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Super Soccer Series 2007 - JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur: Mohammedan Sporting Club 0-6 Sao Paulo FC
Goals: 0-1,0-6 Anderson Hernanes C Andrade Lima (42',90+2'), 0-2,0-3 Francisco Alex Souza Da Silva (48',63'), 0-4 Tiago De Souza (66'), 0-5 Andre Gonzaga Leal (76').
While Tata Steel beat Brazilian rivals CSN to acquire Anglo-Dutch steel major Corus off the field, on the field in Tata's home town of Jamshedpur Brazilians giants Sao Paulo FC trashed Calcutta giants Mohammedan Sporting Club at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur in their second Super Soccer Series 2007 match in India. Mohammedan Sporting keeper Gopal Das had an outstanding match and without his performance the score could have gone into double digit figures. Double strikes by Anderson Hernanes C Andrade Lima and Francisco Alex Souza Da Silva plus goals from Tiago De Souza and Andre Gonzaga Leal ensuring the win
For details of Sao Paulo Players visiting India, please click here

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Ahbab Club 1-4 City Club
Manipur State League: YWO, Bishnupur 0-3 Manipur Police SC - Goals: 0-1,0-2,0-3 I Nilakumar Singh (7',53',90').
Manipur State League: RACC, Churachandpur 2-5 Phoudel Youth Club, Thoubal

4th Tiddim Trophy, Imphal - Semifinal: Tiddim Road Athletic Union 1-0 Southern Sporting Union - Goal: 1-0 Seikhohao Tuboi (67').

::: Bokai Sen passes away :::
UNI report: Former Indian goalkeeper Dhanadananda Sen, fondly called Bokai Sen, died this morning following protracted illness. He was 88. He is survived by his wife and one daughter.
He was part of East Bengal's first IFA Shield winning team and again Mohun Bagan's second Shield Championship in 1947.
He made his debut with Kumartuli club, before moving on to East Bengal in 1939. He was with them till 1943. From 1944 till the end of his career he was with Mohun Bagan. He also captained Mohun Bagan and Bengal team. Bokai Sen also played cricket and hockey for Mohun Bagan.
Mohun Bagan kept their club flag half mast today in respect of the departed player.

January 30

RESULTS & NEWS

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: Garhwal Heroes 0-1 Indian Air Force, New Delhi

4th Tiddim Trophy, Imphal - Semifinal: NEROCA 1-0 AMOFA, Moirang - Goal: 1-0 Shabir Shaha (11').

::: Kerala XI to be announced on Monday :::
The Kerala FA has informed IndianFootball.Com that the Kerala XI team will be announced on February 5. The Kerala XI is set to face Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi on February 7. The selection camp will kick-off under the supervision of K Bharathan at the FACT Udaygomandal Ground on Wednesday. Mahindra United players Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep and Mohmmad Rafi won't be released for the camp due to club commitments.

::: Ignatious ruled out for five months :::
State Bank of Travancore striker and former Kerala State Team captain Sylvester Ignatious have been ruled out for five months after sustaining an injury in the final of the Don Bosco Football Tournament earlier this month. This weakens SBT'S quest to regain promotion to the NFL.

::: Teenager Joshuah Vaz to train in Portugal :::
16 year old talent Joshuah Vaz is set to train for five month's at Portuguese club Vitoria Sport Clube Guimaraes. The teenagers training trip has been made possible by the Goa FA and the Portuguese coach Daniel Barreira who is currently in Goa. The trip is being financed by UK-based Douglas Fernandes, a friend of the family.

January 29

RESULTS & NEWS

In the latest IndianFootball.Com Guest Column is Rosario Estebeiro's write-up titled "A Review of the 11th National Football League - Rounds 1 to 4". Rosario looks at the first four rounds of the 11th NFL which have been played so far.
Read the complete article here >>IndianFootball.Com Guest Column - Rosario Estebeiro .

Mumbai Elite Division - Championship Round: Mahindra United 4-2 ONGC - Goals: 1-0 Shanmugam Venkatesh (2'), 2-0 Mohammed Rafi (22'), 2-1 Rakshak Naik (48'), 2-2 Uttam Debnath (56'), 3-2 Abhishek Yadav (59'), 4-2 Clifford Kilmo (83', own Goal).
MAHINDRA UNITED: Sandip Nandy; Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, Shanmugam Venkatesh, M Mohammed Rafi, Mahesh Gawli, Abhishek Yadav, Lukram James Singh (86' Lazarus Fernandes), Peter Siddiqui (62' Krishnan Nair Ajayan), Steven Dias, Irungbam Surkumar Singh, Rauf Sher Khan (63' Sushanth Mathew).
ONGC: Bilifang Narzary; Khobijit Kotel, Caetano Pinho (32' Anthony Fernandes), Krishna Shirodkar, Clifford Kilmo, Amit Mandal, Gulidom Rongmoi, Kaushik Bose, Uttam Debnath, Rakshak Naik, Gautam Thakur.
YELLOW CARDS: none.
REFEREE: Manuel Pereira.

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Indian Nationals FC 2-0 Ahbab Club - Goals: 1-0 Nitin Pradhan, 2-0 Zara.

January 28

RESULTS & NEWS

Don Bosco-Fr McFerran Trophy - Final: Indian Bank 3-0 Southern Railway - Goals: 1-0 Khangemban Thoi Singh, 2-0 Mike Chinedu Obi, 3-0 M Ramesh.

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: Hindustan FC - New Delhi Heroes = match not held as ND Heroes pulled out of Super League
Manipur State League: Tiddim Road Athletic Union 2-0 Eastern Sporting Union - Goals: 1-0 G Ninja Kabui (46'), 2-0 M Romi Singh (50').
Manipur State League: Manipur Police SC 3-2 Southern Sporting Union - Goals: 0-1 L Tiken Singh (17'), 1-1,3-2 Th Rohen Singh (32',73'), 2-1 I Nilakumar Singh (45'), 2-2 Y Sebastian Singh (55').
Manipur State League: YWC, Thambalkhong 1-2 AMOFA, Moirang - Goals: 1-0 Nabachandra Singh (13'), 1-1,1-2 F Stephen Hmar (43',50').
Manipur State League: Phoudel Youth Club, Thoubal 0-2 NEROCA - Goals: 0-1 M Robin Singh (67'), 0-2 Sabir Saha (76').
Manipur State League: Kakching FC 1-5 SAI Regional Centre, Imphal - Goals: 0-1,1-2 Th Inaotomba Singh (33',50'), 1-1 Leishemba (38'), 1-3 RK Robindro (68'), 1-4 M Bishorjit Singh (70'), 1-5 H Indrajit Singh (83').

::: Another jolt for Delhi SA :::
Today New Delhi Heroes Club withdrew their team from the Delhi Soccer Association's "Super League". The reason being cited was biased refereeing. Kishan Kumar, the Secretary of the club, accused the referees for not being fair and also incompetent to conduct these level of matches and added that due to this his team lost the first two matches of the Super League.
When contacted DK Bose, DSA Vice-President and Hindustan Club secretary, said in the capacity of the Vice-President that it's insulting and humiliating. His club is also the victim of bad refereeing but withdrawing the team is not the remedy. Proper action will be taken in the managing committee meeting and also the issue of referees will be taken up he added.
As a result of todays protest withdrawal, the match between Hindustan FC vs New Delhi Heroes didn't took place. New Delhi Heroes became the third team to withdraw from this edition of the Delhi Senior Division after Moonlight withdrew in the beginning and Shastri Club repeated the same during the on-going Super League season.

January 27

RESULTS & NEWS

Super Soccer Series 2007 - Kanchenjunga Stadium, Siliguri: East Bengal 0-3 Sao Paulo FC
Goals: 0-1 Carlinhos (35'), 0-2 Paulo Matos (59'), 0-3 Jean Raphael Moreira (90+3').
EAST BENGAL: 1-Naseem Akhtar, 20-Vincent Pires (75' 17-Suryabikash Chakrabortty), 4-Covan Lawrence, 2-M Suresh, 29-Saumik Dey (84' 27-Gurpreet Singh), 3-Cristiano Hilario de Oliveira, 7-Jayanta Sen (64' 30-Snehashish Chakrabortty), 36-Sovan Chakrabortty (46' 32-Izumi Arata), 9-Alvito D'Cunha, 10-Boniface Ambani, 25-Ashim Biswas.
SAO PAULO FC: 1-Mateus Versolato Junior "Mateus", 2-Tiago de Oliveira Souza "Tiago", 4-Flavio Donizeti da Costa "Flavio", 3-Carlos Henrique De Oliveira "Carlinhos", 6-Andre Gonzaga Leal "Andre", 7-Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Andrade Lima "Hernanes", 8-Marinaldo Cicero Da Silva "Da Silva", 10-Francisco Alex Sousa Da Silva "Francisco", 5-Marcos Antonio Miranda Filho "Marco Antonio", 9-Paulo Gomes de Matos "Paulo Matos" (83' 18-Pablo Freitas Cardosos De Mello "Pablo"), 11-Velber Augusto Pantoja Conceicao "Velber" (84' 16-Jean Raphael Vanderlei Moreira "Jean Raphael").
YELLOW CARD: none.
REFEREE: Rizwan Ul Haq (Delhi).
For details of Sao Paulo Players visiting India, please click here

Mumbai Elite Division - Championship Round: Central Railway 0-5 Mahindra United - Goals: 0-1 Krishnan Nair Ajayan (49'), 0-2 James Lukram Singh (69'), 0-3,0-5 Abhishek Yadav (74', 90+1'), 0-4 Mohammed Rafi (87').
CENTRAL RAILWAY: Raghuvir Khanolkar; Robin Joseph, Douzy Godinho (78' Agnelo Fernandes), Sagar Amin, Revelino Fernandes, Pankaj Raware (76' Asif Jamal), Denis George, Shanta Kumar P, Masood Ansari (83' Siddharth Kamath), Altaf Khan, Soccor Velho.
MAHINDRA UNITED: Sandip Nandy; Krishnan Nair Ajayan, Samson Fernandes (68' Steven Dias), Shanmugam Venkatesh (74' Lazarus Fernandes), M Mohammed Rafi, Mahesh Gawli, Abhishek Yadav, Peter Siddiqui, Bhola Prasad (67' Lukram James Singh), Appa Rao Chiman, Rauf Sher Khan.
YELLOW CARD: Robin Joseph (19', CR).
REFEREE: Manuel Pereira.

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Indian Nationals FC 1-0 City Club - Goal: 1-0 Hitender Rawat.
Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: Tarun Sangha 0-3 Indian Air Force, New Delhi

January 26

IndianFootball.Com wishes all INDIANS around the world all the best on the occasion of INDIAN REPUBLIC DAY !!!

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: Garhwal Heroes 1-0 New Delhi Heroes - Goals: 1-0 Kamei.
Red Card: Sanjay Sidhu (New Delhi Heroes).

::: PIO Prince Rajcomar trial at German club Dynamo Dresden fails :::
"Players of Indian Origin" Prince Rajcomar's trial with German third Division (Regionalliga North) club Dynamo Dresden is over. Rajcomar hasn't been able to convince coach Norbert Meier to take him board against Samuel Koejoe (32) who was the other striker on trial. Rajcomar's search for a new club now continues...
Dresden coach Meier said after the trial that Prince was a talented and very quick player, but after six month's without a club he lacked match practice and the necessary toughness for the Regionalliga North.

January 25

RESULTS & NEWS

::: AN exclusive interview with Sao Paolo FC captain Matheus in Delhi :::
IndianFootball.Com correspondent Nitin Pant yesterday had the chance for an exclusive chat with the visiting Sao Paolo FC captain Mateus Versolato Junior, better known as "Matheus". Matheus is the teams goalkeeper and he has a name which sounds similar to that of German 1990 World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthaeus. He has played for the clubs first team back in Brazil, was part of their Championship (Paulista) side and also was at the World Club Championship in December 2005.
Matheus is the only player in the travelling team who is able to speak English as he studied the language for three years in an English School back in Brazil.
Click here to read the complete >>Matheus interview

30th Punjab State Shri Maan 1008 Sant Baba Hari Singh ji Naiki Wale Trophy - Final: JCT Football Academy 4-0 SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur - Goals: 1-0 Lalhlimthara Mahlima (7'), 2-0,4-0 Amandeep Singh (29',85'), 3-0 Asim Hassan (32').

Mumbai Elite Division - Championship Round: Air-India 1-1 ONGC - Goals: 1-0 Vijith Shetty (10'), 1-1 Amit Mondal (20').
AIR-INDIA: Raju Ekka; Noel Fernandes (67' Samson Singh), Benoy Kuruvilla (45+1' Uttam Singh), Napoleon Singh, AK Martins, Santosh Koli, Vijith Shetty, Hringsolal Thomte, Paresh Shivalkar, Narendra Meetei (84' Anthony Fernandes), Bashiru M Abbas.
ONGC: Bilifang Narzary; Kabijit Khotel, Krishna Shirodkar, Clifford Kilmo, Caetano Pinho, Uttam Debnath (90+1' DS Negi), Amit Mondal, Kaushik Ghosh, Gulidom Rongmoi (62' Anthony Fernandes), Gautam Thakur, Rakshak Naik.
YELLOW CARDS: Uttam Singh (Air-India); Kabijit Khotel (90+1', ONGC).
REFEREE: Walter Pereira.

