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42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Final: Jharkhand 1-1,1-0 West Bengal [extratime] - Goals: 1-0,2-1 Jagtar Singh (2',109'), 1-1 G Hau Son Pau (13').

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Air Force 3-0 Delhi Police - Goals: 1-0 Kalyan Pal, 2-0 MC Paneru, 3-0 Aurobindo Bandopadhyay.
Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Shastri Club 0-0 Tarun Sangha - Goals: none.
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Hindustan FC 1-0 Garhwal Heroes - Goal: 1-0 Deepak Kumar.
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Youngmen FC 0-0 Indian Air Force, Palam - Goals: none.
Manipur State League: Kakching FC 1-2 Phoudel Youth Club, Thoubal - Goals: 1-0 Premchand (5'), 1-1 L Indramani (13'), 1-2 Mohammed Riyaz Khan (51').
Manipur State League: Eastern Sporting Union 3-1 YWO, Bishnupur - Goals: 1-0 S Heman (29'), 1-1 Th Goroba Singh (33'), 2-1 Th Surjit Singh (76'), 3-1 P Saratchandra Singh (89').
Manipur State League: AMOFA, Moirang 1-0 NEROCA - Goal: 1-0 Amol Kom (17').
Manipur State League: SAI Regional Centre, Imphal 0-3 Southern Sporting Union - Goals: 0-1,0-2 Banny Chiru (5',40'), 0-3 Gaichungam Kamson (76').

December 30

Mohun Bagan AC clinches 2006 Federation Cup

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Final: Sporting Clube de Goa 2-4 Mohun Bagan AC (1-1, 1-1, 2-4)
Goals: 1-0 Harmanjot Singh Khabra (5'), 1-1 Fabio Cortez Vidal (28')

Penalty Shootout:
• Jose Carvalho - hits the right post. penalty score 0-0.
• Jose Ramirez Barreto - scores, right bottom corner. penalty score 0-1.
• Earnest Jeremiah - saved by Sangram Mukherjee to his right. penalty score 0-1.
• Dipendu Biswas - scores to the goalkeeper's right. penalty score 0-2.
• Nicolau Borges - scores to the goalkeeper's left. penalty score 1-2.
• Fabio Cortez Vidal - scores. top right corner. penalty score 1-3
• Papiah Jagadish Kumar - wide of target. penalty score 1-3.
Mohun Bagan win 3-1 on penalties.

Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan AC ended their long term trophy-drought at the national level in a stylish manner as they lifted the coveted Federation Cup for a record twelfth time by defeating Sporting Clube de Goa in the final at the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta tonight. The teams were locked at 1-1 after ninety minutes of regulation time and a further thirty minutes of extra-time. The match had to be decided via a tie-breaker and Mohun Bagan emerged victorious in the penalty shootout for the third consecutive time in this edition of the tournament.

There was a lot of pressure on Mohun Bagan as they had not been successful in any tournament at the national level for a long time. The team also had injury problems and had to start without their dependable defender Eduardo (Du). However, they were the favourites today with the advantage of a home crowd of more than 30,000 cheering for them. As Fabio's free-kick went just wide of the post in the 2nd minute of the game, the crowd became even more ecstatic. However, the spirits of the partisan crowd sagged as early as the 5th minute and absolute silence loomed over the arena as Harmanjot Singh Khabra found his way past two Bagan defenders and deflected a Nicholas L Rodrigues free-kick from 35 yards to score the opening goal. Mohun Bagan took a few minutes to recover from this initial shock but gradually regained control of the match. They dominated possession on the field and the game was almost restricted to the Sporting half for the rest of the first half. Dulal Biswas came close to scoring in the 16th minute but failed to control a through pass. Dharamjit Singh's left-footed cross floated past the Sporting goal and Baichung Bhutia missed a couple of chances before Bagan got the equaliser in the 28th minute. Mehtab Hussein sent in a cross into the box from the right and Fabio Cortez Vidal equalised with a superb header. Minutes later, Bagan could have taken the lead but Mehtab Hussein's left-footer from 24 yards went just over the crossbar. Meanwhile, the saga of appalling refereeing standards continued as the referee waved "play-on" after Baichung Bhutia was clearly brought down by Philip Gomes near the Sporting penalty box. Bagan were unfortunate not to take the lead before the break. They had several chances in the first half and on any other day, any of those chances could have resulted in a goal.

Mohun Bagan started the second half in the same attacking mood. In the 50th minute, Baichung Bhutia attempted a bicycle kick to give his side the lead, but his foot ended up hitting Bello Rasaq in the face. The Sporting goalmouth was flooded with Bagan attacks but all such attacks culminated in the Bagan frontmen hitting wide. It was possibly due to the pressure of those repeated attacks that Harmanjot Singh Khabra acted in a bizarre fashion in the 68th minute when instead of clearing the ball himself from well inside his own box, he was seen calling his goalkeeper to do the job, with Bagan skipper Jose Ramirez Barreto hovering in the vicinity. The Mohun Bagan physio-turned-coach Robson Mattos showed clear intentions of ending the match within regulation time by bringing in three more strikers in the second half. However, it had to be done at the cost of three midfielders and as a result Bagan started losing possession in midfield and Sporting were able to reorganise their team composition. Although danger was averted tonight, the coaching staff should realise that the number of goals scored is not directly proportional to the number of strikers on the field!
In the 76th minute, Earnest Jeremiah dodged past a struggling Sanjeev Kumar Maria but his left-footer went wide. Sporting had an opportunity of going ahead and possibly sealing the game in the 87th minute when Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi got the ball after a mistake by Sanjeev Kumar Maria and got into the box. However, Deepak Kumar Mondal kept pressing him and forced him to go wide on the left, from where his shot went wide.

The first period of extra-time was barren with hardly any positive chance created. It was the 1st minute of the second period of extra time when Sushil Kumar Singh had a shot from thirty yards which was just tipped over the crossbar by the Sporting goalkeeper, Felix D'Souza. Fabio's header from the resulting corner went just wide. The indomitable Bagan players continued to create chance after chance but none of them proved fruitful. Dipendu Biswas provided a nice through-pass to Barreto who failed to reach the ball and it was subsequently cleared by the Sporting defence; the returning ball was sent into the Sporting box by Bijay Basfore but the ball deflected off Barreto and was safely collected by Felix. Sporting had one chance in the 115th minute when Jeremiah dribbled past the Bagan defence to create an opportunity for Dudu, but the latter's shot was blocked. In the dying minutes of extra-time, Baichung Bhutia created another chance but it was wasted by Sushil who shot at a Sporting defender. The scoreline thus remained the same and a tie-breaker became inevitable.

Jose Carvalho of Sporting Clube de Goa stepped up to take the first shot of the shootout and ended up hitting the post to the left of the goalkeeper. This was followed by Barreto's successful conversion and the Mohun Bagan crowd was roaring in anticipation of being crowned the Federation Cup Champions. A determined Bagan custodian Sangram Mukherjee saved Jeremiah's shot after that. With Dipendu Biswas and Fabio Cortez Vidal converting their shots and Nicolau Borges scoring one for the Goan outfit, it became essential for Papiah Jagadish Kumar to convert his penalty to keep Sporting alive in the shootout. His shot went wide and soon the pitch was invaded by the jubilant Bagan squad. The celebrations were on and the stands provided a great display of fireworks. The organisers, themselves, put up a unique display of fireworks during the prize distribution ceremony with the entire arena decked in maroon-and-green lights - the official colours of this year's Federation Cup Champions.
The Federation Cup victory also ensured Mohun Bagan's participation in the 2007 AFC Cup where they will face Osotspa M-150 FC (Thailand), Tampines Rovers FC (Singapore), and Pahang FC (Malaysia) in Group F.

MOHUN BAGAN AC WIN THEIR 12TH FEDERATION CUP TITLE. CONGRATULATIONS TO MOHUN BAGAN!
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

SPORTING CLUBE: 1-Felix D'Souza; 3-Mathew Gonsalves, 6-Philip Gomes, 20-Bello Rasaq, 8-Rajesh N Meetei (86' 23-Papiah Jagadish Kumar), 7-Harmanjot Singh Khabra (116' 28-Jose Carvalho), 22-Joseph Pereira, 4-Chandrashekhar Chinta, 19-Nicholas L Rodrigues (42' 11-Nicolau Borges), 9-Earnest Jeremiah, 10-Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi.
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 4-Dipak Kumar Mondal, 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 20-Sanjeev Maria, 2-Bijay Basfore, 17-Dulal Biswas, 18-Dharamjit Singh (88' 24-Sushil Kumar Singh), 23-Mehtab Hussein (62' 30-Ayan Chowdhury), 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick (78' 8-Dipendu Biswas), 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 15-Baichung Bhutia.
YELLOW CARDS: Felix D'Souza (33'), Earnest Jeremiah (64', both Sporting Clube).
REFEREE: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat), A Arjunan (Services).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: T Pradeep Kumar.
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Post-match press conference:
Robson Mattos (Coach, Mohun Bagan AC):
• The last few matches had been very tough for us; we had to play 360 minutes of football in our last three matches.
• We fought well in the second half today.
• We were under tremendous pressure over the last two weeks.
• We have won the Federation Cup today, but that is a past. We have to now look forward for the next tournament.
• I don't have to prove anything.

Clifford Chukwama (Coach, Sporting Clube de Goa):
• We have to work harder to avoid losing the finals.
• They (Mohun Bagan AC) are winning matches on penalties. No one can analyse a team which wins three consecutive matches in penalties.
• Today their equaliser proved to be the turning point.
• I can't comment about the referring, but all I can say is that everybody's equal on the football ground.
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

::: 28th Federation Cup Awards announced :::
Mohun Bagan striker Baichung Bhutia was declared the 'Player of the Tournament' of the 28th Federation Cup 2006. He scored 4 goals in 4 matches for his team. The award was decided by the journalists present at the venue.
Goan outfit Churchill Brothers SC was given the Fair Play Award.
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Final: Garhwal Heroes, Delhi. 1-1,2-2,4-5 Indian Air Force [penalties]

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Nationals FC 1-0 Mughals Club - Goal: 1-0 Lalit Rawat.
Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Tarun Sangha 0-0 City Club - Goals: none.
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: New Delhi Heroes 1-1 Simla Youngs

::: AIFF release first 4 Rounds for 11th National League :::
The AIFF today released the schedule for the first 4 Rounds for the 11th National League which will be held from January 5 to 22, 2007 across India. Thereafter there will be a three week break for the INDIA Olympic camp ahead of the knockout home-&-away matches against Myanmar on February 7 and 14.
The 11th NFL will kickoff with a match between JCT Mills and Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on January 5. The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is said to declare the league open that day.
The venue of the home matches of the three Calcutta Maidan sides (East Bengal Club, Mohun Bagan AC, Mohammedan Sporting Club) from January 18 to 22 has not been decided. The Saltlake Stadium is said to be unavailable and the IFA (West Bengal) would like to host those matches at the Barasat Stadium.
Here to view the released 11th National Football League - fixtures

December 29

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - 3rd Place Playoff: Mahindra United 0-0,4-2 Dempo SC (0-0,0-0 after Extra-time, Penalty Score 4-2)
Goals: none
Penalty Shootout:
Roberto Mendes Silva - scores to the goalkeeper's right. Penalty Score 0-1.
Yakubu Yusif - scores to the goalkeeper's left. Penalty Score 1-1.
Climax Lawrence - Goalkeeper saves. Penalty Score 1-1.
Steven Dias - scores to the goalkeeper's left. Penalty Score 2-1.
Ishfaq Ahmed - scores, left top corner. Penalty Score 2-2.
Shanmugam Venkatesh - scores to the goalkeeper's left. Penalty Score 3-2.
Melvyn Rodrigues - hits the crossbar. Penalty Score 3-2.
Rauf Khan - scores, left top corner. Penalty Score 4-2.
Mahindra United win 4-2 on penalties.
MAHINDRA: 1-Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, 7-Sushanth Mathew, 18-Peter Siddiqui, 5-Samson Fernandes, 4-Krishnan Nair Ajayan, 23-Steven Dias, 20-Bhola Prasad (86' 16-Lukram James Singh), 19-K Karunakaran (57' 6-Shanmugam Venkatesh), 29-Rauf Khan, 11-Mohammed Rafi, 9-Filipe Vaz de Azevedo (60' 10-Yakubu Yusif).
DEMPO: 21-VP Satish Kumar (118' 30-Amit Singha Roy), 24-Melvyn Rodrigues, 3-John Charles Dias (75' 4-Cresson Antao), 23-Dominic Noronha, 16-Samir Naik, 15-Clifford Miranda (72' 22-Ishfaq Ahmed), 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 12-Jerry Zirsanga, 20-Riston Rodrigues, 14-Anthony Pereira.
YELLOW CARDS: Clifford Miranda (28'), Samir Naik (62', both Dempo SC).
REFEREE: A Arjunan (Services).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: T Pradeep Kumar (Tamil Nadu), MK Roy (Assam).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Subrata Sarkar (West Bengal).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Shahdara Club 0-2 Indian Air Force, Palam - Goals: 0-1 S Thapa, 0-2 Kipgin.
Manipur State League: RACC, Churachandpur 1-1 Manipur Police SC - Goals: 0-1 Th Rohen Singh (50'), 1-1 Lalthanbel (84').

