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APRIL NEWS - 2008 East Bengal Vs Al Safa Match ended goalless in AFC Match 30.04.2008: EAST BENGAL: 1-Subrata Pal; 27-I.Surkumar Singh, 12-Anupam Sarkar ,7-Jayanta Sen,3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain, 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 15-Ike Ibe Gift , 9-Alvito D'Cunha(10-Dipendu Biswas),19-Syed Rahim Nabi (Snehasish Chakrabarty), AL SAFA :1-Nazih Tay, 2-Aliel Saadi,8-Mohamad Khorhani,20-Khodr Salame, 16-Ramez Dayoub,10-Rony Azar(7-Mahmoud El Zoughbi),18-Hamze Abboud(6-Nour Mansoor), 12-Rami Kaddoura,11-Mbassi Bernard Raphail(9-Hussain Tahan),3-Milat Pierre Polycarpe, 15-Bobby Prince CYC - Malaysia - 2008 : India U-19 in Group 'A' 30.04.2008: India U - 19 have been drawn in Group A together with two European and one South American football powerhouses in the second edition of the Champions Youth Cup (CYC) to be held from Aug 2 till 16 ion Kulalampur, Malaysia. while Defending champions Manchester United were drawn with last year’s runner- up Juventus in Group D while hosts Malaysia will once again have English giants Chelsea for company in Group B of this year’s Champions Youth Cup which will be staged from Aug 2-16. THe Groups Are Group A : PSV Eindhoven (Holland), (07.08.2008) Barcelona (Spain), (Flamengo (Brazil) and India U -19 will play in Kuantan, Pahang. India U - 19 FIXTURE 05.08.2008 : India Vs Flamengo 07.08.2008 : India Vs Barcelona 09.08.2008 :India Vs PSV Eindhoven Group B: Malaysia U-19, AC Milan (Itasly) Chelsea (England) Ajax Amsterdam (Holland)will be held in Penang. Group C: Lyon (France), Bayern Munich (Germany), River Plate (Argentina) and Qatar U - 19 will play in Melaka. Group D: Manchester United (England),Juventus (Italy),FC Porto (Portugal) and China U-19 to be played in Terengganu. The semi-finals and final will take place in Kuala Lumpur. AIFF :MEDIA RELEASE 29.04.2008:Following decisions were taken by the AIFF Executive Committee in todays meeting at Delhi: 1. The AIFF Calendar for 2008-2009 was approved. 2. ONGC I- League (1st Division) will start from 12th September 2008 to the 15th of April 2009. 3.ONGC I- League (2nd Division) will start from January to March, 2009. 4. 30th Federation Cup a) 1st Phase: Aug./Sept 2008 :(b)2nd Phase: October 2008 (c) 3rd and final Phase: December, 2008. 2. It was decided to form a two member committee to decide on the number of teams in the 2nd I-League(12 or 14 will be decided in 5th May meeting). The committee consists of Mr. S. R. Dev and Mr. Atuo Mezhur. They will examine the recommendations made by the FIFA and AFC experts that visited India and submit a report. 3. A venue inspection committee has been formed to inspect the new venues suggested by Goa F. A. And IFA (West Bengal). A expert from the Asian Football Confederation will be invited to be part of this committee. They will visit the proposed venues and submit their recommendations by the end of May, 2008. In case venues are not found suitable to conduct the matches, it was decided to shift the matches to a neutral venue. The committee will also visit the neutral venues. 4. The Committee reviewed the progress of implementation of the Club licensing regulations. They found that most of the clubs had made satisfactory progress. However progress made by a few clubs was unsatisfactory. 5. The committee decided to form a private limited company to conduct the I-League from the 2008-2009 season. This committee will have equity from AIFF and the I-League Clubs. 6. Financial assistance programme to ten selected state associations was approved. It was decide to give each association computers and other equipment worth Rs. 1 lac. It was also decided to conduct coaching, administration and other courses in these states. 7. An amount of Rs. 5 lacs was sanctioned towards education of the daughter of the late Mr. V. P. Sathyan. Financial help of Rs. 1 lac was given to Mr. Kanan who had to undergo an emergency heart operation recently. 8. It was decided not to entertain requests for conduct of exhibition matches or tournament involving foreign teams unless the procedures laid down in the AIFF circulars as well as the FIFA, AFC and AIFF regulations and Sports Ministry directives were strictly followed. 