29. November
Chile's Italian Serie A players Ivan Zamorano and Marcelo Salas would be the prime attraction at the 16-team Millennium Super Soccer Cup 2001 tournament to be played at three venues across the country. Chile, Cameroon, Columbia and Yugoslavia are the prized teams who will kick-off the world body FIFA's inaugural event, AIFF president Dasmunshi announced.
Columbian stars Faustino Asprilla and Freddy Rincon, besides Dwight Yorke of Trinidad and Tobago are the other leading lights that are expected to dazzle at India's three soccer-crazy cities - Calcutta, Cochin and Goa. The January 10-25 event will be played in four groups of four teams each with top two teams qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Confirming the African giant's participation, Cameroon's representative prince EN Mukete said "we will be here for sure. We have to settle scores with Chile."
The AIFF chief, who has been caught in a difficult situation with nine top clubs forming IPFA and threatening to boycott the National League, however, refused to talk about the composition of Indian team. "This is not the platform to discuss that. We will have the best possible team," Dasmunshi said about a distant threat given by the clubs of not releasing the players for Millennium Cup either.
The draw for the tournament will be in place before Christmas as the foreign teams will have to chalk out their schedules accordingly.
There will be in all 32 matches including the final with the teams in Group A and Group B playing in Cochin, Group C in Goa and Group D in Calcutta. There will 24 matches in the group league. The quarterfinals will be held on Januray 20. The semi-finals are slated for January 22 and 23 in Calcutta. The final and third place matches will be held on January 25.
Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Uruguay, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Iceland, New Zealand, Uzbekistan besides hosts India are the other teams in the tournament.
Japan is the 16th team though its participation is not yet confirmed. AIFF has made arrangements to have a reserve team (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
The inaugural and concluding matches will be played at the Saltlake stadium, Calcutta. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee sanctioned Rs 19 million for the facelift of the stadium.
Three football administrators will manage three soccer legs in their respective areas. They are Ashok Ghosh (Calcutta), PP Lakshmanan (Cochin) and Alberto Colaco in Margao (Goa).
The winner will get $1,50,000 while the first and second runners-up will bag $1,00,000 and $50,000, respectively.
Former cricketer Kapil Dev, who was also present at the press conference, hoped that the tournament would be a big hit.
The national camp for the Indian team starts on December 21 at either Patiala or Calcutta under Sukhwinder Singh, and the National League will be suspended from December 20 onwards.

28. November
IFA (Bengal) joint-secretary Ranjit Gupta has, in a petition submitted to the Calcutta High Court, claimed that four affiliated units of the AIFF should be barred from attending the AIFF's Annual General Meeting and exercising their voting rights for not having paid their annual subscription fees. The quartet named by Gupta includes the Women's Committee, which is represented by the current AIFF president Dasmunshi. The others are the state associations of Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Daman and Diu, the last-named is not yet a full member.
Notices have been served on the four by Judge Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta today, asking them to reply by Dec 4. The matter comes up for hearing on Dec 8. Gupta has quoted Rule 6 of the AIFF constitution, which states that each member of the AIFF shall pay an annual subscription of Rs 1000 in advance on or before March 31 every year. Those who fail to meet that deadline must clear their dues on or before June 30 with a late fee of Rs 500, the rules states. Members who haven't paid the annual subscription fee shall not be entitled to attend and cast its vote at the next AGM, the rule adds.
Following a letter dated March 2, 2000, AIFF general-secretary KN Mour had instructed that subscription fees must be paid to the AIFF Central Office in Guwahati. "Failure to comply with the instruction as contained above shall be treated as default on the part of the Associations concerned," Mour's letter said.

27. November
Utterly disappointed by the outright rejection of their demands by the AIFF, the IPFA accused the parent body of 'breach of trust' and making an 'attempt to politicise the whole issue.' The IPFA secretary Babu Mather said his association was shocked by the way the AIFF president Dasmunshi has decided to do a volte-face after having a couple of what was thought to be fruitful meetings with the IPFA president Vijay Mallya.
"One of our demands was to start the National Football League only after the AIFF annual general meeting on December 16. Dasmunshi had apparently agreed to that when Mallya met him. We requested him so, since Dasmunshi himself said he would not be in a position to consider our demands without taking the general body into confidence", Mather said.
"Now that the AIFF has gone ahead to declare the dates of the NFL on their own, rejecting our demands, it is clear the AIFF is only trying to make political gain out of the whole issue, keeping in mind the approaching elections."
While making it clear that the IPFA member clubs will not play the NFL under any circumstances unless its demands are met, Mather said IPFA is likely to meet in Mumbai on December 6 or 7 to take stock of the situation and chalk out future plans.
IPFA is believed to have already made elaborate plans to organise their own league and tournaments in case the federation bans its member clubs. "Organising competitions would never be a problem, we are sure", said Mather. "We have at least two major sponsors in line and two private television channels interested in telecasting our matches."
IPFA has not yet decided whether to host its own league on the 'home and away' basis or to confine it to couple of venues. In case of the latter, Calcutta and Goa are likely to be the venues.
Mather said "we are all for having cordial relations with the AIFF but if they want to crush us, we will also hit back. If anyone has any doubt about our organisational power, he is sadly mistaken. The clubs will remain united and we are sure more will join IPFA in days to come."
So far it is not clear what stand FIFA would take if the problems are not solved in the coming week...