42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Semifinal: West Bengal 3-0 Goa - Goals: 1-0 Bei Kho Khei, 2-0 Lalchhuam Awana, 3-0 G Hau Son Pau.

December 28

RESULTS & NEWS

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Nationals FC 1-0 City Club - Goal: 1-0 Nitin Pradhan.
Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Tarun Sangha 1-0 Mughals Club - Goal: 1-0 Amit Das.

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Semifinal: SAIL, Calcutta 1-2 Garhwal Heroes, Delhi - Goals: 0-1 Daniel Friday (29'), 0-2 Kamei, 1-2 Dipankar Sarkar.
16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Semifinal: Indian Air Force 1-0 Amity United FC - Goal: 1-0 Victor (11').
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Semifinal: Punjab 1-3 Jharkhand - Goals: 0-1 TB Bineesh (6'), 1-1 Avinash Singh (74'), 1-2 Jagtar Singh (75'), 1-3 Malsamwa (90').

::: Chandigarh Football Academy boys to train in Germany :::
The Chandigarh Football Academy and the Sportschule Egidius Braun, Leipzig of Germany have signed an ageement to provide training to the CFA players. Andre Kuhn, Sportschule Director and SK Sandhu, Secretary Sports, Union Terrotory Chandigarh recently signed the agreement on behalf of the Egidius Braun Sportschule, Leipzig and UT of Chandigarh respectively.
The Chandigarh Administration has deputed the Finance Secretary-cum-Secretary Sports and the Director Sports, Inderjit Signh Sandhu to visit Germany in connection with the formalization of a tie-up for advanced training to the UT Academy players and also to study the functioning of other institutions.
The agreement on specialized training of was signed with December 19. It was decided that the Chandigarh Football Academy would send 12 players alongwith one coach for 15 days to the Egidius Braun Sportschule, Leipzig for advanced specialized training twice a year. The first batch visit Leipzig from May 24 to June 8 next year and the second batch would be there from November 18 to December 2 , 2007. According to SK Sandhu the training would be on nominal payment basis which would include board and lodging, class room teaching and practical training.
" Our players would also play regular matches with local teams at Leipzig," the Sports Secretary added.
It was also decided that one German coach would visit the Chandigarh Football Academy for 15 days in September next year for evaluation, assessment and to supervise the progress of the trainees.
The Egidius Braun Sportschule has the largest indoor artificial turf hall in Germany as well as outdoor artificial turf grass fields. Mr Sandhu felt that this would provide ideal conditions for football in all types of weather. The school is also equipped for many other sports including Tennis, Basketball etc. The city of Leipzig has played a prominent role in football history of Germany. More than 62,000 people are active members of sports clubs in Leipzig, a quarter of them playing football.
At the time of signing the agreement, His Excellency Alexander Prinz von Sachsen from erstwhile ruling family of State of Saxony and presently an Advisor to the Minister President of State of Saxony graced the occasion. He showed keen interest in consolidating and expanding ties in the areas of mutual co-operation between the U.T. of Chandigarh and State of Saxony. Sidhanshu Pandey, Counsellor, Indian Embassy co-ordinate the visit of both officers to various places.
The officers also visited the office of the Local Government of Leipzig (Mayor's office) and interacted with the officers particularly with Dr. Caren Marusch-Krohn, European and International Affairs Officers. Dr Krohn was impressed with the step taken by the Chandigarh Administration in e-Governance and IT Projects and shown keen interest in exchange of citizen friendly initiatives between Chandigarh Administration and Mayor's Office of Leipzig.

::: PIFA 5 A-Side Challenge held on Boxing day in Mumbai :::
The Premier India Football Academy organized the first edition of the PIFA 5 A-Side Challenge, a football tournament for children at the Goan Sports ground on December 26. The tournament was held as per the FA directives. It was organized for the children to enjoy and show off their skills in a fun environment. Children were asked to form their own teams of 5 to 6 players and give themselves a cool name. The children were encouraged to have fun. 270 children participated, from about 30 different schools. Four girls team, 17 under-13 boys team and 24 under-16 boys teams took part. Seven referees from MDFA officiated the games. The children were handed out a program sheet with the timetable & rules of the tournament. The officials ensured the games began punctually.
Everyone enjoyed the one-day fiesta. Juice and snacks provided for all participants and their parents. The players got a shoe bag & a sipper.
Champion United won the Juniors boys team by a solitary goal beating Barca Juniors in the final. The best player was Hushad Khan of Champion United. Killers won the girls team by beating Amboli Eves 1-0. The best player was Juhi Shah from Killers. Bombay Blues won the Senior boys team 2-1 beating Shaolin Five. The best player was Dhruv Malhotra of Bombay Blues.
The Golden Boot award was won by Siddharth Singh of Shaolin Five having scored 7 goals in the entire tournament.
The winners & runners up got a medal, and the winning team players got a Nike football each.
Further, PIFA identified young talent and invited them to train with the Junior and Senior PIFA teams.

December 27

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Semifinal: Dempo SC 2-2,4-5 Mohun Bagan AC [penalties]
Goals: 1-0 Ranty Martins Soleye (27'), 1-1,2-2 Baichung Bhutia (57',88'), 2-1 Roberto Mendes Silva (76')
Penalty Shootout:
• Roberto Mendes Silva - goal. Penalty score: 1-0
• Jose Ramirez Barreto - goal. Penalty score: 1-1
• Climax Lawrence - goal. Penalty score: 2-1
• Dipendu Biswas - goes out. Penalty score 2-1
• Valeriano Rebello - goal. Penalty score 3-1
• Fabio Cortez Vidal - goal. Penalty score 3-2
• Joaquim Abranches - over the crossbar. Penalty score 3-2
• Lal Kamal Bhowmick - goal. Penalty score 3-3
• Nacimento Silveira - goal. Penalty score 4-3
• Dulal Biswas - goal. Penalty score 4-4
• Jerry Zirsanga - hits the post. Penalty score 4-4
• Dharamjit Singh - goal. Penalty score 4-5
Eleven times Federation Cup champions Mohun Bagan AC carried Bengal's flag to the title round by defeating Dempo SC of Goa in the second semi-final of the 28th Federation Cup at Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta. The teams were locked 2-2 after regulation time and following a goalless period of extra-time, the match had to be decided via a penalty shootout. Mohun Bagan had been successful in the only other penalty shootout so far in this edition of the tournament and once again they emerged victorious as they won the shootout 5-4 in sudden-death. The ugly side of football was also prominent in this match as it produced eight yellow and two red cards with the pitch resembling a battlefield for a period of the second half.
Dempo SC were the nemesis of Mohun Bagan AC in the Durand Cup semifinal held a few weeks ago, and today they were out to repeat their feat. On the other hand, Mohun Bagan were on a mission to avenge that defeat and also to win against a team they had not beaten for a long time. Both the teams started in an attacking mood. With Ranty Martins Soleye taking a shot at the Bagan goal just after the kick-off, there were clear indications that this match would become one of the greatest ones of this tournament. Chances were created at both ends in the first fifteen minutes, but all were in vain as Anthony Pereira shot wide on two occasions for Dempo while Baichung Bhutia shot one wide for Bagan. Mohun Bagan came near scoring in the 17th minute of the game when Fabio's header off a Dharamjit Singh corner went just wide of the post. Just after a minute Ranty Martins Soleye almost scored when he floated the ball towards the Bagan goal which somehow managed to stay outside the net. Anthony Pereira failed again in a one-on-one situation when he shot wide past an onrushing Bagan custodian Sangram Mukherjee. Mohun Bagan had an injury blow in the 24th minute when defender Eduardo crashed into teammate Sanjeev Kumar Maria while trying to clear an aerial ball. Eduardo had to be carried off and his team was temporarily reduced to ten men. Dempo SC fully utilised this advantage and went ahead in the 27th minute. Samir Naik's cross from the left was received by Ranty Martins Soleye inside the Bagan box; he turned past Dharamjit and Maria and took a left-footed volley which thundered into the back of the net. Dempo SC got a double booking when their goalkeeper VP Satish Kumar and defender John Charles Dias were cautioned for time-wasting. Mohun Bagan never looked likely to equalise in the first half and the breather saw Dempo leading with a one goal advantage.
Mohun Bagan coach adopted a more attacking set-up in the second half by bringing in Pachau Lalam Puia as a half-time substitute in place of defender Goutam Debnath. It was four minutes into the second half when Bagan got a real chance of scoring as Barreto's shot from 30 yards was tipped over the crossbar by the Dempo goalkeeper. Dempo had another rescue in the 51st minute as Dipendu Biswas' header off a corner was saved off the goalline. Mohun Bagan, however, got their much-deserved equaliser in the 57th minute in a stylish manner. Baichung Bhutia latched on to Lal Kamal Bhowmick's floating centre from about 25 yards into the far side of the box and a superb finish with a diving header levelled the score. Soon after this goal, the pitch was turned into a battlefield for a while. It all started when Ranty Martins Soleye made a nasty challenge on Bagan skipper Jose Ramirez Barreto. Pachau Lalam Puia punched Ranty in the heat of the moment. The Dempo striker was knocked down and as soon as he got up, he started to pound each and every Bagan player in his vicinity. Eduardo was seen trying to restrain him. The situation worsened and referee's assistants, fourth official and even the team officials had to intervene on the pitch. Both Puia and Ranty were sent off by the referee. Puia left the ground immediately, but Ranty was arrogant and showed intentions of reappearing on the ground after he was taken out by the Dempo officials. He was barred from doing so and the match started again. Within five minutes of the restart, there could have been an action replay of the incident but this time the situation was avoided by timely intervention. Dempo skipper Roberto Mendes Silva regained the lead for his side in the 76th minute when he got the ball at the edge of the Bagan box from Samir Naik off an indirect free-kick, turned past Fabio and shot coolly into the far corner of the net. When the exit of yet another Calcutta side from the tournament was looking imminent, Baichung Bhutia proved all critics wrong by scoring the equaliser for the second time in the 88th minute. Eduardo's goal-bound flick off a Dharamjit free-kick from 35 yards was blocked by the Dempo goalkeeper but Baichung was waiting in front of the Dempo goal and pushed the rebound into the net. Baichung could have ended the match in added time when Dipendu headed down a Dharamjit cross for him, but his backvolley went just over the crossbar.
The extra-time was the usual spectacle of both the teams playing safe. However, Mohun Bagan could have ended the match in extar-time but both Barreto and Baichung wasted their chances. The match thus advanced to a penalty shootout. Even the shootout was looking evenly poised with the score tied at 4-4 after the five regulation shots. Roberto Mendes Silva, Climax Lawrence, Valeriano Rebello and Nacimento Silviera converted for Dempo while Bagan's successful penalty takers were Barreto, Fabio, Lal Kamal Bhowmick and Dulal Biswas. Dipendu Biswas missed for Bagan and Joaquim Abranches for Dempo. Jerry Zirsanga stepped up to take the first shot of the sudden-death but his shot just rattled the post and the drama was concluded by a successful conversion by Dharamjit Singh. Mohun Bagan will now play Sporting Clube de Goa in the final on 30th December, 2006 and will surely be aiming for an unprecedented twelfth Federation Cup title.
DEMPO: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 18-Valeriano Rebello, 23-Dominic Noronha, 3-John Charles Dias, 16-Samir Naik, 22-Ishfaq Ahmed (88' 17- Joaquim Abranches), 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 8-Climax Lawrence, 12-Jerry Zirsanga, 14-Anthony Pereira (72' 7-Nacimento Silveira), 9-Ranty Martins Soleye.
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 16-Goutam Debnath (46' 25-Pachau Lalam Puia), 28-Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda (106' 17-Dulal Biswas), 20-Sanjeev Kumar Maria, 18-Dharamjit Singh, 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 23-Mehtab Hussein (79' 30-Ayan Chowdhury), 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick, 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 8-Dipendu Biswas, 15-Baichung Bhutia
YELLOW CARDS: VP Satish Kumar (33'), John Charles Dias (33'), Ranty Martins Soleye(55'), Valeriano Rebello (60'), Samir Naik (67'), Ishfaq Ahmed (85', all Dempo SC); Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda (10'), Mehtab Hussein (45+2', both Mohun Bagan).
RED CARDS: Ranty Martins Soleye (61', Dempo SC); Pachau Lalam Puia (61', Mohun Bagan).
REFEREE: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Shaji Kurian (Kerala), Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group B: New Delhi Heroes 1-2 Youngmen FC - Goals: 1-0 Angom Saran Singh (28'), 1-1 Brij Mohan Arora (43'), 1-2 Chirag (50').
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Hindustan FC 2-0 Simla Youngs - Goals: 1-0 Minto (44'), 2-0 Mahendar (83').