9. It was decided to charge a levy of Rs. 1 lac to the organisers of the match between Bayern Munchen and Mohun Bagan A.C on 27th May at Salt Lake,Kolkata. Only 2 foreign Footballers can play in Sahara Kolkata Premier League 2008. For All India Football Federation General Secretary Courtesy:www.the-aiff.com Bengal Peerless bagged rights for Bayern match 28.04.2008:Today The Football Governing Body of India, All India Footbll Federation(AIFF) gave the rights to Bengal Based Business Enterprise BPHDCL ( Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Ltd) to host an exhibition football match between German Giant Bayern Munich leaded by World No 1 Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and Indian National Football Team from Kolkata Mohun Bagan A.C. The Match will start probably at 6.30 PM on 27th May at 1,20000 capasity Salt Lake Stadium.Before kicking the match there would be some inaugaurational colourful cultural function. The famous event Management company of India, Percept D'Mark (PDM) has been appointed by Bengal Peerless in this regards to make the farewell match of Oliver Khan, one of the biggest matches ever played in the entire football history in India. Mr. Sanjay Kacker, COO North and East, PDM India, stated, “This is a historic moment for the football fraternity and we are proud to be associated with Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Limited in handling the ground activities of this final match. We will ensure that this is a truly memorable farewell for Oliver Kahn.” Chirag United reaches the main stream of I-League 28.04.2008:Bengal football lovers are very much delighted for the promotion of Chirag United in the Next 1st Division ONGC I- League which is excepted to be started from 2nd week of September this Year.Chirag has earned 9 points in their 3 matches out of 5 Rounds and remain on top of League Table in the final phase of ONGC 2nd Divn.I –League which is currently taking place at Guwahati,Assam. By beating Indian Bank 1-0 Chirag United confirms their debut in the 2nd edition of AIFF ONGC I-League (Ist Division).Today in the 2nd half Chirag’s Foreigner Luis’s solitary goal in 47th minutes provided the lead. After ending the goalless 1st half, Chirag gained momentum when coach Anjan Nath introduced striker Shankar Oraw who made an effective role alongwith Captain Theodor to break the defence of Indian Bank. The match saw some competitive football and attacking moves from both the sides but Indian Bank failed to equalize in the rest times . In this way, Chirag United has become the 3rd Kolkata Team to play in the next season 1st Division I-League.An another Kolkata Team Mohammedan S.C,Who is currently playing with 6 points after their 3rd encounter may be the 4th Team from Kolkata to qualify in the Ist Divn if they earn 1 point from their remaining 2 matches. After todays win, the General Secretary of Chirag United Mr.Alokesh Kundu told us over telephone that, he wants to see the team unbeaten in the remaining matches and also congratulates the boys and coaches and other officials of his Team to ensure the 1st Divn. Debut.. After a gap of 4, years 4 teams from Bengal will play again in the field of National Football (If Mohammedan can fulfill their target). The last 4 teams participation From Kolkata were East Bengal,Mohun Bagan,Mohammedan S.C and Tollygunj Agragami who played in the 8th NFL (2003-2004). In this regards, to express the views about Chirag’s excellent performances in 2nd Divn.I-League, from Qualifying Round to Final Phase, online Mohun Bagan Fans Club www.mohunbaganclub.com high profiles members like Shiladitya Mitra, Sourav Mitra,Trideep Sheet,Trinanjan Sengupta told us” We are very happy to see Chirag United has entered in the I-League 1st Divn as a Kolkata based team like our Team .In the very beginning of this season they steadily continued showing their excellent performances in the various Tournnaments like Sahara kolkata Premier Football League(3rd Position), Trades Cup (Champion).We hope,the Bengal football will improve a lot in future through their good performances in coming 1st Divn. ONGC I-League. Rabi Shankar Sen, the General Secretary of East Bengal orkut online fans community “East Bengal the real power” echoed the same view like their arch rival Molun Bagan for Chirag’s success.He expressed that", this was a product of Hard Work of Chirag Boys under fruitful guidance of Coach Anjan Nath.Their Excellent performances will help kolkata as well as Bengal Football in future to encourage the other Football teams to motivate them for better performance as a roll Model.We respect Chirag United’s struggle and also support the team after our mother Organistion East Bengal as 2nd option in I-League. The members of Chirag United orkut online fans Forum “Chirag United S.C fans club” wants to collect more members in their community after the teams promotion into the main stream of ONGC I-League.Not only that they are thinking to make a team Song as like as foreign team Bayern Munich,Chelsea,Arsenal,Everton, Barcelona etc. Arijit Dasgupta and Aantan Bhattacharya,the Owner and Moderator of this community jointly expressed their opinion : “ We are very happy about the performances of our team.We want to be the champion in the inauguration year of so called I-League from National Football League (2nd Divn) " The violet Brigade of Anjan Nath has proved “We can do it”. Moreover We are delighted to think playing against Dempo, Mahindra United,JCT,Sporting Goa,Air India,Churcill Brothers in the battle field of Ist Division I-league next season. After East Bengal,Mohun Bagan,Mohammedan S.C,and Tollygunj Agragami,we are the 5th