26. November
The AIFF seemed to have closed ranks against the challenge posed by the IPFA as it decided on Sunday to go ahead with the 5th edition of the National Football League from December 10.
The League was earlier scheduled for a November 28 start and still later the start was advanced to November 25.
Rejecting, by implication, the demand of the IPFA that the League be deferred till elections to the AIFF were held on December 16, the AIFF indicated that it was prepared to go ahead with the NFL without the top clubs in case such a situation arose. It also named five teams to replace those that might withdraw in the eventuality of the IPFA carrying out its threat.
Briefing mediapersons after an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee, also attended by the representatives of the NFL clubs' State associations and emergency NFL Committee members, here on Sunday, the AIFF President Dasmunshi, said that the "AIFF family" was totally united to launch the NFL on December 10, "come what may".
At the meeting, a resolution proposed by Goa and seconded by Bengal, was passed, calling for the launch of the NFL on December 10 and asking state associations to take appropriate disciplinary action against defaulting teams.
The teams are being asked to reconfirm their participation in the League by 7 pm on December 4 to the Chairman of the NFL. "Non- compliance of this resolution on the appointed date and hour deemed to have been taken (sic) as non- participation of their endorsed teams," the resolution stated. The following teams, as per priority, were listed as stand-by teams in case of withdrawals: BSF, Jalandhar; Dempo SC, Goa; Mohammedan Sporting, Calcutta; Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bangalore and Indian Bank, Chennai.
Asked why the meeting had named only five teams in the stand-by list and not eight or nine as would be indicated by the strength of the IPFA, Dasmunshi said that the problem seemed to be with regard to five teams. He would not, however, name them. He pointed out that till date not a single club had indicated that it would withdraw from the NFL for any reason.
The Chairman of the NFL committee was authorised to release the revised fixtures on December 6 after a meeting of the NFL emergency committee on December 5 in Delhi. 18 officials attended Sunday's meeting. Two of the Executive Committee members could not be present. The Secretary of the Mohun Bagan club, Anjan Mitra, "neither opposed nor supported" the resolution, according to Dasmunshi. Mitra informed the meeting that he would be consulting his 'friends' (within the IPFA) before making known his stand. Mitra later addressed the mediapersons and re-iterated the IPFA stand that in case its demands were not met by the AIFF its member clubs would not participate in the NFL. He was, however, not clear about what IPFA's next step would be when asked whether there would be a parallel League.
Dasmunshi said that most of the points raised by the IPFA could be taken up only at the general body meeting of the federation. He was agreeable to a revenue-sharing formula being worked out in case the IPFA brought in more sponsors. The AIFF's agreement with Doordarshan for television coverage would run its course for two more years and Dasmunshi said that he was not in favour of contemplating a change in this area unless all the implications were studied including those concerning uplinking of television signals.
The federation was prepared to give increased representation to the clubs in the NFL committee, one of the demands of the IPFA, Dasmunshi said. He added that the NFL could be a five-month affair with two matches in the week-ends, as suggested by the IPFA. But that could be from the sixth edition only. Dasmunshi appealed to the state associations and clubs to make the NFL a success. He also lauded the contributions made by Vijay Mallya and the others in the IPFA in promoting the clubs. He hoped that the sponsors would come back to support the NFL after having "maintained some distance" because of the ongoing wrangle. He was not prepared to discuss possible sponsors, saying that sponsorship was the AIFF's headache.
Dasmunshi said it was a misconception that the AIFF had held back large amounts of prize money due to clubs from the earlier editions of the NFL. He added that the federation had disbursed about Rs 150 million for the earlier editions and about 75 percent of the prize money for the last edition had been distributed.
"We want to give more to the clubs, but the clubs have to make the NFL more attractive," said Dasmunshi.
In the developing election run-up manoeuvrings, the first round seemed to have gone in favour of Dasmunshi. The presence of the AIFF Secretary, KN Mour, at the meeting as well as at the press briefing, prompted Anjan Mitra to comment: "The IPFA has managed to get the parents united." Also of significance was the seconding of the resolution by the IFA (Bengal).

25. November
After shaking the football administration with the formation of a rival outfit, liquor baron Vijay Mallya has hinted at starting a seperate league if his demands were not met by the AIFF. Mallya, the brain behind IPFA which has the support of nine top clubs in the country, said the players of these clubs were determined not to participate in the National League, which has been postponed in the wake of the formation of IPFA.
"The member clubs are very firm that they will not participate," Mallya said in an interview published in The Week.
"The players cannot sit idle and hence, IPFA will organise friendly matches among the IPFA clubs.
"As of now, IPFA has not decided to conduct a rebel league," he said.
Mallya said IPFA - whose demands include greater autonomy for the clubs, a proper calender and revival of the Federation Cup - wanted AIFF to be "spectator-friendly, television-friendly, and sponsor-friendly."
"This should not be regarded as a boycott or a disruption of the league," he insisted.
Mallya hoped the differences between IPFA and AIFF would be resolved amicably and an MOU signed between the two groups for the smooth running of the game where the participating clubs will have the major say in the conduct of the national league.
What has become increasingly clear is that the IPFA is not a loosely connected body. It means business and its threat cannot be dismissed lightly. Behind the well-planned move are some of the country's top industrialists, namely Vijay Mallya, the powerful liquor baron who sponsors Calcutta's Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting; Samir Thapar, Joint Managing Director of JCT Limited who has since announced his candidature for presidentship of the AIFF, Anand Mahindra of Mumbai's Mahindra United, Shivanand Salgaocar of Salgaocar SC, Goa and media tycoon Subhash Chandra, who sponsors Goa's Churchill Brothers and is talking to take-over Tollygunge Agragami. Also other top clubs of the country like FC Kochin are already involved or are interested like the Goan clubs Dempo SC and Vasco SC.

24. November
Note-1: IPFA, at its meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, decided to bar players from member clubs from participating in the Millennium Cup, till the current impasse with the AIFF is resolved.
IPFA member clubs, however, will participate in the Rovers Cup, if the Western India Football Association conducts it immediately.
It was also decided that there would be no further negotiation with the AIFF till it recognises IPFA as the sole representative of the member clubs. It was learnt that IPFA director Vijay Mallya met AIFF president Priyaranjan Dasmunshi for the third time on Thursday.
The AIFF supremo apparently said he could not sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding before Sunday's executive committee meeting of the Federation.
Upping the ante further, the nascent organisation also stated if the AIFF banned clubs in the IPFA fold, it is confident of being able to conduct its own competitive activities backed by television, spectators and sponsors.
The IPFA, in a press release, also pledged to pay its players "their full fees already agreed on a continuing basis." Stating that threats of banning either players or clubs will not help matters, the IPFA promised to initiate players' welfare programmes and take care of their future should the AIFF do so. If, however, a player leaves the member clubs and plays in tournaments organised by the AIFF; he will be "removed/suspended and will not be allowed to play for the club concerned or any IPFA member club."
The release stated that Dasmunshi "agreed, in principle" to the IPFA demands for constituting the National Football League committee with 75 per cent representation from participating clubs and revenue sharing on a 80-20 basis between the NFL clubs and the Federation. However, it said the AIFF official isn't sure "how to recognise the IPFA and actually give effect to the various measures requested." Dasmunshi apparently said he would have to consult the executive committee and, if needed, the General Body.
Accordingly, the IPFA unanimously decided that the AIFF should be requested to postpone the NFL till after its AGM "so that the new office-bearers would be elected… to negotiate an implement an agreement with the IPFA."
All negotiations/correspondence with the AIFF will be handled by Mallya for the IPFA. In his absence, it will be done by executive committee members Anjan Mitra (Mohun Bagan), Alan Durante (Mahindra United), Henry Britto (Salgaocar) and Babu Mather (FC Kochin).
While six club representatives were present in the meeting, written consent from Mohammedan Sporting, Vasco and Dempo Sports Club was also tabled, it was learnt.
Also it was learned on Friday that former footballer Chima Okorie pledged complete support to the IPFA.
Talking to the Hindustan Times, the popular Nigerian footballer said, he sees the Indian Premier Football Association "as a way forward and would, therefore, like to be associated with it in whatever capacity possible."