December 26

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Semifinal: Mahindra United 0-1 Sporting Clube de Goa
Goal: 0-1 MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi (72')
MAHINDRA: 24-Sandip Nandy; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 3-Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 18-Peter Siddiqui (55' 23-Steven Dias); 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 7-Sushanth Mathew, 16-James Lukram Singh (67' 9-Filipe Vaz de Azevedo), 4-Krishnan Nair Ajayan, 10-Yakubu Yusif, 12-Manjit Singh (76' 11-Mohammed Rafi).
SPORTING CLUBE: 1-Felix D'Souza; 3-Mathew Gonsalves, 6-Philip Gomes, 20-Bello Rasaq, 8-Rajesh N Meetei, 7-Harmanjot Singh Khabra (60' 11-Nicolau Borges), 22-Joseph Pereira, 4-Chandrashekhar Chinta, 19-Nicholas L Rodrigues (90+2' 29-N Samananda Singh), 9-Earnest Jeremiah (87' 25-Joe Rodrigues), 10-Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi.
YELLOW CARDS: Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, Steven Dias (both Mahindra).
RED CARD: Nanjangud Shivananju Manju (Mahindra).
REFEREE: Subrata Sarkar (West Bengal).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Nationals FC 1-0 Delhi Police - Goal: 1-0 Lalit Rawat (73').

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Quarterfinal League Group A: SAIL, Calcutta 4-1 Amity United FC - Goals: 1-0 Jotish Basumatary, 2-0 Sonathan Zuala, 2-1 Deepak, 3-1 Lal Biket Lunga, 4-1 Dipankar Sarkar.

December 25

The IndianFootball.Com TEAM wishes you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: City FC 3-0 Mughals Club - Goals: 1-0,3-0 Musibai Adebayo (11',47'), 2-0 Nazibul Haq (27').
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Ahbab Club 1-0 Indian Air Force, Palam - Goal: 1-0 Anuj Peter (46').

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Quarterfinal League Group A: Mohun Bagan-SAIL Academy 0-3 Amity United FC - Goals: 0-1 Oneybi Ogbonna, 0-2 Manish Maithani, 0-3 S Ghosh.
16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Quarterfinal League Group B: Simla Youngs 1-2 Garhwal Heroes, Delhi
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group B: Maharashtra 0-4 Manipur - Goals: 0-1 Dinesh Singh (40'), 0-2 Dhananjoy Singh (41'), 0-3 H Touthang (45'), 0-4 Suraj Singh (66').
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group B: West Bengal 0-0 Jharkhand - Goals: none.

December 24

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Quarterfinal: Churchill Brothers SC 2-2,1-3 Mohun Bagan AC [penalties]
Goals: 0-1 Jose Ramirez Barreto (26'), 1-1 Khan Thang Paite (46'), 2-1 Chitrasen Chandam Singh (81'), 2-2 Dipendu Biswas (86')
Penalty Shootout:
• Jose Ramirez Barreto - saved. Penalty score 0-0.
• T Naoba Singh - hits post and goes out. Penalty score 0-0.
• Dipendu Biswas - scores. Penalty score 0-1.
• George Ekeh - scores. Penalty score 1-1.
• Fabio Cortez Vidal - scores. Penalty score 1-2.
• Robert Lalthalma - saved by Sangram Mukherjee. Penalty score 1-2.
• Pachau Lalam Puia - scores. Penalty score 1-3.
• Mashangva Genius Zenith - over the crossbar. Penalty score 1-3.
• Mohun Bagan win 3-1 on penalties.
Eleven times Federation Cup Champions Mohun Bagan kept Bengal hopes alive in the 28th edition of the Federation Cup after defeating Churchill Brothers from Goa in a thrilling quarter-final match at the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta. The match was an even contest and had to be ultimately decided through a penalty shootout after it was tied at two goals apiece at the end of extra-time. Mohun Bagan scored three goals as compared to Churchill's one in the shootout to set up a semi-final clash against Dempo SC on 27th December, 2006. Dipendu Biswas, Fabio and Lalam Puia converted for Mohun Bagan from the spot while George Ekeh was the sole successful kick-taker for Churchill Brothers. Skipper Barreto was the only one to miss for Mohun Bagan while T Naoba Singh, Robert Lalthalma and Mashangva Genius Zenith failed for Churchill. After a nerve-wracking Sunday evening, there was absolute euphoria in the stands when Mashangva Genius Zenith sent his kick high above the cross-bar. Sangram Mukherjee had to save only Robert Lalthalma's attempt as Naoba Singh's shot ricocheted off the post and Zenith's shot was not even on target. Churchill Brothers, however, should be proud of their effort as they played their part in the most exciting match of the tournament so far. The first half was played at an exhilarating pace as goal-scoring chances were created at either end. Mohun Bagan was the first to capitalise on such a chance when skipper Jose Ramirez Barreto put his team ahead in the 26th minute. Baichung Bhutia controlled the ball with his chest and deftly flicked the ball to Barreto on the right. Barreto pounced on the ball and found the back of the net with an excellent shot on the turn. Baichung Bhutia came close to doubling the lead but his shots failed to find their target. Churchill also looked like scoring, especially through their foreign recruits, George Ekeh and Odafe Onyeka Okolie. Okolie was in prime form and was especially adept in using his strength to gain an advantage over the Mohun Bagan defenders. Mohun Bagan were playing three at the back and with Sanjeev Maria not looking hundred percent fit, Churchill penetrated the last line of defence on quite a few occasions. However, Churchill could not get the goal they wanted although they came close to scoring one. The half ended with Mohun Bagan holding on to their narrow one-goal lead.
The second half got off to a surprising start as Khan Thang Paite equalised in the 46th minute after coming on as a second half substitute for D Raju. Okolie's free kick was headed back across the face of goal by George Ekeh and Paite arrived at the far post to thump in the equaliser. Mohun Bagan looked stunned for the next few minutes but gradually, the match resumed in the manner of the first half. Mohun Bagan players were hit by a bolt from the blue in the 81st minute when Chitrasen Chandam Singh scored the goal of the tournament to date. He was about thirty yards out and found the right top corner with a thunderous shot which left Sangram Mukherjee absolutely helpless. Bengali hopes seemed to be going up in smoke till hope arrived in the form of Dipendu Biswas. In the 86th minute, Dharamjit's free kick from the right found Dipendu at the far post and he equalised with a brilliant header to send the match into extra-time.
The match lost its sparkle in extra-time as both teams decided to play safe and not throw too many players into the attacking third. They seemed willing to let the lottery of a penalty shootout decide the last semi-finalist of the tournament. Fortunately for Mohun Bagan, Lady Luck was on their side and although they started the shootout in the worst possible manner with Barreto missing from the spot, the result confirmed the age-old adage that "All's well that ends well".
CHURCHILL BROTHERS: 1-Vinay Singh, 8-T Naoba Singh, 5-Nicholas Muyoti, 23-Vinu Jose, 17-Robert Lalthalma, 13-Mashangva Genius Zenith, 22-Bungo Thokchom Singh (110' 24-Savio Monteiro), 14-Chitrasen Chandam Singh, 15-D Raju (46' 11-Khan Thang Paite 119' 25-Drupesh Dessai), 9-George Ekeh, 10-Odafe Onyeka Okolie.
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 4-Deepak Kumar Mondal, 28-Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, 20-Sanjeev Kumar Maria, 23-Mehtab Hussein (85' 25-Pachau Lalam Puia), 18-Dharamjit Singh, 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick (54' 17-Dulal Biswas), 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 24-Sushil Kumar Singh (79' 8-Dipendu Biswas), 15-Baichung Bhutia.
YELLOW CARDS: Dharamjit Singh (18'), Jose Ramirez Barreto (40'), Sangram Mukherjee (penalty shootout, all Mohun Bagan); Bungo Thokchom Singh (102', Churchill Brothers) .
REFEREE: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu), Shaji Kurian (Kerala).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: T Pradeep Kumar (Tamil Nadu).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

50th Churachand Singh Invitation Football Trophy, Imphal - Final: Southern Sporting Union 4-0 Nagaland Police - Goals: 1-0 L Tiken Singh (8'), 2-0,3-0 R Banny Chiru (21',24'), 4-0 Gaichungam Kamson (32').

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Nationals FC 0-0 Tarun Sangha - Goals: none.
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Youngmen FC 1-1 Shahdara Club - Goals: 1-0 Manjeet Singh (56'), 1-1 Shyam (80').

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Quarterfinal League Group B: Indian Air Force 1-0 Garhwal Heroes, Delhi - Goal: 1-0 Kalyan Pal.
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group A: Tamil Nadu 1-1 Goa
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group A: Chhattisgarh 0-3 Punjab

::: NYC Rolling Trophy: Major Upsets on Soor Grounds :::
Top teams had major upsets in the ongoing 17th NYC Rolling Trophy Football tournament being played at Soor Grounds, Kuwait as defending champions GOA Maroons, hosts Navelim and Bombay Boys were knocked out of the tournament. GOA Maroons were beaten 1-0 by underdogs Santos FC while Navelim Youth Centre succumbed to an 8th minute penalty awarded by referee Diago Fernandes for a handball which NYC alleged to be the referees 'imagination'.
It is logical that the losers are the ones forever to complain about 'unfair refereeing'. But when a winning team too starts arguing and abusing the referee, there is something wrong somewhere - either the referee is unusually harsh in applying rules, or the referee has no control and confidence. Referee Diago flashed 5 yellow cards and a red card to DHL's Elvis D'Souza for abusive language that left teams and supporters disgruntled. The second half saw a see-saw battle between the teams with the ball moving frenetically from one end to other. Agnelo Miranda, goal scorer for DHL, along with Marcelino Pereira, Jose Calado, Cruz Silva and Kennedy Ferrao played a stellar role in the match. NYC fought untiringly trying to equal the score with Ignatius, Alfred Pires, Simao, Duarte Ferrao and Cruzedio playing to their full potential. In a high action last quarter of play DHL goalkeeper Pillai denied Navelim atleast three times before NYC striker Ivo D'Costa missed a sitter from point blank range and referee Diago turned a Nelson's eye to an evident foul on NYC striker Cruz inside the penalty area.
Those expecting a tough tussle between Kuwait Goans Association and United Friends Club in keeping with the high interest given to their encounter were wrong. The game did not rise to soaring heights as expected. Chances flowed freely from the start with KGA creating better openings through their wise midfielders Tiago Fenandes (Ex-Salgaocar SC) and Vico D'Souza. With high experience behind him of playing for Goan NFL teams such as Sporting Clube, Fransa and Dempo, Vico dazzled in midfield whereas UFC's midfielders Sarto, Agnelo (Mam) Fernandes and Anthony Fernandes were found wanting. UFC captain and centre-back Mauricio Simoes was the lone player to put up a strong resistance while the UFC strikers were left stranded most of the time as their midfielders failed to hold or clinch or run forward with the ball. Any long passes meant for the strikers were easily intercepted by KGA defence led by stopper back Teotonio and wing back Cristo Colaco. Sluggish and struggling to get any real forward momentum in the opening quarter, UFC defenders Alex and Rui Silveira were caught out when Caridade switched a long ball to Melrin Braganza who flicked a first time pass to striker Jimmy that found the UFC defence beaten. Jimmy lobbed the ball over an advancing and helpless UFC goalkeeper Olavo Monteiro to take the lead (1-0). KGA players moved in such organized cohesion that it was not long before they increased the score through the efforts of Caridade D'Souza (2-0). KGA struck another nail eight minutes from end. Chrisovam Colaco had created the opening by beating Alino Mendes on the right flank and substitute Denzil put the finishing touch by directing a powerful header from close range (3-0).
AVC Overseas Association were clearly on top throughout the match and sailed into the semis with a convincing 2-0 victory over Bombay Boys. Both the goals were scored by striker Melvy Fernandes. Edward Dias, Vincy Pereira, Kevin Vaz and Melvy Fernandes excelled for the winners while Tony D'Costa, Prakash, Valanky and Philip Ferrao put up a brilliant but futile display for Bombay Boys. With this victory, AVC have now scored 17 goals, in KIFF affiliated games since mid of last season, without taking a goal. They seem to be heading towards an unbreakable record as they face Santos FC who shocked defending champions GOA Maroons 1-0. Santos struggled to find their bearings in the early part of the match but strengthened later with Xavier Costa, Russel, Agnello Carvalho, and Edwin Gomes working hard to create the moves. Maroons dominated the early exchanges, forcing a string of corners and going close to scoring with a Augustine Sequiera drive that went over the bar before Santos star Russel Rodrigues scored against the run of play. Just five minutes had remained when Russel lashed in a magnificent shot from the edge of the area to settle a game which everyone expected Maroons to win with certainty. Santos FC who will be challenging AVC from making it to their 3rd consecutive NYC Rolling Trophy Final, however, will be without their main midfielder Russel Rodrigues who earned his second yellow card in two successive games.