::: Super Soccer 2007 Press Conference held in New Delhi :::
At a press conference in New Delhi yesterday, the Sao Paulo contingent was introduced to the media. The dignitaries gracing the occasion included Mr. Pathan, Resident Director of Tata, Mr.Jose Vincente Pimentel, Brazil's Ambassador to India, Mr. Cohia, Head of Delegation, Mr. Antonio Carlos D'Silva, Coach of the visiting team, Mr. Subrata Dutta, Hony. Secretary, IFA, Mr. NK Bhatia, Secretary, DSA, Mr. Nasir Ali, Executive Member, AIFF, and Mr. Sanjay Singh.
Mr. Jose Vincente Pimentel said that it's a double a pleasure for him as he is a soccer fan himself and it was also in the agenda of PM Manmohan Singh's official visit to Brazil.
In the past, Mr. Pimentel had spoken to representatives of Indian football including Mr. Priyaranjan Das Munshi, and they had both agreed that to make India a footballing power, the country needs money, time, persistence and world-class sponsors.
India has both the human and material resources to become a football nation, he added.
Also, being from Rio, he is a Flamingo supporter but Sao Paulo are doing very well in the recent years, he said.
Mr. Subrata Dutta said that one felt nostalgic as Super Soccer makes its return to India after 17 years. He added that he was full of enthusiasm and hopeful that there would be a full-house in Saltlake Stadium. When asked about that key players will be missing from the clubs due to National Team Camp, he replied that IFA has requested the AIFF to release the players for these matches. About the risk of injuries occurring to players during the super soccer matches, he said that one has to take the risk in such cases.
Mr. Cohia apologized for not knowing English and spoke in Portuguese. He said that it's an honour and privilege to be in this beautiful country and the team has sincerely worked hard for this tour. He added that the club is different from European Clubs in the sense that the management is not professional but the players are. The management is running the club on a voluntary basis and with sheer dedication. This is the way Sao Paulo works.
The coach of the team added that they will try to play the best soccer they can. He added that they talked little but ran very hard on the field. When asked whether he has any experience of Indian football, he said, "we do have some information on what is going in Indian football but this is the time they are having a real experience."
On being asked whether they will be fielding their first team or not, he replied that it's Sao Paulo's tradition to nurture new talents and try and show more talent. Some players are from the main team like Mateus (Goalkeeper and captain of the team), Carlinos (defender), etc. who have played in World Club Championship and Brazilian Championship.
According to Mr. Nasir Ali, AIFF is also a big supporter of the TATA-sponsored series.A thank you note from the TATA official concluded the Press Conference. The matches will be beamed on NDTV Profit, Star Ananda and Asianet.

::: Reliance mobile to sponsor Mohammedan Sporting :::
In what could prove to be a breakthrough for the oft-cash-strapped yet historical Mohammedan Sporting Club from Calcutta, they have clinched a sponsorship deal for Rs. 1 crore (Rs 10 Million) with the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG). "Post-tax we will get Rs. 90 lakh," Mohammed Kamruddin, Club Secretary Mohammedan SC, was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times from Delhi on Wednesday. A RADAG official too was quoted in the paper about the marketing move enhancing the company's brand image.
The agreement will see Mohammedan's traditional Black and White jerseys sport the Reliance mobile logo. It was interesting to note that during these first few matches of the NFL, the club's regular sponsor, Elegant, had its logo missing, indicating that this deal with RADAG had been in the pipeline. The agreement is known to be renewable in 2008.
Furthermore, this initiative by an Indian industry major could have the potential of professionalising and corporatising Indian football to a greater extent, what with the Mahindra&Mahindra (Mahindra United, Mumbai), UB Group (Kingfisher East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, both Calcutta), and JCT (JCT FC, Punjab) already having big investments in domestic football.
As to whether Mohammedan SC, like other clubs before them, makes capital of this windfall, depends to a large extent on the efficacy of their officials in dealing with the income in a prudent manner. With the club boasting the biggest fan-base in Asia, they surely have the potential. Let's see if they make most of it.

::: Kick-Off: A joint Initiative of the IFA & Star Ananda :::
A press conference was held today at the CCFC in Calcutta to mark the launch of Kick-Off, a joint initiative of tje IFA and Bengali TV News channel Star Ananda. The conference was addressed by IFA secretary Subrata Dutta; MCCS Vice-President Barun Das; MCCS (Star Ananda); Senior Producer Yubaraj Bhattacharya; and Star Ananda Chief of Bureau Suman De.

Here some excerpts from their comments from press conference:
Subrata Datta (IFA secretary):
• We are very happy that Star Ananda is with football now!
• Through this Kick-off project various programs on football can be viewed in this channel. We will be able to see in this channel Bankim Cup, State League, Elliot Shield, U19 League, Nursery Football Tournaments, Inter-District Football Tournaments and various other tournaments either directly organised by or affiliated to IFA.
• Bengal's football will be the chief beneficiary in this project.
• The commercialisation of football can be effected via this project.
• This contract excludes the Calcutta Premier Football League and IFA Shield.

Barun Das (MCCP Vice-President):
• Kick-off is a football oriented program to be aired on Star Ananda.
• At present it is based in this channel only as the football craze is restricted to West Bengal, Kerala and to some extent Goa. I haven't noticed the craze in other parts of the country, so for the time being we don't have any plan of starting an all-India program in our other channel, Star News.

Yubaraj Bhattacharya (MCCP, Senior Producer Star Ananda):
• The coverage of Super Soccer will be telecast in eight episodes on non-match days, which will include the 'Giants of Soccer' featuring Maradona, Pele, Michel Platini, Beckenbauer, George Best and a few other greats. I won't disclose the full list. The first episode will be on Maradona on January 26.
• It is an ambitious project which has never been attempted before by any other television channel.
• We intend to renew our lost pride.
• I am in charge of the production team for the Super Soccer matches, which includes professionals from Calcutta, Mumbai and Delhi. We will try to maintain. No outsourcing has been entertained here. The production is a collaboration of three channels - NDTV Profit, Asianet and Star Ananda. Star Ananda will be producing matches of Calcutta, Siliguri and Jamshedpur whereas the match in Kochi will be produced by Asianet. Commentaries will be there in three different languages - English, Bengali and Malayalam.

Suman De (Chief of Bureau, Star Ananda):
• We are focusing on the nostalgic feeling in our coverage.
• IFA has given us numerous footage which has never been telecast before. So the program will be remembered forever.
• The pre-match coverage of Super Soccer will also show the details of each and every player of the Sao Paulo squad.
• From the morning of the match day we will telecast a feature called 'Reporter's Diary' which will show all the news from inside and outside the field via our representatives present at the venue.
• We are trying to maintain the standards.

::: Shastri Club pull out :::
Former champions Shastri Club have pulled out of the Delhi Senior Division's Super League without giving a reasons. Shastri Clu had skipped their first two matches of the Super League.

January 24

IndianFootball.Com, India's Premier Football Website, yesterday crossed the 900.000 single User HITs mark!!!

::: Another milestone for India's oldest football website... :::
IndianFootball.Com was launched on April 10, 1998 by Germany-based NRI Arunava Chaudhuri and since then our team has grown into an editorial team of 12 members across India and the globe, which is set to grow further in the coming weeks and months. Since it's start IndianFootball.Com has been working to bring to you the latest on Indian football, be it news, schedules and results, and that not only from the high profile National League, but also from the 2.Division, 3.Division, local leagues, youth football; our numerous national teams - men/women, junior/senior; and from the expate communities across the globe. We try to cover as much of Indian football as possible!
We only started with the counter on the site in 1999 and we had crossed the 100.000 barrier on May 9, 2002; the 200.000 barrier on July 18, 2003; the 300.000 barrier on March 29, 2004; the 400.000 barrier on November 16, 2004; the 500.000 barrier on May 18, 2005; the 600.000 barrier on December 21, 2005; while we crossed the 700.000 HITs just before the start of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and on October 16 we had crossed the 800.000 HITs. We have been seeing with delight the HITs going higher and higher now with an average of over 1,300 having already had more than 30.000 HITs this January. Sadly we have to add that the counter hasn't always worked, so we actually will have crossed the 900.000 HITs mark quite a while ago.
IndianFootball.Com is India's Premier Football Website and the success of the site also proves for us that our hard work and dedication pays off with the return of the visitors/users in search of Indian football news and results. And we happily see that we are getting more and more HITs everyday!
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those of you, who have helped us with our work and have supported us over the years!!!

::: NEW PARTNERSHIP: IndianFootball.Com - ISPO Sportsponsorship Conference :::
IndianFootball.Com and the organisers of the 11th ISPO Sportsponsorship Conference have come together to forge a new partnership. IndianFootball.Com will attend the 11th ISPO Sportsponsorship Conference to be held on February 5/6 at the ICC in Munich. And IndianFootball.Com are holding talk to make India a topic at the 2008 edition of the conference.
Over 700 delegates have already registered for the upcoming ISPO Sportsponsorship Conference 2007. Thanks to the 2006 FIFA World Cup the ISPO Sportsponsorship Conference has become more international. Over 100 speakers will talk and/or discuss about special themes like The UEFA EURO 2008, German Bundesliga, Motorsports, Stadiums and Arenas, Sponsorships and Sales, E-Sports and much more.
To get to know more go to the >>ISPO Sportsponsorship Conference Site .

::: PIO Prince Rajcomar on trial at German club Dynamo Dresden :::
One of the most talked-off "Players of Indian Origin" Prince Rajcomar is currently on trial with German third Division (Regionalliga North) club Dynamo Dresden. Prince, who has been without a club for a while, joined Dynamo Dresden at their winter midseason camp in Side, Turkey on Monday for a few days. There he will be tested by coach Norbert Meier in training and friendly matches to see if he could fill Dynamo's need for a striker to fight for promotion to the 2.Bundesliga.
Talented Prince Rajcomar was one PIO that national coach Bob Houghton talked about bringing to India to play for our national team. Prince had earlier played for FC Utrecht and FC Den Bosch in the Netherlands, and has had trials in Belgium and England last summer, amongst those at Queens Park Rangers.

::: New AIFF Statute cleared by FIFA :::
The new AIFF Statute which was ratified by the AIFF Executive Committee on December 20, 2006 has been cleared by FIFA. This has been conveyed to the AIFF in a message from FIFA Legal Division Director Marco Villiger.

::: 2007 Super Soccer Series: Sao Paolo FC arrive in India :::
Sao Paolo FC arrived in New Delhi for their five match 2007 Super Soccer Series tour across India.

IndianFootball.Com correspondent Nitin Pant had a chance to talk to Dr. Marco Auralio, Sao Paolo FC Doctor and Manager-cum-Supervisor of the main team.
How you like the weather of Delhi?
At this time of the year it is summers in Brazil. But we are used to this type of conditions, as the temperature in Sao Paulo in winters is around 10-12 Degrees.

How the team is taking this tour?
It is a good moment for young players with good opportunities to experience different culture, food, football, make a meeting. Its a different school of football for them. Players can graduate to the main team if they perform well on this trip and also those who are present to stay in this squad.

What are the nature players who are playing in the second team? Are they Semi-Professional?
No they are not Semi-Professional. They are young, but fully professional!

::: East Bengal appoint Manoranjan as Technical Director :::
East Bengal Club have appointed former player and coach Manoranjan Bhattacharjee as their new technical director. Manoranjan will work in tandem with coach Pereira to bring the best out of the clubs senior team.

January 23

RESULTS & NEWS

::: Launch of IndianFootball.Com's International Perspective section :::
IndianFootball.Com would like to announce the launch of our new section "IndianFootball.Com's International Perspective" !
In this new section IndianFootball.Com will look at international football events and bring insights into the game of football across the globe.
The first article has been written by our North America based correspondent Harmit Singh Kamboe titled "Five Lessons from the North American "MLS" for India's Forthcoming Pro League".
After the high profile signing of David Beckham by the LA Galaxy, a lot of people are talking about the US League, MLS. And there are surely some aspects of the MLS where the new Indian Pro League could learn from. Harmit looks into these points.
Read the complete article here >>IndianFootball.Com International Perspective .

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: Hindustan FC 1-2 Tarun Sangha - Goals: 1-0 Mintu Saha, 1-1 Niladri Chakraborty, 1-2 Amit Das.

::: Houghton out of Myanmar tie due to operation; Colin Toal to replace him temporarily :::
Bob Houghton is leaving for Cape Town, South Africa today to have an operation on his injured hip, which needs immediate attention. Houghton has been given the necessary leave by the AIFF and he could be away for six to eight weeks depending on his recovery.
In Houghton's absence Irishman Colin Toal will be in temporary charge of the Indian Olympic team in their knockout qualifiers against Myanmar on February 7 and 14. And Colin Toal will not be in India for that role, but he was also appointed as Technical Director by the AIFF four days ago. His focus will be on youth development and coaching education.
Toal has close to 30 years of international experience and has worked together with Bob in China and Uzbekistan.