Note-2: The election scene in the AIFF hotted up with Punjab FA president and JCT boss Samir Thapar throwing his hat into the ring for the top post. Addressing a press conference, Thapar declared his candidature for the office of president, making his intention clear to take on the present incumbent Dasmunshi, MP.
The AIFF, which is currently facing various internal problems, including a threatened boycott of the National League by nine leading clubs, will hold its annual general meeting and the elections on Dec 16.
Interestingly, Thapar, who felt era of professionalism has to be ushered into the game, made no secret that his sympathy lies with newly formed nine-club alliance, IPFA. "I feel some of their demands are genuine and the AIFF should look into their grievances. However, I would like to make it clear that IPFA is not a parallel body and wants to work within the framework of the federation", he said.
Asked about his panel of contestants, the PFA chief said he yet to finalise it but said the present AIFF secretary KN Mour would definitely be his choice of secretary in the elections.
Thapar regretted that the working of the federation had not been up to the mark for the past few years. "The NFL is in poor shape and there is no effort to tap the tremendous potential the game has in the country." He promised to set up more football academies and make the game professional if elected for the top post.
The latest development has made this clear that the AIFF elections are going to witness fierce battles for the top posts. Dasmunshi has gone on record saying he would contest for the fourth term. Former secretary PP Lakshmanan of Kerala and NFL chairman Alberto Colaco of Goa are in the race for the secretaryship under Dasmunshi.

23. November
Note-1: The latest on the IPFA:
The newly-formed nine-club Indian Premier Football Association on Thursday slightly retracted from its earlier demand of immediately making the National Football League Committee into an autonomous body, but has asked the AIFF to start the NFL only after the AIFF elections on December 16.
The IPFA, met in Delhi under the chairmanship of UB boss Vijay Mallya, passed a resolution demanding immediate recognition of IPFA by the AIFF. "We do not want voting rights but our body should be recognised by the federation," a member of the IPFA said. Mallya is meeting AIFF president Priyaranjan Dasmunshi on Thursday night with his charter of demands.
Sources said that IPFA would agree to tone down its demand of making the NFLC an autonomous body only if the AIFF agrees to do so from next year. "But the National League this time around should be played only after the AIFF elections since we want the new body to honour our demands," the sources said.
IPFA, however, has hardened its stands on other issues except for making NFLC an autonomous body. It has demanded that IPFA be given additional representation in the NFLC and all the payments due to the clubs be cleared before the start of this season's National League.
"We have also asked the AIFF to make arrangements for live coverage of at least 75 per cent of the NFL matches. Otherwise, the clubs and its sponsors will not receive the expected publicity and mileage." IPFA is likely to ask AIFF to sign a memorandum of understanding in this regard. "Otherwise, we will not play the National League." IPFA has also decided to turn itself into a company, which will allow it to get additional sponsors and television coverage. IPFA is believed to have received a lucrative proposal from a private television company in case it gets the responsibility for running the NFL. "A private TV company is ready to shell out close to Rs. 60 million if we run the NFL in a professional manner."
The meeting today was attended by representatives of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, FC Kochin, Tollygunge Aggragami, Salgaocar and Mahindra United. One of the members said, "we all are for breaking the stalemate and starting the league, but not at the cost of our own interest. AIFF cannot suspend us since it has to be ratified by AFC and FIFA. And we have reasons to believe that FIFA is not all that happy with the functioning of the Federation."
A spokesman of Tollygunge Agragami said that Churchill Brothers and JCT will join the committee. But according to AIFF sources, Churchill had informed the Federation that they have not joined the IPFA. The Churchill Bros matter is very unclear at the moment.

Note-2: Former Hyderabad City Police and national team player Shaik Mohammed Jamaal passed away on Thursday. Jamaal, the elder brother of Olympian Noor Mohammed, was 90. He leaves behind wife, five sons and two daughters.

22. November
Calcutta's East Bengal Club today launched their official club website at their club tent at the Calcutta Maidan. It is good to see that my favourite Indian club, as the third club in India have started their own official website! I can only wish them best of luck and welcome to the cyberworld!
The Link : East Bengal Club Website .

21. November
United Breweries chief Vijay Mallya, has clarified that Indian Premier Football Association, the new brand put together by him, was not a breakaway body of the AIFF. Addressing a press conference in Chennai last night Mr Mallya, asked about the apparent coup he had engineered in Indian football, said the IPFA would not to nurture any ambition to take over football administration from the AIFF. "I have no ambition to occupy a high position. I do not need any stature or power," he averred. Mr Mallya denied that it was his intention to take over or function as a "rebel or a parallel organization." The premier liquor baron said the nine most prominent and successful corporate backed football teams had won almost 100 per cent of all tournaments including the National League for over two decades. The IPFA had been formed with a view to convey the needs of Indian football to the AIFF, he said and added that the association should not be regarded as a parallel federation. Explaining the "birth" of IPFA, he said the various member clubs have, on different occasions, made representations to the State federations and the AIFF for a radical change in the conduct and organization of professional football in the country. Regrettably, none of these appeals have yielded any results, he said. Mr Mallya said the member clubs of of the IPFA have received crores of rupees of corporate investment without any return in terms of stimulation of public interest in football, electronic media coverage, development of players’ potential, global participation, opportunities for participation due to lack of an annual calendar of events and lack of norms regarding ownership and transfer of players. The IPFA strongly believed that football was a grassroots sport with a potential of becoming the most popular sport in India, he said.
Leading Goan football teams have favoured the constitution of an autonomous body to organize National Football League in future but described as unfortunate the last minute deferment of this year’s league matches scheduled to begin from November 25. Reacting to the development in the AIFF, president of the Churchill Brothers, Joaquim Alemao said that it does not augur well for the Indian soccer. "It is not not proper to air grievances and take extreme steps when the NFL is round the corner," he said adding that the club cannot sent back the players, including the foreign footballers, who are on contract, as it would cause huge financial loss. Suggesting that an autonomous body should be formed to hold NFL, he said several football club in the country were yet to receive their dues and such inordinate delay is adversely affecting them and the morale of the players. Salgoacar SC secretary Henry Britto pointed out that the clubs and the players were not happy with the affairs of all AIFF, which, he said, was not organizing the football league properly. Stating that NFL should be organized by an autonomous body in the future as was being done in many European countries, Mr Britto said the previous arrangement could continue this year due to lack of time for restructuring and streamlining the affairs of AIFF. Pointing out that electronic media so far concentrated more on cricket without giving its due share to football, he said it was high time that the football lovers should put their heads together to improve the standard of Indian soccer and to generate more interest among the possible sponsors. However, the Vasco SC, newly promoted to the national league, is not not in favour of any autonomous body for organizing NFL saying that what was required is just injecting a new spirit of professionalism in the AIFF. Club's secretary Savio Mesies said the development led to last minute postponement of national league was unfortunate as the participating clubs, which are already facing financial crunch due to various reasons, would incur more financial loss. He said urgent efforts were required to streamline the functioning of AIFF, which should work out more schemes for promotion of soccer by encouraging clubs and the football talent.

