31. May
As now has become sadly usual, a schedule change in Indian football, this time in Calcutta.
Just three days ahead of the scheduled start, the Calcutta season-opening McDowell Cup has run into troubled waters. As per the current situation the tournament cannot be held before June 29. In a letter to the Indian Football Association, the Inspector General, Law and Order, today informed that it will not be possible to deploy adequate security personnel due to election duties. The letter said no policemen could be posted at the Saltlake Stadium from June 2 to 9 and from June 20 to 28 due to assignments for the Parliamentary bye-election at Pashkura on June 5 and the Calcutta Municipal Corporation elections on June 25. The meet can't be held in between as two of the contesting teams - Mohun Bagan and Tollygunge Agragami - are supposed to leave for Pondicherry for the Millennium Cup immediately after the McDowell Cup final, which was slated for June 12. The letter from the Inspector General, Law and Order, also blamed the IFA for not consulting them while drawing up the schedule.

30. May
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers - Semifinals: Food Corporation of India 1-0 Salkia Friends (golden Goal), George Telegraph 1-2 Calcutta Port Trust

Note-1: After all the bad news regarding sponsorship reduction by the industry for India's top clubs , some great news from Goa.
Zee Network has set their sight on Goan Professional League Champions and National Football League runners-up Churchill Bros is all set to tie up with Zee Network for forth coming football season.
The deal is said to have been struck with Monica Srivastav, assistant vice-president, sales Marketing and Sports Zee Network and Aparna Potdar, assistant manager Sales Marketing and Sports Zee Network who were in Goa and the duo also attended the inter village soccer finals at Colva last week where in chairman of Churchill Brothers, Churchill Alemao was the chief guest.
The contract between the club and the Zee Network is of three years. Many clubs in India are facing financial crisis and with the signing of Zee Network with the club, it may less burden for Churchill Brothers.
The Zee Network also have a plan to start a football academy in Goa and formalities are on to acquire the land. Sources close to Churchill Bros camp informed that Churchill Bros will be known as Churchill Bros Zee TV Sports Club or Zee TV Churchill Bros Sports Club.

29. May
8th Women's National Championship - Final: Manipur 1-0 Bengal - Goal: 1:0 Tababi Devi (27').
Manipur won their third title in a row and a record sixth in eight editions. The final was, as expected, the best match of the tournament. The match had to start late as it was witnessed by a record gathering at Diphu. Manipur striker Tababi Devi scored the golden goal of the match in the 27.minute.

3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers - Quarterfinals: Food Corporation of India 1-0 SAIL, George Telegraph 1-0 Kalighat Club, Salkia Friends 1-0 Eastern Railway

28. May
8th Women's National Championship - 3rd Place-Playoff: Assam 4-3 Maharashtra (after penalties)

27. May
8th Women's National Championship - Semifinal: Bengal 6-0 Maharashtra
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers - Pre-Quarterfinals: Food Corporation of India 4-1 City AC, Milan Bithee 2-0 BNR, Eastern Railway 2-1 Ever-Ready, George Telegraph 2-1 Aryan Club

26. May
8th Women's National Championship - Semifinal: Manipur 12-0 Assam
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: City AC 3-1 Customs, Aryan Club 2-0 Taltala Institute //Pre-Quarterfinals: SAIL 2-0 Wari AC, Salkia Friends 5-4 Rajasthan Club (after penalties)