::: INDIA Women's Probables announced :::
The AIFF has called 31 women probables for the INDIA Senior Women's camp to be held at SAI, Patiala. India start their 2008 Olympics Asian Women qualifiers on February 18 against South Korea in Busan.
INDIA WOMEN: Goalkeepers: W Robita Devi, L Ronibala Chanu, W Thabal Devi (all Manipur), Mohana Priya (Tamil Nadu), Ranjitha Mohanty (Orissa), Ranjitha Khan (West Bengal). Defenders: Th Ranjita Devi, A Romi Devi, H Thoi Devi, K Rabika Devi (all Manipur), Gitanjali Kuntia (Orissa). Midfielders: Sh Rani Chanu, O Bem Bem Devi, Lal Varmoi Hmar, S Ibeyaima Devi, T Ranjita Devi (all Manipur), Sradhanjali S Roy, Pinki Bompal (both Orissa), Paramita Sit (West Bengal), Manpreet Kaur (Haryana). Forwards: Th Tababi Devi, Ng Bala Devi, N Geeta Rani Chanu (all Manipur), Sujata Kar, Enakshi Biswas, Tuli Goon, Rinku Ghosh (all West Bengal), Madhu Kumari, Ansha (both Bihar), Jagdeep Kaur (Punjab), Sasmita Mallick (Orissa).
Officials: Harjinder Singh (Chief Coach), Ms Shukla Dutta (Assistant Coach), Ms Chitra Gangadharan (Goalkeeper Coach), Ms Nita Kauluri (Physiotherapist), Ms Renuka Lakshmi (Manager).

::: International FIFA Referees from India named :::
The following India match officials have been chosen for the FIFA Panel of International Referees:
Referee:Praveer Kumar Bose, A Arjunan, Rizwan ul Haq, Subrata Sarkar, S Suresh.
Assistant Referee: Dinesh Nair, Komaleeswaran Shankar, Shaji Kurian, Mrinal Roy, Benjamin D'Silva, T Pradeep.
Women Referee: Bentla D'Couth, Chaitali Paul, Maria Rebello.
Women Assistant Referee: Chongtham Keilyani Chanu.

January 22

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana: JCT FC 0-0 Dempo SC
Goals: none.

It was a match of two former champions, but home side JCT FC was lucky to get away with a goalless draw against Dempo SC at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana. After their second successive goalless draw JCT FC now have five points from four matches, while Dempo SC moved to the top of the NFL standings with now seven points from also four matches, but they are on top only before of a better goal difference.
For the Durand Cup winners from Goa their Brazilian playmaker Roberto Mendes Silva was the key man. Roberto Mendes Silva set-up chances and cleverly distributed the ball, and for his performance rightly earned the man of the match award.
But it was JCT who started off well. Both strikers Nigerian Chidi Edeh and Sunil Chetri had a shot of goal in the first 10 minutes , while Dempo took its time to adjust to the cool Ludhiana conditions. It was Roberto who took the first shot on the JCT goal but the shot was cleared by JCT keeper Karanjit Singh. Dempo used the wings to create chances but be it Ranty Martins Soleye, Anthony Pereira or Peter Carvalho all strikers messed-up good chances.
In the second half the match before more open the longer it lasted with both sides trying to get on the score sheet. Just after the hour mark JCT's Sunil Chetri and Dempo defender Majekodumni Bolaji run for the ball and Sunil falls down, but the referee M Bhattacharya instead of giving a penalty showed Chetri a yellow card for dissent. Earlier in the first half there had been another situation where a penalty could have been given for JCT with also Chetri the man who was brought down. Towards the end Dempo once more created some pressure on the JCT goal but they just couldn't score on the day. The best chance came to wingback Valeriano Rebello but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

JCT: 1-Karanjit Singh, 2-Jaspal Singh, 4-Harpreet Singh, 3-Anwar Ali, 12-Daljit Singh (9' 27-Baldeep Singh Jr), 13-Baldeep Singh Sr, 28-Shivraj Singh, 20-Adebayo Tokunbo Adewusi (16-Rakinderjit Singh), 15-P Renedy Singh, 10-Chidi Edeh (17-Parveen Kumar), 11-Sunil Chetri.
DEMPO: 21-VP Satish Kumar, 18-Valeriano Rebello, 3-John Charles Dias, 2-Majekodumni Bolaji, 16-Samir Naik, 25-Clifford Miranda, 8-Climax Lawrence, 11-Roberto Mendes Silva, 6-Peter Carvalho (12-Jerry Zirsanga), 14-Anthony Pereira (22-Ishfaq Ahmed), 9-Ranty Martins Soleye.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Roberto Mendes Silva (Dempo SC).
YELLOW CARDS: Sunil Chetri (62', JCT); Peter Carvalho (71', Dempo).
REFEREE: M Bhattacharya (West Bengal).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Rizwan ul Haq (Delhi), MA Siddiqui (Madhya Pradesh).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Subrata Das (West Bengal).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

11th National League - Cooperage Ground, Mumbai: Mahindra United 0-1 Sporting Clube de Goa
Goals: 0-1 MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi (42').

Defending National League champions Mahindra United suffered a lone goal home defeat at the hands of Federation Cup finalists Sporting Clube de Goa at the Cooperage Ground, Mumbai. And it was the third time this season in four meetings that Mahindra United lost by a lone goal against Sporting Clube de Goa with Nigerian MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi scoring the winner on all three occasions. After Sporting Clube wins against Mahindra United at the Durand Cup in Delhi and the Federation Cup in Calcutta, this time around the Goans won against their rivals at the Jeepmen's home ground. The fourth meeting had been a goalless draw at the IFA Shield in Calcutta.
The winner came just three minutes before the lemon break. A cross from the right by Rajesh Meetei was booted home by MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi which Indian international defender NS Manju tried to clear but the referee P Bhaskar signalled that the ball had crossed the line. Mahindra's had their best chance in the 69th minute when for once Ghanian striker Yakubu Yusif was clear of Sporting Clube defender Philip Gomes, but his header only hit the crossbar.
Mahindra United lost their pole position and are now second with seven points from four matches, while Sporting Clube with their first win of this NFL campaign moved out of the relegation places with four points out of four matches.

MAHINDRA: 24-Sandip Nandy; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 3-Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 7-Sushanth Mathew (72' 15-Abhishek Yadav), 16-James Lukram Singh, 6-Shanmugam Venkatesh (51' 23-Steven Dias), 12-Manjit Singh (59' 29-Rauf Sher Khan), 25-Andrews Mensah Pomeyie, 10-Yakubu Yusif.
SPORTING CLUBE: 30-Luis Xavier Barreto; 8-Rajesh N Meetei (75' 5-Moirangthem Gouramangi Singh), 6-Philip Gomes, 29-N Samananda Singh, 7-Harmanjot Singh Khabra, 22-Joseph Pereira, 4-Chinta Chandrashekhar Rao, 14-Wilton Gomes (84' 25- Joe Rodrigues), 11-Nicolau Borges, 9-Earnest Jeremiah (90+3' 19-Nicholas L Rodrigues), 10-Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Philip Gomes (Sporting Clube).
YELLOW CARDS: NP Pradeep (35', Mahindra United); Nicolau Borges (53'), Wilton Gomes (58'), Earnest Jeremiah (80', all Sporting Clube).
REFEREE: P Bhaskar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat), Shaji Kurien (Kerala).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Yusuf Khan (Madhya Pradesh).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

11th National League - Barasat Stadium, Calcutta: Mohammedan Sporting Club 0-0 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC
Goals: none.

A determined HAL team from Bangalore earned an important point from an away game when they matched Calcutta outfit Mohammedan Sporting in a goalless draw at the Barasat Stadium in Calcutta today. HAL had also earned a point against Federation Cup Champions Mohun Bagan in their first round match in Bangalore. The saviour for HAL today was the player donning the number 13 jersey, goalkeeper Narshiman Balaji and it must be said that his number 13 jersey proved quite unfortunate for Mohammedan Sporting. In fact, the match could have been summarised as Mohammedan Sporting vs. N Balaji as the HAL custodian single-handedly earned his team a point although he was playing a competitive match after a one-year gap.

Habibur Rehman Mondal who scored against East Bengal in his previous match almost opened the scoring for Mohammedan Sporting in the 5th minute but his header went over the crossbar. Sampath Kumar Kuttimani came up with a shot on target in the 20th minute but his shot was saved easily by Gopal Das. HAL skipper Xavier Vijayakumar almost put his team ahead in the next minute but he was thwarted just at the right moment by Shyam Mondal. Basudeb Mondal gradually settled into the game and came up with a brilliant performance for his team. He was unlucky not to find his name on the scoresheet because Narashiman Balaji was playing like a man possessed in the HAL goal. Balaji saved a shot from Basudeb Mondal in the 34th minute and then pulled off a terrific save three minutes later following a thunderous long-range shot from Basudeb Mondal. The ball was dipping viciously under the crossbar but Balaji somehow managed to keep it out. The first half thus ended goalless with Basudeb Mondal and Narashiman Balaji vying for the honours.

It was the same story in the 2nd half as well and as early as the 46th minute, Balaji denied Basudeb Mondal another chance of scoring the opener. Subhashis Roy Chowdhury tried a header in the 60th minute but Balaji was there to save HAL once more. The resilient HAL defence seemed to drain the energy of the Mohammedan players and the match became a bit scrappy. Raman Vijayan tried twice in succession in the 78th and 80th minutes to alter the scoreline but in vain. HAL could have pulled off a miraculous win but skipper Xavier Vijayakumar missed a golden opportunity in the 70th minute to give his team the lead and probably full three points too. HAL remain bottom of the table with 2 points from four matches while Mohammedan are now second from bottom with 4 points from four matches, trailing Sporting Clube de Goa on goal difference.

MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING: 1-Gopal Das; 5-Habibur Rehman Mondal, 20-Shyam Mondal, 4-Debjit Ghosh, 25-Mir Farooq Hyder, 22-Surojit Roy (68' 9-Raman Vijayan), 27-Subrata Guha (35' 16-Subhashis Roy Chowdhury), 8-Noel Anthony Wilson, 2-Asim Das (46' 12-Jatin Singh Bisht), 14-Basudeb Mondal, 7-Mutum Bijen Singh.
HAL: 13-Narshiman Balaji; 7-Thiyam Raghuveer Singh, 3-Pawan Kumar, 5-Prashant Jaggi, 27-N Mohanraj, 14-Rajendra Prasad (84' 4-N Govind Singh), 24-J Muralidharan (59' 20-C Prakash), 22-R Sreekanth, 18-Bhuvan Krishna Joshi, 9-Sampath Kumar Kuttimani, 8-Xavier Vijayakumar.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Habibur Rehman Mondal (Mohammedan Sporting).
YELLOW CARDS: Prashant Jaggi (39'), N Mohanraj (69', both HAL).
REFEREE: A Arjunan (Services).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu), Gokul Chand Sharma (Manipur).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Deepak Kumar Dey (Assam).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

Post-match press conference:
Subhas Bhowmick (Coach, Mohammedan Sporting):
• I am happy with today's performance but I regret dropping two points against HAL at home.
• Basudeb Mondal was very impressive. He served my purpose though he could not score a goal.
• This draw may prove costly towards the end of the tournament.
• As of now, I am staying with Mohammedan Sporting. The club officials are not interfering with my work and they have helped me during my bad times.
• We are going to get three foreigners soon - Eric, Ndem and Okoro. Eric and Ndem have already signed. Okoro will sign soon. My team will improve after that and we will target the third position in the league.
• I am not blaming anybody for the non-availability of these foreigners in the first four rounds.
• Eric had given an undertaking that he would leave India because his visa had expired. We did not know about that and so some problems cropped up.

Krishnaji Rao (Coach, HAL):
• Our team had been selected for the 2nd division. We were not prepared for the national level.
• We are happy with one point from an away match.
• The teams from Calcutta are pretty good.
• Mohammedan Sporting played well today.
• Prashant Jaggi was the best player from my side.
• Balaji was playing his first match after one year and I was pleased with his performance.
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Simla Youngs 0-2 City Club - Goals: 0-1 Mohammed Imroz (50'), 0-2 Musi Adebayo (70').
Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Ahbab Club - Shastri Club = match not held
Manipur State League: NEROCA 3-2 YWO, Bishnupur - Goals: 0-1 Th Gora Singh (13'), 1-1 Y Raju Singh (52'), 2-1 S Manglemjao Singh (56'), 3-1 O Petler (75'), 3-2 Krishnachandra (76').

::: FIFA chief to visit India in March/April :::
The much awaited visit of FIFA president Joseph Blatter to India is likely to happen between the end of March and early April. Blatter is expected to be in India for a three day visit.
"The dates are not finalised but it will be between end of March or early April," AIFF President Priya Ranjan Das Munshi told the media in Calcutta on Monday.
"He is coming to India for a first-hand understanding of the Indian football scenario," Das Munshi added.
The AIFF officials would like to discuss are football in general, technical help from the world governing body and the marketing of the game.
Blatter is likely to visit the AIFF headquarters in Delhi plus Calcutta and some other cities. His visit happens to coincide with the AIFF's 70th anniversary.