20. November
AIFF president Dasmunshi today asserted that attempts by some clubs or individuals to hijack the federation will be frustrated. Football is not Cricket and if anybody wants to be Kerry Packer of football his dream will not be fulfilled, Dasmunshi said at a hurredly called press conference. Football in India is not for sale, it is not cricket, we have much better infrastructure and the games does not need any Kerry Packer,Dasmunshi said.
He also announced the deferring of the fifth edition of the National Football League which was to start from November 25.
The new dates will be announced on November 26 after AIFF excecutive meeting in Delhi.
He claimed that under FIFA, Asian Football Confederation and AIFF's rules there is no place for any parallel body. Those who are thinking or dreaming of challenging AIFF's authority are living in their own world, Dasmunshi was at pain to explain that there was no threat to AIFF.There is no question of succumbing to any pressure. We are open to discuss anything which will help Indian football but in no case authority of the AIFF will be allowed to be diluted. The press conference was called to counter the challenge posed by some major clubs of the country who have formed Indian Premier Football Association with industrialist Vijay Mallya as their president.
Dasmunshi said that he had a detailed discussion with Vijay Mallya here this morning and he (Mallya) assured me that IPFA is not a parallel body. The IPFA has demanded that National Football League be run on professional lines. It should be properly marketed and sponsors should get exposure on the television.
I had a useful discussion with Vijay Mallya, who came to meet me on behalf of a few clubs and now the whole issue will be discussed at an emergency meeting of the AIFF here on November 26, Dasmunshi said.
Asked if the formation of IPFA was linked to the elections of the AIFF office bearers scheduled for December 16, Dasmunshi said, I don't know, I can't say. He, however, said he is going to seek re-election as president. I am very much in the race and I will contest if election is thrust upon me. Dasmunshi said that he told Vijaya Mallya that NFL here should not be compared with the leagues in various European countries. One can travel through whole of Europe in one-and-a-half day but that is not possible here. We face a lot more problems here and we are not yet very professional.
The AIFF chief admitted that there has been some problems regarding payments to the clubs in the previous NFL but those have been sorted out. He lashed out at Doordarshan saying, it has destroyed sports in the country and is only interested in cricket. Cricket and Doordarshan jointly finished other sports in the country. Doordashan owes Rs 30 million to AIFF and if they had paid us our money, this problem would not have arisen,he said.
I don't understand Doordarshan's obsession for cricket at the cost of other games,he said adding that AIFF had an agreement with Star TV but it was Doordarshan which asked us to come to them, to be with National TV and look how we have been treated. He also blamed some co-sponsors for not fulfilling their obligations.
Dasmunshi said, while the authority of the Federation and State Association cannot be undermined, challenged or questioned by any outside forces at the same time, all legitimate grievances of the clubs, both in terms of resource mobilisation, revenue sharing and other aspects relating to the improvement of the game can be discussed.

18. November
Nine prominent clubs of India formed the Indian Premier Football Association today. The breakaway clubs are East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting, Tollygunge Agragami (all Calcutta), Churchill Brothers, Salgaocar (both Goa), Mahindra United (Mumbai), JCT Mills (Punjab) and FC Kochin.
The executive committee of the IPFA is headed by Vijay Mallya as its President. Mohun Bagan's Anjan Mitra along with Alan Durante of Mahindra United and Henry Britto of Salgaocar are the three vice-Presidents. Babu Mather of FC Kochin is the secretary.
The IPFA has set a deadline for the AIFF to conduct football events dynamically and provide a proper calender of events. Other demands include greater electronic media coverage and international participation and proper norms as regards ownership and transfer of players. The sole objective of the IPFA is to promote football in a professional manner in the country and not to be regarded as rebel or parallel organisation.
Mallya will meet AIFF president Das Munshi in the capital tomorrow and seek an assurance about these demands. The main demand of the IPFA is that the AIFF must either respond urgently to the demands or postpone the start of the National League till an agreement is reached, failing which the top nine clubs will not participate.

