.

The teams are divided into four groups and each group is based on a zone. The preliminary group stage matches will be held in four different venues. The final round will be held either in Delhi or Haryana.

The final round will be played in a round-robin format, with top two teams from each group qualifying along with the last editions winner, Mizoram and the host team, either Delhi or Haryana.

Participating teams and groupings

Group I – South-West Tamil Nadu Karnataka Kerala Pondicherry Goa Maharashtra Gujarat Daman and Diu	Group II – East West Bengal Orissa Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Bihar Chhattisgarh Rajasthan Andaman and Nicobar Island
Group III – North-East Manipur Nagaland Arunachal Pradesh Sikkim Assam Meghalaya Tripura	Group IV – North Delhi Uttaranchal Punjab Uttar Pradesh Chandigarh Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Haryana
Final round teams Host team (Delhi or Haryana) Mizoram (last year’s winner) Winner of Group I Runner up of Group I Winner of Group II Runner up of Group II Winner of Group III Runner up of Group III Winner of Group IV Runner up of Group IV

Three Pune FC players in the Junior camp

2009-08-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Jeje Lal Pekhlua, Lal Rozama, and Ajinkya Desai of Pune Football Club (FC) have been called up for the final selection of the junior camp to be held at Goa.

Senior Pune FC team members, Jeje Lal Pekhlua and Lal Rozama will attend the National under-19 camp and under-17 Pune FC team member, Ajinkya Desai will attend the National under-16 camp.

The under-19 team will participate in the AFC Championship qualifiers in November and the under-16 team will participate in the AFC Championship qualifiers at Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi in October this year.

Interestingly, all the 3 players have been a part of Pune FC since inception. This is indeed a great day for Pune FC, who has taken up the youth development program with utmost sincerity.

Practice match updates for the Kolkata clubs

2009-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

East Bengal started their initial practice match on the soil of Myanmar on a spoilt note.

East Bengal lost to Yadanarbon FC by 2-1, the match was played on Sunday, August 16 at the Bahtoo Stadium, Mandalay. The visitors were leading by a goal from Harmanjot Khabra, however, they failed to hold the lead and went on conceding two goals at the later part of second half.

In their second practice match on Wednesday, August 19, East Bengal will play against Yangon United FC at the Aung San Stadium, Yangon. This team is the current runner-up of the Myanmar National League Cup 2009.

East Bengal fans would sincerely hope Subhas Bhowmik’s boys would put up much better show ahead of the long football season.

Mohun Bagan won their 4th practice match against a local team on August 15 in Burdwan, 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Kolkata.

Chiddi Edeh (2) and Suraj Mondal scored for Bagan. The local team compromised of few footballers who play in the Kolkata Premier League.

Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan might shift venue for the second phase of their pre-season camp. Earlier, they had planned for a 5-day camp at Durgapur, 182 kilometers (113 miles) from Kolkata. However, Bagan coach Karim was not impressed by the ground conditions at Durgapur and requested the club management for a location close to Kolkata, which provides better quality ground.

Team might opt to practice in Shantiniketan, 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Kolkata.

Mohun Bagan wins practice match against Army XI

2009-08-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Settling down on the plains after their pre-season camp at the hills in North Bengal, Mohun Bagan kicked-off their parctice match on a decent note.

Playing against the Army XI on Thursday, August 13, Mohun Bagan won by 3-0. The goal scorers were Chidi Edeh, Tomba Singh, and Suraj Mondal. Bagan was leading by a solitary goal in the first half.

Shantha Kumar and foreign recruit Chidi played well for Mohun Bagan. Chidi had put several crosses, which was wasted by the strikers.

Mohun Bagan played much better in the second half after the introduction of Tomba Singh, Snehasish Chakraborty, and Suraj Mondal.

On Tuesday, August 11, Mohun Bagan won their first practice match against Calcutta Customs by 2-0, Snehashis Chakraborty and Biswajit Saha scored the goals for Bagan.

Talking to IndianFootball.com, Coach Karim expressed his satisfaction over team’s performance. However, he recons there are areas of minor concern, which he would like to set straight before his team gets into the business in IFA Shield.

Squad for the first-half against Army XI: Sangram Mukherjee, Karan Atwal, Anandvasan, Sangram Mandi, Biswajit Saha, Ishfaq Ahmed, Manish Mathani, Subho Kumar, Santha Kumar, Kartick Kisku, Chidi Edeh.

Drama revolving around Nehru Cup

2009-08-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

As India gets ready to defend their title for the Nehru cup, the tournament has now reduced to a mere 5-team competition.

At first, it was Thailand who expressed their inability to send their senior team and requested the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to include their under-19 team for the tournament. However, AIFF rejected the idea, and roped in Palestine as the sixth team.

Now there was more twist in the tale - Palestine Football Association Association had different ideas, rather than fielding their full strength national squad they decided to field a club team. Quite understandably, AIFF dropped the Palestine team from the tournament.

This is an absolute insult to the tournament, which was once regarded as the best football tournament in Asia and ranked 18th in the World.

Nehru Cup was launched in 1982 with much fanfare. In the 80s, Nehru Cup truly lived up to its potential. Football lovers in India got a chance to see quality football from Argentina, Uruguay, Russia (erstwhile USSR), Poland, and Hungary.

World Cuppers like Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay, 1982), Jorge Luis Burruchaga (Argentina, 1984), Neri Pompidou (Argentina, 1984), Laszlo Kiss (Hungary, 1984), Rinat Dasayev (Russia) displayed their football skills in India.

India, though, most of the time was in the receiving end, but played some exemplary football against the tough opponents - against Uruguay in 1983, Argentina in 1984, and Poland in 1988.

Under the tutelage of great Yugoslav coach Ciric Milovan, India perhaps played the best ever football against Argentina in 1984. India was successful in defending the Argentine attack till the 79th minute. World Cup winning coach, Carlos Bilardo, coached the Argentine team. Apparently, it was the same team that formed the nucleus of the successful World Cup campaign in 1986. The Argentina team in the 1984 Nehru Cup had World Cuppers like Jorge Luis Burruchaga, Neri Pompidou, and Sergio Batista.

Another unforgettable match was against the mighty Poland team in 1988. Amal Dutta's team was dominating the proceedings and was leading by a goal in the first half. Poland somehow managed to level score at the later part of second half.

In the 90s, Nehru Cup started loosing its sheen as AIFF settled for relatively lesser known teams. Nehru Cup was an annual event till 1989, later it became a biennial event due to scarcity of funds. The tournament was shelved after 1997 owing to lack of sponsorship and other matters. The tournament resurfaced in 2007 as ONGC Nehru Cup.

It was our current national coach Bob Houghton’s influence that helped to revive the Nehru Cup in 2007 and India emerged victorious. However, the revived version had less ranked teams. Most people had seen this more of a deliberate ploy as to improve FIFA rankings. Rather than fighting and going down to the high-ranked teams, one would expect India to win against teams similar or lesser in FIFA ranking.

Teams like Thailand (117) and Palestine (177) does not have great FIFA rankings, yet AIFF has failed to plan and make use of the FIFA international calendar.

Medical negligence claims former footballer's life

2009-08-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

Sheer medical negligence from hospital authorities claimed the life of former Karnataka state footballer Menous Subramani (44).

Subramani was on the way to his office at Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) complex when he complained about breathlessness. He went to a nearby hospital to seek medical attention and waited for 45 minutes to get a first aid treatment.

However, realizing that his blood pressure has dropped, the hospital authorities advised him to visit a hospital, which is equipped with better medical facilities. To add to the woes, he could not avail the hospital ambulance as it was under repair. Subramani's condition deteriorated due to the delay in treatment. While reaching the other hospital, Subramani felt unconscious, and died before the doctors could conduct an ECG test.

Subramani had represented Karnataka at the junior level, he was associated with training, and other football activities in the city. He was working with ITI for the last two decades.

Advantages of conducting pre-season training camps

2009-08-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

A new trend started in the last few seasons - Pre-season training camp. What is this training camp all about?

Currently, almost all the I-League teams, both the 1st and 2nd division second teams are going through the pre-season training camp. And guess what, most team prefers to carry out their pre-season training camp outside the regular places - locations where one would least expect a football team camping for couple of weeks.

So, if East Bangal chooses a serene beach resort in the outskirts of Puri, then the arch-rival Mohun Bagan chooses a hill resort encapsulated by fog, some 18 km away from the hill station Kalimpong. If Pune Football Club feels that the artificial grasses in Goa are good for their pre-season campaign, then Mohammedan Sporting feels that training on the loose sands of the Digha beach would help the players for the coming season.

I am not going to delve into the technicalities of pre-season training camp, but the basic essence of conducting a pre-season training camp are as follows:

Fitness training
Players resume their club after a long vacation, it is important for them to be in good physical condition. This training enables them to bring back their fitness level in shape.

Endurance training
A calculated way of exercising to increase the stamina. Endurance training strengthens and help build muscles. Classic example of endurance training would be a 5-km run across the beach or through the hilly terrains.
Team bonding
Another important aspect, which is highly emphasised these days. Different players embarking to the club from different parts of the country, globe, etc. This is the right time to understand each other and gel as a cohesive unit. Excellent off the field understanding among the players’ definetely helps the team in the field.

Apart from the technical aspects there are also other aspects involved when you are conducting a pre-season training camp outside the club – a strong sense of community bonding.

A classic example to this is Mohun Bagan pre-season training to Kalimpong. Nobody has ever heard that Kalimpong boasts of excellent football facilities. However, this hill town’s geographical location is ideal for fitness and endurance training. Team management wisely chose a resort, which is away from the Kalimpong city, idyll, and not visited by the tourists at this part of the year. Even after a strenuous training session, the team nicely integrated with the local folks. The locals celebrated Rakhi Dore, (Rakhsha Bandhan) with the team and presented local souvenirs to the team followed by some cultural program. A Kodak football moment of peace and integration!

Later when Mohun Bagan turned out to play a friendly match against the local club, there were around 8000-odd spectators who flocked to the stadium ignoring heavy rain and stormy weather. Mohun Bagan club secretory, Anjan Mitra reciprocated a similar feeling by contributing the match gate fee for the development of football in Kalimpong.

As the team prepares to leave Kalimpong tomorrow, they have won the hearts of the locals. Now, it is up to the decision of the management to leverage the momentum generated by the pre-season camp. Maybe they can induct few local talents in their academy, MBSFA or play an exhibition match to encourage the local football.

Very similar thing was planned by Chirag United for their pre-season training camp at Murshidabad, local aspiring footballers would have benefited a lot. Unfortunately, their stay was reduced only to 3-days.

Final take

Lest we get overboard with the *other aspects* of the pre-season training camps, it is football what matters. You make new friends, win the heart of locals, all that are fine. But, ultimately all boils down to a 90-minute game.

Let’s hope the coaches and the footballers utilized the pre-season camp to the fullest. Players are refreshed, toned up, and fully fit and ready to display an entertaining game of football in the coming season.

John Anthony passes away

2009-08-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

A. John Anthony, former Karnataka state footballer passed away after a huge cardiac arrest in Bangalore on Tuesday, August 4. He was 54 years old.

The talented midfielder had played for the 515 Army Base Workshop team for two-decades, 1974 – 1994. Anthony also represented the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) XI in the prestigious Nizam Gold Cup tournament in Hyderabad in 1978.

AIFF's apathy towards the Olympians

2009-08-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

You request for pension to the highest football body of the country and in response you get a grant of meagre Rs.25,000.

All the 9 surviving players out of the 18-member Indian football team, who helped India to reach through the semi-finals of the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne had decided to return their grant sent by the AIFF.