::: Syed Shabir Pasha retires from national football :::
Former India international striker and Indian Bank player Syed Shabir Pasha has decided to no longer play at national and state level. "Pasha" as he was called by friends was a talented striker of his generation but as he played for Indian Bank all his career, he never made it big though he had offers from clubs in Calcutta and Goa.
But Pasha would continue to play for his employer Indian Bank in the local Chennai league and local tournaments.
Pasha sees his future in football as a coach. He has already done his AFC 'C' licence course and has been a talent spotter for the AIFF at the AIFF U13 Football Festival.

January 21

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Barasat Stadium, Calcutta: East Bengal Club 2-2 Churchill Brothers SC
Goals: 0-1 Khemtang Paite (3'), 1-1,2-1 Boniface Ngairah Ambani (41',65'), 2-2 D Raju (83').
Promoted Churchill Brothers SC earned a two-all away draw against former champions East Bengal Club in a 11th National League match at the Barasat Stadium, Calcutta. East Bengal moved into second place having now collected seven points from four matches, while Churchill Brothers remain unbeaten with now six points from the same number of games, an opening round win followed by three draws in a row.
EAST BENGAL: 24-Rajat Ghosh Dastidar, 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 4-Covan Lawrence, 2-Muttath Suresh, 5-Debabrata Roy, 28-Shylo Malswam Tulunga, 15-Bibiano Fernandes (58' 6-Dipankar Roy), 7-Jayanta Sen, 9-Alvito D'Cunha, 25-Ashim Biswas (65' 32-Izumi Arata), 10-Boniface Ngairah Ambani.
CHURCHILL BROTHERS: 1-Vinay Singh, 8-Thokchom Naoba Singh, 5-Nicholas Muyoti, 23-Vinu Jose, 17-Robert Lalthalma, 14-Chitrasen Chandam Singh, 13-Mashangva Genius Zenith, 32-Roque Barreto, 15-D Raju, 11-Khemtang Paite (61' 24-Savio Monteiro), 25-Drupesh Dessai.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: D Raju (Churchill Brothers).
YELLOW CARD: Vinay Singh (40', Churchill Brothers).
REFEREE: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Deepak Kumar Dey (Assam), Gokul Chand Sharma (Manipur).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: MK Roy (Assam).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: New Delhi Heroes 1-4 Indian Air Force - New Delhi
Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group B: Garhwal Heroes 3-1 Hindustan FC
Manipur State League: AMOFA, Moirang 0-3 Manipur Police SC - Goals: 0-1,0-3 Deshkumar Singh (19',90'), 0-3 Rohen Singh (35').
Manipur State League: YWC, Thambalkhong 2-2 Tiddim Road Athletic Union - Goals: 0-1 Saikhohao Tuboi (13'), 1-1 Th Santosh Singh (27'), 1-2 Ninja Kabui (65'), 2-2 G Laipakchao Kabui (70').
Manipur State League: Eastern Sporting Union 2-0 Kakching FC - Goals: 1-0,2-0 Somochandra Singh (45',70').
Manipur State League: SAI Regional Centre, Imphal 1-3 Phoudel Youth Club, Thoubal - Goals: 0-1,1-2 Mohammed Riyaz Khan (3',49'), 1-1 M Bishworjit Singh (25'), 1-3 Mohammed Zia-ul-Haque (53').

::: EPL to help Mumbai-based charity Magic Bus :::
PA Sports report: Chancellor Gordon Brown has launched the English Premier League's international development strategy in India. Brown spoke after a three-year partnership was agreed between the Premier League and Magic Bus, a Mumbai-based sports development charity which works with 4000 deprived children.
The Chancellor said: "Everywhere you go in the world people want to talk about English football, the players and their clubs. I cannot congratulate the Premier League enough for using this power - you could describe it as England's secret diplomatic weapon - to good social effect."
"You can see here today what Magic Bus is all about - opportunity and community - and it is fantastic that the Premier League have teamed up with them to invest in these people."
The Premier League have two similar pilots planned in Egypt and South Africa for later this year.
Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, added: "At home the Premier League and our clubs have a long-held commitment and reputation for investing in community and education programmes."
"Given our popularity and success internationally we felt it only right to take this approach to a wider community."

::: PIFA, Mumbai to organise camps to England & Italy :::
The Premier India Football Academy will organize three football camps to Europe (one to England and two to Italy) this summer for children between the ages of 10 to 17 years.
Children will be escorted at all times by two adults throughout the tour. The camps are specially designed with the children in mind, ensuring that the children enjoy, learn football and make new friends in a safe and healthy environment. This experience makes them independent and develops their social skill.
The Tours to Italy will be to the AC Milan's - Milan Team Camp, Sporteventi. The trips will be from March 17-25, and May 13-22. Children will get to see AC Milan play a Serie A match at the San Siro Stadium; they will also get to visit the stadium and museum, opportunity to meet the players, a tour of the cultural city of Verona and visit an Italian Castle. Football training will be conducted in the picturesque town of Vittorio Veneto in Treviso, in the north east of Italy..
The camp to Bobby Charlton Soccer & Sports Academy will be held from April 29 to May 8 in Manchester. The tour will consist of an English Premiership game, a chance to meet players, a tour of Manchester United - Old Trafford Stadium & Museum, Chelsea - Stamford Bridge Stadium & Museum. A football-history tour at the National Football Museum in Preston and a fun trip to an amusement park in Blackpool.
Further, children will be trained daily at the world famous football academy that has had David Beckham as a student. Each child will get to participate in the Skills contest, the winner of which will be invited for the World Skills Final in July 2007. Each camp will have sessions on Nutrition, Psychology & Fitness. They will also get to play a match against a local team. At the end of the camp the child will be awarded a certificate and a photo CD of their tour.
The packages include all accommodations, meals and transportations at the camp. Seats are limited to 30 children per camp.
PIFA have been successfully organizing football camps like these since 2003. They have conducted nine camps taking over 300 children to Europe.

January 20

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Barasat Stadium, Calcutta: Mohun Bagan AC 2-1 Air-India
Goals: 1-0 Fabio Cortez Vidal (55'), 2-0 Jose Ramirez Barreto (61'), 2-1 Benoy Kuruvilla (83').

Federation Cup champions Mohun Bagan salvaged some pride as they managed to end their losing streak in the 11th National League by beating an inform Air-India 2-1 at the Barasat Stadium in the first match of the fourth round of the NFL. The Calcutta outfit however rode on their luck to have the winning goal and had to go through some anxious moments in the closing quarter of the match. This win provided some sort of lifeline for Mohun Bagan's physical trainer-turned-coach Robson Mattos, thanks to the goals scored by his fellow Brazilians Fabio and Barreto in the second half. Benoy Kuruvilla reduced the margin for Air-India.

It was the first home game of the Calcutta side who were struggling at the bottom of the table with a single point from their first three outings and a massive goal difference of minus five. The home team also had some injury problems that led to many of their key players sitting out. There was a new-look Bagan starting line-up featuring a few faces who had been absent for a considerable period. The start showed positive signs for the home team as Baichung Bhutia came near scoring in the very opening minute when he got the ball from a Mehraj Din Wadoo long pass, but timely intervention from Haobijam Nepoleon Singh rescued the Airmen. Minutes later Sushil Kumar Singh ran all the way into the Air-India box from well inside his own half but ended up with a weak shot straight into the Air-India custodian Raju Ekka. Mohun Bagan were determined to score and lodged series of attacks into the Air-India half but none of them proved to be fruitful as the frontmen failed to penetrate the tough-to-crack defence of the Airmen and the long ranged shots were safely collected by Raju Ekka. On the other hand the Bagan custodian had hardly any hard time as the Mumbai outfit's attacks were not enough to threaten the Bagan goalmouth. In the 41st minute Baichung Bhutia laid a good ball for Sushil Kumar Singh but Raju Ekka timely intercepted before the latter could reach the ball. In the penultimate minute of the first half the Bagan defence came under the first real threat. The Mumbai outfit's throw-in specialist Uttam Leishangthem Singh's throw-in from the left found Benoy Kuruvilla in the box, who headed it towards in-form T Narender Meetei and the latter's header went off the crossbar.

The Mohun Bagan coach needed to do something to make his side score. With Lal Kamal Bhowmick already coming in as a substitute in the first half and operating in the right flank, Dharamjit Singh was brought as a halftime substitute in place of Manas Das on the left. Attacks were being created now from the left. In the 49th minute a Baichung-Barreto combination in the box provided a chance but Baichung's shot was blocked off an Air-India defender. Baichung was seen desperately appealing for a handball. Six minutes later, in the 55th minute Mohun Bagan got the lead. Fabio Cortez Vidal scored with a fabulous freekick from 20 yards at the edge of the box. Another six minutes later, in the 61st minute, it was 2-0, thanks to a defensive error by Air-India. Fabio's long ball fell to Baichung Bhutia on the right who set in a pass for Mehtab Hussain behind him. Abiodun Kolawole Martins tried to clear Mehtab's cross, but his header hit Benoy Kuruvilla's legs and fell free for the Bagan skipper Jose Ramirez Barreto. The Brazilian, who is not in his usual form this season, made no mistake in this case to make a finish. The Air-India coach made two useful changes in the 71st and 82nd minute with Suley Musah and Kumar Samson Singh coming on. It was just after the second change that the Bagan defence showed lapses and gave away a corner. Benoy Kuruvilla pulled one back for the Mumbai side by heading in the resulting corner, thus making the last few minutes of the match alive and everyone was hoping for a thrilling finish as Air-India have the reputation of scoring late goals. They looked to score in no time, but luck however favoured the home team who were desperately defending. The final whistle provided a sigh of relief for the Mohun Bagan players.
Air-India remain on seven points after four matches, while Mohun Bagan AC now have four points from as many matches. Thus these two teams ended their campaign in the first stage of the 11th National Football League with their next matches in about a month's time.

MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 26-Mehraj Din Wadoo, 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 16-Gautam Debnath, 17-Dulal Biswas (38' 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick), 27-Suman Datta, 23-Mehtab Hussein, 6-Manas Das (46' 18-Dharamjit Singh, 80' 29-Chinmay Sarkar), 24-Sushil Kumar Singh, 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 15-Baichung Bhutia.
AIR INDIA: 21-Raju Ekka, 19-Santosh Koli, 4-Benoy Kuruvilla, 2-Haobijam Nepoleon Singh, 28-Abiodun Kolawole Martins, 18-Hamza Zaheer Abbas (71' 3-Suley Musah), 20-Paresh Shivalkar, 11-Hringsolal Thomte, 14-Javed Ansari (15' 6-Uttam Leishangthem Singh), 27- Bashiree Mohammed Abbas , 10- T Narender Meetei (82' 8-Kumar Samson Singh).
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Dharamjit Singh (Mohun Bagan).
YELLOW CARDS: Dulal Biswas (9', Mohun Bagan).
REFEREE: MK Roy (Assam).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: A Arjunan (Services), Deepak Kumar Dey (Assam).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Gokul Chand Sharma (Manipur).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

5th Girls' U19 National Football Championships - Final: Manipur 5-0 Tamil Nadu - Goals: 1-0,3-0,5-0 I Premeshwori Devi (9',23',61'), 2-0,4-0 Bembem Devi (22',52').

Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Simla Youngs 0-0 Ahbab FC - Goals: none.
Delhi Senior Division - Super League Group A: Indian National FC - Shastri Club = match not held
Manipur State League: RACC, Churachandpur 1-1 YWO, Bishnupur - Goals: 1-0 Vatal Hmar (49'), 1-1 L Anpu Hmar (62').

::: Nayeemuddin returns to Brother Union, Dhaka :::
Former Indian national coach Syed Nayeemuddin has returned to Dhaka side Brothers Union ahead of the maiden Bangladesh Professional League, supposed to start next month.
"Nayeemuddin is expected to arrive in Dhaka within a week and take charge of the team," Brothers Union manager Amer Khan told a press conference at the BFF House in Dhaka on Thursday. Nayeemuddin guided Brothers Union to their first national league title three years earlier.
In March last year Nayeemuddin had been fired as India coach only a few month's in-charge after heavy defeats at the hands of Japan and Yemen in the AFC Asian Cup 2007 qualifiers. Earlier in December 2005 he had won the SAFF Cup 2005 with the national team in Karachi, Pakistan.

January 19

RESULTS & NEWS

::: 10th Pulse Polio Inter-School Tournament :::
The final match of the 10th Pulse Polio Inter-School Tournament will be played between DPS, Mathura Road and Diwan Chand Arya School, Lodhi Road at Chilla (DDA) Sports Complex, Vasundhra Enclave, Uttar Pradesh from 11 am onwards. This may be summed up as any normal Inter-School Tournament but the eye catching fact about the tournament is that awarness about Polio is being spread through football.
Sukhpal Singh Bisht, a former Border Security Force captain, who have won many major trophies during his time is the Observer of the tournament.
Earlier this tournament was held in different parts of Delhi but from this edition onwards teams from UP has also been included with an aim of spreading the message of Polio in neighbouring states. And that's why the venue was selected in UP so that UP teams can participate without any hassle.
Mahendar Bhandari, Organising Secretary in coordination with Ghaus Mohammed, the sports journalist and the former tournament Secretary, Samsan Metei and Mohammed Aslam look after the activities of the tournament. So it is not about which future stars are playing but that they are creating an awareness through which future football players don't get into the trap of Polio.