team from Bengal as well as Kolkata to participate in the National level of Club Football Championship. Although we are aware that the financial and infrastructural condition of other 1st Divn. Teams of I-League are very much sound than us but we hope, the days are coming to fulfill our target and again we shall prove “We can do it”. Now cheer with us “C H I R A G ……… C H I R A G COCA COLA Football Talents Hunt launches in India A talent hunt targeting 3,000 young footballers in the age group of 12-15 years was launched across eight cities in India Friday by world reknowned soft drinkd Company COCA COLA. In 2003 - 04 Season Of Indian Soccer Coca - Cola was the Sponsorer of Goan Football Giant Churchill Brothers. To search football talensts and promising young footballer in the Country ,The Company initiative Coca Football Champs - inter-school tournaments will be organised in the eight cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Goa, Chennai, Bangalore and Kochi - and the winners from the cities would play against each other in the final to be held in Mumbai during the second week of May. All matches would be played in the format of of 50 minutes duration (20 minutes -10 minutes break - 20 minutes). In the case of a draw, winners would be decided trrough Tie Breaker shots. Former Indian footballers Babu Narayan, Pradip Dutta, Bhaskar Maity, Sunil Poojary, Peter Thangraj and Bernard Oparanozie shall supervise the selection process to search 16 talented boys from this Tournament for training programmes to be held at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil July 7-12. The camp, organised in cooperation with Brazilian Football Academy (BFA), will have 312 children from 26 countries,including India. During the Training period at BFA,The studsents will have the oppertunity to visit The Christ Statue,The Sugar Loaf,Gorgeous beaches and the Great Maracana Football Stadium at Rio De Janeiro. The Brazil Football Academy of Rio have 1 million Square Meters in the Area where 40 Football Fields are there for each and every groups of Students along with an accomodation of more than 500 students.For Entertainment of the students there also a cafeteria and leisure areas. In July 2007, we hosted more than 120 young, aspiring football players from at least 20 countries at the Coca-Cola International Football Camp, a unique program of specialized training and multicultural camaraderie. The weeklong football camp took place in Rio de Janeiro under the auspices of the Brazilian Football Academy. Former Brazilian national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira - now resigned from the coach of South Africa's national team - and his professional BFA staff developed a comprehensive training program for the participating teens, who received authoritative instruction about "the Brazilian way" of playing the beautiful game. Krishnendu Roy has been selected Coach of Bengal Santosh Trophy Team 2008 25.04.2008:Former India National Footballer Krishnendu Roy has been selected Coach of Bengal Santosh Trophy Football Team. Another famous Ex- Indian National Goal Keeeper Tarun Bose expected to join as Goalkeeper Coach of the Team.Meeting in this regards will be held soon. Krishnendu Roy who was a footballer of Indian top Football Clubs East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting and also played as a defender of Indian National Football team. He is a successfull coach of Bengal U-21 ,U-19 National Champion Football Team. 62nd National Football Championship : Santosh Trophy 24.04.2008:62nd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy will be held in Jammu & Kashmir from 25th May to 15th June 2008. Participating teams have been divided into eight clusters. Cluster I & Cluster II matches including the Pre Quarter Final match will be held in GGM Science College Ground ,Jammu while the matches of Cluster III to VIII ,Pre Quarter Final,Semi Finals & Finals will be played in Polo Ground & Srinagar Bakshi Stadium . Previous Santosh Trophy was held in Jammu & Kashmir in the year 1978.Bengal beat Goa 1 - 0 and won the Championship that year. defending Champion Punjab ,who are (7 times winner) alongwith Runners up West Bengal (29 times Champions) and the two Semi Finalists Kerala & Maharashtra have been directly seeded into the Quarter Final League Round which will commence from 5th June. Hosts Jammu & Kashmir take on Puducherry in a Cluster IV in the first match on 25th May at Bakshi Stadium ,Srinagar while Daman &Diu plays Himachal in another Cluster IV match. The matches in Jammu begin on 26th Apr 08 with Tamilnadu playing Sikkim and Bihar playing Chandigarh in Cluster I matches at GGM Science College,Jammu. The Semi Finals will be played on 12th & 13th June and the Finals will be palyed on 15th June Courtesy:www.the-aiff.com FIXTURE OF 62nd SANTOSH TROPHY 2nd ONGC I- League may start from September 2nd week 23.04.2008:The 2nd edition of AIFF ONGC I-League probably to start