25. May
8th Women's National Championship - Quarterfinal Group E: Kerala 1-0 Goa // Group F: Orissa 2-1 Meghalaya

Note-1: The Asian Football Confederation has decided not to invite any Indian football team to its two club tournaments - the Asian Club Cup Championship and the Asian Cup Winners Cup - this year. The Asian parent body has also turned down the request of Mohun Bagan to waive a fine imposed on them for their last-minute withdrawal from the Club Cup after conceding eight goals in Japan. Mr KN Mour, secretary of the AIFF, today confirmed that AFC officials had told him that they were not happy with the way the Indian club had pulled out at the eleventh hour and had gone to the extent of informing all concerned not to send Jubilo Iwata to Calcutta for the return match. Mr Mour said that the AFC had told him that Indian clubs always created problems. However, a similar penalty against Hong Kong's Happy Valley for the same offence was quashed. The AFC decided the Hong Kong Football Association and not the club was to blame and gave the association a 'stern warning'. But in this case, it is the club and not the federation which is to be blamed. Mr Mour said that he had carried the Mohun Bagan application to the AFC to reconsider its decision to impose a $3,000 fine and to lift a one-year ban. "They turned down the Mohun Bagan request," Mr Mour said. The secretary said that no Indian team would be allowed to take part in AFC competitions. According to an AFC source, the AIFF's failure to nominate teams resulted in this. Mohun Bagan's place in the Asian meet should in the fitness of things have been taken by the National League second place-holders Churchill Brothers but Mr Mour found the club cool to the idea.

24. May
8th Women's National Championship - Quarterfinal Group E: Manipur 5-0 Maharashtra // Group F: Bengal 3-0 Assam
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: City AC 3-1 Sporting Union, Food Corporation of India 1-0 Bowbazar Young Men's Union, Wari AC 2-0 Behala Youth, Kalighat Club 1-0 Barisha Sporting, Rajasthan Club 1-0 Muslim Institute, Milan Bithee 3-0 Taltala Dipti Sangha

Note-1: Here another story of an Indian player, who wants to try his luck outside India.
Air-India's Jamil's Kuwait optionstar midfielder Khalid Jamil may exercise the 'Kuwait option' if negotiations with A-I don't work out to his satisfaction for the 2000-01 football season. "I may attend trials for Al-Qadisiya or Al-Arabi clubs. I am confident of getting in there, on the strength of current form and fitness," said the Mumbai footballer.
Born and brought up in Kuwait, the Mira Road-based footballer had to flee the country on the outbreak of the Gulf War. He learnt his early lessons under French World Cupper Manuel Amoros in Kuwait, before circumstances forced him to continue his career in Mumbai. The international, adjudged the 'best midfielder' at the recent Santosh Trophy Championships, however clarified he would enjoy playing for Air-India if he gets what has been promised to him.
"Air-India gave me the break and I have already given my word to Bimal Ghosh (the A-I coach) before going to Maldives," said Jamil. "I will stay with them if Bimal keeps his promise of a job with A-I and a football training stint abroad."
"Last year I was supposed to leave for England after the season for a two- month training programme but circumstances deprived me of the chance. However, this year I am very keen to train on foreign land to improve my game. I haven't signed the contract as yet."
The city's most impressive footballer this season also has tempting offers from clubs like Mohun Bagan, Salgaocar and East Bengal but for Jamil, money is not the deciding factor. "Money is not everything for me. There are 95 per cent chances that I will remain with Air-India, but I will know about that only after meeting Bimal," observed Jamil, whose one-touch play, stamina and attacking instincts have made him one of the most popular players on the national scene.

23. May
8th Women's National Championship - Quarterfinal Group E: Maharashtra 4-0 Kerala // Group F: Assam 3-0 Orissa
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Railway FC 5-0 Calcutta Police

Note-1: 20 top teams in the country will vie for honours in the Pondicherry Millennium football tournament begining here on June 4.
The Pondicherry Football Association President, Selvagandhi said the matches up to the quarterfinals would be played on a knock-out basis and there after it would be on league basis.
He said Mohun Bagan, Tollygunge Agragami (Calcutta), Churchill Brothers, Salgaocar (Goa), Mahindra United, Air India (Mumbai), State Bank of Travancore, Army-XI are some of the participating teams in the Rs 11 lakhs prize money tournament.
Central Excise, Kochi will meet Delhi's A-XI in the inaugural match of the tournament which will last till June 18.
Pondicherry Governor, Dr Rajani Rai will inaugurate the tournament which will be played under floodlight at the Indira Gandhi sports complex here. "Flood lights at a cost of Rs 7,500,000 was arranged for the tournament," Selvagandhi said.