December 23

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Quarterfinal: East Bengal Club 0-1 Dempo SC
Goal: 0-1 Ranty Martins Soleye (86')
A new chapter was added in the endless battle between Goa and West Bengal to attain superiority in Indian football as Calcutta giants East Bengal took on Goan adversaries Dempo SC in the third quarterfinal of the 28th Federation Cup 2006 at the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta today. Dempo stunned the local team with a goal in the dying minutes of the second half from their impressive striker Ranty Martins Soleye. East Bengal were pressing hard in the latter part of the second half. Samir Naik made a last ditch effort to deny Malswam Tulunga in the 84th minute after the Dempo goalkeeper fumbled an Izumi Arata header following a Dipankar Roy cross. This was followed by an acrobatic effort from Freddy Mascarenhas in the 86th minute which again failed to break the deadlock. Immediately after that, Dempo rubbed salt into the Red-and-Gold wound as Ranty Martins Soleye scored the winner to dump East Bengal out of yet another tournament. Roberto Mendes Silva (Beto) dodged Jayanta Sen and Anupam Sarkar to fire a thunderous shot towards the East Bengal goal. Naseem Akhtar could do nothing but parry it straight into the path of Ranty Martins who made no mistake from point-blank range. Immediately, the stadium erupted with livid East Bengal fans failing to control their emotions. There was mayhem in the stands as incensed fans hurled expletives of the highest order at the club officials present in the VVIP stand. Policemen on duty had a hard time controlling the crowd but were ultimately able to prevent any untoward incident.
The first half was played at an exciting pace but the flow of the game was frequently disrupted due to frequent fouls by both the teams. The first chance came for East Bengal in the 5th minute when Dipankar Roy's cross from the right was just cleared by the Dempo defence for a corner. Dempo responded through a Roberto Silva volley in the 7th minute but his shot was too weak to trouble Naseem Akhtar. Izumi Arata was disappointing once again as he often seemed to be on a wavelength quite different from his teammates. This was evident as early as the 9th minute of the match when a fine through-pass from Malswamtulunga was wasted due to lack of understanding between Arata and Dipankar Roy. Dipankar Roy missed another chance in the next minute. After brilliantly dodging the Dempo defender, he fired his shot wide of target. Dempo could have taken the lead in the 15th minute had Anthony Pereira managed to control the ball and create a one-on-one opportunity with only the goalkeeper to beat. Debabrata missed a simple header in the 23rd minute and Dempo returned the favour with Beto failing to score twice in the 30th and 32nd minute from two good chances. The game continued in a similar manner till the dramatic action in the later stages. It is high time now for the concerned authorities in the East Bengal offices to assess the situation and take corrective measures before irreversible damage is done to the club esteem.
EAST BENGAL: 1-Naseem Akhtar, 8-Sasthi Duley, 3-Cristiano Hilario de Oliveira (45+1' 27-Gurpreet Singh), 12-Anupam Sarkar, 29-Soumik Dey, 28-Shylo Malswam Tulunga (87' 25-Ashim Biswas), 7-Jayanta Sen, 6-Dipankar Roy, 5-Debabrata Roy (46' 22-Freddy Mascarenhas), 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 32-Izumi Arata.
DEMPO: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 18-Valeriano Rebello, 3-John Charles Dias, 23-Dominic Noronha, 16-Samir Naik, 15-Clifford Miranda, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 12-Jerry Zirsanga (90+4' 22-Ishfaq Ahmed), 9-Ranty Martins Soleye, 14-Anthony Pereira.
YELLOW CARDS: Anupam Sarkar (31', East Bengal); Clifford Miranda (3', Dempo SC).
REFEREE: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: A Arjunan (Services), Dipak Bisht (Delhi).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: MK Roy (Assam).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Delhi Police 1-0 Shastri Club - Goal: 1-0 Mahesh Bisht (penalty).
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Simla Youngs 0-0 Indian Air Force, Palam - Goals: none.

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Quarterfinal League Group A: Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy 0-3 SAIL, Calcutta
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group B: West Bengal 1-0 Manipur
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group B: Maharashtra 0-5 Jharkhand

11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Final: Malappuram 1-0 Kollam - Goal: 1-0 Mohammad Sherif (17').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - 3rd Place Playoff: Kozhikode 0-1 Kasaragod - Goal: 0-1 Rakesh K (20').

::: Manipur Players of the Year :::
S Premjit Meetei of Eastern Sporting Union has been named Manipur "Player of the Year 2006"; while A Romi Devi has been named as best Women Footballer of the State. L Dhonen Singh won the coach of the year award. The prizes would be handed out to the winners at tomorrow's final of the 50th Churachand Singh Invitation Football Trophy.

December 22

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Quarterfinal: Mahindra United 2-1 Mohammedan Sporting Club
Goals: 1-0 Manjit Singh (90'), 1-1 Habibur Rehman Mondal (90+2'), 2-1 Yakubu Yusif (90+3')
The first quarter final stood out to be a unique spectacle with a late flurry of goals as local outfit Mohammedan Sporting Club went down fighting 1-2 to defending champions Mahindra United. All the three goals were scored in the dying minutes of the match with the last two being scored in injury time.
The match was off-colour from the beginning as both the sides struggled to find their touch. Mohammedan Sporting started the match on a defensive note in order to withstand the mighty Mahindra attack but it was the Calcutta side who had the first positive chance of the match in the 20th minute when a Jatin Singh Bisht header off a Noel Wilson free-kick came off the legs of a Mahindra defender. Noel Wilson had his shot going wide after four minutes. The match proved to be a poor spectacle of refereeing as Kalia Kulothungan escaped after handling the ball near his own penalty box. Mahindra also had a similar escape in the second half via James Singh. Meanwhile in the 30th minute the Mahindra United coach was seen to be involved in an argument with the referee and the fourth official. However, he escaped from being sent to the stands. Mahindra created chances in the first half but none of them was sufficient enough to change the scoreline. All the moves either ended in front of the Mohammedan box or went wide.
Mohammedan could have gone ahead four minutes into the second half when Habibur Rehman Mondal ran down the right, entered the box, and his cross to Kalia Kulothungan ended in a volley straight to Sandip Nandy. After this attempt, the match was confined to the Mohammedan half. James Lukram Singh's shot at goal beat the goalkeeper but failed to beat the crossbar. In the 76th minute, the Mohammedan goalkeeper fumbled to collect a Surkumar Singh shot from outside the box, Yakubu got hold of the rebound, controlled and sent a cross in front of the goal but almost a certain chance of scoring was wasted by Manjit Singh who sent it over the crossbar. Jamir Ali Mondal wasted a golden opportunity of scoring in the 87th minute when he fumbled to control a Bijen Singh through-pass in front of an empty goal, thereby allowing Surkumar Singh to clear the ball. When it was looking certain that this match would go to the extra time, Manjit Singh stunned the Mohammedan crowd by netting in from 24 yards after getting the ball after a one-two with Rafi. The drama was yet to come as in the second minute of added time the scoreline became 1-1 with Habibur Rehman Mondal scoring a spectacular equalizer. Bijen Singh ran down the left, sent a cross to the far end of the box which was headed down by Jatin Singh Bisht and Habibur half-turned and volleyed to find the net. The crowd was ecstatic and even the Mohammedan coach was seen swaying to the tunes of the Zeebra girls. The match looked rejuvenated but Mahindra had plans to end it within regulation time. In the final minute of added time, they got the winner when a completely unmarked Yakubu headed in a Sushant Mathew cross. Mahindra will now play the winner of the match between Salgaocar SC and Sporting Clube de Goa.
MAHINDRA UNITED: 24-Sandip Nandy, 3-Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 5-Samson Fernandes (51' 11-Mohammed Rafi), 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 7-Sushanth Mathew, 4-Krishnan Nair Ajayan, 20-Bhola Prasad (31' 23-Steven Dias), 16-James Lukram Singh, 10-Yakubu Yusif, 12-Manjit Singh.
MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING: 21-Arindam Ghosh; 5-Habibur Rehman Mondal, 3-Madhab Das, 30-Anbalath Suliman Firoze, 26-Eric Bolwe Mputu (74' 16-Subhashish Roy Chowdhury), 22-Surojit Roy (82' 29-Jamir Ali Mondal), 12-Jatin Singh Bisht, 8-Noel Anthony Wilson, 19-Kalia Kulothungan, 17-Santa Saikhom Singh, 7-Bijen Singh.
YELLOW CARD: Sushanth Mathew (69' Mahindra United); Madhab Das (77'), Santa Saikhom Singh (78', both Mohammedan Sporting).
REFEREE: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu), MK Roy (Assam).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: T Pradip Kumar (Tamil Nadu).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Quarterfinal: Sporting Clube de Goa 0-0,1-0 Salgaocar SC [after extratime]
Goal: 1-0 Nicholas L Rodrigues (102').
SPORTING CLUBE: 1-Felix D'Souza; 3-Mathew Gonsalves, 6-Philip Gomes, 20-Bello Rasaq, 8-Rajesh N Meetei, 7-Harmanjot Singh Khabra (111' 4-Chandrashekhar Chinta), 22-Joseph Pereira, 19-Nicholas L Rodrigues; 11-Nicolau Borges (66' 25-Joe Rodrigues), 9-Earnest Jeremiah, 10-Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi.
SALGAOCAR: 1-Milagrio Madeira; 12-Remus Gomes, 8-Agnelo Colaco, 4-Julius Irabor Akpele, 17-TV Biju Kumar, 14-Jerose Oliveira, 30-Francis Fernandes, 6-Micky Fernandes, 25-Rocus Lamare, 9-Francis Andrade (31' 24-Zico Costa, 113' 15-Agnelo Barreto), 7-Felix Chimaokwu.
YELLOW CARDS: Felix D'Souza, Bello Rasaq, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi (all Sporting Clube); Remus Gomes (Salgaocar).
RED CARD: Jerose Oliveira (Salgaocar).
REFEREE: Shaji Kurian (Kerala).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Sarkar (West Bengal), M Bhattacharya (West Bengal).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Rathin Mukherjee (West Bengal).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Mumbai Elite Division - Championship Round: ONGC 2-0 Central Railway - Goals: 1-0 Dharmesh Patel (26'), 2-0 Tarif Ahmed (44').
ONGC: Bilifang Narzary; Dharmesh Patel , Krishna Shirodkar, Clifford Kilmo, Caetano Pinho, Uttam Debnath, Amit Mondal (84' Abhishek Yadav), Sunil Chaudhary, Gulidom Rongmoi (68' Koushik Ghosh), Gautam Thakur, Tarif Ahmed (73' Rakshak Naik).
CENTRAL RAILWAY: Raghuvir Khanolkar; Agnelo Fernandes, Sagar Amin, Prabash Janardhan, Douzy Godinho, Denis George, Shanta Kumar P, (74' Asif Jamal), Hameed Ansari (46' Siddhart Kamath), Masood Ansari (46' Pankaj Raware), Soccor Velho, Kasif Jamal.
YELLOW CARDS: none.
REFEREE: Manuel Periera

Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Hindustan FC 0-1 New Delhi Heroes - Goal: 0-1 Aashish Ghidyal (28').
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Shahdara Club 0-1 Ahbab Club - Goal: 0-1 Anuj Peter (68').

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Quarterfinal League Group B: Indian Air Force 5-1 Simla Youngs
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group A: Punjab 1-1 Goa - Goals: 1-0 Dilshad Ahmed (13'), 1-1 Agnelo Monteiro (24').
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group A: Chhattisgarh 0-1 Tamil Nadu - Goal: 0-1 Kavi Bharath (1').

11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Semifinal: Kozhikode 0-2 Kollam - Goals: 0-1 Sabeer (52'), 0-2 Sam Koshi (83').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Semifinal: Malappuram 2-0 Kasaragod - Goals: 1-0 Ramiz Ahmed (39'), 2-0 Mohammad Sherif (68').

::: AIFF delegation visits FIFA headquarters in Zurich :::
AIFF President Priya Ranjan Das Munshi accompanied by General Secretary Alberto Colaco yesterday visited the headquarters of world football governing body FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland.
The aim of the visit was to prepare the visit of FIFA president Sepp Blatter to India in the first quarter of 2007 and also to plan a new initiative and design a framework for achieving tangible short and long-term results in the development of football across the subcontinent as FIFA has termed it.
"India is a country with an amazing potential for growth of the beautiful game," said FIFA president Blatter. "It is home to 20 percent of the world's population and deserves particular attention from world football's governing body. Therefore, FIFA, in conjunction with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), is developing a special initiative for the future of Indian football. All I can say now is 'stay tuned' - years from now, people will look back and see 2007 as the start of something remarkable for our sport in India."
No details on the future initiative where released, which would be done during the visit of Mr. Blatter to India in the coming month's.
One can only hope with the serious interest from FIFA, the AFC and the German Football League better days for Indian football are ahead for us all...

::: 2007 AFC Cup draw out :::
The Asian Football Confederation carried out the Group Stage Draw for the 2007 AFC Cup today.
Indian champions Mahindra United have been drawn in Group E along with Singapore Armed Forces FC, Happy Valley (Hongkong), and New Radiant SC (Maldives). The new 2006 Federation Cup champions (or if Mahindra United retain their title, the runners-up) will face Osotspa M-150 FC (Thailand), Tampines Rovers FC (Singapore), and Pahang FC (Malaysia) in Group F.

::: 2008 Asian U19 Championship qualifiers draw out :::
India have been drawn in the tough Group B along with Iran, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon and Pakistan to play for two qualification places at the AFC U19 Championship finals to be played 2008 in Saudi Arabia.
The top-two teams from each of the seven groups advance to the Finals alongwith the best third-placed team. Hosts Saudi Arabia qualify automatically for the Finals which will be held in 2008.
All the matches will be played in one centralized venue hosted by one country in the group. Forty-two teams came out of pots and were divided into two zones, with each zone being divided further into six technical levels based on the AFC Youth Championship 2006 ranking.

::: 2008 Asian U16 Championship qualifiers draw out :::
India have been drawn in the tricky Group C along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Bhutan to play for two qualification places at the AFC U16 Championship finals to be played 2008.
Forty-five teams were drawn from the pots and put into eight sections, divided into six technical levels on ranking based from the AFC U-17 Championship 2006.
The winners and runners-up of the seven groups qualify for the Finals alongwith the winner of the three-team Group H which comprises Korea Republic, Thailand and Chinese Taipei. The yet to be identified hosts also qualify automatically for the Finals.