A couple of months back, the footballers from the golden-era had requested the AIFF to provide pension to the former footballers, very similar to the initiative taken by the highest cricket body of India, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, in return all the Olympians had received a cheque of Rs.25,000 as a grant from the AIFF Secretory, Alberto Colaco.

This action by AIFF has upset the veteran players, they are hurt by the use of the term "grant". The players feel that they have played for the nation and they do not require any kind of grant.

The surviving players who represented India at the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne are Samar (Bardu) Banerjee (Captain), Tulsidas Balaram, Nikhil Nandy, PK Banerjee, Krishna Chandra (Kesto) Pal, Ahmed Hussain, Shankar Narayan, Mohammad Zulfikaruddin, and Mohammad Abdus Salam.

Injury scare for Barreto, to miss IFA Shield

2009-08-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

Darling of the Mariners, Jose Ramirez Barreto's injury has forced himself to be out of the IFA Shield action.

Barreto had picked this calf-muscle injury on his right leg while he was in Brazil. At Kalimpong, during the pre-season he felt the pain again, didn’t want to aggrevate the injury, and refrained himself from practicing.

Coach Kareem does not want to take risk right at the start of the season and wants Barreto to take proper medical attention so that he will be fully fit for the long and exhaustive I-League.

Barreto returns to Calcutta today. He will go through a thorough medical test including few physiotherapy sessions.

Barreto is visibly upset about the entire incident, but he vouches that he will be back in action at the earliest for the sake of the team.

Bay of Bengal beckons Mohammedan Sporting

2009-08-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Red and Golden brigade has opted for sea, the Mariners have opted for misty clad mountain, and now it is Bay of Bengal for the Black and White brigade.

Mohammedan Sporting has started phase two of their pre-season camp at Digha, a seaside town at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal, 183 km from Calcutta.

A couple of weeks back, Mohammedan Sporting had kicked-off their pre-season campaign at the club ground. However, to stress on the fitness level and the team spirit among the footballers the team management has decided to hold a residential camp.

This year's team is a heady mixture of youth and experience. Big club veterans, Dipendu Biswas, Dipankar Roy, and Sashti Duley will be turning out for Mohammedan Sporting this time along with foreigners Theodore Sunday Wrobeh and Peter Odafe. The team has almost retained the newcomers from last year.

"Training on the sand should increase the fitness level, also, the hotel is equipped with gymnasium and swimming pool", reckons Coach Shabbir Ali.

Old warhorse, Dipendu Biswas fully obliged to coach's view. He feels that such a camp of 12-14 days would do a world for good for the players.

After the Cobra training by East Bengal and Mongoose training by Mohun Bagan, let us wait and watch what's Shabbir's team up to!

The other side of Kalyan Chaubey

2009-08-01T05:19:00.001-07:00

What would a soccer player do at his spare time? Spend quality time with his family, help the football coaching camp at his neighbourhood, work as a commentator for a sports channel, or double up as a columnist for a news daily.

But one would never think of a translating a 280-odd-page book in his playing heydays and that too on a topic, which is remotely related to football. That’s Kalyan Chaubey for you, TFA graduate, former national keeper, and currently on the rolls of Mumbai FC.

Kalyan has translated an entire book from English to Bengali (his first language) on the daily life of Sai Baba of Shirdi, miraculous Guru and Yogi who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of god. He has achieved this feat with any assistance from co-authors.

This is indeed a great achievement, may Sai Baba bestow his blessings to you!

Mohun Bagan Day celebrations, Mohun Bagan Ratna to Samar (Badru) Banerjee

2009-07-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Amidst much fanfare, the National Club of India celebrated Mohun Bagan day on July 29. The event also witnessed the Mohun Bagan Ratna being conferred to the Olympian, former captain of Mohun Bagan and National team, Samar (Badru) Banerjee.

Seemed like the football roads were all leading to the Mohun Bagan ground. It was a galaxy of sorts, where the current, budding, and former footballers from past seven decade blessed the occasion. Not to forget the thousands of Mohun Bagan fans who were present at the Mohun Bagan tent to celebrate the famous win of 1911.

This win naturally ignites the pride and passion among the players as well as fans over the years.

The Mohun Bagan tent and the club lawn were all decked up for the occasion along with the bright green and maroon lights. A huge stage was put at at the right side of the ground, where the felicitation ceremony, cultural extravaganza, and dinner ceremony took place.

The event kicked off with a series of exhibition football matches. U-13 teams of Veterans Club and Mohun Bagan Club locked their horns. The match had all its excitement but ended in a goal less draw.

The next match was played between the former Mohun Bagan players, Shib Das Bhaduri XI vs Bijoy Das Bhaduri XI. Both football legends who had donned the colors of Mohun Bagan and above all the winning member of the epic 1911 IFA Shield. Such was the excitement of the match that a total of 85 footballers were divided into two teams. The players from the 50’s to the 90s, all exibited their fine skills and reminded of the glorious past of Calcutta football. Finally, Bijoy Das Bhaduri XI got the better of his sibling team, Shib Das Bhaduri XI, and worn the match 3-2.

The name of the few players who played the match includes, Kannan, Syed Nayeemuddin, Shibaji Banerjee, Jo Paul Ancheri, Pranab Ganguly, Abdul Khaleq, Achintya Belel, Sukhen Sengupta, Gouranga Banerjee, Sudip Chakraborty, Uttam Mukherjee, Hemanta Dora, Pradip Talukdar, Krishnagopal Chowdhury, Gunabir Singh, Amit Das, Saumitra Chakraborty.

The final exhibition match was played between the Artist Forum XI and the Sports Journalist XI. Also, this match between the amateurs was a closely contested match, and ended in a 1-1 draw.

The members of the Mohun Bagan fans club had organized a photo exhibition of the club's history, former and current players along with some memorable moments of Mohun Bagan Ratna, Samar (Badru) Banerjee.

Football legends, Sailen Manna, P. K. Banerjee, and Chuni Goswami witnessed the entire proceedings. The legends rose to the stage to give away the much-coveted Mohun Bagan Ratna to Samar (Badru) Banerjee. Also, on the same stage the officials took the opportunity to introduce each of the players and the coaching staff for the current season to the fans and members.

Also present in the occassion were the Mohun Bagan coach, Karim Benchariffa, IFA secretary Utpal Ganguly, CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya, and numerous other players who have made Mohun Bagan proud.

Photo courtesy: Tridip Sheet and Sumanta Mishra

Pre-season practice blues for Chirag United

2009-07-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

What could have been a nice built up for the upcoming football season, turned out to be a damp squib. Chirag United's pre-season camp at the historic town of Murshidabad came to a pre-mature end and the team has shifted their base to Kalyani, 65 km from Kolkata.

Excessive power cut has been the main reason to shift the camp from Murshidabad to Kalyani. Chirag United will hold a four week camp at Kalyani; pre-season camp at Murshidabad lasted only for a week.

Team management chose to practice at the serene location of Lalbag, which lies close to the bank of river Baghirathi. However, after six hours of strenuous practice session (three hours each in the morning and evening), players were not able to sleep properly due to power cut. To top it up, there were disturbances from mosquitoes and other insects.

This decision has deprived the local budding talents, who could have learned a lot by witnessing the quality practice sessions from Chirag United.

Mohun Bagan fans prepare to celeberate Mohun Bagan day

2009-07-29T04:43:00.000-07:00

The recent spate of controversies cannot be a good enough reason to dampen the spirits of the Mohun Bagan fans as they prepare themselves to celebrate Mohun Bagan day.

Though Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was established in the year 1889, but Mohun Bagan day is celebrated on July 29, the day when the club defeated the mighty East Yorkshire Regiment by 2 – 1 to lift the IFA Shield back in 1911. Mohun Bagan was the first Indian club to have won the IFA Shield.

This year’s Mohun Bagan Ratna will be conferred to Samar (Badru) Banerjee, footballer Olympian, former captain of India and Mohun Bagan.

The club is organizing the following exhibition matches to celebrate the occasion:

Mohun Bagan under-13 Junior Team vs. Veterans Sports Club under-13 Junior Team
Match between the former players of the club
Calcutta Sports Journalists Club vs Artists’ Forum

The matches will start at 1 pm in the club ground.

Later in the evening, Mohun Bagan Ratna will be the main attraction along with other cultural programme. The proceedings will conculde with a sumptous gala dinner.

Ancheri to take charge of Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy

2009-07-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

Come the month of August, the students of Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy (MBSFA) will get a new coach in Jo Paul Ancheri. The former National Senior captain has agreed to take this assignment.

MBSFA, a joint venture between Mohun Bagan and Steel Authority of India is situated in Durgapur, West Bengal.

Ancheri started his football career with State Bank of Travancore (SBT) in 1992. Later he went on playing for almost all the leading football clubs in India, Mohun Bagan, JCT, FC Cochin, East Bengal, etc. He retired as a player few seasons back.

Recently, Ancheri has taken up football coaching and was associated with the National under-13 as an assistant coach and manager.

Ancheri entertained the football lovers by playing in various positions, defender, defensive midfielder, midfielder, and striker.

IndianFootball.com wishes him luck for the new endeavor. May many more Ancheris emerge under his tutelage!

Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy celebrates 6th anniversary

2009-07-29T04:28:00.000-07:00

The endeavor, which was started by the National Club of India, Mohun Bagan and the largest integrated iron and steel producer in India, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy (MBSFA), celebrated their 6th anniversary on Monday, July 20.

Mohun Bagan is perhaps the only club in India to run a full-fledged residential football academy. MBSFA is located at the industrial town of Durgapur, 113 miles from Kolkata.

The colorful celebration was kicked-off by the flag hoisting ceremony by Mr. Jeebesh Mishra, ED, Durgapur Steel Plant, SAIL.

Displaying academy’s bright future in coming days, the facility was decorated with sparkling green and maroon lights.

To encourage football among the local school wards, MBSFA organized a 2-day long inter-school football tournament. This tounament was divided in three groups, grade II, III, and IV.

General Secretory of Mohun Bagan club, Mr. Anjan Mitra, senior club official, Mr. Debasish Dutta, and various other club offcials and their families were present in this occasion.

Mr. Mitra encouraged the participants and the academy wards. The celebration concluded with a friendly football match between the academy officials and the guardians of the participating students.

MBSFA has produced players like Sankar Oraon, Reisangmi Vasum, Rahul Kumar, Sanjoy Boro, and Suman Bose who are currently playing for the top football clubs in India.

Grass-root initiatives by SPT Sports in Bangalore

2009-07-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

As a part of a grass-root initiative, leading sports management company, SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. runs three football academies in Bangalore, and Sunfeast ably supports this venture.

“The main aim of our academy is to develop football skills among children below 16 years,” said Kanishka Saran, Vice President, SPT Sports.

Kanishka also talked about the following programs that SPT Sports runs in Bangalore:

Sunfeast Football Academy program
SPT Sports flagship academy, located in Sarjapur Road, in the outskirts of Bangalore boasts over 500 children participating in various year-long training programs, summer camps, and winter camps. For the last 3 years, Sunfeast – ITC Foods is supporting this initiative.

Over the years, this academy has grown from strength to strength – added two more academies that are catering to different pockets in Bangalore. Eight footballers cum qualified trained professionals take care in honing the football skills among the children. The coaching classes are conducted four days a week in the regular program with children grouped in different age and skill levels.

Talent hunt program
This is perhaps the largest talent hunt football program in Bangalore. Scouting talent for the future development programs at the Sunfeast Football Academy, this program covers over 60 schools and 1500 children.

The winners from each school get to participate in the finals at the Sunfeast Football Academy. The overall winners are inducted in the Sunfeast Football Academy advanced training programs for free of cost.