22. May
8th Women's National Championship - Quarterfinal Group E: Manipur 8-0 Goa // Group F: Bengal 12-0 Meghalaya
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Taltala Dipti Sangha 3-1 Mohammedan AC, Wari AC 3-1 Kalighat Friends, Aryan Club 1-0 Bowbazar Young Men's Union, Bata SC 2-0 Sporting Union, BNR 6-0 Calcutta FC, SAIL 1-0 Barisha Sporting, Eastern Coalfields 1-0 Police AC

Note-1: Mohun Bagan have confirmed participation in the forthcoming Millennium Cup tournament in Pondicherry, to be played from June 4 to 18. According to the organisers, Tollygunge Agragami, too, are scheduled to take part in the meet. After participating in the McDowell Cup - the final is scheduled for May 11 - Mohun Bagan will fly to Pondicherry. Their first match will be either on May 13 or 14.

21. May
8th Women's National Championship - Quarterfinal Group E: Maharashtra 0-0 Goa // Group F: Assam 3-0 Meghalaya

20. May
8th Women's National Championship - Quarterfinal Group E: Manipur 10-0 Kerala // Group F: Bengal 5-0 Orissa
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Eastern Railway 2-0 Mohammedan AC, Railway FC 3-0 Kalighat Friends, Food Corporation of India 0-0 Milan Samity, George Telegraph 1-0 Bata SC, BNR 4-0 Ever-Ready, Salkia Friends 1-0 Eastern Coalfields

19. May
I got a mail from Indian Express sports writer Animul Islam with the article he wrote on the Conference on Indian football and the IFSC Convention, which was published on May 16. This article was the fifth such article in an Indian newspaper. Sunil Warrier was the first to write such an article in the Times of India in February, articles in the Hindustan Times, the Statesman and the Tribune India followed. Also some online news servers, like Calonline, carried articles.

3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Taltala Dipti Sangha 1-0 Aikya Sammilani, Sporting Union 0-3 Customs, Muslim Institute 4-0 Bally Protiva, Sonali Shibir 5-0 Barisha Sporting

Note-1: The United Breweries Group took initiative to popularise women football in Calcutta and subsequently in the other states. The group has directed both the Calcutta giants to organise a separate women team. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will field their teams in the forthcoming Calcutta league for women starting from October. To bring the touch of professionalism into women's football in India this step of the UB group has been welcomed by women-football players in Calcutta. The UB group has promised to pay Rs 2 crore to each team in a season to hire the footballers.
Meanwhile, the Mohun Bagan secretary Anjan Mitra said that they have already picked up the team. But he refused to name the players. On the other hand East Bengal will decide on this issue after the emergency meeting of the executive committee.

18. May
Rumours in Calcutta have come up that as a result of the the problems that Dipendu Biswas has been having with his called-off move from Mohun Bagan to East Bengal, he might be coming to Germany for trials with third and fourth division clubs here. According to contacts in India, a Germany based NRI is helping Dipendu in his quest. My first thought was that someone in the active NRI group around Stuttgart might be the talked off contact. I phoned Mr. Sattar, who was involved in a number of Indian football matters here in Germany but according to him, no one he knows in involved in that perticular matter. So I will search further, who this NRI from Germany might be.
Mr. Sattar also told me that the Indian U16 national team would be coming on an exposure trip to Germany in September 2000, while the women's national team might be visiting Germany later in the year or in 2001.