::: INDIA Women move-up a place :::
In the latest quarterly FIFA Women World rankings the India Women have moved-up a rank to joint 55th with Greece among 140 ranked nations.

December 21

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Air-India 0-3 Churchill Brothers SC
Goals: 0-1 Odafe Onyeka Okolie (7'), 0-2,0-3 George Ekeh (8',41')
AIR-INDIA: 31-Ethesham Ahmed, 19-Santosh Koli, 4-Benoy Kuruvilla, 28-Abiodun Kolawole Martins, 29-Femi Joseph Adeola, 6-Uttam Leishangthem Singh, 11-Hringsolal Thomte (38' 18-Hamza Zaheer Abbas), 5-Vijith Shetty (85' Hirohito Elangbam), 20-Paresh Shivalkar, 8-Kumar Samson Singh (59' 23-Sanju Pradhan), 27-Bashiree Mohammed Abbas.
CHURCHILL BROTHERS: 1-Vinay Singh, 17-Robert Lalthalma, 5-Nicholas Muyoti, 23-Vinu Jose, 8-T Naoba Singh, 13-Mashangva Genius Zenith, 22-Bungo Thokchom Singh, 14-Chitrasen Chandam Singh, 15-D Raju (81' 11-Khemtang Paite), 9-George Ekeh, 10-Odafe Onyeka Okolie.
YELLOW CARD: Abiodun Kolawole Martins (Air India).
REFEREE: Subrata Sarkar (West Bengal).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Shaji Kurian (Kerala), Rathin Mukherjee (West Bengal).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: M Bhattacharya (West Bengal).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Viva Kerala 1-4 Mohun Bagan AC
Goals: 0-1,1-4 Baichung Bhutia (15',90+4'), 1-1 Babatunde (29'), 1-2,1-3 Mehtab Hussein (33',65')
Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan AC proved their existence in national football as they crushed aside hapless debutantes Viva Kerala 4-1 in the eighth and final pre-quarterfinal of the 28th Federation Cup at Saltlake Stadium. Baichung Bhutia and Mehtab Hussein scored a brace each for the home team.
Mohun Bagan has had an unimpressive run this season and they are yet to win a trophy. Still, there were no such great expectations from the Viva Kerala side to create an upset today by beating the home side. However, it was the minnows who could have struck the first blow. It was the second minute of the match when Babatunde, the only foreign recruit of the Kerala side ran down the left and sent in a through-pass inside the Bagan box but P Sajesh sent it wide. However, after this early chance they could hardly get hold of the game and the whole pitch was glowing with a maroon-and-green flare. Bagan skipper Jose Ramirez Barreto could have ended his goal-drought in the 4th minute but the Viva goalkeeper M Shiju came in the way and blocked his header with his legs. Bagan got the lead in the 15th minute when Indian captain Baichung Bhutia scored from a superb header off a Lal Kamal Bhowmick corner. Baichung was on fire today as he continued to create chances. He got hold of a Sushil Kumar Singh through-pass three minutes later and set in for Barreto who failed to connect. Baichung could have doubled his and Mohun Bagan's tally in the 23rd minute when his terrific shot from inside the box was tipped over the crossbar. With Mehtab Hussein taking the field in the 25th minute in place of Bijay Basfore, who had already been booked, the Bagan attack became more penetrating. Viva Kerala got an unexpected lifeline in the 29th minute due to a schoolboy error by defender Eduardo and goalkeeper Sangram. In an attempt to clear the ball, Eduardo lifted the ball towards his own goal and Sangram got hold of it, thereby allowing the Kerala outfit to have an indirect free-kick inside the box near the penalty spot. Babatunde's shot took a deflection off Mehtab Hussein and found the net. Thus this match became the first one of the tournament where both the sides have scored. The Bagan players were seen protesting as Babatunde had taken the shot directly at the goal. However, the referee refused to listen. Mohun Bagan regained their lead four minutes later. The goal was a brilliant display of team work. After getting the ball in the middle of the Viva half, Baichung ran down the left, entered the box from left, sent a cross to the far edge of the box, and the onrushing Mehtab Hussein scored with a thumping header from 15 yards, leaving the Viva defenders stranded.
Early into the second half, Barreto got yet another chance to end his goal-drought but his diving header went wide. Almost each and every Bagan player was getting involved in the game and this time it was Sushil Kumar Singh who came near to scoring in the 53rd minute. He got hold of a wonderful Barreto through-pass turned and his shot was ultimately blocked by another good attempt by the goalkeeper. The Viva goalmouth was repeatedly threatened by the maroon-and-green brigade and there series of missed opportunities. Lal Kamal Bhowmick failed to capitalise on a one-on-one chance while Sushil and Barreto had their shots going wide. It was the 65th minute when Mehtab Hussein scored his second and the third for his team. Mehtab got the ball in front of the right edge of the box from a Barreto pass, entered the box, beat two Viva defenders, controlled the ball and took an unstoppable shot which found the ceiling of the net. Meanwhile the Bagan defenders and goalkeeper looked quite uncomfortable with the back passes, but the failure of their opponents to capitalise on those errors didn't dreate any panic. Viva had a chance when a Babatunde freekick was tipped over the bar by Sangram. Babatunde also missed a chance in the 83rd minute and these two chances were the only Viva show as Bagan ruled over the pitch. Bagan added the last nail to Viva's coffin in the fourth minute of injury time when Baichung Bhutia got the ball well inside the Viva box from a Barreto lob, and coolly sent it to the net past the Viva goalkeeper. Mohun Bagan now faces Churchill Brothers in the quarter final on the 24th of December.
This match, at one point, worried the spectators and the press when Sushil Kumar Singh of Mohun Bagan and Justine Stephen of Viva Kerala got involved in a collision in the 78th minute and both were seen lying on the ground. The medical team was seen busy preparing the ambulance, which at once reminded of the sad incident of the death of Christiano Junior of Dempo SC of Goa in the Federation Cup final against Mohun Bagan, two years ago. Sushil recovered after initial treatment but Stephen had to be resuscitated on the pitch. He however got up later, but had to be carried off to the hospital for a CT Scan.
VIVA KERALA: 1-M Shiju, 2-TK Sreenath (37' 21-Justine Stephen, 79' 5-PM Suresh), 3-Philip C Libu, 25-PK Sheril, 4-R Dhanarajan, 12-P Sajesh, 7-Denson Devadas, 8-TK Prasoon (67' 14-C Shineraj), 16-Muhammad Muneer, 9-K Shyju, 10-Babatunde.
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 4-Deepak Kumar Mondal, 28-Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, 20-Sanjeev Kumar Maria, 18-Dharamjit Singh (64' 25-Pachau Lalam Puia), 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 2-Bijay Basfore (25' 23-Mehtab Hussein), 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick, 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 24-Sushil Kumar Singh (79' 30-Ayan Chowdhury), 15-Baichung Bhutia.
YELLOW CARD: Bijay Basfore (24', Mohun Bagan)
REFEREE: A Arjunan (Services).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu), Dipak Bisht (Delhi).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: MK Roy (Assam).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Air Force, Delhi 3-0 Mughals Club - Goals: 1-0,2-0 E Thomas (35',44'), 3-0 Kalyan Pal (47').
Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Shastri Club 0-1 Indian Nationals FC - Goal: 0-1 Nitin Pradhan (57').

50th Churachand Singh Invitation Football Trophy, Imphal - Semifinal: NEROCA, Laipham Khunou 0-1 Nagaland Police - Goal: 0-1 Vizoru (66').
16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Group A: SAIL, Calcutta 1-1 Garhwal Heroes, Delhi - Goals: 0-1 Abhishek (30'), 1-1 Lal Biket Lunga (88').
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group B: Jharkhand 0-0 Manipur - Goals: none.
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group B: West Bengal 3-0 Maharashtra - Goals: 1-0 Kaltu Hembran (23'), 2-0 Bei Kho Khei (63'), 3-0 Krishanu Banerjee (89').

11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Quarterfinal: Malappuram 3-1 Kannur - Goals: 0-1 Roopesh (2'), 1-1,2-1 Ramiz Ahmed (8',53'), 3-1 Hyderali (65').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Quarterfinal: Thrissur 3-3,3-4 Kasaragod [penalties] - Goals: 0-1,3-3 Ratheesh (5',84'), 1-2 Rakesh (16'), 1-1 Shafiq (7'), 2-2 Renjith (62'), 3-2 Sujil (70').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Quarterfinal: Kollam 3-0 Kottayam - Goals: 1-0,2-0,3-0 Sujith (3',44',68').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Quarterfinal: Kozhikode 3-0 Ernakulam - Goals: 1-0 Farhad (3'), 2-0,3-0 Ismail (27',62').

::: AIFF AGM decisions :::
The AIFF held its Annual General Meeting yesterday at its headquarters at Football House in Dwarka, New Delhi. Numerous issues were discussed and following decisions taken:
• Irungbam Surkumar Singh named as "Player of the year 2006".
• 2007 to be year for Talent Hunt.
• Vision Asia's "Vision India" project to extend into Tamilnadu and Kerala.
• FIFA Goal II Project Training centres to be build in Bangalore and Sikkim.
• Women Football League/Club Tournament planned for 2007.
• Financial Incentives for States participating in U-13 Football Festival

December 20

RESULTS & NEWS

::: Irungbam Surkumar Singh adjudged AIFF Player of the Year :::
Mahindra United defender Irungbam Surkumar Singh has been declared the AIFF Player of the Year. A right-back par excellence Surkumar Singh has played an important part in the success of his club at the local and the national level. He has been a consistent figure in the Indian national football team and even led the team during the Doha Asian Games in the absence of skipper Baichung Bhutia.
CONGRATULATIONS IRUNGBAM SURKUMAR SINGH!

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Hindustan Aeronautic Limited 0-1 Dempo SC
Goals: 0-1 Anthony Pereira (26')
Former champions Dempo Sports Club of Goa entered the quarter finals of the 28th Peerless Federation Cup by defeating the minnows Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC from Bangalore by a solitary goal in the fifth pre-quarter final of the tournament at Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta. The all important goal came in the first half in the 26th minute.
The minnows looked no match for the former champions from the beginning of the game and the Goan club took control of the game from the early minutes. They could have been a goal up in the 10th minute but Valeriano Rebello hit the post from outside the box after getting the ball from Ranty Martins Soleye. HAL gained some possession of the ball after this and after a few minutes they had a header by Kuttimani going wide of the Dempo goal. Dempo continued to create more chances and in the 26th minute they got the reward for their efforts. Dempo skipper Roberto Mendes Silva passed the ball to Ranty Martins Soleye and Ranti's shot from 24 yards was blocked by the HAL goalkeeper diving to his right, and the ball was netted in by the onrushing Anthony Pereira. Dempo could have doubled the lead in the 32nd minute when Clifford Mirada almost netted in directly from a corner. The Dempo domination continued in the second half and the HAL goalmouth was opened quite a few times. Dempo was near to increase their tally but Clifford Miranda failed to each a cross, and Roberto header went wide. When it was taken for granted that there was hardly any chance for HAL to come back into the match, the Bangalore men nearly proved the belief wrong, when in the 67th minute Xavier Vijay Kumar took a left footer from outside the left edge of the box but his shot was tipped over the crossbar by the Dempo goalkeeper. For the rest of the match HAL failed to create any chances which could have been fruitful. In the 77th minute players of both the sides were seen quarreling in front of the Dempo goal, but timely intervention by the referee prevented the situation from going out of control. Dempo had another chance of bettering their lead in the closing minutes but Ishfaq Ahmed's run down the right ended in top-netting. Dempo sealed off the match and now awaits the winner of the match between East Bengal Club and State Bank of Travancore in the quarter-final.
HAL: 1-Gumpe Rime, 4-N Govind Singh, 5-Prashant Jaggi (74' 22-Srikanth), 3-Pawan Kumar, 27-N Mohanraj, 11-Sunil Kumar (68' 20-C Prakash), 7-Thiyam Raghuveer Singh, 14-Rajendra Prasad, 9-Sampath Kumar Kuttimani, 8-Xavier Vijayakumar, 12-Reisangmi Vasum.
DEMPO: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 18-Valeriano Rebello, 3-John Charles Dias, 23-Dominic Noronha, 16-Samir Naik, 15-Clifford Miranda, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva (87' 22-Ishfaq Ahmed), 12-Jerry Zirsanga (82' 17-Joaquim Abranches), 9-Ranty Martins Soleye, 14-Anthony Pereira (76' 7-Nacimento Silveira).
YELLOW CARD: Clifford Miranda (Dempo)
REFEREE: Dipak Singh Bisht (Delhi).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Rathin Mukherjee, M Bhattacharya (both West Bengal).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: S Sarkar (West Bengal).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: East Bengal Club 2-0 State Bank of Travancore
Goals: 1-0 Syed Rahim Nabi (22'), 2-0 Alvito D'Cunha (39')
East Bengal ended their dismal run with an emphatic victory in the 28th Federation Cup against State Bank of Travancore at the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta today. Two first-half goals from Syed Rahim Nabi and Alvito D'Cunha sealed the victory for the Red-and-Gold brigade.
The first half was a one-sided affair as the mighty East Bengal team outclassed State Bank of Travancore in all areas of the game. The first goal came in the 22nd minute when a Sasthi Duley cross from the right was headed in by Syed Rahim Nabi at the far post. East Bengal skipper Alvito D'Cunha doubled the lead in the 39th minute. Jayanta Sen played a long crossfield pass to Nabi at the left edge of the box. The SBT goalkeeper charged out to collect the ball but Nabi deftly headed the ball into the path of the advancing Alvito. Alvito connected well with his left foot and slotted the ball into the unguarded goal. Alvito could have given East Bengal the lead in the 17th minute of the game but his well-directed shot was blocked by his own teammate Cristiano. However, the most frustrating player on the field was East Bengal's Japanese recruit Izumi Arata who showed impressive speed but disappointed everyone with his appalling finishing skills. He was also fortunate to stay on the field for the full duration of the match after he seemed to elbow SBT players in the face on not one but two occasions on either side of half-time. However, the referee deemed that neither of the incidents deserved even a yellow card.
The most significant event in the second half was the injury suffered by East Bengal skipper Alvito D'Cunha. As he went into a tackle, he seemed to twist his right ankle. He gestured for an immediate substitution even as he was falling down. How long his injury will prevent him from donning the captain's armband only time will tell. One thing is certain. If he doesn't recover in time, East Bengal may sorely miss him in the third quarter-final on 23rd December,2006 against Dempo Sports Club.
EAST BENGAL: 1-Naseem Akhtar, 8-Sasthi Duley, 3-Cristiano Hilario de Oliveira, 12-Anupam Sarkar, 29-Soumik Dey (83' 5-Debabrata Roy), 28-Shylo Malswam Tulunga, 7-Jayanta Sen, 6-Dipankar Roy, 9-Alvito D'Cunha (58' 14-Chandan Das), 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 32-Izumi Arata.
SBT: 1-PV Harshal Rehman, 2-TV Mohammed Harris, 3-M Abdul Basheer, 18-M Lanel Thomas, 26-Paul Anthony, 21-Sylvester Ignatius (55' 7-CJ Renil), 6-AB Kabeer, 15-KM Abdul Naushad, 11-Martyn John, 19-T Asif Saheer (83' 10-R Kannan), 17-MA Abdul Hakkim.
YELLOW CARDS: Chandan Das (East Bengal); Sylvester Ignatius (SBT)
REFEREE: MK Roy (Assam).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: K Sankar, T Pradip Kumar (both Tamil Nadu).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: A Arjunan (Services).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Delhi Police 0-2 City FC - Goals: 0-1,0-2 Musibao Adebayo (3',20').