17. November
A clutch of industrialists, led by liquour baron Vijay Mallya, are planning to change the way football is being run in the country. Come Saturday, they are meeting in Mumbai with officials of at least five leading clubs of the country to work on a blueprint on how to run the game in a "more professional manner". While the chairman of UB Group, common feeders of the Calcutta Maidan Big Three, are the main movers of the idea, others who have joined forces are the owners of Mahindras and shipping company Salgaocar. The consortium, while stopping short of setting up a parallel administration either at the national or state level, want a better mileage from their investments in the game and have number of plans up their sleeves. While Dipak Ganguly, president of UB Group, said they would not like to get into any confrontation with any of the administrative bodies, the Calcutta Big Three have taken exception to IFA's refusal to nominate Mallya as the state's representative. "We wanted him to represent the state unit at the national level for he has made more contribution to the game than somebody who runs a lower division club here and is engaged in match-fixing," said Mohun Bagan's managing director Anjan Mitra, in a covert reference to the IFA joint secretary Ranjit Gupta. Known to make preposterous claims, Mitra said there is even a possibility of them withdrawing along with East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting from the state apex body. He dared the IFA thus: "Let's see how IFA can run the show and make profits without three of main attractions," even though the final nod for this has to come from the liquour baron himself. There could be hence two meetings on the morrow in Mumbai - one dealing with the Big Three's cry for more autonomy in the running of state body's affairs while the other one searching for a common platform at the national level. Even though the UB executive has denied plans of a parallel National League, a high-profile elite club tournament had been mooted at the earlier meeting. If everything works out as per plans, the Calcutta Big Three, Salgaocar and Mahindras United may take part in an event which can give the National League a run for the money. According to informed sources, the low-key telecast of soccer events had been a major source of discontent for Mallya, who has pumped in several crores since his association with Calcutta soccer in '98. "The telecast rights for the planned event will be awarded to the highest bidder and Sony Max, according to indications available, are the leading contenders," the sources added.

15. November
Calcutta Super Division - Super 5: George Telegraph 1-0 Tollygunge Agragami - Goal: 1:0 Swarup Chatterjee (25').

Note-1: East Bengal beat Calcutta University 4-0 in a friendly football match at the SAI Complex, Calcutta. Dipendu Biswas, Sur Kumar Singh, Srikanta Dutta and Dipankar Roy were the scorers.

Note-2: Here come the latest on the parallel National League:
The UB Group has no plans to commence a parallel football league in the country. Kalyan Ganguly, President UB Group, said that apprehensions expressed on this score was unfounded. "We have no plans whatsoever to begin a new professional football league in the country. There was a brain-storming session and we felt that something must be done to uplift Indian football. This idea has been misinterpreted by some and we read reports that UB is planning a sort of revolt against the national body in collaboration with the IFA, the governing body of football in West Bengal," said Ganguly. "Some of us were in Spain recently and after looking at the going-on there with regard to their local league, we felt that Indian football could surely be benefited with a change of format or system in its conduct. The success of the Premier League in England, the J-League in Japan was all considered during the talk. A lot of things are happening in India. It is only a matter of time before changes in football creep in," added Ganguly. "But whatever we do, it would be with the full knowledge and and in complete cooperation with the AIFF. It is not our plan to start a sort of parallel league which will be run by a separate body. I must emphasise that we have never thought on these lines. In fact, Vijay Mallya and myself met the AIFF president and expressed our concerns about the standard of the game in the country."
"Of course, we do sponsor three of the biggest clubs in the country and all of which have a rich football history - Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. But that does not mean that the company has colluded with the organisers there and intend to run a new tournament with the help of a few big clubs. We did feel that efforts must be made to improve football infrastructure and bring in reputed names in the game. This will catch public imagination and then football, easily the most popular game all over, will be a different ball game," said Ganguly.
"As far the Calcutta clubs are concerned, all the three are under different companies of the group. A company has been created as far as Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are concerned. We own half the shares but this is as far as football is concerned. The companies have nothing to do with the clubs' other interests. Our commitment is only to football. The arrangement with Mohammedan Sporting is entirely different. There have been misgivings about this too but then Mohun Bagan and East Bengal cannot be bought off by anyone else unless we sell the shares that we own," revealed Ganguly.
"We sponsor lifestyle sports like racing, golf etc. We also do a lot for mass sports like football and cricket. It will be our endeavour to uplift Indian football in the long run. We have the hope and the conviction that the game will not be the same in the years to come," concluded Ganguly.

14. November
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Final: Central Railway 1-1,5-3 Rail Coach Factory - Goals: 0:1 Naresh Kumar (43'), 1:1 Arshad Ansari (71').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Third-Place Playoff: Northern Railway 2-1 Southern Railway

13. November
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Semifinal: Rail Coach Factory 0-0,6-5 Southern Railway (after penalties)
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Semifinal: Central Railway 3-0 Northern Railway - Goals: 1:0 Arshad Ansari (48'), 2:0,3:0 Adil Ansari (72',74').

Note-1: The South Asian Football Federation Cup, originally scheduled to be held in Dhaka in early 2001, is likely to be postponed till the later part of the year.
The SAFF general secretary Sirajul Islam Bachchu says the delay is mainly due to the ongoing tussle between the AIFF chief Dasmunshi and the IFA secretary Ranjit Gupta.
"We look at India as big brothers in this region," Bachchu said. "If there is trouble there, we too are affected. "There is trouble in Nepal too. The current SAFF president Ganesh Thapa is facing some resistance," he said.
"We cannot have the SAFF meet till these problems are sorted out. India won the last edition of the SAFF Cup, which was held in Goa. "That was a good tournament, but we want to do it better and we are looking forward to India's help."
Bachchu added that he had spoken to both Dasmunshi and Gupta, requesting them to solve their problems fast. "But now that the matter is in court, I guess it will take time," he said. The SAFF Cup was initially scheduled for this year. However, as the Asia Cup was also held in 2000, the Asian Marketing Limited (AML), which normally conduct all the Asian Football Confederation tournaments and its recognised meets, expressed their inability to manage two tournaments in the same year. "We had a meeting in Malaysia where they requested us to hold the SAFF Cup in 2001. We had to agree," he said.
The host organisation does not have to worry about getting sponsors as AML does that. Each participating country gets $25,000 while the hosts get around $75,000. The SAFF general secretary said that he has many programmes lined up.
"However, I will not be able to tell you till they mature," Bachchu said. "SAFF does not have money in its coffers and we have to depend on the members for assistance. As this is not a FIFA-recognised body, we cannot even ask for grants from the apex body or the AFC. Right now, we do not even have the funds to conduct a meeting. The situation is such that if I call a meeting and ask the members to pay for their passage, very few will turn up. So, we can have any number of plans, but the progress will be slow." The Bhutanese football body requested Bachchu to use his position as the SAFF general secretary to help train their under-19 team. "I have asked the Bangladesh Football Federation to accommodate the Bhutan boys. The BFF will pay for the expenses on behalf of SAFF," he said.
The SAFF secretary is hoping to regularise things soon and call a meeting of members before finalising the dates for the SAFF Cup.