January 18

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Duler Ground, Goa: Dempo SC 3-2 Sporting Clube de Goa
Goals: 0-1 Joseph Pereira (12'), 0-2 MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi (17'), 1-2,3-2 Ranty Martins Soleye (35',77'), 2-2 Roberto Mendes Silva (67').
Former champions Dempo SC scored a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory against Federation Cup finalists Sporting Clube de Goa in a 11th National League match at the Duler Ground, Goa. Sporting Clube were up two goals early in the match, but this woke-up Dempo who were able to turn the match around to make-up for two losses earlier in the season against Sporting Clube in the local Goa Pro League. Dempo moved into third place with six points from three matches, while Sporting Clube de Goa remained on one point in ninth place, way behind their own expectations and those of their fans.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Roberto Mendes Silva (Dempo).
YELLOW CARDS: Roberto Mendes Silva (46'), John Charles Dias (83', both Dempo); Bello Rasaq (Sporting Clube).
YELLOW-RED CARD: Bello Rasaq (41', Sporting Clube).
REFEREE: Dhanraj More (Maharashtra).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Shaji Kurian (Kerala), Rocky Fernandes (Maharashtra).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: P Bhaskar (Tamil Nadu).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

11th National League - Barasat Stadium, Calcutta: Mohammedan Sporting Club 1-2 East Bengal Club
Goals: 0-1 Ashim Biswas (33'), 1-1 Habibur Rehman Mondal (52'), 1-2 Boniface Ngairah Ambani (58').

Vidyasagar Krirangan, or Barasat Stadium as it is popularly known, hosted its maiden National Football League match today with a clash between Mohammedan Sporting Club and city rivals East Bengal Club. The match ended 2-1 in favour of East Bengal Club but the margin of victory could have looked much worse for Subhash Bhowmick's team if the East Bengal players had capitalised on the numerous chances they created. The condition of the playing surface was excellent; in fact, it was much better than the pitch of the Saltlake Stadium and this suited East Bengal's style of play. They dominated a major portion of the match and always looked in control. The sole inspiration for Mohammedan Sporting was local boy Habibur Rehman Mondal who seemed determined to change the scoreline single-handed. Although he equalised for his team early in the second half, a calm finish by striker Boniface Ambani in the 58th minute gave East Bengal full three points.

Mohammedan Sporting got the first chance of the match in the 3rd minute but Covan Lawrence saved his team the early blushes by heading out from an open goal. Jatin Singh Bisht hit the post from the resultant corner but fortunately for East Bengal, no damage was done. Bibiano Fernandes played in the hole behind the strikers today and his performance on the field was certainly worth the Man-of-the-Match Award. He was the first East Bengal player to get a scoring opportunity but his scorcher from just outside the box was saved by Gopal Das in the 13th minute. Subhash Bhowmick played Bijen Singh as the lone striker and due to this strategy, the Mohammedan Sporting attack suffered as Bijen was often forced to do everything himself because of lack of support from his teammates. In the 30th minute, Muttath Suresh made a good run down the left flank and fed the ball to the lanky Boniface Ambani. Ambani tried to deflect the ball into the goal but Gopal Das saved miraculously with his legs. The Mohammedan defence was finally breached in the 33rd minute by Ashim Biswas albeit a bit controversially. Debabrata Roy floated in a cross from the right and Ashim sent a powerful header towards the goal. Gopal Das seemed to parry the ball from inside the goalline and the assistant referee awarded the goal to East Bengal. There was dissent from the Mohammedan players and in the process, Firoze was booked for arguing with the assistant referee. Television replays proved inconclusive but what mattered in the end was that the goal stood and East Bengal went into the break leading by the solitary goal.

Mohammedan Sporting started the second half on a positive note as Habibur Rehman Mondal equalised with a superb header from a Bijen Singh cross in the 52nd minute. Mohammedan could have taken the lead three minutes later when a defensive lapse almost presented Bijen Singh with an open goal. Unfortunately for Mohammedan Sporting, Bijen slipped and just failed to reached the ball. East Bengal took the lead again in the 58th minute through their Kenyan striker, Boniface Ngairah Ambani. Shylo Malswam Tulunga played a 1-2 with Syed Rahim Nabi down the right and passed the ball to Ambani inside the penalty box. Ambani calmly controlled the ball, turned and finished with aplomb. Ambani was quite impressive on the field today and his composure with the ball at his feet was really commendable. The match could have taken a dramatic turn in the 68th minute but Bijen Singh missed an easy chance following a Firoze header from a corner. Malswam Tulunga returned the favour two minutes later when he tried to score all by himself but hit the side-netting instead. Ambani was waiting in a better position and a selfless pass from Malswam Tulunga would have been the better option. Izumi Arata replaced Ashim Biswas in the 85th minute and could have been on the scoresheet had his finishing been better. He squandered an easy chance and raised doubts about his finishing prowess again. Although his pace is sometimes lethal for defenders, his finishing ability is well below the mark acceptable for a striker at this level.

With today's win East Bengal moved into fourth place with now six points from three matches, while Mohammedan Sporting remain seventh with three points from the same number of matches. East Bengal next host Churchill Brothers SC at the same venue on January 21, while Mohammedan Sporting face Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC the very next day.

MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING: 1-Gopal Das; 22-Surojit Roy, 30-Anbalath Suliman Firoze, 3-Madhab Das, 20-Shyam Mondal, 29-Jamir Ali Mondal (64' 13-Amjad Hussain), 5-Habibur Rehman Mondal, 12-Jatin Singh Bisht (70' 11-Mohammed Nisam), 8-Noel Anthony Wilson, 18-Harvinder Singh (46' 17-Santa Saikhom Singh), 7-Mutum Bijen Singh.
EAST BENGAL: 1-Naseem Akhtar; 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 4-Covan Lawrence, 2-Muttath Suresh, 5-Debabrata Roy, 28-Shylo Malswam Tulunga, 15-Bibiano Fernandes (89' 14-Chandan Das), 7-Jayanta Sen, 9-Alvito D'Cunha, 25-Ashim Biswas (85' 32-Izumi Arata), 10-Boniface Ngairah Ambani.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Shylo Malswam Tulunga (East Bengal).
YELLOW CARDS: Anbalath Suliman Firoze (34'), Santa Saikhom Singh (61', both Mohammedan Sporting); Alvito D'Cunha (49'), Debabrata Roy (73', both East Bengal).
REFEREE: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Arjun Arjunan (Services), MK Roy (Assam).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Deepak Dey (Assam).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

::: Journalists harassed by Police at Barasat Stadium :::
Scenes outside the gates of Barasat Stadium before the start of today's match took an ugly turn when a senior journalist from a reputed Bengali newspaper was harassed by an officious police officer on duty at the entrance gates. When asked for his identity card, the journalist showed the officer his Press Card issued by the Government. Much to the horror of the fellow journalists in the vicinity, the police officer snatched the Press Card from him and threw it away before slapping the journalist in public. There was immediate furore from the nearby journalists and the police officer soon realised that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Seeing the television cameras recording the incident, his survival instincts kicked in and he took off his name tag and fled from the scene, only to return donning a helmet instead of a cap. He kept shying away from the camera and always moved about surrounded by a group of policemen for the rest of the match. Such atrocities by over-zealous police officers are often seen in West Bengal and the respective authorities should sit up and take notice before things take a turn for the worst. The image of the beautiful game should not be made to suffer due to such individuals!

5th Girls' U19 National Football Championships - Semifinal: Manipur 1-0 Orissa - Goal: 1-0 I Premeshwori Devi (59').
5th Girls' U19 National Football Championships - Semifinal: Tamil Nadu 4-0 Jharkhand

::: Doordarshan Sports to show NFL highlights :::
World Cup commentators from India, Novy Kapadia and Ghaus Mohammed at the request of AIFF president Priya Ranjan das Munshi will present a special programme on Doordarshan Sports at the conclusion of each round of the 11th NFL. Their next prog is on Friday January 19 at 18.45 IST. in which they will discuss in Hindi and English, the highlights of the 3rd round matches and look forward to 4th round.
In the programme they also discuss topical issue concerning Indian football. In their previous programme they displayed a graphic on all the top-scorers in the ten previous NFL's and discussed why there were such few Indian strikers at the top of the list.
In the prog. on Friday, January 19, they will discuss about the successful coaches and long serving players.
Their final programme this month will be on Tuesday, January 23, at 18.45 IST on DD Sports.

::: Bangalore leagues in February 2007 :::
The much delayed Bangalore Super Division and 'A' Division are set to kick-off in the first week of February. The leagues in Bangalore are organised by the Bangalore District FA.

::: On Sunday 119th Osian's Durand Cup Highlights on DD Sports :::
Football enthusiasts can get a doze of power packed performances of teams like Mohan Bagan, Dempo SC, JCT Mills and Sporting Clube de Goa. DD Sports will telecast the highlights of the semifinals and final on Sunday, January 21 from 17.00 to 18.00 IST.

January 17

RESULTS & NEWS

::: FIFA World Rankings: INDIA remain 157th :::
In the first FIFA World Rankings of 2007 released today by the world governing body INDIA remain 157th amongst now 207 ranked nations. INDIA is now joined 157th with Malaysia, who dropped five places in the rankings. INDIA remain 32th in Asia. With no matches scheduled in the coming month's for the national team INDIA could drop further down the rankings.

::: SUPER SOCCER 2007 - A Festival of Soccer (IFA PRESS RELEASE) :::

Super Soccer is a festival of football to create goodwill and excitement for the game of football. It was first launched in 1984 and was conducted for five times, the last being in 1994, after which it has remained dormant.The IFA plans to resurrect this programme. It is essentially staging of exhibition matches between Indian teams and a visiting foreign team. The event is being promoted through TV, Press, outdoor and radio jingles.

The event seeks to popularise soccer and generate goodwill for the game, while taking it to as many as possible through live coverage. The event also aims to establish the game of football as a preferred vehicle for product advertising. The power of this came as a means to advertise is well established the world over. ESPN paid US $ 1.5 billion, the highest ever, to FIFA to have the rights to telecast World Cup matches a little while ago. The game, though second to cricket in popularity in our country, holds great promise in rural India where television has arrived and cricket has limited appeal. We have more than half our population in rural India and the greatest challenge for marketers is to tap this potential. Football can prove to be a useful medium to convey their message but we need to create new linkages between the organisers of the game, the media, the product and service providers.

More than these, Super Soccer aims to raise resources to develop and grow the game. India has in the past (fifties) won the Asian Games twice and stood fourth in the Olympics. It is, unfortunately, ranked 157 by FIFA today. We need just about everything to improve, playing fields, stadiums, gyms, coaching to mention some. All these need funds and it is Super Soccer's objective to collect some surplus to direct the same towards improvement in the above basic needs of the game.
The event comprises staging five matches in Delhi, Calcutta, Siliguri, Jamshedpur and Kochi. Sao Paulo FC, which has been part of this programme twice earlier, has already agreed to send their team. The evenings after the match will also unfold a special programme of entertainment.

FIXTURES - SUPER SOCCER 2007:
Saturday, 27th January, 2007 (14:30 IST): Sao Paulo FC vs East Bengal Club (Kanchenjunga Stadium, Siliguri)
Wednesday, 31st January, 2007 (14:30 IST): Sao Paulo FC vs Mohammedan Sporting Club (JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur)
Sunday, 4th February, 2007 (16:00 IST): Sao Paulo FC vs Mohun Bagan AC (Saltlake Stadium, Calcutta)
Wednesday, 7th February, 2007 (18:00 IST): Sao Paulo FC vs Kerala XI (Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi)
Sunday, 11th February, 2007 (14:30 IST): Sao Paulo FC vs JCT FC, Phagwara (Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi)

For details of Sao Paulo Players visiting India, please click here

::: SUPER SOCCER 2007 - A Festival of Soccer (IndianFootball.Com report) :::
Mr. Aditya Kashyap, President of the Indian Football Association assured the journalists that the visiting team will consist of a mixture of first, second and youth team players. He added that the President, Chairman and three Directors of Sao Paulo FC would be a part of the contingent and added that the presence of such dignitaries would act as an insurance against the whole Sao Paulo FC team being just a farce. He also said that the selection of the touring party proved that Sao Paulo FC was taking the tour seriously.
On being questioned as to why Goa or Bangalore did not get the privilege of hosting one of the matches, he said that the schedule allowed for only five matches. Out of those five, two matches had to be given to the IFA because they were responsible for organising the tour. One match had to be given to the Tatas in Jamshedpur as they were the main sponsors. One match had to be held in Delhi so as to give the tour a national identity. With only one match left to allot, it was a decision between Goa, Bangalore and Kochi, and "Kochi won".
The prices of the tickets have been made quite reasonable. The prices have been fixed by the local committees. For the first match at Siliguri (West Bengal), the general tickets have been priced at Rs. 20, 30 and 40 only. The tickets for the second and third matches at Jamshedpur and Calcutta, respectively, will be priced at Rs. 20 each. In addition to this, for the match in Calcutta, about 10,000 tickets priced at Rs. 5 each will be distributed among students through the proper authorities to increase the popularity of the game.
Star Ananda, a 24-hour Free-to-Air Bengali News Channel, will telecast the matches all over India. There will be special buses to and from the Saltlake Stadium on the day of the third match. Not less than 20 special CTC buses will each make 2 to 3 trips before and after the match. All spectators with valid Super Soccer tickets for the match will be allowed to travel in those buses free of charge.