3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Mohammedan AC 1-1 Milan Bithee, Kalighat Friends 0-0 Behala Youth, Milan Samity 0-0 Aryan Club, Ever-Ready 3-0 Calcutta FC, Eastern Coalfields 1-0 Khidderpore Sporting, Rajasthan 1-0 Peerless SC, Kalighat Club 2-1 West Bengal Police

17. May
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Eastern Railway 0-0 Taltala Dipti Sangha, Food Corporation of India 1-1 Taltala Institute, George Telegraph 1-0 Sporting Union, BNR 3-1 Howrah Union, Calcutta Port Trust 3-0 Muslim Institute, SAIL 4-0 Sonali Shibir, Salikia Friends 1-0 Police AC

16. May
Press friend Aminul Islam, Indian Express, held an interview with Baichung Bhutia in Delhi and wrote an article on the India star. Here the article:
From Tinkitam, a sleepy village at the foothills of Himalayas in Sikkim to England. Bhaichung Bhutia's journey to stardom has been long and eventful.
Right from donning the East Bengal colours in the Calcutta league in 1994 to his recent goalscoring feat for his English club, Bury FC, the nippy striker has had 'a whale of a time' all this while. "Playing in the English League has been a fantastic expericence for me. Looking back, I never thought I would be playing in the English League," Bhutia told The Indian Express here on Sunday afternoon.
An icon in the country, Bhutia nursed the belief that talent juxatoposed with hardwork and dedication always leads to one logical conclusion: Success.And that's what Bhutia has gained over the years. "I found a lot of talented players in our country. But that is not going to help you in the long run. You need to have the courage and determination as well," he explained.
Indeed, he is the only Indian football player who dared to leave the shores to realise his dreams. Interestingly, India's another star IM Vijayan, whom the football pundits regard as a more skilfull player than Bhutia, could never take the plunge.
ON INDIAN FOOTBALL: After completing his maiden season in the English League, Bhutia has become much more determined and confident; the professionalism at the club had taken him by surprise when he first landed in England, he admits.
And when a comparision between the prevailing standard of Indian football with that of the English League crops up, Bhutia doesn't hesitate from taking a dig at the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF). He believes AIFF has to act in a much more professional manner. "Certainly, there is still some hope left for Indian football; but there is need to bring about a lot of changes. We need some sincere and dedicated people who have the time to think about the game," Bhutia said.
"Moreover, some efficient marketing people are also required to keep its popularity intact. Look at the Football Association (FA in England) -- everything is organised there," added Bhutia, who became the first Asian to score a goal in English League history.
INDIA'S TOUR TO ENGLAND: Come July and India will be making a historic tour to the United Kingdom. The national team will be playing a couple of matches including one against top English club, Fulham FC. "But sadly we are yet to start preparing. We are always late starters," said Bhutia, who will be representing the national team for the first time since he joined The Shakers.
TRAINING FACILITIES AT BURY: "The training facilites at the Gigg Lane are excellent. The club looks after each and every player. For example, during the off-season as well, the players have been given instructions to follow certain fitness exercises prescribed by the team's physio."
However, Bhutia agreed that Dr Vece Paes, East Bengal's physio, had prescribed similar fitness programmes during his days with the Red and Gold Brigade. "This is where we lack; we don't want to work in a system and nobody is bothered here," Bhutia said.
"But one should appreciate the way Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are running their clubs despite shortcomings. I think even the best of the clubs like Manchester United or Arsenal wouldn't have survived had they been based in India," he added.
Bhutia, who scored two goals for Bury, has been a moderate success in his first season. But he has shown to his fellow players back home that playing in the English League is nothing but conquering a mental block.

15. May
3rd McDowell's Cup Qualifiers: Eastern Railway 2-0 Milan Bithee, Railway FC 1-0 Behala Youth, Food Corporation of India 1-0 Aryan Club, George Telegraph 1-0 City AC, Calcutta FC 2-0 Howrah Union

13. May
The South Asian under-16 youth football championship will be held in Jamshedpur from June 20 to 30. The meet will be held at the J.R.D. Tata Sports Complex. The AIFF was granted the meet by the Asian Football Confederation and Jamshedpur was chosen as the venue, Arun Ghosh, chief of Tata Football Academy said. India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the participating teams. The Indian team will have a training camp from June 6 at the J.R.D. Tata Sports Complex and the TFA ground.