Sunfeast village football
The SOCCER-A-CHILD program was kicked off in August 2007. The main objective of the program is to reach out to the rural talent. Four villages around Bangalore have been adopted under this program.

The Sunfeast Football Academy coaches provide free coaching to the children in these villages twice a week.

The idea is to provide the children from the rural areas an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful game of football and identify potential talents.

Bagan assistant coach Satyajit Chatterjee resigns

2009-07-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

Mohun Bagan assistant coach, Satyajit Chatterjee announced his resignation on Tuesday, July 14. It is assumed that Satyajit did not wanted to be a second fiddle to someone who is junior to him in age. Also, rumor has it that he is not pleased with clubs over-dependency on chief coach, Karim Bencherifa, with whom at times Satyajit had differences in opinion.

A true loyalist, Satyajit had played for Mohun Bagan for 14 seasons on a trot. After retiring from the game, he was associated with his favorite club as an assistant coach. Earlier, he had assisted coaches like Amal Dutta and Carlos Roberto Perreira.

Know to be a true gentleman on and off the field, Satyajit never came out against the club, he silently put down his papers. However, he felt that he was not given his due recognition.

Another former Mohun Bagan player, Shyamal Banerjee is set to take the role of the assistant coach. Mohun Bagan’s pre-season camp starts in a few days.

May be Mohun Bagan management should think of utilizing Satyajit’s experience in some other areas or encourage him to complete the AFC License courses.

Senegalese flair in the IFA Shield

2009-07-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

Association Sportive (AS) Douanes, Dakar is all set to play in the 114th edition of IFA Shield. This football club based in Dakar, capital of Senegal.

Per the players’ list sent to the organizers, IFA, this club from Senegal consists of national stars like Vito Badiane, Karamba Diallo, Mor Diouf, Sidy Ndiaye, and Malick Fall.

Douanes in French means Customs, AS Douanes is mainly sponsored by the Government Customs Authority, Senegal.

All set to witness quality African football in the century-old football tournament!

Coach Karim crosses the first hurdle of AFC Licence A course successfully

2009-07-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

On his quest for completing the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) licence A course, Mohun Bagan coach, Karim Bencharifa has passed Module A successfully.

Apparently, AFC license A course is divided in two modules, A and B, and the duration of each module is two weeks. Module A of the AFC licence A course was held in Singapore from May 25 to June 6.

Bachelors of Sports graduate, Karim has completed a plethora of courses, including licence A course from Morocco, and perhaps the most qualified soccer coach serving in India. However, AFC does not recognize this course and Karim was adviced to take up AFC Licence A.

Interestingly, Morocco is ranked much higher than India in the FIFA rankings, and Karim’s licence A course from Morocco was not recognized by AFC. However, AFC recognized his Diploma from German Football Association, Leipzig, Germany equivalent to AFC licence B.

Karim needs to complete AFC Licence A - Module B successfully and then resume his duty in Mohun Bagan.

Best of luck, coach!

Corporate football extravaganza 2009

2009-07-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

National-level corporate football extravaganza, National Corporate Football Tournament – 2009, is all set to kick-off in August. In its 9th edition, this tournament is arguably the largest corporate football tournament in India.

Played in a 5-a-side Futsal format, the title sponsor for this event is Kingfisher. Other sponsors include, ING Life, Gati, and Playgroundonline.

Talking to IndianFootball.Com, the organizers, SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. provided this information. This tournament was started in Bangalore in 2001 and then the event has gradually grown to several other cities across India - Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata.

The winners from each city will be flown down to Bangalore for the national finals and the national winner will be awarded an all-expense-paid international holiday.

The event kicks-off in August in Hyderabad and then moves to other cities with the grand finale scheduled in November in Bangalore.

For more information, visit the SPT Sports website www.sptindia.com.

For the Bangalore-based corporate soccer freaks, SPT Sports is hosting an inter-corporate league in December.

For the wannabe soccer stars, SPT Sports is hosting an inter-school football tournament from October thru January next year. This event will be simultaneously hosted 4 cities across India, Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Lajong Football Club starts their pre-season camp

2009-07-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

New entrant to the I-League Division 1 Lajong Football Club (FC) has started their pre-season camp from today. Based in Shillong, this is the first club from North-east India who will be playing in the I-League Division 1.

Former national assistant coach, Stanley Rozario is the Lajong FC coach. The team practiced today at a picturesque practice pitch, which is located at the outskirts of the city.

Lajong FC has a good mix of local and out-stationed players. Coming to the big-stage for the first time, this team is eager to prove their worth.

Tete-a-tete with Gumpe Rime

2009-07-08T05:08:00.000-07:00

North-east of India has been a happy hunting ground for the national club recruiters. All the top national clubs have players from this region on their roster. However, you will barely find a player from Arunachal Pradesh. One such rare player who hails from Arunachal Pradesh is custodian Gumpe Rime, playing for the top clubs for almost one and half decade.

After playing for Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) six successful seasons, Gumpe is all set to keep the goal of the newly promoted first division I-league team, Shillong Lajong FC.

Q: Hi Gumpe, tell me what prompted to take you this decision?
A: I wanted to play for a first division club and Shillong Lajong FC is the first North-east club who will be playing in the I-league first division. I hail from North-east part of India, it will be a privilege for me to play for such a club and part of the history. And If my experience can be of any use then nothing like that.

Q: Tell us something about your childhood?
A: I come from a town named Aalo in Arunachal Pradesh. After my schooling, I was spotted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Guwahati, and groomed there for a while. I started playing for clubs since 1995.

Year
Club

1995-96 to 98-99
Mahindra United

1999-00
Bengal-Mubai Football Club (BMFC)

2000-01
Vasco Sports Club

2003-04
Salgaonkar Sports Club

2004-05 to 08-09
HAL

2009-10
Lajong FC

My experience while playing for BMFC has been quite frustrating, it was a mis-managed team where players were not payed regularly.

Some clubs appear all of a sudden and after couple of seasons they literally disappear from the scene; leaving the players in lurch.

I would like to bring to the notice of AIFF that they should check the credibility of these clubs before sanctioning their entity. Clubs like Chandni FC, Malabar FC, and Happy Entertaintment, gets a chance to play in the I-league (second division) and sad to see that HAL being left out.

Q: Goalkeping is a demanding job, how do you keep yourself fit, that too for so many years?
A: That way I have been fortunate enough, I have never got serious injuries while playing. But I do work on my fitness, during off-season I am regular at the training grounds.

Q: How was the experience playing in HAL?
A: Definitely good. After playing for so many years I am regarded as a home player.

However, they need to be more professional in their approach, there are many formalities and protocols to get the budget approved. This becomes frustrating many times.

Team management should stress on retaining talents. Lot of promising players plays for HAL during their formative years and then leaves for better growth. They should look at retaining the best talents.

Also, there is lack of involvement from the management. HAL Sports Club members are high-ranked HAL officials, you would barely find them interacting with the players. Except for sports secretory, Mr. Rajan, I don’t see anyone interacting with the players.

On the contrary, in Salgaoncar the owner himself would take his busy time out to talk and encourage the team.

Q: How is HAL team this year?
A: This current bunch looks good. Management has picked up the core of the Karnataka Santosh Trophy team, including some promising players from BEML. But as I have mentioned before, this is story happens every year, they fail to retain the talents.

Q: And what about your experience playing in Kolkata?
A: I had a short stint with Mohemadan, I’ve never played a full season there. Even during that time they changed coach many times, the management was bad. Players like Odafa and Chidi started their career in India by playing for Mohemadan. Pity that they could not retain them and later they dominated the India football scene.

Once, I had got offer from East Bengal, but I had to reject it for some reason. But yes, the media coverage is amazing, you don’t get it anywhere else in India.

Q: How is football played in North-east?
A: The local bodies in Manipur, Mizoram, Assam functions well. They have proper infrastructure, grass root level, and youth development programmes.

I am not sure about Arunachal Pradesh, the football association does not have enough funds. There is no local league in Arunachal Pradesh. The players should get proper exposure by participating in the tournaments outside Arunachal Pradesh.

This year the Arunachal Pradesh team participated in the under-21 nationals at Goa and the result was decent. Football should be played throughout the year. We have now two young players from Arunachal Pradesh, Nyamar Loyi and Tassar Techi playing for clubs. Hope they play well and make Arunachal Pradesh proud.

At times discipline becomes as issue among the North-east players. Reaching to a height is not difficult, maintaining is difficult.

We have Baichung Bhutia as our icon, but after that there is a void, there is no one even close to him.

Q: Any disappointment of not making to the national team?
A: I have played for India juniors. However, I was never selected for the senior team. I have attended national camps several times, but failed to make to the final squad. Mainly because our coaches preferred tall keepers.

Q: Who is your favorite goalkeeper?
A: I have always found Jorge Campos, the famous Mexican goalkeeper exciting. Not because of his flashy outfits, but for his agility. He did not have the height, but the kind of saves he made was amazing.

In India, I have seen Ghanaian international Edward Ansah’s keeping. He was playing in India when he was in his 40’s. Even at that age, he was one of the best keepers to have graced Indian football. Currently, Edward Ansah is the goal-keeping coach for Ghana.

Q: How long you want to continue playing football?
A: Another 3 years at the top level. (grins)

Q: Any post-retirement plans?
A: I have not made any plans yet. Definitely something related to football, maybe an instructor. I will leave it to my destiny. (smiles)

Q: Thanks Gumpe for your time and best wishes for your new venture.
A: Thanks and all the best to Indianfootball.com, keep up the good work!

Luisao, the Brazilian national defender to play for Chirag

2009-07-07T03:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a good hunting for Chirag as far as foreigners are concerned. They have roped Josimar da Silva Martins, 24 year Brazilian who plays in the striker position.

Chirag’s Brazilian Physio Djair Garcia has helped to get Josimar on their rolls. Josimar comes from National AC, Sao Paulo, and has earlier played in Russia.

If you thought that Josimar is the only catch, then you are absolutely wrong, hold your breath, it is the star defender Luisao, who has just represented Brazil in the successful Confederations Cup mission, is all set to play in the next I League.

27-years old Luisao currently plays for Benfica, Portugal.

If you have taken the later part of this article seriously, then you are at your own risk. Call it an early or a belated fool’s day celebration!

Djair and Luisao’s are family friends and they used stay in the same neighborhood in Sao Paulo. Luisao made a visit to Djair’s family last week, where they exchanged their jerseys.

On a serious note
Luisao is a very polite and simple person. He sincerely believes in the success of Indian football and wants to be a part of the Indian football in near future.

Karnataka footballer attempts suicide, dies in hospital

2009-07-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

Our apathy towards sportsperson resurfaced yet again. In a shocking incident on Friday night, city footballer, A Ravindran, popularly known as Velu, attempted suicide by consuming poison. He was rushed to the nearby private hospital. After battling for life in the ICU, Velu was declared dead on Saturday, July 6.

Velu was on the rolls of Controllerate of Inspection Electronics (CIL), now known as Centre for Quality Assurance of Electronics and Radar Development (CQAL & R) as a guest player. He had turned out for this team in the Bangalore District Football Division (BDFA) super division league for many seasons.

A tenth-grader Velu was frustrated with life. In his suicidal note, he had mentioned of not having a decent job and marriage. He had also alleged his former CIL coach, Shayam Shahi, for a false job promise.

Velu first represented Karnataka in 1998, later he was offered a contract job at the CIL canteen, which he left after a year.

Bangalore football in poor state

This incident again highlights the poor condition of the local footballers. Football in Bangalore is dominated by the Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) teams. These teams are cash-trapped with minimal or no budget allocated to the team. Few soccer-enthusiast officials run the show.