12. November
Hyderabad City Police Olympians Trophy - Final: Indian Telephone Industries 1-1,3-1 Vasco SC - Goals: 0:1 Ravi Babu (35'), 1:1 Kenneth Ugwo (40').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Quarterfinal: Southern Railway 1-0 South Eastern Railway
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Quarterfinal: Central Railway 1-0 Integral Coach Factory
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Quarterfinal: Rail Coach Factory 1-0 Eastern Railway SC
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Quarterfinal: Northern Railway 1-1,5-3 NF Railway SC (after penalties)

11. November
113th Durand Cup - Final: Mahindra United 1-2 Mohun Bagan (golden Goal) - Goals: 1:0 Abbas Ali Rizvi (64'), 1:1 Amar Ganguly (83'),1:2 R.C. Prakash (92').
12th Royal Gold Cup - Kohima - Final: Mizoram Police 2-1 Nagaland Police - Goals: 1:0,2:0 Joseph Lalsangzuala (?',25'), 2:1 Aoyanger (43').

10. November
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group A: Northern Railway 5-0 Metro Railway

Note-1: Here the latest news on the "REBEL" National Football League:
A UK-based sports promotion group has chalked out the complete match programme of the proposed 'parallel' National Football League, according to sources. The group, which was recently appointed the marketing agents of the 'league', has also plans to promote it in a big way.
The 'parallel' league, said to be a brainchild of Vijay Mallaya, is already a hot topic of discussion in the country's soccer circles. The league has strong supporters in some of the leading club sides, who were unhappy with the treatment meted out to them by the AIFF. It may be recalled that the AIFF's failure to pay the NFL prize money due to the clubs, had sparked protests from various quarters.
The AIFF senior vice-president PP Lakshmanan, however, sees no immediate threat to the 'official' National Football League, scheduled to begin on November 25. "A parallel league is out of question because it is impractical," he said. "The Asian Football Confederation and the international federation (FIFA) are bound to take any such move seriously and will never allow such a thing to happen."
The organisers of the proposed league, however, claim that they have the 'silent' backing of AFC officials. "Once we start the league, they will give us the okay," said one of them. He also claimed that a minimum of ten clubs out of the 12 that took part in the last NFL, have promised support to the new league. Besides, a leading television company has reportedly come up with a bid to cover the matches live.
Meanwhile, the sources close to the rebel group indicated that efforts were on for a patch up with the AIFF. "We don't want to go for a head on collision with the AIFF. All that we demand is justice. If they agree to our demands, we are ready for an amicable settlement," they said.

Note-1: The coach of Sporting Clube de Goa, Rocky Almeida, died yesterday of severe pancreatic disorder leading to kidney failure. Almeida breathed his last at the ICU of the Goa Medical College, Bambolim, where he was admitted about a week back. Rocky (35) took ill two days prior to Sporting Clube's departure to Mumbai to take part in the Mini Rovers Cup tournament. He was admitted to Dr Estibeiro's Esperanca Hospital, Miramar on 30 October, from where he was shifted to the GMC as his condition worsened. He is survived by his wife and two sons aged seven and four. Hailing from Dona Paula, he began his career with Clube Sao Minguel de Taleigao, Rocky went ton to don the Dempo and Sesa colours, before turning to coaching with Cidade de Goa, which last year was rechristened Sporting Clube de Goa. He made his mark as a coach with Sporting Clube by guiding the club to a creditable fourth position - two notches above MPT and Vasco - in this season's professional football league, on its debut.

9. November
113th Durand Cup - Semifinal: Churchill Brothers 0-2 Mohun Bagan - Goals: 0:1,0:2 R.C. Prakash (24',35').

Note-1: The 5th edition of the National Football League championship will kick off on November 25 at four different venues. According to the chairman of the organising committee, Alberto Colaco, the draw presented at the AIFF meeting on October 22 in Delhi had to be totally revised due to non-availability of the Saltlake stadium in Calcutta upto January 28, 2001 and the Nehru Stadium at Kochi in November and December. As agreed by East Bengal some of their home matches will be played at Siliguri, subject to approval of the venue committee representatives, Colaco said.

8. November
113th Durand Cup - Semifinal: Mahindra United 7-6 East Bengal Club - Goals: 1:0 Manjit Singh (10'), 1:1 Isiaka Awoyemi (90').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group C: Eastern Railway SC 2-0 Central Railway - Goals: 1:0,2:0 Surajit Karmakar.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group D: NF Railway SC 2-0 Southern Railway - Goals: 1:0,2:0 Hemanta Kalita.
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Final: Indian Nationals FC 2-0 Bank of India - Goals: 1:0,2:0 Kewal Thakur.

Note-1: Faulty planning and apathy towards football in India are responsible for the current plight of the sport in the country, those associated with the game have unequivocally lamented. Speaking at a function in Delhi, experts mooted that expeditious steps are overdue to uplift Indian football from its current morass, adding the onus on this count lies on football organisations, coaches and players alike. Mahindra United coach Shabir Ali said "faulty planning" was the key ailment plaguing Indian football and those responsible for promoting the game in the country would have to indulge in some brainstorming and initiate concrete steps to redeem it. Moderating the discussion, football commentator and my friend Novy Kapadia recalled the glorious days of the game in the country in late 70s when Indians used to offer tough competition to foreign rivals. On the ongoing controversy whether foreign coaches or players be allowed in the Indian football, Shabir said he found nothing wrong in doing so. He cited the example of former Indian football coach the late Milovan, a Czechoslovakian who, Sabir said, had rendered yeomen service to the game in the country through his experiences, adding he had learnt a lot from him. Shabir also suggested that foreign players be allowed to play for the country's clubs as it would enable Indian players to have a feel of the standards of their foreign counterparts. Disagreeing with Shabir, East Bengal coach Syed Nayeemuddin, however said he was against allowing foreign players to play here for it would reduce the playing prospects of their Indian counterparts. He said the country had good coaches and their services be utilised rather than spend lakhs of rupees on foreign coaches. East Bengal manager Swapan Bal said Indian football faced imminent extinction if remedial measures were not taken forthwith. Bal held the AIFF "responsible for the pathetic plight of soccer in the country" and said the AIFF "does not devote even 20 minutes to discussing soccer and is busy charting out its agenda on its own."