11th National League - Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana: JCT FC 0-0 Churchill Brothers SC
Goals: none.
Former champions JCT FC were held to a goalless draw by promoted Churchill Brothers SC in an 11th National League match at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana. JCT FC moved into fourth place with four points from three matches while an unbeaten Churchill Brothers remained third with five points from the same number of matches. Both sides had their chances through their Nigerian forwards, Chidi Edeh for JCT and Odafe Onkeya Okolie for Churchill Brothers; but they failed to break the deadlock.
JCT had the better start into the match with a Renedy Singh freekick threathening the Churchill Brothers goal but keeper Vinay Singh cleared the ball for a corner. Then Renedy and Sunil Chetri combined twice for JCT. First a Renedy shot was once more blocked by Vinay Singh; while a Renedy freekick was headed just wide by Sunil ChetriJCT had further chances through striker Chidi Edeh and Baldeep Singh Sr. Churchill Brothers' dangerman was once more Nigerian Odafe Onkeya Okolie, who was tightly marked by the JCT defence still he had his chances. But Odafe will be missed by his team in the next match due to an unnecessary yellow card he picked-up in the injury time of the first half. The referee Subrata Das didn't blow a foul with Odafe down on the ground and an angry Odafe told the referee his mind which earned him the yellow card.
Churchill Brothers had the first good chance of the second half when Robert Lalthalma took a shot on goal. Thereafter JCT's Chidi Edeh had a few good chances but keeper Vinay Singh was in the way of a goal for the Phagwara Millmen.
JCT FC have their next match on February 22 against Dempo SC in Ludhiana; while Churchill Brothers SC now travel to Calcutta to face East Bengal Club on February 21.
JCT: 1-Karanjit Singh, 2-Jaspal Singh, 4-Harpreet Singh, 3-Anwar Ali, 12-Daljit Singh, 13-Baldeep Singh Sr (75' 27-Baldeep Singh Jr), 28-Shivraj Singh, 20-Adebayo Tokunbo Adewusi (88' 16-Rakinderjit Singh), 15-P Renedy Singh, 10-Chidi Edeh, 11-Sunil Chetri.
CHURCHILL BROTHERS: 1-Vinay Singh, 8-Thokchom Naoba Singh, 5-Nicholas Muyoti, 23-Vinu Jose, 17-Robert Lalthalma, 14-Chitrasen Chandam Singh, 13-Mashangva Genius Zenith, 32-Roque Barreto, 15-D Raju (71' 11-Khemtang Paite), 9-George Ekeh (80' 24-Savio Monteiro), 10-Odafe Onyeka Okolie.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Chidi Edeh (JCT).
YELLOW CARD: Odafe Onkeya Okolie (45+1', Churchill Brothers).
REFEREE: Subrata Das (West Bengal).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: MA Siddiqui (Madhya Pradesh), M Bhattacharya (West Bengal).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Rizwan ul Haq (Delhi)
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

::: 11th National League: Kick-off for Barasat Stadium matches finalised :::
The matches scheduled for Barasat Stadium, Calcutta in 3rd and 4th Round of the 11th National League will kick-off at 14.30 IST and will be shown live & exclusive on Zee Sports. With no floodlights in place, the organisers have been forced to hold the matches in the afternoon. The Barasat-leg of the NFL kicks-off with a Calcutta derby tomorrow between Mohammedan Sporting and East Bengal Club.

January 16

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Cooperage Ground, Mumbai: Air-India 3-1 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC
Goals: 1-0 Bashiree Mohammed Abbas (33'), 2-0 Noel Fernandes (40'), 2-1 Xavier Vijayakumar (42'), 3-1 T Narender Meetei (70').

High flying Air-India's positive run in the 11th National League continued with a 3-1 victory against promoted Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC at the Cooperage Ground, Mumbai. With the win today Air-India are now second behind Mahindra United to make it a rare Mumbai one-two in the NFL table with seven points from three matches. The Airmen from Bangalore only have a point from the same number of matches and are now ninth to slip into the relegation zone.
In the first half hour most of the action was confined to the midfield with both sides fighting for possession. Air-India took the lead in the 33th minute when once more an Uttam Leishangthem Singh throw-in resulted in a goal. The throw-in by Uttam, who had been brought on by coach Bimal Ghosh only a few minutes earlier, was flicked on to Bashiree Mohammed Abbas who made-up for earlier misses to score the lead for the Mumbai Airmen. Only seven minutes later they doubled the lead when a Paresh Shivalkar corner was met by wingback Noel Fernandes, but HAL where able to reduce the deficit only a couple minutes later when their captain Xavier Vijayakumar scored of a Rajendra Prasad corner. After the breather HAL did try to get back into the match but they only had one real chance worth mentioning by striker Sampath Kumar Kuttimani. HAL's seasoned coach Krishnaji Rao reacted by taking-off keeper Gumpe Rime and replacing him with the taller Narshiman Balaji, but by then the damage had been done. Air-India sealed the match in the 70th minute with their third goal when a Paresh Shivalkar freekick was tapped in by an inform T Narender Meetei. Incidentally, all four goals came from set piece situations.
For their Round 4 matches both Air-India and HAL now travel across the country to Calcutta. On February 20 Air-India face an under pressure Mohun Bagan AC, while Mohammedan Sporting Club host HAL on February 22. Both matches will be played at the Barasat Stadium just outside Calcutta.

AIR-INDIA: 21-Raju Ekka, 2-Haobijam Napoleon Singh, 9-Noel Fernandes (83' 5-Vijith Shetty), 4-Benoy Kuruvilla, 28-Abiodun Kolawole Martins, 19-Santosh Koli, 11-Hringsolal Thomte, 14-Javed Ansari (25' 6-Uttam Leishangthem Singh), 20-Paresh Shivalkar, T Narender Meetei (90+1' 23-Sanju Pradhan), 27-Bashiree Mohammed Abbas.
HAL: 1-Gumpe Rime (53' 13-Narshiman Balaji); 22-R Sreekanth, 23-Joseph Anandavasan, 3-Pawan Kumar, 27-N Mohanraj, 7-Thiyam Raghuveer Singh; 14-Rajendra Prasad (76' 20-C Prakash), 24-J Muralidharan, 18-Bhuvan Krishna Joshi; 8-Xavier Vijayakumar, 15-Nanda Kumar (53' 9-Sampath Kumar Kuttimani).
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Bashiree Mohammed Abbas (Air-India).
YELLOW CARDS: Noel Fernandes (51'), Vijith Shetty (83', both Air-India); Thiyam Raghuveer Singh (41'), Pawan Kumar (79'), R Sreekanth (90'+, all HAL).
REFEREE: Praveer Kumar Bose (Madhya Pradesh).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu), Mohammed Kamil (Delhi).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: BS Negi (Services).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

48th State Inter-District Football Championship, Sattar - Final: Dindigul 0-0,4-3 Chennai [penalties] - Goals: none.

::: Delhi Super League format changed :::
The Delhi Senior Division's Super League format has been changed. Instead of the new 10 team format, the Super League would be held in the traditional two groups of five teams format with the top two teams making it to the semifinals.
Group A: Indian Nationals FC, Shastri Club, Simla Youngs, Ahbab FC, City Club
Group B: Hindustan FC, Garwhal Heroes, New Delhi Heroes, Indian Air Force (New Delhi), Tarun Sangha

January 15

RESULTS & NEWS

::: IFC Feature Series on football Youth Development projects in India continues :::
IndianFootball.Com today continues it's Feature Series on football Youth Development projects in India, where we look at different projects across India. As part of the series we will bring you stories, interviews and more from these youth football projects.
IndianFootball.Com's Harmit Singh Kamboe conducted an interview with Arup Das, a Trustee of the India Youth Soccer Association in New Delhi to tell us more about the project.
Since our founding we at IndianFootball.Com have been an ardent supporter of the view point that youth development is the key to Indian football's future success. In keeping with our stand, we chose to be active participants in the development of football talent in India, rather than just objective, third party reporters.
Click here to read the complete >>Arup Das (IYSA, Delhi) interview

::: 20th Zakir Husain Memorial Football Tournament :::
The 20th Zakir Husain Memorial Football Tournament for colleges will be held from January 29 in the capital at the Ambedkar Stadium. The last date of entries is January 22 and have to send to organising secretary Syed Shaheenat Zakir Husain College, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, New Delhi-2 (Phone: 2323-3420).

January 14

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Cooperage Ground, Mumbai: Mahindra United 4-1 Mohun Bagan AC
Goals: 0-1 Baichung Bhutia (17'), 1-1 Andrews Mensah Pomeyie (25'), 2-1, 3-1 Yakubu Yusif (29',35'), 4-1 Abhishek Yadav (90+3').

Defending Champions Mahindra United humiliated Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan 4-1 in the 3rd round of the 11th National League at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai. Yakubu scored a brace, Pomeyie netted his third in the league and Abhishek Yadav put the icing on the cake by scoring on his return to the team in the dying minutes of the match. Baichung was the only scorer for Mohun Bagan but that solitary goal was merely a consolation and nothing else.

Mohun Bagan was under immense pressure before kickoff as they had not scored in their 180 minutes of football in this edition of the NFL. It was the visitors who took an unexpected lead in the 17th minute through Baichung Bhutia. Jose Ramirez Barreto made a run from the centre-line and fed the ball to Surajit Bose on the right. Surajit sent in a brilliant cross to the far-post where Baichung Bhutia won the aerial battle with Surkumar Singh and headed in his first goal in the 11th NFL. It was Mohun Bagan's first goal in the league after 197 minutes of football! However, things went haywire for Mohun Bagan from then on as a well-organised Mahindra attack mesmerised a Bagan defence riddled with holes and scored three goals within a space of ten minutes. Andrews Mensah Pomeyie scored his third of the league in the 25th minute when he headed into the back of the net from a Yakubu cross. Yakubu found himself on the scoresheet four minutes later in a bizarre fashion. Ajayan passed the ball to Yakubu who was waiting just outside the six yard box. Fabio tried to shield the ball from him and then Deepak Mondal tried to clear it. Much to the dismay of the Bagan contingent, the ball hit Yakubu and went past a helpless Sangram into the back of the net. In the 35th minute, Mahindra won a free-kick and Surkumar Singh stepped up to hit a powerful shot on target. Sangram was only able to parry it and Yakubu latched on to the rebound and scored his second goal. Barreto could have improved the chances of a comeback for Mohun Bagan in the 38th minute but he missed from point-blank range after Sandip Nandy fumbled a Mehtab Hussein freekick from the left. Mahindra could have ended the half with another goal but Pomeyie's shot across the face of goal in the 1st minute of added time was just beyond the reach of Manjit Singh. The half thus ended with Mahindra leading a hapless Mohun Bagan by three goals to one.

Mohun Bagan needed a miracle in the second half to achieve a respectable scoreline after ninety minutes and Baichung Bhutia could have altered the scoreline in the 53rd minute itself but he was prevented from reaching a Lal Kamal Bhowmick free-kick from the left by a diving Sandip Nandy. Mahindra responded in style through Pomeyie but his shot following a beautiful trapping of the ball just missed the far post. Baichung squandered another chance in the 65th minute after a brilliant pass from Barreto but his shot failed to trouble the Mahindra goalkeeper. Dipendu Biswas replaced Dharamjit Singh in the 73rd minute but could not show his Midas touch today. He did head down a Deepak Mondal long pass to create an opportunity for Baichung in the 86th minute but Baichung's acrobatic diving header went wide of target. There was further drama in added time as Steven Dias was brought down inside the six yard box by Bijay Basfore. The referee showed no hesitation in awarding a penalty to Mahindra but surprisingly, Basfore was only shown a yellow card. Yakubu stepped up to take the kick for a brilliant hattrick but Sangram pulled off yet another penalty save to deny him the honour. Yakubu's shot was a good one directed towards the right top corner but a diving Sangram Mukherjee pulled off an amazing save. Mahindra did get their fourth goal in the 4th minute of added time when Abhishek Yadav headed in from a Yakubu cross to complete the humiliation for Mohun Bagan.