The better players migrate to a different club outside Bangalore, the rest settles down by playing as a guest player with meagre pay, and the frustrated ones end their life.

High time to think about the players who bring laurels to the club, state, and country. All is needed is a job security.

Officials speak

Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) officials said that the entire incident is bad for the state football. However, they stood by the former CIL coach, Shayam Shahi. Incidentally, Shahi has been associated with the game for many years in Bangalore in the capacity of a manager, coach, and football official. He has trained many footballers.

Xavier Vijaykumar, Captain, HAL:
My deepest condolences to Velu’s family! May his sould rest in peace.

I’ve played with him in the under-21 and –19 tournaments. He was a robust footballer, utility player who was accustomed to play in all positions, be it defence, mid-field, or striker.

He used to think a lot about the game and wanted to be associated with it even after retirement. It is sad that we are loosing such players.

Ateast a decent job should have prevented him from doing such an act. I am told that he was promised for some job, however, I am not going to the authenticity of this information.

Velu played for CIL for many years and also captained last season, rather that waiting here, maybe he should have looked for other opportunities, that too when he was at his prime time.

A.R. Khaleel, President, KSFA:
Paying 500-600 per month is no good, players should be paid enough so that they can lead a decent life, atleast 3000 per month.

Simple solution to this is that the government or PSU, who run their football teams should change their policy on channelizing the talents. Since 80’s funds stopped coming to these teams.

To run a football team in Bangalore, you need a minimum budget of 50 to 80 lakhs per year. When the team displays a good performance at the top-level, the mileage an organization gets is enormous; many times more than the football budget.

I could see HAL trying to manage their team professionally. Also, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Bangalore putting up a good effort.

Shayam Shahi, former coach, CIL and official, CIL:
Velu was hard working and was very good in speed and stamina, however, he was not a skillful player. He was ambitious but at the same time he was a short-tempered player.

Some wards told me that he was planning to end his life, however, we never paid heed to it.

When I first got the news, I could not believe it! I’ll try to help the family in my best possible capacity.

Gumpe Rime moves out of HAL

2009-07-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

Bangalore’s loss is Shillong’s gain. On the quest for the Bangalore footballers looking for greener pastures, here is the latest. Veteran custodian, Gumpe Rime is shifting his base. Come next season, he will don colors of newly promoted first division I-league team, Shillong Lajong FC.

Gumpe confirmed this news while speaking over phone.

“My main motivation in this game is to play at the highest level, I had a great time playing for HAL, but I would definitely like to be a part of a first division I-league team.” says Gumpe.

Pune Football Club – on the right track…

2009-07-05T04:34:00.000-07:00

When I look at the progression of Pune Football Club (FC), one question always comes to my mind – after qualifying for the first division I-league, now what?

Within second year of formation, Pune FC has been promoted to the first division I-league. This indeed is a commendable achievement. My recent trip to Pune provided me an opportunity to visit their office and ask the officials about the same.

Backed by a corporate partner, Pune FC is probably the only club that runs a professional football club in India. In the era of professionalizing Indian football, one would get a true sense of how a professional club operates, when you visit their facility at Pune.

The reception center was flooded with youths that have come to enroll themselves for the under-17 trials.

Dr. Ashok Kumar, who is the general manager of Pune FC, since its inception shared his views about the team composition for the coming season and nurturing local talents as a part of the youth development program.

The team is almost set, however, the players list could not be disclosed until the official formalities are done. But definitely national keeper Subrata Paul is the prize catch. Team management is also finalizing the quota of overseas players. 3+1 formation (three overseas players plus one from the Asian origin) has provided them an opportunity to look out for a top quality Asian player.

New coach, Derrick Perrira has taken charge of the team. He has met the players, prepared training schedule, and handed over the schedule to each of the players. This will ensure that the players keep themselves fit during off-season.

Pune FC, will kick-off the training session in the first week of July. Two newly-laid pitches are prepared near Hinjewadi, outskirts of Pune. Come this season, the team will be practicing there. Later, July 13, they will move to Goa for the preconditioning camp. This training would involve practicing in the artificial pitches.

As a preparation to I-League, the team is pinning hopes on participating in the Western India Football Association (WIFA) initiated Maharashtra State league. This league would provide exposure to play with the top teams in the state. “I am hopeful the state league starts in this season”. Adds Dr. Ashok.

Later Pune FC will be participating in the IFA Shield, Durand Cup, and Federation Cup. This should give the team to play at least 9-10 matches. “Good built-up for going to the main stage – I-league”, recons Dr. Askhok Kumar.

“Team is mostly likely going to play their I-league home matches at the Balewadi Sports complex”, confirms Chirag Tanna. Only concern is the distance that the fans needs to travel, as the Balewadi Sports complex falls in one corner of the city

Pune FC is emphasizing a lot on youth development program. This year they are introducing an under-17 team, they already have under-15 and under-19 teams on board. However, team management felt that there is an utmost need to bridge the gap, hence forming a team for the intermediate level. There are not many tournaments for the under-15 team, once they come out of the age group, it becomes difficult to retain the skills till under-19 level.

The new under-17 team will ensure that the talent is not gone lost, they will be smoothly transitioned to under-19, and finally they will be graduated to play for the senior team. The current senior teams boasts of two such under-19 players. Also, the new under-17 team will participate in the local league B division.

Norbert Gonsalves is heading the youth development program, ably supported by former Pune FC player, Gift Raikan. The youth development program is fully focused on spotting local talents.
Professional outlook towards the game has not yet come here. But the Pune lads are intelligent and possess good game sense. However, they don’t take the game seriously at the later stage. Hopefully, the youth development initiatives would do a world of good to the rookies, and they too can dream of making it big to the national and international level.

The team footballers are slowly getting recognized among the masses, thanks for the consistent good show over the last year. Numbers of enrollments for the age group team trials are doubled this year.

All set for a bright football season!

Bangalore footballers looking for greener pastures

2009-06-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you don’t have a team from Bangalore in the national level. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), who missed the second division I-League bus in the recently concluded season due to not conforming to the AIFF guidelines will soon loose some of their important players in the next season.

Thanks to their good performance in the ongoing Santosh Trophy, striker Dada Nabeel, mid-fielder Goutam Debnath, and defender Sumit Thapa are all set to join the premier division I-League clubs.

“I don’t see any problem, this was bound to happen”, says prominent football coach Andrews sir. “In this professional era, players would definitely want to earn more; this is the time for them to play and earn in a national level. They could not participate in the second divion I-League last season, and unsure about the coming season. So, I reckon this is a right decision.”

Andrews sir also adds, “Club management should look to it that their team is able to play the top-ranked national-level tournaments and ensure that their team conforms to the guidelines. Unfortunately, most of the city clubs are from the public sector, and public sector clubs functions unlike the other top-ranked football clubs”.

“Leaving HAL, I don’t see any team at par with the teams in the national scene. So you don’t really improve your game by only playing in the local league. When you go out, play in the national-level tournaments, you feel the difference, and then you raise your standard.”

HAL captain, Xaview VijayKumar opines that their team will not be weakened by the departure of these players. “We are in the process of making a good team for the coming season. Team management is working in tandem with the state and the district association to ensure our participation in the second division I-League, and I am sure we will be back with a bang in this season”.

“HAL football team is totally dependent on the sanctioned football budget. We can’t afford to pay high salary to the players, so they are bound to look for better growth.”

Asking about his own plans, Xavier says that he is very much a part of the HAL football team. “I am open to play for short stints, possibly on a loan, provided my club permits”. Xavier grins.

Football scene in Bangalore

2009-06-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

If you thought that India’s success in clinching its maiden Nehru Gold Cup and qualifying for the Asian cup after a gap of 24 years has lifted the enthusiasm for football in the country, then you are completely wrong.

Football is still played in few areas in the country. And in those areas where the game is played, the local governing body finds it extremely difficult to run the show – sponsors, infrastructure, fighting between two governing bodies, you name it!

Amidst such a mess, you will still find few servants of the game working effortlessly nurturing talents. These rare breeds’ keeps a very low profile, stays away from murky politics of the game, and works with the sole aim to dish out football talents to the state and country.

One such rare breed is Bangalore-based C Thyaga Rajan, ex ITI footballer and Sri Kempe Gowda Awardee. He is running Sri Nandhan Football Coaching Camp for last 27 years.

But before I go on talking about him and his contribution towards the game, let’s understand Bangalore’s contribution in Indian football.

History
IT capital of India is no stranger to football. Olympians Raman, Kannaiah, Shanmugham, and J Anthony were part of the 1948 and 1952 Olympics football contingent. Arumainayagam who dominated the national scene in the sixties and Ulganathan in the seventies all belonged to this city. Not to forget Shanmuham Venkatesh, Carlton Chapman, Noel Wilson, R C Prakash, the list is endless.

The city used to host a top national-level tourney, Stafford Cup and the rivalry between the top teams Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would bring in many frenzied fans to the stadium. Alas, Stafford Cup is stopped for many years and ITI has closed their football team. No team from the city is competing in the 1st division I-League as HAL got relegated couple for years ago. Situation is more compounded when the public sector enterprises like NGEF, BEL, BHEL, BEML, ADA, ADE, HMT, and MEG have stopped recruitment in the sports quota.

Present
Its amazing to see how these cantonment areas in India has emerged to a melting pot of sports, especially in football. I could easily name two cities, Pune and Bangalore. You will always find a group of kids playing football in areas like Khadki and Ghorpadi in Pune. And how could you forget Bangalore’s Austin town, considered to be the nursery of Bangalore football. Right from the era of playing the game in bare feet to modern day, Austin Town has always produced quality players who have made our country proud.

If you happen to be in the city and by any chance visit Austin Town football ground, (better known as Nandan ground) during evenings, you will found group of kids practicing football under watchful eyes of an elderly gentleman. Well that’s Thyaga Rajan for you, tirelessly doing it since 1981.

Thyaga Rajan focuses on nurturing young talents and feels there are enough of such talents around Austin Town. Sadly, he points out that the city boasts of so many footballers of international repute, but seldom have they come out to train these kids.

These kids come from very poor background and can’t afford to buy their own kits. Putting his own money and sometimes taking help from his old students Thyaga Rajan continues his show. He encourages them to continue studies, as he says, “During my times, there were ITI and many other enterprises who would offer job to the footballers. Nowadays, it is impossible to get a job under sports quota, so it is very important be educated.”

“Until you make it to the top level, there is no financial security.” He urges that the IT should step forward to take up sponsorship.

For the recently concluded season, none of the Bangalore teams were seen participating in the I-League, not even in the second division.

HAL who was relegated from the first I-Leages dominates the local football scene. However, they missed the chance to participate in the second division, as they could not conform to the guidelines set by AFC and AIFF.

One has to understand the fact that most of the football teams in Bangalore are from the public sector. The public sector football teams functions in a different way, unlike the other privately managed football clubs. At times following the guidelines takes too long and by the time the formalities are completed, you have gone past the scheduled date.

This exactly happended with HAL and the football lovers of Bangalore were deprived of watching their team participatig in the national level.

Whats next…
Needless to say that there was a communication gap betteween AIFF and HAL management team in the last season. It seems that the HAL management team has leant from their previous mistakes. They are more careful this time and ensuring that all the formalities and the requirements are met in well advance. Also, the state body is ably supporting their cause.

The feud between the state and the district association that delayed last season’s local league is also sorted out. The football lovers of the garden city will be able to see their favorite teams’ game much early this time.