50th Churachand Singh Invitation Football Trophy, Imphal - Semifinal: Southern Sporting Union 2-0 Manipur Police SC - Goals: 1-0 David Kamson (46'), 2-0 Kh Ratan Singh (75').
16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Group A: SAIL, Calcutta 5-1 Hindustan FC, Delhi
16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Group B: Simla Youngs 2-0 Tarun Sangha - Goals: 1-0 Austin, 2-0 Innocent.
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group A: Chhattisgarh 1-4 Goa - Goals: 0-1,0-3 Agnelo Colaco (19',39'), 0-2 Agnelo Monteiro (28'), 0-4 PC Shirodkar (45'), 1-4 Nitesh Yadav (58').
42.Dr BC Roy (under-19) Trophy - Quarterfinal League Group A: Tamil Nadu 0-2 Punjab - Goals: 0-1 Atinder Singh (69'), 0-2 Dilshad Ahmed (88').

11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Kasaragod 1-0 Idukki - Goal: 1-0 Ratheesh (12').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Kollam 6-0 Wayannad - Goals: 1-0,2-0,3-0,4-0,5-0 Riyadh (62',71',77',80',88'), 6-0 Andrews (90'+1').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Trivandrum 1-1,2-4 Kottayam [penalties] - Goals: 0-1 Shijomon TP (5'), 1-1 Prasanth Simon (90'+2').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Ernakulam 2-0 Palakkad - Goals: 1-0 Abhijith KK (9'), 2-0 Ashley Antony (52').

December 19

RESULTS & NEWS

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Army XI 0-4 Sporting Clube de Goa
Goals: 0-1 Earnest Jeremiah (1'), 0-2,0-3 Harmanjot Singh Khabra (31',38'), 0-4 Nicolau Borges (55').
Army XI woke up to the harsh reality of football at the national level as they were crushed under the Sporting Clube de Goa juggernaut in the third pre-quarterfinal of the 28th Federation Cup 2006 at the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta. Army XI started the match in the worst possible manner when they conceded a goal in the 11th second just after kick-off when Sporting striker Jeremiah got the ball off a back-flick and netted in a cool finish. This was the fastest goal in the history of the tournament beating the 15-scond effort by Churchill's Jotin Singh in the 3rd place playoff between Churchill Brothers and Salgaocar in the previous edition of the Federation Cup. Army XI hardly recovered from this early blow and the game was dominated by Sporting Clube de Goa. The army goalmouth was threatened continuously by the Sporting strikers and the Goan outfit could have doubled their lead in no time. They finally got their second in the 31st minute when Jeremiah got the ball from a Bello Rasaq throw-in from the left, controlled it and passed to Nicolau Borges whose goal-bound shot got a final touch from Harmanjot Singh Khabra. Khabra added a second to his tally seven minutes later when he got the ball from the midfield, got into the army box from the right and fired an unstoppable shot to give his side a 3-0 lead. Sporting Clube de Goa had a few more chances in the dying minutes of the first half, but their failure to convert those didn't increase the blushes of the army men. The aggression of Sporting reduced in the second half as their mission had already been accomplished. Still the army men failed to organize even a single attack. Sporting Clube de Goa got what was almost certainly an unbeatable lead in the 55th minute when Nicolau Borges got the ball well inside the Army half, ran down the right penetrating the army defence, entered the box and took a left footer which found the far top corner of the net. Army XI, however, managed to create two or three chances but their weak striking force failed to trouble the scorers. Sporting could have netted in two more in the 69th and 70th minutes but a Jeremiah solo run ended in a shot straight to the army keeper, and Nicolau Borges failed to connect a Nicholas L Rodrigues through-pass. Sporting maintained control over the game for the remaining part of the match. The final whistle completed the humiliation of the army men and confirmed Sporting's entry into the quarter finals. They will play the winners of the match between JCT Mills and Salgaocar SC.
ARMY XI: 1-Robikanta Singh; 4-Birendra Bodra, 5-S Ramesh, 22-M Dileep, 2-KP Kabui; 14-Hemant Lama (80' 3-RS Bhandari), 9-MG Ramachandran, 6-Thirunavakarsu, 17-Mohammed Ibrahim (46' 10-Raghu Kumar); 15-Nguernilal, 11-Vijay Thapa (58' 13-Mahesh Rai).
SPORTING CLUBE: 1-Felix D'Souza; 3-Mathew Gonsalves, 6-Philip Gomes (88' 29-N Samananda Singh), 20-Bello Rasaq; 5-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (46' 14-Wilton Gomes, 77' 23-Papiah Jagadish Kumar), 8-Rajesh N Meetei, 7-Harmanjot Singh Khabra, 22-Joseph Pereira, 19-Nicholas L Rodrigues; 11-Nicolau Borges, 9-Earnest Jeremiah.
REFEREE: M Bhattacharya (West Bengal).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu), Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Shaji Kurien (Kerala).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Post-match press conference:
H. Stanley Rozario (Coach, Army XI):
• The loss has been disappointing for us.
• The goal in the first minute sucked off all our energies.
• If we had converted our chances, we could have been in a better position.
• The dimensions of the ground made no difference.

Clifford Chukwama (Coach, Sporting Clube de Goa):
• We wanted to win this match in the first half and we were successful in achieving that.
• Dudu went to Goa for a personal reason and now he is available to me; there should be no controversy regarding his suspension as the Federation Cup is a completely different tournament from the IFA Shield.

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: JCT Mills 0-1 Salgaocar SC
Goals: 0-1 Francis Fernandes (58')
JCT Mills: 1-Karanjit Singh; 2-Jaspal Singh, 4-Harpreet Singh, 3-Anwar Ali, 12-Daljit Singh; 13-Baldeep Singh, 28-Shivraj Singh (64' 20-Adebayo Tokunbo), 26-Sunday Ambrose (51' 17-Praveen Kumar), 15-P Renedy Singh; 11-Sunil Chetri, 10-Chidi Edeh.
SALGAOCAR: 1-Milagrio Madeira; 12-Remus Gomes, 8-Agnelo Colaco, 4-Julius Irabor Akpele, 17-TV Biju Kumar, 14-Jerose Oliveira (67' 19-Aseem Kutty), 30-Francis Fernandes, 6-Micky Fernandes, 25-Rocus Lamare, 9-Francis Andrade, 7-Felix Chimaokwu.
YELLOW CARDS: TV Biju Kumar (6' Salgaocar), Sunil Chhetri (35' JCT Mills).
REFEREE: Rathin Mukherjee (West Bengal).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Sarkar (West Bengal), A. Arjunan (Services).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Delhi Senior Division - Group B: New Delhi Heroes 2-1 Ahbab FC - Goals: 1-0,2-0 Amit Rawat (18',19'), 2-1 Sameer Jung (35').

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Group A: Hindustan FC, Delhi 1-3 Garhwal Heroes, Delhi - Goals: Rishi Kapoor (Hindustan FC); Ashish Pandey, Paritosh, Kamai (all Garwahl Heroes).
16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Group B: Amity United FC 1-0 Tarun Sangha - Goal: 1-0 Maish Maithani.

11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Kannur 4-0 Alappuzha - Goals: 1-0 Rahul (14'), 2-0,3-0 Abid (83',86'), 4-0 Lijin Raj (90').
11th Kerala U-21 Inter District Championship 2006/07 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Thrissur 9-0 Pathanamthitta - Goals: 1-0 Renjith AR (7'), 2-0 Aneesh (11'), 3-0,4-0,6-0 Ashiq (14',22',28'), 5-0 Surjit (26'), 7-0 Shafiq (40'), 8-0 Anto (44'), 9-0 Yahia (86').

December 18

RESULTS & NEWS

::: INDIA slips further down FIFA world rankings :::
INDIA has sadly dropped another nine places down the FIFA world rankings to now 157th amongst 206 ranked nations. In Asia INDIA is now ranked a low 32nd, dropping five places from last month.

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Mahindra United 1-0 United SC
Goal: 1-0 Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep (79').
Defending champions Mahindra United progressed to the quarterfinals of the 28th Federation Cup 2006 albeit not as comfortably as they would have liked. A determined United SC put up an impressive fight but their best was just not good enough to earn them a place in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Proloy Datta pulled off some impressive saves to keep the scoreline respectable but the 1-0 scoreline in favour of Mahindra United certainly does not tell the whole story. Although a brilliant header from NP Pradeep decided the contest at the end, both teams must have realised that on another day, the actual result could have been entirely different.
The first half was an even contest with United SC showing no sign of being overawed by their opposition. Their Nigerian striker Theodore came close to putting his team ahead on quite a few occasions but the only thing absent was the proper finish. Mahindra did not live up to their reputation. Whether the lackadaisical effort was a consequence of complacency or fatigue is something that the Mahindra management has to sort out. They had two good chances. Ajayan rattled the right post in the 24th minute of the match and a blazing shot from Surkumar Singh in the 31st minute almost found the back of the net. United SC suffered an injury blow in the 39th minute when Shibram Dey had to be replaced by Proloy Datta. However, the change did not affect United SC adversely as their inexperienced but talented goalkeeper grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
The second half started on an exciting note as Proloy Datta saved a good shot from Manjit Singh. The rebound fell to Mohammed Rafi but his shot was blocked by Wajid Ali. Rafi followed it up with another shot but this time it was collected well by Proloy Datta. Mahindra captain Yakubu Yusif forced a good save out of Proloy Datta in the 67th minute and the ball was cleared by Amandeep Singh for a corner. Surkumar Singh almost gave Mahindra the lead in the 73rd minute but his shot from the edge of the box was brilliantly tipped over the bar by the United SC custodian. The winning goal came in the 79th minute through a brilliant header from NP Pradeep. NP Pradeep came up with a thumping header from a Steven Dias corner to break the resilience of the Calcutta side. Yakubu almost doubled the score in added time but Proloy Datta was playing like a man possessed and tipped his shot over the crossbar. Mahindra United must now await the result of the next match between Mohammedan Sporting and Vasco SC to know who their opponents will be in the quarterfinals. However, one thing is certain. They will have to improve their performance to stand any chance of repeating last year's feat in this edition of the Federation Cup.
MAHINDRA UNITED: 24-Sandip Nandy; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 3-Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, 18-Peter Siddiqui (64' 29-Rauf Sher Khan), 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 23-Steven Dias (90+1' 7-Sushanth Mathew), 16-Lukram James Singh, 4-Krishnan Nair Ajayan, 12-Manjit Singh, 10-Yakubu Yusif, 9-Filipe Vaz de Azevedo (42' 11-Mohammed Rafi).
UNITED SC: 31-Shibram Dey (39' 1-Proloy Datta); 8-Sanjoy Nag, 23-Sheikh Azim, 16-Wajid Ali, 17-Amandeep Singh; 12-Ratan Das (82' 10-Ashim Das), 18-Crispin Chetri, 26-Avishek Aich (75' 15-Jiten Rai), 11-Narugopal Hait; 25-Francis Chibueze Maduako, 24-Theodore Sunday Wrobeh.
YELLOW CARD: Krishnan Nair Ajayan (85', Mahindra United)
REFEREE: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: MK Roy (Assam), Deepak Bisht (Delhi).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Post-match press conference:
Amal Dutta (Coach, United SC):
• I don't underestimate Mahindra United as they have all the star footballers of the country.
• We follow the modern day trend in football and with this we can pose a threat to many a good team.
• My team needs good tall strikers.
• There are two views in modern football - one is based on superstars irrespective of their age; while the other view believes the game to be a speedy game of eleven. Mexico and Manchester United have gained success by pursuing the latter and I am also walking on that path.
• I fielded Shibram today as he is good in penalties and if this match had gone to a penalty shoot-out, he could have been of great use. However, I didn't know that his injury was so serious.
• The substitute goalkeeper Proloy was playing his first match of the season today; and with his performance today he will be promoted as the first choice goalkeeper in our forthcoming matches.
• Mahindra United looks like a fatigued side. Today they played well in the free zone, where we allowed them space, but we blocked them in the penetrative zone.
• As far as the Calcutta teams are concerned, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to make the cut at the national level.
• No media/team personnel was present in the draw of the Federation Cup; so I can't say that the lottery was a fair one.
• The base of football is getting shifted from Calcutta to Goa.
• There's no answer to the way we were neglected from the IFA Shield. Even if we had won today, the IFA Secretary and the AIFF President would have remained unaffected.