Mohun Bagan's fall from grace is quite surprising especially as it has come just after they won the Federation Cup in December albeit by winning three out of four matches in that tournament by penalty shootouts. They are currently languishing at the bottom of the table with only one point from three matches with an appalling goal difference of -5. Their coach Robson Mattos will soon have to pull some new rabbits out of his hat or teach the old rabbits some new tricks. Otherwise, Mohun Bagan may further plunge towards the ignominy of facing relegation from the top division of the National Football League. Mahindra United meanwhile moved into top position with seven points from three matches.

MAHINDRA: 24-Sandip Nandy; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 3-Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 7-Sushanth Mathew, 16-James Lukram Singh (90+1' 15-Abhishek Yadav), 4-Krishnan Nair Ajayan, 12-Manjit Singh (60' 23-Steven Dias), 25-Andrews Mensah Pomeyie (89' 29-Rauf Sher Khan), 10-Yakubu Yusif.
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 2-Bijay Basfore, 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 4-Deepak Kumar Mondal, 16-Gautam Debnath, 17-Dulal Biswas (51' 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick), 23-Mehtab Hussein, 18-Dharamjit Singh (73' 8-Dipendu Biswas), 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 9-Surajit Bose (62' 25-Pachau Lalam Puia), 15-Baichung Bhutia.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Yakubu Yusif (Mahindra United).
YELLOW CARDS: Krishnan Nair Ajayan (50'), Sushanth Mathew (68', both Mahindra United); Mehtab Hussein (8'), Jose Ramirez Barreto (79'), Bijay Baspore (90+, both Mohun Bagan).
REFEREE: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu), BS Negi (Services).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Praveer Kumar Bose (Madhya Pradesh).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

::: Don Bosco Trophy in Kochi - A Review :::
As the Don Bosco Trophy 2006/07 finished, the big question to be answered is which is currently Kerala's best club? One can easily answer that by saying: State Bank of Travancore. But if one analyses the tournament this question somwhow cannot be answered...

The tournament started with Kochin Port Trust defeating the hosts Don Bosco, Vaduthala 4-0. Don Bosco's defeat was expected as they have very little experience in play against Kerala's top clubs, while Kochin Port Trust left not much to be desired against one of the state's football minnows.
In the second quarterfinal the current Kerala State League champions Viva Kerala defeated Golden Threads to book their place in semifinals, but they where made to work hard. Viva defeated Golden Threads by 4-1 thanks to a hattrick from the Nigerian Baba Thunde.
In the third quarterfinal Central Excise survived a scare against Garainchas, Malappuram. Garainchas took a surprising lead (2-1) within the first 20 minutes of the game, but Central Excise recovered well in time to snatch the game. Javeed's brace helped Central Excise to secure a 3-2 win.
In the last quarterfinal SBT killed off an early challenge from Udaya SC to manage a convicing victory and to book their semifinal spot. Sylvester Ignatius opened the scoring for SBT but Udaya equalizied immediately to make the game interesting. But S.B.T after conceding that goal dominated the rest of the match. A hattrick from Ignatius ensured a comfortable win for SBT.

In the first semifinal Central Excise shocked Viva Kerala to a 5-2 win. Central Excise completely dominated the match. Viva paid heavily for their rough game in the tournament. Anson (Central Excise) scored a hattrick for Central Excise. The most notable performance of the day came from Central Excise midfielder Bijesh Ben. The presence of Baba Thunde was not able to rescue Viva on that Day. In the second semifinal SBT reacted well in time to avoid another shock defeat in the tournament. Kochin Port Trust took an early lead. It took until the 20th minute of the second half for SBT to equalize, but within five minutes SBT took the lead thanks to Sylvester Ignatius. The absence of star players like Asif Saheer, Abdul Hakkim and Abdul Basheer were visible in SBT's performance.

In the final SBT's experience came to their rescue against Central Excise. SBT defeated Central Excise 3-1. Sylvester Ignatius again came to the aid of SBT by striking twice in the game. SBT opened the scoring in the 20th minute through Ignatius. Central Excise had more possesion in the first half but didn't tested SBT keeper Jean Christian at all, while SBT tested the Central Excise keeper thrice. The first 15 minutes of the second half were completely dominated by Central Excise, but it was Jean Christian who saved SBT from conceding the equaliser. SBT taking full advantage of Central Excise's misses doubled their lead once more through Sylvester Ignatius. But Central Excise pulled one back in the 80th minute through Sajeer to set-up an exciting end to the match. But Central Excise were down to 10 man after one of their player was send-off for a second bookable offence. SBT capitalized on this opportunity and scored the third goal through Martin John. Good work from Renil helped Martin John to snatch the third goal.

The big aspect is that no team really dominated the tournament. The big guns like SBT, Viva Kerala were not at their best. It maybe due to the absence of numerous top players. Viva really missed Dhanarajan and plenty others. (Dhanarajan was suspended by the Viva Management due to his non-appearance in the practice camp for the tournament). SBT infact had to play captain Lanel Thomas in defence due to absence of some players and he normally plays as midfielder for SBT and the Kerala state team). All together Central Excise emerged as the best team in the tournament though they didn't win the tournament, as they played wonderful football. Garainchas, Malappuram also is a team to watch out in the future. After all one thing is sure. It's not always SBT and Viva Kerala when we talk on Kerala football. More teams are surging ahead on them to be the best club in Kerala.

Best Players of The Tournament: Sylvester Ignatius, Martin John, Renil (all SBT), Bijesh Ben, Javeed (both Central Excise), Yaz Bhai (Udaya Sports Club), Boni (Garainchas, Malappuram).

January 13

RESULTS & NEWS

Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Final: East Bengal Club 1-0 Mahindra United - Goal: 1-0 Biswajit Natta (31').
East Bengal Club have won the second edition of the Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals! They along with finalists Mahindra United will represent India at the Southeast Finals.
EAST BENGAL U15: Amit Shee; Pradip Barua, Bhim Oraon, Subhas Sarkar, Pritam Lahiri, Rudra Dhar, Joydeb Chakrobarty, Ganesh Dey (captain), Biswajit Natta, Arup Neogi, Supravan Dhar.
bench: Abhishek Das, Chanda Orow, Sujit Roy, Budiram Tudu, Ajay Roy.
MAHINDRA UNITED U15: Sagar Pagdhare; Manohar Shakya, Dhiraj Meher, Valerian D'Costa, Mohammed Fahad Ansari, Siddeshwar Sinde, Shilton D'Silva (captain), Mudasser Ansari, Kean Lewis, Karan Sawhney, Leon D'Souza.
bench: Richard Charles, Harsh Mehta, Cloyce Castro, Rickin Dang, Darshit Thakkar
REFEREE: Egideo D'Costa (Goa)

Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Final: Central Excise, Kochi 1-3 State Bank of Travancore - Goals: 0-1,0-2 Sylvester Ignatius (20',65'), 1-2 A M Sajeer (80'), 1-3 Martin John (90+1').
State Bank of Travancore's Sylvester Ignatius has been awarded the 'Player of the Tournament' Award. Ignatius' six goals in the tournament helped SBT to clinch the title!

Manipur State League: Southern Sporting Union 5-0 RACC, Churachandpur

::: Fr McFerran Trophy in Chennai :::
The Don Bosco - Fr McFerran Trophy will be held from January 14 to 28 at the Don Bosco Youth Centre (Red Hills) in Chennai. Amongst the local teams are Indian Bank, Chennai Customs and Netaji SC; while outstation teams include Bangalore DFA XI, Sout-Central Railway from Secunderabad, Hyderabad's Globe FC, DBO Fatorda from Goa, Calicut's Universal Soccer School and DBYC from Kochi. The champions would receive Rs 25,000; while the runners-up would get Rs 15,000.

January 12

RESULTS & NEWS

In the latest IndianFootball.Com Guest Column Franky Barreto pays respect to India midfielder Climax Lawrence, a player with whom Franky played a few years at Salgaocar SC around the turn of the century. Franky was moving towards the end of his career, while Climax was trying making a mark for himself.
Read the complete article here >>IndianFootball.Com Guest Column - Franky Barreto .

11th National League - Duler Ground, Goa: Dempo SC 5-0 Mohammedan Sporting Club
Goals: 1-0,3-0 Anthony Pereira (1',41'), 2-0,4-0 Ranty Martins Soleye (11',67'), 5-0 Peter Carvalho (83').
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Anthony Pereira (Dempo).
YELLOW CARDS: Samir Naik (34', Dempo); Shyam Mondal (51'), Anbalath Suliman Firoze (67', both Mohammedan Sporting).
REFEREE: Shaji Kurian (Kerala).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

11th National League - Cooperage Ground, Mumbai: Air-India 1-1 Sporting Clube de Goa
Goals: 0-1 MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi (68'), 1-1 T Narender Meetei (90+').
Air-India needed a injury time equaliser to hold Federation Cup finalists Sporting Clube de Goa to a one-all draw in a 11th National League match at the Cooperage Ground, Mumbai. Air-India now have four points to remain unbeaten after two matches, while Sporting Clube remain winless with their first point from the same number of matches.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi (Sporting Clube).
YELLOW CARDS: Noel Fernandes (19'), Abiodun Kolawole Martins (49'), Kumar Samson Singh (64', all Air-India); Nicolau Borges (90', Sporting Clube).
REFEREE: Mohammed Kamil (Delhi).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu), PK Bose (Madhya Pradesh)
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Semifinal: Kochin Port Trust 1-2 State Bank of Travancore - Goals: 1-0 Lijo (26'), 1-1 Silvester Igantius (66'), 1-2 Faizal (69').

Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Semifinal: Mohun Bagan AC 0-2 East Bengal Club - Goals: 0-1 Bhim Oraon (8'), 0-2 Pradip Barva (24').
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Semifinal: Mahindra United 0-0,4-1 JCT Football Academy [penalties] - Goals: none.

::: Subhas Chakroborty contributes to Pradip Nag's medical bills :::
Former Indian referee Pradip Nag has received financial support for his medical expenses from unexpected quarters. The West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakroborty has bailed out Pradip Nag from the financial burden resulted from his hospitalisation. He is back home now and is recovering. To add to this good news, the Doctors have also waived off their fees.

January 11

RESULTS & NEWS

::: AIFF announce INDIA U23 Olympic Qualifiers camp probables :::
The AIFF today announced the list of 31 probables for the INDIA U23 Olympic Qualifiers camp to be held from January 21 to February 5 in Calcutta. The INDIA U23 team would face neighbours Myanmar in a home-and-away knockout match to qualify for the Asian 2008 Beijing Olympics Qualifiers Group Stage.
INDIA U23: Goalkeepers: Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Mahindra United), Subrata Pal (Mohun Bagan AC), Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers SC), Nicolas (SAI, Bangalore); Defenders: Anupam Sarkar, Debabrata Roy, Gurjinder Singh (all East Bengal Club), Nanjangud Shivananju Manju (Mahindra United), Dhanraj Ravanan (Mohun Bagan AC), Sunil Kumar Chhetri (JCT FC), Habibur Rehman Mondal (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Rakesh Masih (Tata Football Academy); Midfielders: Mehtab Hussain, Subhas Chakraborty (both Mohun Bagan AC), Chitrasen Chandam Singh, Praveen Rawat (both Churchill Brothers SC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Sporting Clube de Goa), Jerry Zirsanga (Dempo SC), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Bulu Zigdung(Assam Rifles); Forwards: Vimal Pariyar, Syed Rahim Nabi (both East Bengal Club), Surajit Bose, Sushil Kumar Singh (both Mohun Bagan AC), Manjit Singh (Mahindra United), Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Vanlal Rova (Churchill Brothers SC), Branco Vincent Cardozo (Tata Football Academy), Marlanki Suting (Lajong SC, Meghalaya), Reubin D'Souza (Central Railway, Mumbai), Tarif Ahmed (ONGC, Mumbai).
Chief Coach: Robert Douglas Houghton.

11th National League - Bangalore Football Stadium: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC 1-3 East Bengal Club
Goals: 0-1 Ashim Biswas (5'), 0-2 Bibiano Fernandes (20'), 1-2 Sampath Kumar Kuttimani (49'), 1-3 Izumi Arata (80').
Calcutta giants East Bengal returned to winning ways much to the relief of their fans as they beat the newly promoted Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC 3-1 in Bangalore. East Bengal avoided what could have been a potential banana-skin as their Brazilian coach ultimately hit on a winning combination. HAL had shown in their previous game against Mohun Bagan that they were no pushovers when they held the Federation Cup holders to a goalless draw last Saturday. HAL custodian Gumpe Rime had been awarded the Man-of-the-Match in that game.

East Bengal got off to a terrific start as Ashim Biswas fired home the opening goal of the match in the 5th minute. Bibiano Fernandes doubled the lead in the 20th minute and the match seemed to be over already. However, the HAL players had other plans in mind and Sampath Kumar Kuttimani brought his team back in the game when he halved the deficit in the 49th minute. However, Izumi Arata put the result beyond doubt when he scored the third for East Bengal in the 80th minute and confirmed three important points for East Bengal. East Bengal next play Mohammedan Sporting at the Barasat Stadium in Calcutta on 18th January in the 3rd round of the 11th National Football League. HAL will take on East Bengal's first-round nemesis Air-India in Mumbai on 16th January.