BiPaSa

2009-03-03T01:53:00.000-08:00

In the context of the coming election when exercising electoral franchise, this is what a voter would look at:

BiPaSa - Bijli Paani Sadak

Nice acronym, alright.
JAI HO!

Height of multi-tasking!

2009-03-03T01:27:00.000-08:00

Driving a car, breast-feeding her daughter, talking on her mobile phone, all together at the same time!

Am I missing anything?

Great goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj passes away

2008-11-26T00:05:00.000-08:00

Arjuna awardee, great servant of Indian football, Peter Thangaraj passed away at the age of 73 on November 24 at Bokaro, Orissa. He is survided by his wife, son, and a daughter.

Thangaraj was ailing for quite some time. In his long illustrious career, he represented India in the 1956 and 1060 Olympics. Also, represented India in the three Asian Games, Tokyo in 1958, Jakarta in 1962, and Bangkok in 1966. He was the key member of the gold winning football team of the 1962 Asian Games.

Thangaraj came into notice when he played for the Services team. Later, donned colors of Md.Sporting, Mohun Bagan, and East Bengal at Kolkata. He played for Railways for more than a decade.

He represented the all Asian Star team and honored with the goal keeper of the millennium by East Bengal club.

HAL defeats Pune FC

2008-11-26T00:03:00.000-08:00

It was a day to remember for the football fans of Bangalore. City giants HAL, defeated Pune FC, and entered the final rounds of the Federation Cup 2008. It was a combined effort of tight defence, operating midfield, and sharp attack to overcome the challenge of Pune FC.

HAL got the better of their opponent in every department the game. They dominated the proceeding right from the beginning. Veteran war horse, RC Prakash scored the most important goal in the 38th minute of the match. Local lad, RC Prakash, who is back to Bangalore after playing eight seasons for different clubs in Kolkata and Goa, started his career for ITI.

The combination of captain, Xavier Vijay Kumar and RC Prakash really played well and entertained the crowd. Pune FC tried hard to come back to the game with some goods work from hard working Kamal Thapa. Mid fielder, Asim Hassan tried some lovely long rangers, which missed the goal by a whisker.

Teams
HAL: 30-Amar Deb; 8- Xavier Vijay Kumar (90'+4', 15-Satish Jr), 6-Satish Kumar; 14-Rajendra Prasad; 9-Dada Nabeel; 18-Goutam Debnath; 17-RC Prakash (75', 7-Karthigayan); 2-Sumit Thapa; 4-Naveen Babu; 26-Joseph Femi Adeola; 10-Fredrik Okwagbe

Pune FC: 1-Balaji Narsimhan; 2-Othallo Tabia; 3-Caitano Costa; 4-Kamal Thapa; 6-S Venkatesh; 7-M Sudeesh (61', 18-Crispin Chettri) 8-Asim Hassan; 10-Jeje Lalpekhlwa; 15-Lalrojama (59' 9-Santa Kumar); 27-Chika Wali; 28-Gobin Sewaram (79' Sandesh Gadkari)

Yellow card: 85' Kamal Thapa

Referee: G Thambiraj
Assistant referee: Nazir Ahmad, Kamil

Du Talks

2008-11-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

Out of the plethora of foreign football players playing in India, Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, popularly known as Du has been one of the few who has carved a niche among the football lovers in the country. His commitment towards the game is highly regarded he is a very popular figure amongst his colleagues.
Du is presently in Bangalore and representing Salgaonkar in the Federation Cup qualifiers. Bumped onto him for an informal chat and our discussion wend on for an hour.

Q: So, Du how has been the journey so far in India?
Du: It has been good. Around four years ago, in this city I started my football in India. Played for HAL for 3-months. Later joined Mohun Bagan, played for more than two seasons, got injured, was out o action for a year, returned to Brazil, got recuperated, played few exhibition matches there to be match fit, and finally returned this season in India, and joined Salgaokar, Goa.

Q: Now the obvious question, you have played in both Kolkata and Goa, places where football is the most popular sports. What difference do you see?
Du: I knew this was coming (laughs). The most striking difference is pressure, which is enormous in Kolkata. When you play there, the officials, the supporters, everybody wants to win. When you go outside to play the exhibition matches, the officials would come and tell, “We must win this match”. Winning is good alright, and everybody wants to win. But, while doing this you are constant pressure for every moment and makes you very difficult to perform consistently.If you look at the present East Bengal team, they have so many national footballers in their rooster. Yet, they are not performing well, it is all because of pressure. We have to understand that we can't win each and every matches, there are good and bad days at the office. During bad times, you have to stay behind the players. I have nothing against the officials, they have always been good to me. It is high time that the Kolkata club officials/supporters change their mindset.
In Goa, though the people love and follow football, they don't come to the ground to cheer their team. We play in empty gallery for most of the matches. Exactly opposite in Kolkata, forget derby matches, even when a big team plays against a small team, the fans come in numbers.

Q: How is the Goa local league?
Du: Better, local club matches are competitive. There is not much difference between the I-League teams and the other teams. This Sesa team, who is also playing here in the Fed Cup qualifiers defeated many I-league teams in the local league.(Goa Football Association) GFA is professional. They delayed the local league from the middle to the end of the monsoon so that we get better grounds. Also, ground conditions are much better in Goa.

Q: You have played under several coaches in India, whom do you consider the best?
Du: It has to be Subhas Bhowmik, he is like a father figure! You will find him very strict at the ground, but when he is out of the pitch, he is just like any other friend. Joking, making fun, mixing freely with the players.Also, I cannot forget veteran Amol Dutta, he saved Mohun Bagan from difficult times.Other day I was reading a book written by a famous coach. He says about few basic thing that a coach is only successful when his players and the team is successful. And in order to achieve that coach must feel for the players and vice-versa. There should be no egoism here.

Q: Another aspect of you is your commitment towards the game. I can't forget the incident in the I-League 06 (that time NFL) away match against Salgaonkar, when you received marching orders but you stayed close to the field, you were not ready to head towards the players arena.
Du: Ohh, don't talk about the match, I wanted to go again to the field (laughs). I guess every Brazilians are committed towards the game and feels for the team. When you go inside, that's your life, you have to give your best shot.I am a professional footballer, I left my country, friends, relatives for the sake of money, I have to be committed towards my game.

Q: Who are the best Indian footballers to you?
Du: Forward: Sunil Chettri Midfielder: N P Pradeep Defender: Mahesh Gawli, though he is somewhat struggling due to injury. Also the other defender from Dempo is good. Goalkeeper: It was Subrata Pal sometime back, now I have to search for it! (laughs)

Q: What is up next?
Du: I like to take everything game-by-game. Presently, We need to play well in the Federation Cup and qualify for the main rounds.Hopefully, we will also play well and qualify for the 1st division I-League next year.I am with a 2-years contract with my present club, I would like to oblige that.Also, I am interested to go back to Kolkata should I get a good offer. Though there are many cons playing there, there are also many pros (laughs). I loved the fan following there, Whenever you go, people would recognize you, ask for autographs, take pictures, etc. That's an amazing experience, I will cherish for life! There's nothing like that in Goa, I've almost lost the touch for giving autographs here (laughs)!

Q: Du, thanks for talking to Indianfootball.com, wish you very best for your future endeavors!
Du: My pleasure and take care!

Salgaonkar through to the next round

2008-11-22T05:57:00.001-08:00

Salgaonkar overcame the challenge of BEML and entered the final ofpreliminary round. Enjoying the home support, the local outfit BEMLstarted well by taking a lead with Prakash's goal. Salgaonkar cameback strongly after conceding the goal. The equalizer, an outcome ofexcellent one touch football by the center-half and the forwards,fooled BEML's defence, and finally Bijen Singh netted the ball to thegoal.

BEML exerted pressure at the begining of the of the second half.Winger Gopi mand some excellent moves with many goal-mouth centers.Jotin Singh's powerful shot was saved by keeper Moraes in the 55thminutes. Coach Bhowmik made a clever move, by replacing tired Bungo Singh with Anthoy. The winner for Salgaonkar came in the 59th minute,Bijen Singh's powerful center addressed to Antony, and striker IvenD'Silva made no mistake to place Antony's cross to the goal. IvenD'Silva later displayed some amazing touches and missed a sitter in84th minute.

Team
Salgaonkar: 31-Moares; 28-Du; 8-Agnelo Colaso; 18-Denzil Franco;17-Biju Kumar; 7-Bungo Singh (57', 9-Anthony); 30-Francis (84',14-Jerosu); 16-Bijen Singh; 10-Iven Da'Silva (90+2', 11-Anil Kumar);27-Beevan Demello; 32-Cajetn F
BEML: 22-Rajan; 2-Ricky Joy; 3-Shivamani; 4-Obinna Winners; 9-Prakash;7-Gopi; 6-Md. Dadakhalandar; 8-Sanath Kumar; 10-Jotin Singh (66'15-Govinda); 11-Samuel Jackson; 17-Deepak (78', 13-Wilfred);
Yellow cards:
Salgaonkar: Francis, Bijen Singh
BEML: Obinna Winners, Gopi, Jotin Singh, Wilfred

Refree: Thambiraj
Assistant Refree: Amjad Khan, Nazir Ahmad

BEML beats Indian Bank, through to the next round

2008-11-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

A spirited display of attacking football in the second half ensured local outfit, BEML to go through to the semi final of the Federation Cup 2008 group A qualifier.
The first half proved to be a dull affair with both the teams tried to gain lead by taking futile long rangers. However, the last minute of the first half, almost proved fatal for Indian Bank when a valiant move from BEML import, Samuel Jackson, who passed the ball to Ramana Kumar, and Ramana's shot only found the woodwork.
The second half belonged to BEML as they displayed attacking football right from the start. Orchestrated by Samuel Jackson, BEML made repeated attempts to the goalmouth but failed to convert one. It was only in the 65th minute, when the opportunistic Md. Dadakhalandar scored the opener. Two minutes later, another goal from Gopi sealed the game for BEML. Bankmen tried hard to come back into the game in the dying moments, but in vain.
BEML will meet Salgaocar Sports Club on Saturday, November 22
Teams:
BEML, Bangalore: 22-Rajan; 2-Ricky Joy (81', 15-Govinda); 3-Shivamani; 4-Obinna Winners; 9-Prakash; 7-Gopi (87', 12-Wilfred); 6-Md. Khalandar; 8-Sanath Kumar; 14-Tiken Singh; 10-Jotin Singh; 11-Samuel Jackson
Indian Bank, Chennai: 30-Udayshankar; 2-Prathiban; 21-Ignatius Sanga Satish; 19-Hemanta Singh; 16-Bengkok Nameirakpam; 8-Gunasekhar; 5-Manikandan (70', 14-Rocky Philem); 9-David (89', 24-Kartikayan); 6-Nirmal Kumar (80', 3-Rajasekhar); 10-Elamueragan; 7-Fredy
Refree: Amjad Khan
Assistants refree: Md. Kamil, Nazir Ahmad

Football action returns to Bangalore

2008-10-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

There is some good news for the football lovers in Bangalore. After making news for all sorts of wrong reasons, the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) league is going all set to start in December.

But before that the soccer fans would witness some national-level football action when the top clubs lock horns for the 30th Federation Cup qualifier. Bangalore Football Stadium will host the qualifying matches for Group A and B from November 20 to 28.

Issuing a press release on Tuesday, the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) general secretary, Krishna Narayana stated that the state association is apparently trying hard to kick-start the football activity.

The release further stated that the office of the newly constituted BDFA committee met the KSFA officials to discuss the BDFA league including Super, A, B, and C divisions scheduled to commence from December.

Meanwhile, Krishna Narayana also said that the new committee headed by M P Swamy will meet shortly and KSFA has assured full support.