Derrick Pereira (Coach, Mahindra United):
• We have played five matches in the last ten days, most of the boys joined after returning from national duty. So it was very difficult for us.
• United SC are a good young side; they did very well in the match.
• We could have done better with better coordination between our strikers and midfielders.
• We need to work together to get the best out of our foreign recruits.
• We hope to stay alive in this tournament till the championship match.

28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 - Pre-Quarterfinal: Vasco SC 0-0,0-1 Mohammedan Sporting Club [after extratime]
Goal: 0-1 Eric Bolwe Mputu (119').
Mohammedan Sporting snatched a last minute winner against Vasco SC to set up a quarter-final clash with Mahindra United on 22nd December, 2006. In a game in which chances were few and far between, Mohammedan Sporting's Nigerian striker Eric Bolwe Mputu stunned their opponents when he fired home the winner in the last minute of extra time. Jatin Singh Bisht's cross from the right was headed into the post by Santa Saikhom Singh and the rebound fell kindly to Mputu to score the winner. The small Mohammedan crowd erupted with pure delight after a full one hundred and twenty minutes of frustrating and somewhat insipid football. Most of the chances fell to the local team with Kulothungan's shot being deflected onto the post by the Vasco goalkeeper in the 104th minute of the match. Mputu could have scored the opener from the rebound but he collided with Laxmikant Kattimani who injured himself when his head hit the post. Fortunately, his injury was not serious and he resumed his duty between the posts soon. It was the second time that there was concern regarding the condition of the Vasco goalkeeper. In the second minute of added time in the 1st half, Harvinder rushed into Kattimani after getting the ball from a Mohammedan counter-attack. Roberto Fernandes also hurt his team-mate as he tried to challenge Harvinder as a last ditch effort. Certainly, it was not a very pleasant day for the Vasco goalkeeper.
Mohammedan Sporting had an opportunity to take the lead as early as the 11th minute but Harvinder Singh missed a sitter in front of goal as his shot went straight into the clutches of Laxmikant Kattimani. In added time, Bijen Singh tried an acrobatic back-volley but although the ball slipped out of the keeper's hands, a charging Mputu was unable to make the opportunity count. The 2nd half developed along similar lines which only added to the frustration of the sparse crowd present inside the stadium. In fact, it seemed that both teams had resigned themselves to the lottery of a penalty shootout until Mputu's winner broke the deadlock with one minute to spare. Mohammedan coach Subhash Bhowmick was seen to send up a prayer to the heavens; whether it was for the victory or for the relief from the ordeal of a penalty shootout is anybody's guess. It was a strange match in many ways and that was further compounded by the bizarre absence of the winning coach at the post-match press conference. Whatever the Mohammedan coach does after he loses his next match, he surely won't be having a friendly chat with the local journalists.
VASCO SC: 22-Laxmikant Kattimani; 21-Ryan D'Souza, 3-Caitano Costa, 29-Roberto Fernandes, 4-Kamal Thapa; 25-Queterio Pango (36' 6-Joy Ferrao), 8-Menino Fernandes, 14-Remedios Barreto (116' 28-Lalnun Puia), 16-Rovan Pereira (81' 9-Krishna Tudu); 7-Sujoy Mondal, 19-Alvito Rodrigues.
MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING: 21-Arindam Ghosh; 3-Madhab Das, 4-Debjit Ghosh, 16-Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (46' 29-Jamir Ali Mondal); 17-Santa Saikhom Singh, 22-Surojit Roy (76' 5-Habibur Rehman Mondal), 26-Eric Bolwe Mputu, 8-Noel Anthony Wilson, 12-Jatin Singh Bisht, 7-Bijen Singh, 18-Harvinder Singh (56' 19-Kalia Kulothungan).
YELLOW CARDS: Sujoy Mondal (69', Vasco); Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (24', Mohammedan Sporting).
REFEREE: T Pradeep Kumar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: A Arjunan (Services), Shaji Kurien (Kerala).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

Post-match press conference:
Shabbir Ali (Coach, Vasco SC):
• I am happy with the way my boys played today, especially against Mohammedan Sporting on their home ground.
• Many of my players were new to Calcutta and were playing for the first time in a tournament like the Federation Cup.
• If chances in the dying minutes of the first half had been converted, the story could have been different.
• It was bad luck that we conceded in the penultimate minute of extra-time.

NB: Even after repeated requests from the journalists, nobody from the Mohammedan Sporting contingent arrived at the post-match press conference.

3rd Division National Football League - North-East Zone: Assam Police Blues 1-4 Lajong SC, Shillong - Goals: 1-0 Anuj Gogoi (8'), 1-1,1-4 Marlanki Suting (11',80'), 1-2 Kyrshan Lyngshing (27'), 1-3 Niwan O Gatphoh (30').

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Delhi Police 1-0 Mughals Club - Goal: 1-0 Jaggya Ram Bora.

16th Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup - Qualifiers: Amity United FC 0-1 Simla Youngs - 0-1 Austin (30').

::: Changes in 28th Federation Cup match schedule :::
The IFA today informed the media that there would be a switch of matches on day two and three of the 28th Federation Cup. Tomorrow the afternoon match at 16.00 IST would be between Army XI and Sporting Clube de Goa while the evening match at 19.00 IST would be between former champions JCT Mills and Salgaocar SC. On wednesday, December 20 the afternoon match would be between Hindustan Aeronautic Limited - Dempo SC while East Bengal Club - State Bank of Travancore would meet each other in the evening.
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

::: NYC Rolling Trophy - GOA Maroons, Kuwait Goans, Santos, UFC move ahead :::
Defending champions Goan Overseas Association Maroons led by experienced stopper-back James Figueira beat Kuwait Indian football's minnows Don Bosco 2-0 while Siemens sponsored hot favorites Kuwait Goans Association beat United Goans 4-2 to advance to the next round of the NYC Rolling Trophy tournament being played at Sour Grounds, Kuwait City.
In temperatures as low as 12° C, Maroons started with a quick passing game and put Don Bosco under pressure right from the start. Deryk Fernandes finished off from close in the second session (1-0) after being denied twice by Don Bosco goalkeeper Stephen Fernandes with excellent saves. Despite Maroons' control of possession, Don Bosco's Larry Aguiar, Diem Dias, Francis Ataide and Roshan Dias looked dangerous at times with their solo runs but Maroons' ever agile Ian D' Souza and Regi Rodrigues were quick to intercept any danger. Don Bosco substitutes Ratan Dogra and Sainath Sarode who came in place of Salman and Ruzario Braganza showed lot of eagerness to equalize. However, Maroons were able to use the runs of Augustine Sequeira, Phillip Dias and Jerry Mello to relieve pressure on their defence. Sudhakaran Swamy of Maroons, surprisingly kept on the bench and used as a substitute, scored the second goal five minutes from end. Maroons held out for the win as Don Bosco failed to create any clear cut chance in the final minutes.
In another match, spirited Santos Football Club scrambled past Kerala Challengers to advance to the next phase. Both teams appeared equal throughout the match although Santos were steadier in front of the goal and deservedly snatched the match winner. Xavier Costa scored the important goal (1-0).
United Friends Club (UFC) won their match v/s Curtorcares with an easy 3-1 victory. Evergreen footballer and famous Konkani actor Jose Rod was the live-wire for UFC upfront. He broke into the Curtorcares defence repeatedly and with great purpose -- shooting at goal from any angle. He scored one goal, missed many and created several other chances as UFC dominated most part of the game. Allwyn D'Cunha and Jose D'Cruz were the other scorers for UFC. Curtorcares played their hearts to get back into the game with outstanding play by Revito Dias, Franco Gomes and Dylan Gonsalves and managed to pull one back through Felton Gonsalves (3-1).
Two goals from Vico D'Souza and one each from Melwin Braganza and Christoven Colaco made the scoreboard look decent for Kuwait Goans Association (KGA); United Goans fought back to find the net twice in the second session. Early pressure failed to produce shots on target but KGA scored the first goal when Vico ran onto a flicked pass from Caridade D'Souza for a finish past the UG goalkeeper. United Goans used all the tactics in the book and succeeded in scoring two second half goals through Savio D'Silva and Joseph Salema.
KGA, one of the strongest teams in the tournament, next plays UFC in the quarter-finals. The forthcoming game will gather high interest in the team which scored 4 goals yet failed to please.

December 17

RESULTS & NEWS

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Nationals FC 0-1 Indian Air Force - Goal: 0-1 Kalyan Pal.
Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Tarun Sangha 0-0 Delhi Police - Goals: none.
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Hindustan FC 3-0 Indian Air Force

::: 28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006: Are you ready for the action? :::
The 28th edition of the Federation Cup, rechristened as the Peerless Federation Cup 2006, begins tomorrow at the Saltlake Stadium in Calcutta. In the first match, scheduled to kick-off at 16:00 hrs (4:00pm IST), defending champions Mahindra United will cross swords with the local team Chirag United. Mahindra United are on a high after winning the IFA Shield last week and it will take a special performance from their rivals to beat them. Chirag United have the advantage of playing under a seasoned veteran in the form of Amal Dutta. Another factor which may help the team from Calcutta is the fatigue factor. After going through a packed schedule of rigorous football, a considerable chunk of the Mahindra contingent may lack the level of energy required to perform on the big stage. They will know that their IFA Shield victory may count for nothing in the minds of their fans if they bow out early in the Federation Cup, especially to a team like Chirag United. Chirag, on the other hand, have nothing to lose and will surely give their all to pull off a major upset early in the tournament. It may well be a David and Goliath encounter but whether history repeats itself remains to be seen.
The second match of the night will feature city giants Mohammedan Sporting taking on Vasco Sports Club from Goa. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 19:00hrs (7:00 pm IST). Mohammedan Sporting are struggling through a barren patch at the moment. After their early exit from the IFA Shield, their coach, Subhash Bhowmick, had admitted that his squad lacked a clinical striker. Their opponents from Goa are no pushovers themselves and it will be a hard battle to determine who makes it to the next round of the tournament. With two lip-smacking encounters on day one itself, the Peerless Federation Cup 2006 promises to be something special. Viewers all over India will be able to watch both the matches live and exclusive on Zee Sports. Ten Sports, a partner channel of Zee Sports, will beam the matches live in and around the Middle East as well. So, sit back and enjoy this football extravaganza - the 28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006!
More information & match schedule available at the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

::: 28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006: SBT squad announced :::
State Bank of Travancore (SBT) has announced its team for the upcoming 28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006. The team of coach Sethumadhavan will be leaving for Calcutta on Monday morning.
State Bank of Travancore:
Goalkeepers: PA Jean Christian, PV Harshal Rehman
Defenders: Abdul Basheer, Paul Antony, TV Mohammad Harris, Abhilash John, Suneer
Midfielders: KM Abdul Naushad, Sylvester Ignatious, Rinil Jose, Martyn John, AB Kabeer, MP Sakeer, Faizal Rehman, M Lanel Thomas (Captain)
Forwards: R Kannan, MA Abdul Hakkim, T Asif Saheer, AG Mohamad Aslam, Anil Kumar
Officials:
Chief Coach: Sethumadhavan
Manager: Jiju Jacob
More information & match schedule available at the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

December 16

RESULTS & NEWS

3rd Division National Football League - North-East Zone: Nine Bullets, Tripura 2-3 1st Battalion Mizoram Armed Police - Goals: 1-0 Godday (15'), 2-0 P Lalmuanpuia (30'), 2-1,2-3 Sama H Namte (22',84'), 2-2 Laltukliana (67').

Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Shastri Club 4-0 Mughals Club - Goals: 1-0,2-0,3-0,4-0 Obed.
Delhi Senior Division - Group A: Indian Air Force 0-1 City FC - Goal: 0-1 Nazim Ul Haq (60').
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Garhwal Heroes 1-0 Indian Air Force - Goal: 1-0 Bhupinder Thakur.
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: New Delhi Heroes 0-0 Shahdara Club - Goals: none.
2nd OIL Challenge Gold Cup 2006 - Final: Assam Rifles 2-1 Oil India Limited - Goals: 1-0 Bulu Jigdung (30'), 2-0 Johny Kharluki (65'), 2-1 Dhananjoy Boro (85').

::: 28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 begins on Monday; Rs. 26 lakhs up for grabs :::
The Peerless General Finance & Investment Company Ltd. will sponsor the 28th edition of the Federation Cup. The "Peerless Federation Cup" will be held in Saltlake Stadium, Calcutta from 18th December, 2006 to 30th December, 2006. The inaugural match will be played between defending champions Mahindra United from Bombay and Chirag United from Calcutta. The other clubs participating in the tournament include Sporting Clube de Goa, Kingfisher East Bengal, Mohun Bagan AC, Dempo Sports Club, JCT Mills, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Air india, Churchill brothers, Salgaocar Sports Club, HAL, Vasco Sports Club, Army XI, State Bank of Travancore and Viva Kerala.
This edition of the Federation Cup will offer a total prize money of Rs. 26 lakhs. The winner of the tournament will take home Rs. 12 lakhs while the runners-up will win Rs. 7 lakhs. The third place winner will receive Rs. 2 lakhs. Quarter-final winners will get a cheque of Rs. 60,000 while the Prequarter-final winners will win Rs. 30,000 each. The Fair Play Team Award instituted last year will continue with a prize money of Rs. 50,000. As of now, there is no prize money on offer as Man-of-the-Match Awards.
At a press conference today, Mr. S K Roy, MD Peerless Group, said, "Football is one of the most popular sports in the country played and watched by millions of people and with the Federation Cup being organised in a grand way, there is no better event for which Peerless Group could be the title sponsor." He was confident that the tournament would turn out to be a mega sporting event 'fuelling our national pride'. Mr. Gary Lovejoy, COO Zee Sports, added, "It is encouraging to see that more and more corporates are coming forward to work with us on Indian football and are entering into multi-year deals. We are sure that the game of football will attract more corporate support in the years to come." Mr. Subrata Dutta, Hony. Secretary IFA, expressed his delight on behalf of the IFA to host the 28th edition of the Peerless Federation Cup in Calcutta. He said that the Federation Cup was 'one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the country'. He also complimented Peerless group for their commitment to promote football in this country.
Zee Sports is planning a slew of marketing and tactical activities around the tournament to create a buzz. The theme of the ad campaign is 'For The Love of the Game'. To promote the tournament, Zee Sports has tied up with Cafe Coffee Day and Inox in Calcutta and 30 schools in four cities. Sports Cafe, Zee Sports' daily news programme, will present the daily highlights and analysis of the best moments of the matches. With such planning and organisation, the tournament is bound to be a huge success.
More information & match schedule available at the >>28th Peerless Federation Cup 2006 Special

December 15

RESULTS & NEWS

112th IFA Shield 2006 - Final: Mohun Bagan AC 0-1 Mahindra United - Goal: 0-1 Manjit Singh (13').
The prestigious IFA Shield went away from its home Calcutta for the third successive time as Mumbai outfit Mahindra United lifted the coveted trophy by defeating Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan AC by a solitary goal in the 112th IFA Shield final at the Salt Lake Stadium, Calcutta on Friday, the 15th of December, 2006. The all important goal came in the 13th minute through Manjit Singh. The last years edition was won by the reserve side of German giants FC Bayern Munich.
Mohun Bagan had to start the match without their dependable defender Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda who had been suspended in the last match and the defence looked disorganised from the very beginning. However the first corner of the match went to Bagan after 42nd second. But after that it was just Mahindra, as in the 5th minute Mohammed Rafi headed out a James Singh cross followed by abrilliant Surkumar Singh run down the right, only to run wide. Bagan players seemed to be injury-prone today as Mehtab Hossain went down twice within the first 6 minutes and Subhas Chakraborty had to be carried off in the 11th minute and had to be replaced by Dharamjit Singh. Two minutes later Mahindra got the vital lead through a counter attack organised by the trio of Manjit, Rafi and Yakubu. Manjit Singh ran down the right flank, found Yakubu Yusif in the far side of the box, who controlled the ball well and passed to a completely unmarked Manjit in the right edge of the box. The Bagan goalkeeper had no other option but to watch the Manit shot roll past his right to find the net. The Mahindra bench was ecstatic and their attacking line continued to threaten the Bagan defence. The Bagan players tried to organise a few attacks but all their attempts went in vain as the strikers failed to penetrate into the Mahindra box. The home team had a chance to equalise in the 37th minute when Fabio's shot was headed by Dulal Biswas for Baichung Bhutia but the later's header went straight to the safe hands of Mahindra custodian Sandip Nandy.
The Mohun Bagan physio-cum-coach Robson Mattos had no other option but to bring on another striker Pachau Lalam Puia in place of totally off-colour defender Dhanraj Ravanan at the onset of the second half. Mahindra United seemed to have slightly faded away from the game and Bagan were capitalising on that. It was the result of this that they could organise quite a few attacks early into the second half. In the 53rd minute, Barreto took a half-turn from the edge of the box and took a left-footer, Sandip Nandy misjudged the ball and stood in his position but he had the post to his rescue. Meanwhile in the 55th minute Mohun Bagan had to use their third and final substitution as a limping goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee had to be taken off. Bagan repeatedly created chances but their attempts either went wide, or went missing in the goalmouth crowd, or were thawrted by the brilliant Sandip Nandy. On the other side Bagan had some scary moments owing to the threats poised at their goalmouth by Yakubu Yusif and some schoolboy errors of their substitute keeper Shilton Paul. In the 87th minute Dharamjit took a shot from around 20 yards which was beatifully saved by Sandip Nandy, diving to his left. Lalawm Puia got hold of the rebound, controlled it well and his chance of becoming a hero by scoring the equaliser went in vain as once again the woodwork stood in between Mohun Bagan and a goal, perhaps justifying the statement "champions create their own luck". It can well be said that the brilliance of Sandip Nandy under the goalpost helped Mahindra to create that 'luck'. Sandip Nandy effected another save off Baichung Bhutia in the final minute of the regulation time and Pachau Lalam Puia got lost in the goalmouth crowd in the dying seconds, thus enabling Mahindra to take home the IFA Shield 2006.
The result of today's match however widely exposed the sorry state of Calcutta's football and stood out to be an extension of Mohun Bagan's run of dismal show despite having formed a 'dream team', as they said in the start of the season.
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee (55' 31-Shilton Paul), 4-Deepak Kumar Mondal, 17-Dulal Biswas, 16-Goutam Debnath, 5-Dhanraj Ravanan (46' 25-Pachau Lalam Puia), 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick, 23-Mehtab Hussein, 11-Subhas Chakraborty (11' 18-Dharamjit Singh), 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 15-Baichung Bhutia.
MAHINDRA: 24-Sandip Nandy, 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 18-Peter Siddiqui, 3-Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 5-Samson Fernandes, 20-Bhola Prasad (57' 23-Steven Dias), 16-James Lukram Singh, 12-Manjit Singh, 11-M Mohammed Rafi (66' 29-Rauf Sher Khan), 10-Yakubu Yusif.
YELLOW CARDS: Mehtab Hossain (72', Mohun Bagan); Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep (90'+1', Mahindra United).
REFEREE: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Benjamin D'Silva (Goa), Mohammed Kamil (Delhi).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: OP Thakore (Jharkhand).
MATCH COMMISSIONER: MG Suvarna.
CONGRATULATIONS TO MAHINDRA UNITED FOR WINNING THE 112th IFA SHIELD 2006!

Mumbai Elite Division - Championship Round: Western Railway 0-0 Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers - Goals: none.
WESTERN RAILWAY: Nitesh Thakur; Prashant Ahir (73' Subhas Adilkar), Sumit Das, Jayesh Martin, Vijesh P Vijayan, Anil Pawar (71' Devendra Premi), Gurunath Reddy, Sajid Ansari, Suvendu Hui, PV Vinoy, Poly Cherian.
RCF: Deepak Kamble; Ashirwad Hegde, Manoj Adhikari, Monish Bhamre, Souvaid Ansari, Shayresh Bawkar, Douglas Desena (82' Rahul Patole), Prosenjit Barua, Allan Dias, Lawrence Dias, Sajju Govindan (69' Francis Dias).
YELLOW CARDS: Poly Cherian (74', WR); Manoj Adhikari (42'), Sajju Govindan (36', both RCF).
REFEREE: Manuel Pereira.

Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Simla Youngs 7-1 Youngmen FC - Goals: Austin (3x), Prem Lal (3x), Manish Negi (all Simla Youngs); Mohd. Ateeq (Youngman).
Delhi Senior Division - Group B: Hindustan FC 1-1 Ahbab FC - Goals: Sheikh Sabeer (Hindustan FC); Anuj Peter (Ahbab FC).

December 14

RESULTS & NEWS

3rd Division National Football League - North-East Zone: Nine Bullets, Tripura 1-3 Lajong SC, Shillong - Goals: 0-1,0-2 Marlanki Sutang (16',33'), 0-3 Romeo Sukhlain (58'), 1-3 Godday (73).

Delhi Senior Division - Group B: New Delhi Heroes 1-0 Indian Air Force - Goal: 1-0 Aashish (24').

5th Lt. Governor's Cup - Final: Punjab Police 1-0 Indian Nationals FC - Goal: 1-0 Harshdeep Singh (69').
Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Paramjeet Singh (Punjab Police)
Best Defender of the Tournament: Kamal Thapa (Vasco Sports Club)
Best Forward of the Tournament: Nitin Pradhan (Indian Nationals FC)
Best Player of the Tournament: Harshdeep Singh (Punjab Police)

2nd OIL Challenge Gold Cup 2006 - Semifinal: Oil India Limited 2-0 SAIL, Durgapur - Goals: 1-0 Dhananjay Boro (45'), 2-0 HK Routa (76').

::: FIFA approves two training centres for Goal II Project :::
The world-governing body of football, FIFA, has approved two training centres in India for their FIFA GOAL II Project. This approval was officially announced by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter in a letter to AIFF President Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi.
The Goal II Project in India will consist of establishing Training Centres in Gangtok, Sikkim and Bangalore, Karnataka.

December 13

RESULTS & NEWS

112th IFA Shield 2006 - Semifinal: Sporting Clube de Goa 0-1 Mohun Bagan AC - Goals: 0-1 Lal Kamal Bhowmick (65').
Mohun Bagan AC carried the flag of the Calcutta teams to the title round of the 112th IFA Shield 2006 as they entered the final by beating Sporting Clube de Goa 1–0 in the first semi-final at the Salt Lake Stadium here today. This was Bagan's first win as well as their first goal scored in this year's tournament and under their new coach Robson.
The first good chance of the match belonged to Bagan when in the 12th minute Baichung Bhutia's bicycle kick off a Barretto cross from the right went wide. Minutes later Bagan had to go through some scary moments as MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi's lob from outside the box landed on the roof of the net. Both the teams showed lack of organisation in the midfield. However Bagan had two more opportunities before the half-hour mark as Barretto and Baichung hit them wide. The Bagan coach had to make a substitution in the 30th minute in order to operate the left wing. However soon after this switch, Bagan had another close shave as Nicholas L Rodrigues' effort off a Rajesh Meetei pass from within the box shook the post. The remaining minutes of the first half witnessed a few Fabio shots going wide of the Spoting goal, Baichung hitting wide a Lal Kamal effort and Dudu failing to find the goalmouth.
At the start of the second half, all the Bagan reserves were seen arming up and the team seemed to have the better possession of the game. With Subhas Chakraborty coming on the right wing and making brilliant runs, the game seemed to be sort of rejuvenated. But still neither of the teams could find the goalmouth. Twenty minutes into the second half Bagan got the breakthrough when Barretto's cross from the left flank found Dharamjit Singh inside the box, and as Philip Gomes hesitated to block him, Lal Kamal Bhowmick received the final pass from Dharamjit. His first shot was blocked by the Sporting goalkeeper, but Lal's shot on the rebound found the far corner of the net, thus giving Bagan the vital lead. The home side could have doubled the lead in the 75th when Barretto missed a sitter after Lal Kamal worked through the Sporting defence. Sporting had chances of equalising, but Earnest Jeremiah failed to reach the ball after a defensive error by Bagan. Two minutes from time, Dudu utilized Joseph Pereira's cross but his half-turn shot was just blocked by Sangram Mukherjee, the Bagan custodian. Meanwhile a few players of both sides were seen in an argument between themselves. Seconds before the final whistle Pachau Lalam Puia tried to make his mark, but his shot after a brilliant run down the left ended in the ball kissing the post and going wide.
The referee blew the final whistle, but the real drama was in the waiting. MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi and Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda were shown red cards after the final whistle. According to Sporting Clube coach Clifford Chukwama, Eduardo had allegedly spat on Dudu's face. The two players were seen in a boxing act when policemen, match officials and the reserve players had to intervene. Thus Bagan qualified for the final, but have to be without their valuable defender.
This incident also ended in Bagan fans going rampage