7. November
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group A: South-Eastern Railway 2-0 North-Eastern Railway - Goals: 1:0 S: Chakraborty, 2:0 P. Mitra.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group B: Rail Coach Factory 2-0 Western Railway - Goals: 1:0,2:0 M. Singh.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group C: Central Railway 4-0 Chittaranjan Locomotive Works
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group D: Diesel Locomotive Works 6-0 Wheel & Axle Plant

Note-1: Jaydeep Basu reports from Delhi that footballers of East Bengal Club today demonstrated soccer skills in a clinic conducted at the St. Stephen's College ground for young footballers. Talented young players from various colleges and schools participated in the clinic. The Delhi University football team and a team consisting school footballers also played short duration matches with East Bengal. The star players of the club demonstrated practice techniques, exercises and soccer skills for young soccer enthusiasts.

6. November
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group A: Mohun Bagan AC 3-0 Tata Football Academy - Goals: 1:0,3:0 Jose Barreto (17',40'), 2:0 Joao dos Santos (23').
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group A: Salgaocar SC 0-1 Mahindra United - Goals: 0:1 S. Venkatesh (5').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group A: North-Eastern Railway 1-1 Metro Railway - Goals: 0:1 T.T. Mukherjee, 1:1 Rayaji.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group A: South-Eastern Railway 0-0 Northern Railway - Goals: none.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group B: Railway Coach Factory 0-0 South Central Railway - Goals: none.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group C: Central Railway 2-0 Railway Board - Goals: 1:0 Adil Ansari, 2:0 Arshad Ansari.
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Semifinal: Bank of India 0-0,5-4 Union Bank of India (after penalties) - Goals: none.

Note-1: After cricket, is it the turn of football to look up to the Government to clear the mess created within the AIFF? According to AIFF sources, one of its members, Ranjit Gupta, today approached the Union Minister of Sports, SS Dhindsa, urging him to initiate a Government level enquiry about the financial dealings in the federation. Gupta is the joint secretary of the IFA, the parent body of Bengal football and has been complaining about 'misappropriation of the funds in the AIFF' for a long time. He had already submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Sports in this regard. While no official version was available, the Sports Minister is believed to have told Gupta that his ministry has already written to the AIFF seeking clarification about the complain. Since no reply has come so far, the ministry would be sending a reminder very soon. Gupta, when asked, admitted that he met the Minister but refused to elaborate. "I had a talk with the Minister on this issue but time has not come yet to talk about it." The AIFF secretary, KN Mour, who is in Guwahati, could not be reached for comments.

Note-2: The Rovers Cup Football Tournament, which will be celebrating its centenary year, has been postponed to the last week of December. The tournament was scheduled to be held at the Cooperage from November 10 but as the participating teams did not have sufficient break before the National League, the organisers were forced to postpone the tournament, a Western India Football Association press note said. The National League is starting from November 28 while the Rovers Cup final was slated for November 25 which would have left hardly any time for the players to get any rest.

5. November
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group B: East Bengal Club 1-0 JCT Mills - Goals: 1:0 Suley Musah (58').
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group B: Churchill Brothers 2-1 Mukti Joddha KC - Goals: 1:0,2:0 Francis Silveira (56',67'), 2:1 Reazul Karim Liton (84').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group C: Eastern Railway 2-0 Chittaranjan Locomotive Works - Goals: 1:0 S. Saha, 2:0 S. Karmakar.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group D: Diesel Locomotive Works 1-1 NF Railway SC
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Semifinal: Indian Nationals FC 1-0 Bengal Mumbai FC - Goal: 1:0 Pushpender Singh (5').

Note-1: The All AIFF elections have been postponed by three weeks. Originally scheduled for December 9 in Mumbai, they are now likely to be held on December 29 or 30. The venue has been shifted to Delhi at the insistence of the AIFF secretary, KN Mour. Yesterday, Mour and the IFA secretary Ranjit Gupta met the Union sports minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and informed him of the alleged financial irregularities in Indian football. They also requested the ministry to probe into the financial affairs of the AIFF. Meanwhile, Samir Thapar, president of the Punjab FA, has not yet ruled himself out of the contest for the post of AIFF president.

Note-2: The failure of the AIFF to pay the clubs their dues and the repeated broken promises by the body may lead to some dramatic changes in the Indian football scene. According to sources, officials of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting, Mahindra United, Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers met in Mumbai a few days ago, at the behest of representatives of United Breweries, to chalk out a plan for a parallel National Football League on a home and away basis. The UB officials had intended to work out a project with Zee TV about telecast of this parallel League. Zee TV's Sports channel is due to start next month. If it happens, the parallel League will be shown live on this channel and will be held during May-July. The prize money on offer will also be more than any other meet in India. However, the six club officials are yet to give their consent. The next meeting is in Mumbai on November 15. Joaquim Alemao of Churchill, however, today denied any such involvement. "We are not a party to any parallel NFL. We are very much in the NFL fold." It is believed that Vasco of Goa is likely to be invited if Churchill pull out. JCT were also favoured but their problems of a venue for home matches do not make them an attractive proposition.

4. November
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group A: Salgaocar SC 0-0 Mohun Bagan AC - Goals: none.
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group A: Mahindra United 5-0 Tata Football Academy - Goals: 1:0,2:0 Manjit Singh (3',43'), 2:0 Habib Adenkule (30'), 4:0 Aqueel Ansari (67'), 5:0 Mohammed Najeeb (89').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group B: Integral Coach Factory 2-0 Western Railway - Goals: 1:0 Suresh Kumar (29'), 2:0 Ravi (49').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group D: Southern Railway 10-0 Wheel & Axle Plant
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Quarterfinal: Indian Nationals FC 2-1 Central Bank of India - Goals: 1:0 Deepak Gurung (34'), 1:1 Caitano Fernandes (45'), 2:1 Manjeet Singh (72').
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Quarterfinal: Bengal Mumbai FC 0-0,4-2 Bombay Customs - Goals: none.

Note-1: The AIFF may have finalised the first-leg fixtures of the National Football League, yet the impasse over the availability of Saltlake Stadium continues. With the Millennium Cup scheduled to be held in three venues including Calcutta from January 10-25, the city's principal football stadium has to undergo renovation. For this, it can't be used for domestic matches from November 15. According to AIFF president Das Munshi, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan may have to play most of their first-leg matches at outstation venues. The Saltlake Stadium is the traditional 'home' turf for the Big Two for NFL matches. This means they will finish most of their 'away' commitments which should leave them with the psychological advantage of playing quite a few 'home' matches in the second phase. Though East Bengal have agreed to play their 'home' matches in Siliguri, Mohun Bagan have not and according to the AIFF chief, a decision on this will be taken by the NFL committee.