KSFA announced that football activities in the state would kick-start with the inter-district football tournament to be held in Mangalore from Nov. 13-18.

Cheers to Chhang!

2008-09-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

Must be the first week of May when we were traveling to Sikkim. Enroute to Yungtham, we stayed over at Lachung. It was around 7-ish in the evening, pitch dark, came out of the hotel for a stroll.
Quite amazed to see how a shack-like shop could stock foreign liquors. Out of curiosity, peeped inside the shop, saw a middle-aged cop happily sipping-in a drink from a bamboo glass.

I knew what to do... Ordered one for myself and started talking to the cop, employed in Indo-Bhutan police. Later, the lady owner and her husband joined the conversation. Came to know that the drink, named Chhang or Thumba, is a local-brewed millet beer, and traditionally served in bamboo glass with a wooden straw.

Took few pictures on my cell-phone camera, but alas, lost my it while returning from Tukla.

It was an amazing experience to see, taste, and feel the unofficial state drink of Sikkim.

Photo courtesy: Anindita Sarbadhikary

Hello world, I’m WFH!

2008-09-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

I am whistling, opps working from home (WFH)! My wish of composing a mail with the similar subject line is soon going to be a reality.

A small one-liner, not-so-important mail means a lot to me. Sounds funny, huh! Lest I get emotional, you need to read this story…
It all started more than a year ago, when the bumpy roads of Pune affected my lower back. Orthopedic surgeon got scared after knowing the fact that I drive 10 miles daily to work and consulted me to go for an MRI scan.

Next is what? Stuck in acute pain, I applied for WFH option. Looking at the response from the HR department, I felt I’ve seriously done something wrong.

Like a true government organization (hey, did you hear BrinhanMumbai Municipal Corporation - BMC) WFH option starts from a certain band, and poor me, I didn’t fall under that category.

However, the HR department did advise me to take necessary medical test and get it certified by the company-appointed doctor, and the doctor has the final say. Spend 6K for an MRI scan and the scan report suggested that I should refrain from driving such a long distance.

However, the MRI report didn’t satisfy the doctor to give me a go. Rather, he resorted to a holistic approach and started explaining me all the possible means and methods of getting rid of this pain. It took no time to understand he’s parroting management’s view, perhaps in a different way.

So my wish to WFH dashed into the yard, and I continued commuting to work with pain. Hopes revived when my director who came from US to Pune for a business trip and promised to take this matter to the authorities. However, that didn’t yield any different result.
Cut to June 2008, new job, new location. My employer, Big Blue, values a lot when it comes to wasting time on beating long city traffic, and encourages WFH.

Now, broadband connection is up and running (BSNL, thanks), can get connected to the office networks, and all set to sent the mail.

Hello world...

Tête-à-tête Paresh Shivalkar

2008-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Paresh Shivalkar must have been a true pathbreaker! At the age of 18 he realized that he can make a career as a football player, what next? Looking for greener pastures, he packed his bags, and left for Mumbai because that-time-Pune had very little to offer him as a football player.

Now things are changing, academies are floated, corporates are venturing into the football arena. After a long season, Paresh’s back in his home town, Pune. He’s seen regularly at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Educational Campus ground, Katraj where the II Division I-League, Pune phase is going on (March 26 thru April 13, 2008). While covering the ongoing tournament, Paresh was kind enough to share his thoughts with me - his experience, pain, and off-course gain he got while playing the game of football.

Starting days

Till 12^th strandard, I never took the game seriously. Playing football at that time was like those regular-mundane extra-curricular activities, where you just play it like any other games. Started playing for Sky Hawks at the local league, this was my first introduction to serious football. In Sky Hawks, I played under the tutelage of Vivek sir (Vivek Nagul is now the assistant coach of Pune Football Club). He envisioned the potential in me, encouraged me to take the sports seriously.

Formative years

I was selected for the under-19 and -21 national trials, however, couldn’t make it to the final squad. It is very difficult to get noticed if you hail from cities like Pune. But, I never got disheartened, took it in my stride, and concentrated on my game. I was fortunate to have Vivek sir behind me, but again he was new and had limitations.

I moved to Mumbai, and signed a second division team, Gulf Oil. While playing for Gulf Oil in the Mumbai Division Football League (MDFA), I got noticed by Air India coach, Bimal Ghosh, he was pretty impressed, and eventually signed for Air India for the next two seasons. In the 2005 season, I joined Curchil Brothers. Next season, I returned to Air India for good, I was offered a job and captaincy, and stuck for another season.

Current status

The 2008 season, I will be donning Mahindra United colors. I always wanted to play for Mahindra United, they are a very professional unit.

Also, I had offers from all the top clubs, including Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. I do have plans to venture out of Maharastra. I know football is a big time craze in Kolkata, want to try my luck out there, provided I get a good package.

Football in Pune

Out here there is lack of professionalism. Football is not taken seriously, parents don’t want their children to take up football. However, now things are changing for good! Perhaps looking at me, many parents would advice their kids to take football as a career (chuckles).

Future plans

Continue the good work. My ambition is to represent the Indian national team at an international level. I narrowly missed it at the junior level, but I dream to play for India. Hopefully, my stint with Mahindra should give me a platform to showcase my talent.

Chirag United fails to collect full points against ONGC

2008-03-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

Chirag United dominated most of the proceedings but failed to score goal against ONGC in their first match of their II Division I-League campaign.

In the first half, attacking from left to right and playing with the wind, Chirag made some serious moves that tested ONGC's defense. Theodore Sunday's goalmouth attempt at the 25th minute which went wide and a swerving left-footer at the 35th minute saved by the ONGC custodian was the highlight of the first half. In the last five minute, ONGC was truly at the receiving end, when Chirag forced two free kicks and a corner, however, they failed to convert the set-pieces.

In the second half, Chirag added more sharpness in their attack by introducing talented Sankar Oraon. As a cohesive unit, Chirag made many smart attacks but failed to convert any of them, and at the 75th minute Ejike missed an open net. The last four minutes of the injury time definitely belonged to ONGC, when they scared Chirag with Jatin Bisht's dangerously curling corner which beat custodian Arindam Ghosh, however, an alert Kinshuk Debnath proved saviour by clearing on the line.

Chirag United's coach, Anjan Nath said that the open sitters missed by his wards deprived them with a win. ONGC's coach Irinio Vaz, commented that the ground conditions took them some time to settle down, he is concered about the teams weak defence, but promised a better performance in the next match.

Chirag United: 1-Arindam Ghosh, 2-Louis Ebami, 4-Kingshuk Debnath, 5-Dhanrajan, 6-Ejike Chika Chime, 7-Denson Devdas, 11-Lalamjawala (Shankar Oraon), 15-Dulal Biswas, 17-Gouranga Biswas, 24-Theodore Sunday (captain), 27-Lalmalswama ONGC: 30-Bilifang Narzary, 4-Krishna Shirodkar, 5-NC John, 9-C N Henry (19-Dhanesh), 10-Nurudeen, 12-Rongmoi (18-Lalmaun Puia), 14-Kaushik Bose, 22-Amandeep Singh, 23-Kabijit Khotel, 25-Jatin Singh Bist (Captain), 28-Naresh Unused subs - Chirag United: 12-Subhas Singha Roy, 14-Shibram Dey, 16-Arnab Mondal, 20-Barun Oraon, 22-Mojaffar Rahman, 29-Achinta Saha

ONGC: 1-Rajat GhoshDastidar, 6-Debkumar Sashmal, 7-Rakshak Naik, 11-Sanjeeva Rumpi, 16-Gour Naskar Yellow card(s): ONGC - C N Henry, RangMoi

Referee: Pratap Singh

Assistant Referees: Md. Kamil, S K Gupta

4th official: S Sajeesh Kumar

Pune FC starts the II Division I-League campaign with a winning note

2008-03-28T02:32:00.000-07:00

Pune FC survived few scary moments in the second half from HAL, but at the end of the day bagged the most valuable 3-points by beating HAL by 2-1. In a usual fashion, Pune FC pressurized opponents defense right from the beginning and meant business. First goal for Pune FC came in the 3rd minute due to a defensive lapse from HAL, later national star Bungo Singh scored the second goal from an excellent cross in 13th minute.

Pune FC dominated first 30-minute of the game with excellent ball possession, however, later in the first half they ran out of steam and gave HAL a chance to come back in the game, Fredrick Okwagbe reduced the margin in the 34th minute.

In the second half, the first 20 minutes was dominated by HAL, where they failed to score the equalizer from many chances. Later PuneFC came back to the game, but failed to increase the margin.

Earlier, All India Football Federation (AIFF) ONGC II Division I-League, phase I (Pune) was inaugurated by the Mayor of Pune, Rajlaxmi Bhosale at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Educational Campus ground, Katraj.

Speaking to the IndianFootball.com, PuneFC coach Bernard McNally said, "Folks turned naïve at times and that almost slipped the match from our grip. Few lads lack experience at this stage, but again there is a steep learning curve for them, and should give them the needed confidence. However, I am glad that we started in a winning note and that would boost our confidence when we meet Vasco, in the next game." Vasco has proved a thorn in the flesh for Pune FC as Vasco defeated Pune FC in last two encounters.

Pune in the Indian football map

2008-03-28T02:26:00.000-07:00

Pune in the Indian football map - An interview with Bernard McNally, chief coach, Pune Football Club
- By Subhajyoti Banerjee

The year 2008 must have been a good start for the football scene in Pune. Firstly, the announcement of Pune Football Club (PuneFC), secondly, the team participating in the 2nd division I-League, and finally, Pune being one of the venue for the second division I-League.

It’s not that this sport is very unpopular in Pune. Soccer is played round the year in Pune, there are quite a number of tournaments, Pune District Football Association (PDFA) conducts division league, and also have few academies. So what is it that's going wrong and preventing Pune to prosper in the Indian football scene?

The emergence of PuneFC is what the doctor ordered. Promoted by the Ashok Piramal Group, PuneFC has massive plans for the improvement of football in Pune. www.IndianFootball.com (Subhajyoti) visited their practice session at the Bombay Engineering Group (BEG) ground, Khadki and talked with the coach, Irishman Bernard McNally and his assistant Vivek Nagul.

Subhajyoti: Hello coach, thanks for giving time to Subhajyoti. It gives me immense joy to talk to someone who has played with great Pat Jennings in the FIFA World Cup.
Bernard McNally (BM): Yeah, he is a legend!

Subhajyoti: As you start working on a project, you must have some short term and long term goals. What is the short term goal for PuneFC?
BM: Well to be honest, my primary focus is to qualify for the first division of the ONGC I-League.

Subhajyoti: And what about the long term goal?
BM: It's too premature to ask someone who is just few weeks old in PuneFC. I would like Vivek and team management to answer this question. But what I heard from them is that nurturing football talents from Pune and building a football stadium are the two areas that PuneFC is focused.

Subhajyoti: Tell us something about your football life?
BM: I have played for Shrewsbury Town for almost a decade, then moved to West Bromwich and played professional football till 95. Later, joined Hednesford Town and Telford United.

Subhajyoti: How is the team responding to your coaching?
BM: The team is shaping up and responding well. We had a very fruitful tour to Bangalore, played with teams like Hindustan Aeronautics Football Club (HASC), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), and Army XI. Team played excellent football against Army XI. Hopefully, team should perform similarly in the upcoming tourneys.

Second division I-League fixture is out; coach is informed that PuneFC is placed with HASC, ONGC, State Bank of Travancore (SBT), Vasco, and Chirag United.

BM: To be frank, I am not aware of the composition of our opponents. I have to depend on my assistant coach and support staff for the inputs.