HAL: 1-Gumpe Rime, 23-Joseph Anandavasan, 3-Pawan Kumar, 5-Prashant Jaggi, 27-N Mohanraj, 14-Rajendra Prasad (69' 6-M Satish Kumar), 24-J Muralidharan (59' 20-C Prakash), 9-Sampath Kumar Kuttimani, 7-Thiyam Raghuveer Singh, 8-Xavier Vijayakumar, 15-Nanda Kumar.
EAST BENGAL: 24-Rajat Ghosh Dastidar, 8-Sasthi Duley (66' 28-Shylo Malswam Tulunga), 4-Covan Lawrence, 2-Muttath Suresh, 5-Debabrata Roy, 7-Jayanta Sen, 15-Bibiano Fernandes (68' 14-Chandan Das), 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 9-Alvito D'Cunha, 25-Ashim Biswas, 10-Boniface Ngairah Ambani (67' 32-Izumi Arata).
YELLOW CARDS: Prashant Jaggi(12', HAL); Ashim Biswas (59', East Bengal).
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Ashim Biswas (East Bengal).
REFEREE: K Shankar (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Benjamin D'Silva (Goa), Jayandra Nagyenkar (Goa).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Francisco Fernandes (Goa).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

11th National League - Cooperage Ground, Mumbai: Mahindra United 1-1 Churchill Brothers SC
Goals: 1-0 Andrews Mensah Pomeyie (38'), 1-1 Odafa Onyeka Okolie (79').
Defending champions Mahindra United were held 1-1 by newly promoted Churchill Brothers in the 2nd round of the 11th National Football League at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai. Andrews Mensah Pomeyie was once again on the scoresheet for the Jeepmen as he gave his side the lead in the 38th minute of the match. James Lukram Singh sent a lobbed pass from the centre line towards Pomeyie who was waiting just outside the box. Pomeyie sped past Vinu Jose and Muyoti, controlled the ball and placed it into the far corner of the net past an advancing Vinay Kumar. The opening goal swung the tide Mahindra's way for the rest of the half. Churchill Brothers could have taken the lead in the 28th minute when skipper Odafa Onyeka Okolie dribbled past Mahesh Gawli and NP Pradeep but his shot hit the side-netting. Mahindra came close to doubling their lead in added time of the first half when Yakubu received a through-pass from Steven Dias but his shot swerved off target.

Churchill came out firing in the second half but were stifled by a well-organised Mahindra defence. Odafa tried for an equaliser in the 48th minute but a vigilant Pradeep cleared for a corner. Odafa tried a powerful shot from a difficult angle in the 58th minute but it was easily saved by Sandip Nandy. George Ekeh was waiting unmarked at the far-post and had Odafa passed the ball to him instead, the scoreline could have been different. Mahindra came close again in the 63rd minute when skipper Yakubu's shot was just parried by Vinay Kumar. The ball almost fell to Venkatesh but, fortunately for Churchill, Genius Zenith was on hand to make an important clearance. Churchill Brothers got their equaliser in the 79th minute through a brilliant header by Odafa Onyeka Okolie. Chitrasen Chandam Singh made a dash down the left and received a good pass from the midfield. His impeccable cross from the left was met by Odafa whose header left the Mahindra defence high and dry. Odafa thus became the top-scorer so far in the league with three goals from two matches.

Churchill Brothers remain on top with 4 points from 2 matches. Mahindra are currently second trailing Churchill on goal difference. Mahindra will host Mohun Bagan who are yet to register a win in the league on 14th January. Churchill will travel to Ludhiana to take on a confident JCT FC on 17th January.

MAHINDRA UNITED: 24-Sandip Nandy; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 4-Krishnan Nair Ajayan, 23-Steven Dias (85' 11-Mohammed Rafi), 7-Sushanth Mathew, 16-James Lukram Singh (85' 29-Rauf Sher Khan), 6-Shanmugam Venkatesh (64' 12-Manjit Singh), 10-Yakubu Yusif, 25-Andrews Mensah Pomeyie.
CHURCHILL BROTHERS: 1-Vinay Singh, 8-T Naoba Singh, 5-Nicholas Muyoti, 23-Vinu Jose, 17-Robert Lalthalma, 13-Mashangva Genius Zenith, 14-Chitrasen Chandam Singh, 32-Roque Barreto, 11-Khemtang Paite (46' 15-D Raju), 9-George Ekeh, 10-Odafe Onyeka Okolie.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep (Mahindra United).
YELLOW CARDS: Krishnan Nair Ajayan (56', Mahindra United); D Raju (70', Churchill Brothers).
REFEREE: S Suresh (Tamil Nadu).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat), BS Negi (Services).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Mohammed Kamil (Delhi).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Quarterfinal: State Bank of Travancore 5-1 Udaya SC - Goals: 1-0,2-1,3-1 Sylvester Ignatius (8',33',53'), 1-1 Ash Bai (12'), 4-1 Faizal (56'), 5-1 Martin John (61').
Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Semifinal: Central Excise, Kochi 5-2 Viva Kerala - Goals: 1-0,3-0,4-0 Anson (2',14',69'), 2-0 Javed (6'), 4-1 Shaju (72'), 5-1 Sunil (77'), 5-2 Feroz (88').

Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group C: East Bengal Club 4-0 Providence FC; Velsao Pale SC, Goa 8-0 Pondicherry Football Academy
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group D: JCT Football Academy 3-0 Simla Youngs; MDFA Academy 2-0 Eastern Sporting Union, Imphal
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group A: Mohun Bagan AC 0-0 Sikkim FA
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group B: Mahindra United 0-0 Mohammedan Sporting Club; SBH Singh FA 0-0 Goa United Sports Academy
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group C: East Bengal Club 1-0 Velsao Pale SC; Providence FC 7-0 Pondicherry Football Academy
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group D: JCT Football Academy 1-1 Eastern Sporting Union, Imphal; MDFA Academy 4-0 Simla Youngs

January 10

RESULTS & NEWS

Under the title "Bringing the NFL to Life" IndianFootball.Com's Harmit Singh Kamboe looks at options what could be done to enhance India's Premier football league.
Read the complete article here >>IndianFootball.Com Editor's Column .

11th National League - Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana: JCT FC 2-0 Mohun Bagan AC
Goals: 1-0,2-0 Sunil Chetri (9',40').
In a match between two former NFL champions the home side JCT FC beat their guests from Calcutta Mohun Bagan AC by two goals to nil at the Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana in a Round 2 match of the 11th National League. Former Mohun Bagan striker Sunil Chetri happened to score both goals for the Phagwara Millmen in the first half, making-up for his misses in the opening match against Mohammedan Sporting Club. While the win put JCT's NFL campaign back on track; for Mohun Bagan, who had won the Federation Cup at the end of last year, it means that they remain goalless and winless after two matches.
JCT FC: 1-Karanjit Singh, 2-Jaspal Singh, 4-Harpreet Singh, 3-Anwar Ali, 12-Daljit Singh, 13-Baldeep Singh Sr, 28-Shivraj Singh, 20-Adebayo Tokunbo Adewusi, 15-P Renedy Singh, 10-Chidi Edeh, 11-Sunil Chetri (80' 17-Parveen Kumar).
MOHUN BAGAN: 1-Sangram Mukherjee, 4-Deepak Kumar Mondal, 3-Fabio Cortez Vidal, 20-Sanjeev Kumar Maria, 17-Dulal Biswas, 18-Dharamjit Singh (85' 8-Dipendu Biswas), 22-Lal Kamal Bhowmick (46' 25-Pachau Lalam Puia), 23-Mehtab Hussain, 24-Sushil Kumar Singh (64' 16-Gautam Debnath), 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto, 15-Baichung Bhutia.
ONGC MAN of the MATCH: Sunil Chetri (JCT FC).
YELLOW-RED CARD: Sanjeev Kumar Maria (62', Mohun Bagan).
YELLOW CARDS: Adebayo Tokunbo Adewusi (76'); Lal Kamal Bhowmick (41'), Sanjeev Kumar Maria (56', both Mohun Bagan).
REFEREE: Rizwan ul Haq (Delhi).
ASSISTANT REFEREES: Deepak Singh Bisht (Delhi), S Saha (Delhi).
FOURTH OFFICIAL: Nazir Ahmed (Delhi).
For detailed information and pictures go to the >>IndianFootball.Com National League Special

Manipur State League: Tiddim Road Athletic Union 7-0 Kakching FC - Goals: 1-0 Helun Haokip (10'), 2-0 M Romi Singh (20'), 3-0 G Ninja Kabui (41'), 4-0,6-0 Lunminlal Khongsai (45',59'), 5-0,7-0 Saikhohao Tuboi (52',66').
Manipur State League: Manipur Police SC 2-2 YWC, Thambalkhong - Goals: 1-0 Deshkumar Singh (45'), 2-0 Rohen Singh (62'), 2-1 L Nabachandra Singh (78'), 2-2 S Shyam Singh (80').

Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Quarterfinal: Central Excise, Kochi 3-2 Garinchas, Malappuram - Goals: 1-0 Sunil (12'), 1-1,1-2 Nithin (14',16'), 2-1,3-1 Javeed (22',28').

Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group A: Jammu&Kashmir FA 0-6 Sikkim FA
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group B: Mahindra United 3-1 SBH Singh FA; Goa United Sports Acadamy 0-0 Mohammedan Sporting Club
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group C: East Bengal Club 7-0 Pondicherry Football Academy; Providence FC 0-3 Velsao Pale SC, Goa
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group D: JCT Football Academy 6-0 MDFA Academy; Simla Youngs 1-4 Eastern Sporting Union, Imphal
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group A: Mohun Bagan AC 9-0 Jammu&Kashmir FA; Vasco SC - Sikkim FA
Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 - Group B: Mahindra United 2-0 Goa United Sports Academy; SBH Singh FA 0-0 Mohammedan Sporting Club

::: Zee Sports to telecast NFL Matches to be held at the Barasat Stadium, Calcutta :::
There is good news for fans of Indian football. Zee Sports will continue their live and exclusive telecast of the 11th National Football League for the matches to be played at the Barasat Stadium in Calcutta too. These matches include one match in Round 3 and three matches in Round 4 of the competition. The Calcutta phase of the competition will begin with a clash between Mohammedan Sporting and East Bengal on 18th January, 2007. The matches had to be shifted from the preferred venue, the Saltlake Stadium, due to non-availability of the stadium during this period. The Kickoff times are still unconfirmed as Zee Sports would like an evening kickoff but the availability of floodlights hasn't been confirmed yet.

January 9

RESULTS & NEWS

Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Quarterfinal: Kochin Port Trust 4-0 Don Bosco, Vaduthala - Goals: 1-0,2-0,3-0 Loyed, 4-0 Babu.
Don Bosco Trophy, Kochi - Quarterfinal: Viva Kerala 4-1 Golden Threads, Ernakulam

::: JCT Mills renamed to JCT FC :::
Punjab's premier football club JCT Mills FC from Phagwara has been renamed to JCT Football Club as per a decision from the JCT management.

::: Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) India Finals 2007 in Mumbai from tomorrow :::
The second edition of the India finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) 2007 will be held in Mumbai from January 10 to 13, 2007. In total 16 youth sides of Clubs and Academies will be seen in action amongst them the defending champions Mohun Bagan AC. The Indian champions of the Manchester United Premier Cup (U15) 2007 would have to faceoff against the best U15 sides in Southeast Asia from 28 to 31 May to get a place amongst the best 20 sides from around the world in the global finals in Manchester in August.
Following are the Groupings:
Group 1: Mohun Bagan AC, Vasco SC, Jammu&Kashmir FA, Sikkim FA
Group 2: Mahindra United, SBH Singh FA, Goa United Sports Academy, Mohammedan Sporting Club
Group 3: East Bengal Club, Pondicherry Football Academy, Providence FC (Gujarat), Velsao Pale SC
Group 4: JCT Football Academy, MDFA Academy, Simla Youngs (Delhi), Eastern Sporting Union (Manipur)

January 8

RESULTS & NEWS

11th National League - Cooperage Ground, Mumbai: Mahindra United 2-1 Dempo SC
Goals: 0-1 Jerry Zirsanga (4'), 1-1 Andrews Mensah Pomeyie (10'), 2-1 Yakubu Yusif (81').
Defending champions Mahindra United began their title defence with a 2-1 victory over Goan side Dempo SC at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai today. New foreign recruit Andrews Mensah Pomeyie put on a stellar performance for the Mumbai side and was declared the Man-of-the-Match. He scored the first goal for his team in the 10th minute and then set up strike partner Yakubu Yusif to score the winner in the 81st minute. Dempo never looked like scoring in the last ten minutes of the match and it was actually Mahindra United who could have extended their lead in the dying minutes of the match as Mohammed Rafi came close to scoring the third goal for Mahindra.

Mahindra United suffered a jolt just after kick-off as Jerry Zirsanga scored from a Samir Naik cross from the right to give the visiting side an unexpected lead in the 4th minute of the match. Jerry Zirsanga almost repeated the feat at the wrong end of the field two minutes later when he nearly scored an own goal while trying to clear a Steven Dias cross. Parity was restored in the 10th minute through Ghanaian striker Andrews