12. May
Here some news from the british isles that Piara Powar and Jas Bains have send me.

Here a quick update on the position of a couple of the young Asians in the British game by Piara.
18 year old Harpal Singh at Leeds United is doing very well, he has been offered a further professional contract after his academy '2nd year pro' contract expired. Singh was recently given the highest achiever award for Academy players recently and was voted best player by his team-mates. He will now feature more regularly in the Leeds reserves. He's also done very well in his diploma course and may well be registering onto a degree course in September.
Ravinder Matharu, also at Leeds and 2 years younger, has come through his first season with the under -17's with no problems. The club sem to be happy with his progress.
Unfortunately Derby recently released Amrit Sidhu from his contract. Derby, who are not exactly well known for producing young talent at the moment, felt he was not up the standard required. Amrit has thus been left to find another club, the club most strongly linked with him at the moment is ....... Bury. If that happens, given that Amrit is also a striker, it could make for an interesting situation there, an Indian striking duo. Who knows...
Finally, West Ham's Anwar Uddin is reported as doing very well.

Jas Bains has been working hard again on the tour and other Indian football related stuff.
A change in the schedule of matches for the forthcoming national team tour to England. India no longer face Premiership club Leicester City on July 25 but first Division club West Bromwich Albony on July 26. Match tickets go on sale from June and announcements on that will follow...
Jas has also told me that Baichung is on his way to India for a well deserved holiday, after the late season rally.
Meanwhile Jas has organised with Celtic Glasgow to send out hundreds of new Celtic football shirts to orphan teams and other deprived teams in India. My thanks go out to Celtic for their social engagement!!!

10. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male - Final: Maldives 7-8 Sri Lanka - penalty shootout.

9. May
Suddenly India striker Dipendu Biswas is looking for a club for the new season. The UB-group transfer fee rule for players from East Bengal and Mohun Bagan joining the other club, has put off the transfer of Biswas from Mohun Bagan to East Bengal. If East Bengal sign him, they would have to pay Rs. 1,000,000, so the agreement reached with East Bengal is no longer valid for the club. Biswas has asked UB-Group chairman Vijay Mallya for his help, so that he can play for East Bengal, otherwise Biswas would have to sign for a club outside India.

8. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male: Maldives 1-0 India - Goal: 1:0 Thoddu Nizam (69').
Maldives win through a 69.minute goal from Thoddu Nizam and enter the final, while India are out of the tournament and can fly home.
India: Prasanta Dora, Falguni Datta, Mahesh Gawli, Roberto Fernandes, M. Suresh, Jules Alberto, Khalid Jamil, Tapan Ghosh, Abbas Ali Rizvi, Mohammed Najeeb, Bijen Singh.

Note-1: Good news for Indian football fans!!!
The Tata sports federation has geared up to bring quality foreign soccer to India. For those who remember the popular Super Soccer meets, it will be another treat, this time with under-19 teams. Tata Football Academy chief Arun Ghosh said that they have already put forward the proposal to the AIFF. But, the AIFF secretary KN Mour had told him that the final decision will be taken only after he returns from a Asian Football Confederation meeting, to be held on May 14-16. Ghosh said that the tournament has been planned with six teams in mind - either Spain or Germany from Europe, Ghana or Cameroon from Africa, Iran and China from Asia, India and TFA. The meet will be held in Jamshedpur. "If the under-19 meet in a success, then it will be an annual feature and Tata will bear all the costs," Ghosh added.

7. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male: Bangladesh 0-1 Sri Lanka - Goal: 0:1 E.B. Channa (35').

Note-1: A meeting was held in the last few days, with officials from the UB-Group, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in Bangalore. UB Group chief, Vijay Mallya, did not hide his displeasure about the manner in which the officials were running their respective clubs. Among the things decided:
- If East Bengal or Mohun Bagan sign a player of the other club, the signing club would have to pay a transfer fee of Rs. 1,000,000 to the other club. The first time that a transfer fee would have to be paid in Calcutta football.
The first player not to change club was Dipendu Biswas, who had signed with East Bengal from Mohun Bagan but is now staying back with Bagan.
- The clubs have been told to professionalise their administration.
- each club have also been instructed to build a women’s team each with a view to taking part in the Calcutta Women's Football League.

5. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male: India 0-1 Sri Lanka - Goal: 0:1 K.M. Anees (4').
Sub-continent superpowers India lost 0-1 to Sri Lanka in their second match of the Four-nation Golden Jubilee football tournament in Male, Maldives. The matchwinner came in the 4.minute through K.M. Anees. India dominated most part of the match but wasn't able to score a goal.
India: Prasanta Dora, Falguni Datta, Mahesh Gawli, Roberto Fernandes, Daljit Singh, Jules Alberto, Khalid Jamil, R.P. Singh, Ali Abbas Rizvi, Sylvester Ignatius, Mohammed Najeeb.

Note-1: Bengal's Indian Football Association Super Division league starts in Calcutta on June 16, and the big boys take to the field ten days later, it was decided at the IFA's governing body meeting. It was also decided that the cluster matches of the McDowell Cup, the season-opener of the last few years, will be held from May 15 to 28. The final phase of the meet will be held from June 3 to 11. The IFA Shield has been scheduled for September.

4. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male: Maldives 1-1 Bangladesh - Goals: 0:1 Zulfiqar Mahmood Mintoo (7'), 1:1 Ibrahim Fazeel (76').

Note-1: Chennai-based assistant referee Komaleeswaran Sankar is among the four match officials chosen from Asia for the Sydney Olympic Games. It is a great honour for the Indian official, who was chosen the continent's Best Assistant Referee -- the award was conferred in Beirut last month on him.

3. May
Note-1: Times of India press friend Sunil Warrier wrote and send me the following on the renaming of Mahindra&Mahindra to "Mahindra United" in Mumbai.
Raman Vijayan is no Dwight Yorke nor is M. Najeeb a Ryan Giggs. You simply cannot compare Aqueel Ansari to David Beckham nor Tapon Ghosh to Roy Keane. Neither is Shabbir Ali a Sir Alex Fergusson.
So what is common to all these players? They represent United - the foreigners for Premier English club Manchester and the Indians for Mahindras.
Mumbai's top football side Mahindra and Mahindra will wear a new look, a new name and new colours, all in the forthcoming football season which will begin with the Super Division matches sometime in June. Unveiling the grandiose plans, exclusively for The Times of India, was Mr Alan Durante, president of Mahindras' automotive division and also the Sports Club which will now be known as Mahindra United.
"The company has changed the logo and we thought even our football team should have a new overall look with name, colours and even players," Mr. Durante said on Wednesday morning at his Kandivali office. "We have, of course, taken a cue from the English side Manchester United."
Mahindra United was conceived a year ago. "The launch was delayed for a year because we waited to recruit the best players and of course a top coach. Moreover, a year and half ago, we were quite low down and now that we have done pretty well in the National Football League (Mahindras finished sixth after being in the running for a top three spot until the last match), we felt the time was apt for the launch."
Mahindras, who sacked their coach, Olympian S.S. Hakim, in December last and appointed manager Harish Rao as a caretaker, have signed former India captain Shabbir Ali from Salgaocar Sports Club as coach for the next season. The new players who have joined them are international striker Raman Vijayan, attacking wing-half S. Venkatesh, Nigerian midfielder Habib Adenkunle and two defenders Tapon Ghosh and Anthony Pereira.
Though these names are not the real big guns of Indian soccer, Mahindras now appear very formidable especially as they have retained key players like Najeeb, Abbas Ali Rizvi, Manjit Singh, Aqueel Ansari, Shamsi Raza and a few others. Indeed Mr. Durante feels that this team is extremely strong and powerful and that players will have to compete to make the first eleven.
"Mahindra United is just a new identity, and we still remain the same like in previous years," said Mr. Durante. "We chose this name instead of something like FC Mahindra or United Mahindra because the name stands out, sounds good and works well as a name and can also be easily identified. We, in fact, did a study and Mahindra United came out tops."
By coining the word United, the football club amalgamates all the allied Mahindra companies. "We are under one banner now," he said. "The funding will essentially come from Mahindra and Mahindra. United also means we are not disjointed and a union of different cast and creed."
The new-name club is also planning to veer away from their traditional orange and black colours. "We are looking at colours differently now," said Mr. Durante. "It should stand out on television, not only our logo but also the players' name. We are looking at eight or ten options and would be finalising the colours in next three to four weeks. And this is the ideal time to change it as we have changed our logo too. Either we do it now or never."
On the reasons for recruiting Shabbir Ali as coach and not continuing with a successful Harish Rao, Mr. Durante said: "It is all the plans of the United plan. We did not want to compromise on the roles of coach and manager. They are two different and separate identities. And money is certainly not the factor for that is the reason we are concentrating on soccer and not hockey, golf and other sports."
As part of a new plan, Mahindra United are also planning to offer incentives. "This will be apart from the contract money which we have signed them for," Mr. Durante said. "I will be sitting with the team management and the coach will decide the incentives."
For Mahindras to succeed in their plans, a lot of structural changes need to be brought about by the All India Football Federation. "I'm quite hopeful that it would happen soon," opined Mr. Durante. "There has to be a drastic change in rules, like the transfer fee. We need to look at European soccer and take the good points."
Though fewer and fewer tournaments are conducted now __ National championship for the Santosh Trophy had no sponsor this year and the Federation Cup has not been held for two years due to lack of sponsors - Mr. Durante remains optimistic. "The leading clubs will come together and bring the sponsors. We will work with other teams and work out something. I'm confident soccer and soccer sponsorship will catch up soon. It is chicken and egg situation. Sponsors would be keen only if matches are shown live on TV. Otherwise there is only a select group of people watching. Tying up with TV companies is very essential."
Mahindra United have already set the ball rolling and have intimated both the Western India Football Association and the AIFF about the change in name.
"Everything is new and positive at Mahindra United, we need a little bit of luck now," said Mr. Durante.