Subhajyoti: You have three teams (HASC, SBT, and Vasco) in your group who have experience of playing in the first division.

BM: So, we are placed in a tough group, huh!

Subhajyoti: You team is staying together, how much stress do you give this aspect in the game of football?
BM: Staying together actually works; it is a team building exercise, raises team spirit and bonding. However, all my players are still single, so I am lucky that way! But in 3-4 years time, lads will be married and they will have their families. At that point of time you can’t actually force them to stay together (grins).

Subhajyoti: How is the team shaping up?
BM: The team is very spirited! The lads have gelled together excellently and performing like a cohesive unit. The team is a mixed lot, we have few locals, a few from far north-east, and you can say a mini India. We have two talented players from Nigeria. Local lads look up to them for certain skills and they are also well-built.

I see the Indians are not naturally well-built, physical ability is an important aspect in modern football. However, I have seen few teams from Goa with well-built footballers.

I like to play very attacking football; it’s all about entertaining the crowd!

Saying that I am well aware of the plus and minuses of the team. I don’t want to promise something that I am not aware.

Subhajyoti: You have joined PuneFC for a short stint, provided PuneFC performs well in the second division I-League, do you look forward for a longer association with PuneFC?
BM: Very simple, I need to produce results! A good performance and I will stick with PuneFC.

Subhajyoti: Any comments on the facilities provided to the team?
BM: We have a long way to go as far as facility is concerned. But again, we have to get along with it. The ground is quite hard.
Need to see what develops, watch your space, and hopefully it should work that way we want it.

Subhajyoti: Have you interacted with any other club coaches in India?
BM: Yes, I did meet Karim Bencherifa, coach of Curchill Brothers. His team has consistently done well in the I-League.

Subhajyoti: One final question, Cyd Gray’s injury has forced him out of action, will you miss him?
BM: Cyd’s injury is very unfortunate and has upset my scheme of things. However, injuries are very natural in football. You can’t actually dwell on that, he will be missed, but we have to move on.

Subhajyoti: Thanks coach, it was nice talking to you, and all the very best for the I-League assignment!
MB: Thanks!

At this point of time, assistant coach Vivek Nagul comes in. Vivek hails from Pune and has been a top football player during his days. He is associated with PuneFC since inception. He is the best person to answer the long term plans for PuneFC.

Subhajyoti: Hi Vivek!
VN: Hello!

Subhajyoti: Okay, the obvious question, what are the long term plans for PuneFC?
VN: To nurture footballers from Pune. It is very pleasing to know that the Ashok Piramal Group, has chosen Pune as a base. As the group is based out of Mumbai, Mumbai could have been the obvious choice. But the opportunity is bestowed to Pune, now, it is my duty to respond to the confidence shown by the management.

We would like to build the team through Football in the Community (FITC) program. Traditionally, football is played in few pockets in Pune, Camp, Deccan, Khadki, and Ghorpadi to name a few. We want to spread it across to the entire Pune and its neighboring areas.

Off-late, Pune has produced a national-level player in Paresh Shivalkar, I have seen his career shaping up while playing in Sky Hawks, also, I have mentored him. Pune needs ten more players like Paresh.

We want to generate interest among the parents. Typically, you don’t find parents encouraging kids to take up football as a profession. We want to break the myth. Now, there is enough money in Indian football. A top player earns much more than an IIM graduate!

Football needs to be started at the grass root level, because during this the stage you can develop the technical nuances, and later on you can concentrate on the other aspect of the game.

Our motto is to catch them young. As you know the club is in its nascent stage. In a very short notice period, we participated in the Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) qualifying round and performed well. So we have very high hopes about our under-19 and under-15 team.

Subhajyoti: Thanks Vivek! Great to know that PuneFC is doing a lot in developing football in Pune.
VN: Thanks!

Du likely to return to India

2008-02-22T04:07:00.000-08:00

The next season of Indian football is definitely bringing good news! Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, popularly know as Du is all set to return to India. I was fortunate to get Du online. Du said that he misses India and Indian soccer. He has few offers in hand, from India and from another country. Like a tactful defender, Du averted the obvious question of his club for the next season. Du is coming to India in June to end all speculations.
Du has played four seasons in India. He started of his India campaign by donning the colors of Hindustan Aeronautic Sports Club (HASC) in the year 2003, next year he moved to MohunBagan and stayed there for another 3 years. He was the mainstay of the MohunBagan defense and was the integral part of the team. By displaying sheer commitment and dedication, he carved a niche among the soccer frenzy fans in Kolkata.
However, an injury during the 2006-07 Federation Cup semi-finals against Mahindra United forced Du out of action. But now he is fit as ever, all raring to go, and in his own words, “I just want to fight like I used to and want to make a big name in Indian soccer”.

2008-02-22T04:06:00.000-08:00

Du likely to return to India

Du has played four seasons in India. He started of his India campaign by donning the colors of Hindustan Aeronautic Sports Club (HASC) in the year 2003, next year he moved to MohunBagan and stayed there for another 3 years. He was the mainstay of the MohunBagan defense and was the integral part of the team. By displaying sheer commitment and dedication, he carved a niche among the soccer frenzy fans in Kolkata.

However, an injury during the 2006-07 Federation Cup semi-finals against Mahindra United forced Du out of action. But now he is fit as ever, all raring to go, and in his own words, “I just want to fight like I used to and want to make a big name in Indian soccer”.

Poor Symmo!

2008-01-07T23:31:00.001-08:00

Hold on, this is true. After hearing the rumor, I can come up with only one expression, “Poor Symmo!”

So what's the rumor?

Bhajji said, “Teri Maa Ki ...”. And Symmo heard Maa[N]Ki.

Source

Now, did Bhajji sound nasal? Well, that's a million dollar question? I've never read/heard anywhere that he's a great Himesh fan.

But one thing I am sure about is that Symmo is a Bollywood buff! On the day before the incident, he watched a movie with Brett Lee, Dil Dosti etc, took a leaf out of the movie, and saved his mate from Bhajjis racial slur.

The purpose of a nice-juicy gaali went completely haywire and Symmo heard Maa[N]Ki. Now, someone should tell Symmo that Maa[N]Ki is not an abuse, absolutely not. In fact we all respect Maa[N]Ki, opps monkey. In India, we have a monkey god, we have temples, and we do worship him. Should Bhajji called Symmo a monkey, then he was referring to the monkey god, great Symmo-monkey-god.

Everything went wrong, damn!

** I would expect ICC to act smart, set them straight, and as a bonding activity, both should go together and watch a Bollywood movie.

I suggest Return of Hanuman.

Two stories of animals making news this week

2007-12-20T03:11:00.000-08:00

Tiger - http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071220/jsp/frontpage/story_8690576.jsp
Elephant - http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071220/jsp/calcutta/story_8688595.jsp

Merry Christmas!

Dola Banerjee - champion of champions

2007-11-26T02:24:00.000-08:00

He[y] Dola He[y] Dola!

You made us prowd, way to go!

America's answer to Ek Choti Si Love Story!

2007-11-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Here is real-life American version of Ek Choti Si Love Story. Lets hope this incident inspires Hollywood's Shashilal Nair to make a movie.

What would be the title? Bolo-bolo, tell-tell?

Jhulan Goswami - Chak-da India girl!

2007-09-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ok-ok, this is not a typo. When the entire nation mesmerized by this song, I can’t simply ignore it. :)

So this lanky, 6-feet world's fastest bowler from Chakda (80-odd km away from Kolkata, West Bengal, India), has made us proud by winning Women's Player of 2007 at the ICC Awards.

This is an iconic achievement by a woman cricketer. She represents a country, where the men cricketers are worshipped like god, and catches media attention even after a meager win against minnows. On the contrary, when our women cricket team beats England in their backyard, the news is only mentioned in a corner of the sports page.

I am glad to see Jhulan appearing in the front page of the newspapers. She may lack the glam factor like over-hyped Sania, but she's fast, furious, and an ultimate champion.

Chak de Jhulan!

Messidona = Messi + Maradona

2007-06-11T01:30:00.001-07:00

*Lionel Messi*	Diego Maradona

Lionel Messi is coming up with a Maradona-act every now and then!

Initially, it was his great solo run against Getafe that reminded everyone of Maradona's goal against England in the 86’ World Cup:

And now, a replica of Maradona's Hand of God goal...

is here:

Long live Messidona!

About Art and Politics

2007-05-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

The art of bringing people together is sheer politics.

URBAN JUNGLE: Thousands of people pose in the nude for an installation by US photographer Spencer Tunick at the Zocalo square in Mexico City on Sunday. Tunick is known for his photographs that feature large numbers of nude people posed in artistic formations, often situated in urban locations.
Source: May 8, TOI.

The politics of bringing people together is an art.

OPTIMUM UTILITY: The Shiv Sena found an unusual spot — the Mutha riverbed near Bhide bridge — for a rally on the occasion of the inauguration of its Pulachiwadi office in the city on Tuesday. Speaking at the rally, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray chose to slam the government over James Laine’s controversial book on Shivaji.

Source: May 9, TOI.

Aussies are the best - Analysis by an Indian

2007-04-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

Trust (or lack of it) within the team:

The batsmen dont trust the bowlers, so they play all big shots to win;
The bowlers dont trust their batting, so they bowl with a fire in their belly; but finally
The captain trusts the entire team;

Hinglish Chinglish bhai-bhai

2007-04-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

You have heard of Hinglish, here is Chinglish for you:

A store selling tobacco products advertises: “An Excellent Winding Smoke.”
A sign on the floor at Beijing's Capital Airport reads: “Careful Landslip Attention Security.”
A mysterious message on the billboard displays: “Shangri-La is in you mind, but your Buffalo is not.”

Source:
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-beijing-chinglish&prov=ap&type=lgns

Little baffled, well that's Chinglish - a blend of the Chinese and English words, and it's just like you saying:

Hey, time kya hua hai?
Kiss my hote!
Darling, slowly chal naa.

N'soy!

Cars, cars, and more cars!

2007-02-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

Certainly, swanky imported cars are making news this week.

February 5: Lil Abhisekh Bachhan got the Bently car as a gift from his big dad Amitabh Bachhan on his 31st birthday.

February 7: Just two days after Abhishek Bachchan got his Bentley, came his dad’s turn – a sparking silver Rolls Royce gifted from director Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Seems Chopra got awestruck after watching Bachhan’s acting in his latest film Eklavya and so is this Rolls Royce.

People started rumoring how rich has Big B become, who once
could not afford to pay income tax can now actually afford to gift a Bently car
to his son!

February 8: You know what, actually people were right - Amitabh didn't gift Bentley to his son, it was a rumor!

Then who gifted the Bently car to lil Abhisekh?

Bolo-bolo, tell-tell!

I am sorry, no heads-up on this.

What is found is that Amar Chote-Bhaiya Singh claiming to be the owner of the Bentley car.

Confusion, confusion, and more confusion.

Orissa, Slap Chap(pel), and the Budhiya story

2007-01-23T23:16:00.000-08:00

Q: Set in the backdrop of Orissa, what’s common between Guru Greg and wonder kid Budhiya?

Bolo-bolo, tell-tell!

A: Biranchi

Wondering!

Aare baba, Biranchi is name of the guy who slapped Guru Greg and also, Biranchi is the name of Budhia's coach. Now don’t ask who is Budhia?

Rock bands and their names

2007-01-19T02:36:00.000-08:00

Q: Have you ever heard of the following names?

Pin Drop Violence
Nursery Crimes

A: They are musical rock bands.

Wish you a rock, rock, rocking weekend!