Note-2: The centenary Rovers Cup may be postponed to January 2001. This is being done to ensure the participation of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. If the tournament is held as scheduled, both the clubs may withdraw, citing injuries to key players, prior to the start of the National League on November 28.

Note-3: Come 25 December, while Christians celebrate the advent of Jesus Christ, Kerala will welcome the birth of a new celluloid star, I.M. Vijayan. On that day, the great footballer’s debut feature film, "Shan thaman", directed by Jayaraj, and also starring Seema Biswas (who plays Vijayan’s mother), will be released.
In fact, the joke of Vijayan winning the National Award (for acting) before he wins the Arjuna award is making its round. He would be leaving for Chennai soon to begin dubbing for the film which was shot within 13 days over the past month. He also plans to hold screenings in Calcutta, Mumbai and the other places where he has his fans.
The Black Pearl of Indian football was down in Mumbai for a felicitaiton today organised by the People's Art Group at the Shanmukhananda Hall later this evening.
Football, however, remains Vijayan's first priority and every morning he used to practise in Thrissur before driving up north to Bharatapuzha for the shootings. He is hoping to swing into action during the National League but is not forthcoming on the plans of his club, FC Kochin.
Recounting his acting experience, Vijayan said it was not difficult at all."It was just like playing football. I used to just follow the director. It was like following the coach's instructions." Before the shoot the director used to tell him how to emote while somebody used to read the script. If he was in difficulty, somebody used to say, "Just put a football before him and then he will act naturally." He also gave a physical demonstration of the murder scene where he stabs his friend to death. Vijayan said the Football Academy had already started functioning in a small way at Thrissur where the former Mohun Bagan star Xavier Pius was in charge of training.

3. November
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group B: Churchill Brothers SC 2-1 East Bengal Club - Goals: 1:0 Jose Colaco (24'), 2:0 Osumanu Husseini (30'), 2:1 Chandan Das (53').
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group B: JCT Mills 2-0 Mukti Joddha KC - Goals: 1:0 Jagjit Randhawa (45'), 2:0 Ram Pal (74').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group A: North-Eastern Railway 1-0 Northern Railway - Goals: 1:0 Anil Khalkho.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group B: South Central Railway 0-0 Western Railway - Goals: none.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group C: Railway Board 0-0 Chittaranjan Locomotive Works - Goals: none.
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Quarterfinal: Union Bank of India 2-0 Kolhapur DFA - Goals: 1:0 Keenan Oliver, 2:0 Ryan D'Souza.
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Pre-Quarterfinal: Ahmednagar DFA 0-0,6-5 Jalgaon DFA (after penalties) - Goals: none.

2. November
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group A: Salgaocar SC 1-0 Tata Football Academy - Goal: 1:0 Climax Lawrence (62').
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group A: Mohun Bagan AC 2-2 Mahindra United - Goals: 0:1,0:2 Manjit Singh (8',51'), 1:2 Joao dos Santos (59'), 2:2 R.C. Prakash (90').
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group C: Eastern Railway SC 0-0 Railway Board - Goals: none.
57th Inter-Railway Trophy - Preliminary League - Group D: NF Railway SC 7-0 Wheel & Axle Plant

Note-1: The problem about deciding the venues continued to plague the National Football League Committee, which met for the 'managers meeting' in Delhi. While the meeting decided to stick to its scheduled date of Nov 28 for the inaugural set of matches, it could not decide on the venue for the home matches of the two Calcutta teams.
The AIFF, apparently got caught in its own web as the West Bengal Government has decided not to host matches in Saltlake Stadium from Nov 15 to renovate it for the Millennium Cup to be played from Jan 10 to 25. The AIFF had earlier written to the State Government requesting it to give a facelift to the Stadium.
The AIFF president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi today said he will request the Cricket Association Bengal to permit National Football League matches at Eden Gardens till December 20. He is also expected to have a meeting with Subhash Chakraborty, the West Bengal sports minister, in this regard. Mohun Bagan has demanded that Eden Gardens be used as venue for the Calcutta teams' home matches.
In case the Eden arrangement does not work out, Mohun Bagan have opted for New Delhi as the venue of their home matches while East Bengal have chosen Siliguri. JCT Mills, too, have problems with their home venue as the National Games are slated in Ludhiana and Jalandhar in February 2001. Their home matches may also be shifted to Delhi.

1. November
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group B: Churchill Brothers SC 3-0 JCT Mills - Goals: 1:0 Somatai Shaiza (35'), 2:0,3:0 Francis Silveira (42',82').
113th Durand Cup - Quarterfinal League - Group B: East Bengal Club 3-1 Mukti Joddha KC - Goals: 1:0,2:0,3:0 Dipendu Biswas (34',38',81'), 3:1 Reazul Karim Liton (88').
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Round 1: Central Bank 12-1 Sangli DFA
11th mini-Rovers Cup - Round 1: Bombay Customs 3-1 Pune DFA

Note-1: Defending champions Mohun Bagan on Wednesday requested the Indian Football Association to approach the state government and other authorities in making the Eden Gardens available to the club for its National League outings between December 1 and 18. In a letter to the IFA joint secretary, Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra said since the Saltlake Stadium ground was not available during the period as it would be taken over for necessary maintenance and repair, the club's matches could be shifted to the Eden Gardens. Bagan is scheduled to play four first phase national league matches during the period. "As our team will not be able to give its best in grounds not upto the required standard, we hereby request you to move the government and other appropriate authorities in making the Eden Gardens available to our team," he said.

Note-2: The Hindustan Times reports that Baichung Bhutia has indicated that Bury FC would not release him for the Millennium Cup football tournament, scheduled to be held from January 10 to 25. "I will not be making it to the Millennium Cup," Bhutia said. "My club will not release me during this period." Incidentally, according to information, Bhutia was being tipped to be the captain of India in the high profile tournament being planned by the AIFF. If Bury FC remain firm and refuse to release Bhutia, it will be a major setback for India. South Africa, Paraguay, and Qatar, among others, have already confirmed their participation in the Millennium Cup. The AIFF is also trying to rope in a few European teams. "I would have loved to play in the Millennium Cup, had my club released me," Bhutia said. This is his second season with the English second division side and is a regular in the team. He is one of their key strikers and although has not been scoring too many goals, Bhutia has helped set up quite a few. Bhutia and Andy Littlejohn have clicked as the forwards in the side.