Note-2: The coach of the Indian women’s team, Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar, along with former Tollygunge Agragami trainer Chandu Roy Chowdhury have been selected to attend a 'B' licence course for coaches in Germany. The course will be conducted in Stuttgart from May 22 to July 28.
Kuntala, an Eastern Railway employee, will leave on May 17 or 19. She has already done the A and B licence courses conducted by the Asian Football Confederation.

2. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male: India 1-1 Bangladesh - Goals: 0:1 Zulfiqar Mahmood Mintoo (5'), 1:1 Abbas Ali Rizvi (53').
India struggled in the first half but held Bangladesh 1-1 in their opening match of the tournament. SAF Games champions Bangladesh surged ahead as early as in the 5.minute of the play courtesy Zulfiqar Mahmud. However, India's Abbas Ali Rizvi saved his side from an ignominous defeat when he slotted home the equaliser in the 53.minute.
India: Prasanta Dora, Falguni Datta, Mahesh Gawli, Robert Fernandes, Daljit Singh, Jules Alberto, Khalid Jamil, R.P. Singh, Abbas Ali Rizvi, Bijen Singh, Mohammed Najeeb (79. Francis Silveira).

Note-1: After acquiring stakes in East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the UB Group is consolidating its hold in the Bengal football arena by acquiring a stake in Mohammedan Sporting Club. Though details of the deal with Mohammedan Sporting is not known, officials hinted that the group is willing to pick nearly 50 per cent stake in the club. Explaining the reason behind the move, UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya said the company felt there was a strong potential in football despite the overwhelming popularity of cricket in India. "Cricket may be popular in the country but football has also got very good following in West Bengal, Kerala and Goa," Mallya said. One official said while East Bengal is presently endorsing the brand King Fisher and Mohun Bagan McDowell, Mohammedan Sporting may promote the Bagpiper brand. Mohammedan Sporting had earlier received Rs 2,500,000 as sponsorship money from the UB Group before the National League qualifying tournament.

1. May
Maldives Golden Jubilee Cup - Male: Maldives 1-1 Sri Lanka - Goals: 1:0 Ali Shiham (45'), 1:1 Jayasuria (55').