Racial attack and the Shetty girl

2007-01-18T02:35:00.000-08:00

Shilpa Shetty might not be a box-office queen, but she is making news, again!

Last week she created ruckus once she entered into the Big Brother’s house and this week for some alleged racist comments.

Big Brother is the Britain’s popular reality television show, which is aired on Channel4. This reality show has huge UK-based Indian viewers. The producers were smart, to keep the TRP ratings high they roped an Indian celebrity, and in comes the Shetty girl.

However, the Indian government has not taken the racist comments lightly and also this issue was raised in the British House of Commons.

This just reminds me of the mid-nineties, actually 12 years to be specific, when Shilpa was in the limelight. She was excited when she found much-needed admirer in the form of an Election Commissioner and a Supercop.

Former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan maybe serious and honest in his job, but he made no pretension when he said that he loved to see Shilpa in the song Chura ke dil mera goriya chali. Ditto with the former Supercop KPS Gill. You may always blame him for the current state of affairs of the Indian Hockey. But hey, he was a great admirer of Shilpa Shetty.

Now what? I am sure she will find few admirers this time. British MP Keith Vaz and PM Tony Blair are my guesses. What’s yours?

Café Mondegar: Salaam Bombay

2007-01-15T06:21:00.001-08:00

Nope, this is not a typo, I mean Bombay not Mumbai. Die hard Mumbaikar’s who swear by the name of Mumbai, no offence meant, please!

Café Mondegar is the place that truly lives up to the spirit of the Bombay city - Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan!

Café Mondegar is popularly known as Mondys, is located at Colaba, next to the Reagal theatre.

Beer with garlic chicken is an absolute combination!

Cartoonist Mario Miranda lives in the wall of Mondys

Is your neighbor a cannibal?

2007-01-12T04:23:00.000-08:00

If you are keeping a tab on the recent Noida serial killings then you must know by now that the co-accused Surendra Koli consumed human flesh, couldn’t digest it, and finally vomited.
Source: http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/09noida2.htm

Have you ever wondered why?

Bolo-bolo, tell-tell.

Because he is a Koli. Surendra belongs to the fishermen community!
How could you expect a Koli to eat human flesh? He’s so bloody used to eat raw fishes.

I am speaking gibberish, sorry.

I am shocked, the recent expose of the Noida serial killings has left me stupefied with disbelief.

Are we living in the era of cannibalism? Do you think your middle-aged sober looking neighbor as a cannibal?

Gosh, I don’t know, I don’t know!

Khalasitola: Story of a country spirit bar in Calcutta

2007-01-04T05:01:00.000-08:00

Excerpts of the feature Khalasitola: Story of a country spirit bar in Calcutta written by Amit Ranjan Basu.

In 19th century Calcutta there were bars for country spirit, which only catered to people from the lower orders of the society. Sometimes Babus in dire economic crisis, visited such bars covering them well with a chaddar and quickly gulped down a pint while standing. This style of drinking became known as Darabhog as in Bengali Darano means to stand.

The culture of drinking in a bar had become popular in the city besides great parties stuffed with varieties of alcoholic beverages, opium and ganja, thrown by the Babus in their mansions. But the country spirit culture was mainly limited to the urban subalterns. Prepared from paddy (Dhan in Bengali), this was popularly known as Dheno and sometimes called Dhanyeswari with special affection and regard. According to its potency, country spirit was classified into three categories. To assure the customer of its spirit content of the No.1 variety (which arguably contained 90% of alcohol), even during 1950s, the bar manager used to burn some sample from the bottle and the blue flame of alcohol made the customer sure of buying good stuff!

It is important to note that, drinking country spirit (Karan Bari in chaste Bengali) was strongly associated with the Sakta cult of Kali worshippers. Even the women from Tagore family at Jorasanko drank country spirit during Kali puja. One must remember that, Kali puja is performed around the year on various auspicious nights. Perhaps this association of popular goddess Kali with Karan Bari could be the source of inspiration to print goddess Kali’s image on a red label on the bottles of country spirit produced by the colonial government. It was thus also called Kali marka mod.

There are many books published during the middle of 19th century till early 20th century that bore elaborate descriptions of the urban culture of country spirit drinking, though not much of these bars. However, presence of middle class educated drinkers in the country spirit bars was a rare phenomenon. But from 1950s onwards a visible and daunted presence of educated middle class can be noticed in the country spirit bars (Bangla moder thek)! I suspect it was more an effect of a new culture practiced by poets and other creative personalities, who questioned the existing norms of being a Bhadralok. One of these bars, known as Khalasitola had become a talk of the town as many such people started gathering there over glasses of Bangla mod.

Kamal Kumar Majumdar, the famous writer whose style of Bengali prose-writing was not only full of experiments with the language, but also captured the complexities of modern life in a poetic prose, and it was very distinct from all his contemporaries. Around him this adda or regular meetings at Khalasitola grew up and we have a strong presence of this group for two decades. Majumdar taught art in a school and visited this bar from morning (it used to open at 11 am) in between his classes and continued till it closed in the night. It is said that Majumdar, after getting attracted to Ramkrishna’s philosophy not only changed his attitude to literature but also gave up drinking foreign liquour - Whisky, Rum, Gin, Vodka, Wine etc., and took to the desi - Bangla mod. Many non-drinkers came to meet him here for professional purposes. In the literary history of Bengali from 1950-1970 the contextual space provided by Khalasitola remains crucial. Many great poetries were written, famous little magazines like Krittibas and Kaurab came out, many anthologies of poetry were published with screenplays, and other creative products generated from this Bangla moder thek.

Khalasitola and later on some other country spirit bars in the city became a symbol of anti-establishment culture and a pilgrimage for many avant-garde writers who affectionately described themselves as Khalasis! Kamal Kumar Majumdar used to say that, Khalasitola started somewhere around the II World War and it probably has derived its name for being frequented by the loaders from the nearby port.

Many memoirs and anecdotes talk about an environment, which acknowledged the difference with the majority of the Khalsitola drinkers. But this difference never came in the way of negotiating two cultures. Many listened to poetries, songs presented by the Khalasis and yes, appreciated them. Conviction of the poets grew strong that good poetry indeed has a universal appeal. Besides Khalasitola two other Bangla moder thek had also seen this sort of gathering taking place:

Baroduari at Rani Rashmoni Road and not very far from Khalsitola. This is a double storied old house, which probably derived its name for having twelve doors
Ganja Park in Bhawanipore, South Calcutta, near Jadu Babur Bazar.

Not much of these great Khalasis are alive now. A significant number of them have even given up drinking! Still every one of them, when talked about Khalsitola asserted that more than a drinking joint it was a space of creative inspiration for them. Defying norms and giving birth to new urban expressions in poetry, prose, painting, and film - Khalasitola is beyond history. It is a myth of our new urbanity, timeless in its creative context, and rapturous in its radical implosion.

Yet this culture is seen to be fading by late seventies. It can be a research agenda to explore how it happened, but what seems obvious is Kamal Kumar Majumdar’s death followed by a spreading decentralized gathering in other joints including foreign liquor bars could be a factor. Also much of the famous Khalasis had died or became too old by late seventies, and a section of Khalasis had identified themselves with the elite and established literary institutions. By eighties only curious, rebellious youngsters dropped in to cherish their senior poets’ nostalgia and in general young middle class educated showed more attraction toward addas that happened in the foreign liquour joints. Also, the air of defiance that the seventies had brought were no more.

What remains still unexplored is the culture of the subaltern customers in these urban country spirit bars. This perhaps may take us to the world of a different urbanity experienced by the city subalterns, and their history of altered consciousness.

This story is extensively based on following sources:

Arun Nag (1999) Sekaler Nesha in CHITRITA PADME, Calcutta: Subarnarekha, pp.14-462.
Khalasitola Special Issue, KAURAB 92, Nov.2002, Pp.280, paperback, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.Kaurab@email.com

Happy New Year 2007!

2007-01-02T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hola!

Wish you all a rocking and kick ass New Year!

Opps, ignore those adjectives, simply ignore it, and “Wish you and your family a peaceful and fruitful New Year!”

Last Saturday, December 31, 2006 was an inspirational day for me - did not consume a drop of alcohol on that day. Though, never a regular drinker, I like to drink on the social gatherings - New Year party, birthday bash, bachelor party, office party, you name it!

What did I do on that evening? Took out Sonia and Diego for a small drive, ate the delicious Mughlai Parathas and Egg Rolls prepared by my mom, plunged into a tub of pineapple-flavored ice-cream, watched television till 12, and then wished everyone HNY.

On January 1, 2007, 12.05 am, went to my friends place, which is like 30 minutes drive from my home, drank a nip of Bacardi White Rum and two pegs of Smirinoff Vodka, and returned home around 5 am.

Wish you a very happy 2007!!

New age of Bengali cinema

2007-01-02T02:35:00.000-08:00

This is definitely for the Bengali viewers.

Saw the promo of a bangla movie named Aamra, here's a hilarious one-on-one between two very popular actors Parambrata and Rudranil:

R: Kotodin eksonge sush-ni bol to?

P: Taa pray 6 months hobe.

R: Ohhh, tahole eto din-e Chitkini-te jong dhore geche aar Lyangcha-gulo shukiye bNode hoye geche!

Ufff, that’s too much for a language, which always boasted of transpiring literary subjects in the movies. But, in the era of crossover films, I think such raunchy double meaning dialogs are the order of the day, and perhaps this is the dawning of a new age of Bengali cinema.

url: http://banglatalkies.net/film.html

I was nearly rolling in the floor laughing and it took some time for my wife to understand. Later
she uttered only one word, “Oshovvo”.

It took no time for me to mail few *highly eligible* bachelor friends about this promo and also wickedly questioned about how appropriately applicable are these terms Jong and Shukiye jaoya in their life.

Reply from a friend was very quick, “No worries. Bachelor or married, *those* are always juicy; Langcha and Pantua both are healthy. Chitkini-s opening is also intact, no Jong out there.”

Welcome to Chota Bristol - a bar for the serious drinkers

2006-12-26T03:42:00.000-08:00

Continuing the bar hopping session. Three seasons later – same friend, same weather, same time, and most significantly same city.

Chota Bristol is located behind the Metro theatre and next to the (in)famous Metro lane. Wondering about the unique name Chota? Well that’s because our Chota Bristol is located within the premises of Bristol hotel and strategically just behind Bristol hotel. Ironically, Bristol hotel was ceased quite some time ago.

In a walking distance, you will find couple of famous print media houses. These media houses are very strong in the Eastern part of India. Also, it is rumored that the famous and inspiring editorials are drafted here with a peg of Whisky. And that's how the name serious drinkers bar originated.

Chota Bristol is probably the only bar where a price-list board would welcome you. Once you get past the entrance, you will find this huge board on your right side. On the left side is the Chota Bristol testimonials, Chota Bristol “in news type” paper cutouts - a la graffiti.

Seating arrangements are simple, no designer lights, no table-top candles, no cozy chairs - just what a serious drinker want! Once you place your order, you need to look out for the snacks. Sorry, no freebies here. But no worries, the snack vendors would hawk around in your vicinity, take you pick, and pay him straightaway. Snacks are not added in the liquor bill as the vendors are outsourced, very unique! This procedure is practised much before the outsourcing boom hit the Indian subcontinent.

Chota Bristol is realistic, down to earth, and a character by itself. It's worth a visit of you want to capture the spirit of the city in a bar.

Year	Club
1995-96 to 98-99	Mahindra United
1999-00	Bengal-Mubai Football Club (BMFC)
2000-01	Vasco Sports Club
2003-04	Salgaonkar Sports Club
2004-05 to 08-09	HAL
2009-10	Lajong FC