from the 2nd week of September this year.The Matches may be played only saturday and Sunday.Zee sports will telecast the live matches from the venues. the venue of the matches may be Kolkata,Goa,Ludiana and Mumbai. On the other hand, The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. Of India has upgraded to 'Priority Category from previous "Others Category" of the following Sports Disciplines including Football for greater international exposure.. List of upgraded disciplines : 1. Hockey (Men) - from 'General' to 'Priority' 2. Footbal - from 'Others' to 'Priority' 3. Swimming - from 'General' to 'Priority' 4. Basketball - from 'General' to 'Priority' 5. Cycling - from 'Others' to 'Priority' 6. Volleyball- from 'Others' to 'Priority' 7. School Games - from 'General' to 'Priority' 8. University Games - to 'Priority'. UEFA wants mandatory heart tests for all club players 22.04.2008: European soccer's governing body UEFA wants all professional players to have a heart test (cardiac screening ) before the start of each season in the European Championship .UEFA will start this process from June and also will try to extend the policy to club level. The proposal comes after a series of tragedies in which players suffered heart failure during a match.Seville midfielder Antonio Puerta died in August, three days after collapsing during a Spanish league match against Getafe. He was 22. In December, the 35-year-old Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell died just after leaving a Scottish league match against Dundee United. Acting on medical committee advice, UEFA has ordered team doctors for each of the 16 Euro 2008 teams to screen all 23 squad players before the June 7-29 tournament in Switzerland and Austria. A further UEFA rule now stipulates that a doctor must be among the maximum six team officials on the bench for internationals. Courtesy:www.uefa.com Beijing Olympic 2008 Football Draw for Men and Women 20.04.2008: Hosts China will meet five-time FIFA world Cup Football champions Brazil in the men's Olympic football tournament in Beijing 2008.Defending champions Argentina have been drawn alongside Australia,Ivory Coast and Serbia. FIFA president Sepp Blatter was present as FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke made the draw at the Regent Beijing Hotel exactly 110 days before the opening ceremony of the Games on August 8. Men's Draw results Group A (Venue :Shanghai): Cote d'Ivoire, Argentina, Australia, Serbia Group B (Venue :Tianjin): Netherlands, Nigeria, Japan, USA Group C (Venue :Shenyang): China, New Zealand, Brazil, Belgium Group D (Venue :Qinhuangdao): Korea Republic, Cameroon, Honduras, Italy In the women's event, China were grouped with Sweden and Canada, who knocked them out in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women's World Cup USA 2003, while the defending champion US have been drawn together with 2000 Olympic champions Norway, alongside Asia's emerging power Japan and New Zealand. Two-time world champions Germany will not have it easy, either, with Korea DPR and Brazil set to test them. Women's Draw results Group E (Venue :Tianjin): China, Sweden, Argentina, Canada Group F (Venue :Shenyang): Korea DPR, Nigeria, Germany, Brazil Group G (Venue :Qianhuangdao): Norway, USA, Japan, New Zealand The women's final is Aug. 21 at Workers' Stadium in Beijing. The men's final is Aug. 23 at the new 91,000-seat National Stadium in Beijing Camellia Group of Companies announces "Best Players" Award for CFL (Premier League) 2008 19.04.2008:It seems that the good days of Bengal Football is back, Camellia Groups of Companies,Kolkata have decided to sponsor IFA Kolkata Premier League Team George Telegraph Sports Club(Estd. 1925) for 2008 – 2009 season and consequently the club will be known as Camellia George Telegraph S.C. This was rebealed by Mr. Subrata Dutta (Secretary Camellia George Telegraph S.C) in presence of Mr. Nil Ratan Dutta (Chairman Camellia Groups of Companies, Kolkata) in an Welcome function of Bengali New Years Day at their Kolkata Club Tent today evening. Mr. Subrata Dutta further informed that, the Camellia Group of Companies,Kolkata will constitute an award alongwith George Telegraph to be presented to the Best Players of the next IFA Sahara kolkata Premier Football League 2008 . There would also a seperate award for the participating players of Premier League Teams along with Cash prizes and Camellia Trophy. The winners of each category will be decided by a panel of Football Exparts which will be announced soon. The Category of Awards : 1.Best Player Award : Cash Prize Rs. 50,000 .00(Rupees Fifty Thousands only) alongwith Camellia Trophy. 2. Best U – 19 Player : : Cash Prize Rs. 25,000 .00(Rupees Twinty five Thousands only) alongwith Camellia Trophy. One hope is that,more corporate house would tern forward for the growth and development of Bengal Football in future after watching this great endeavour of Camellia George Telegraph S.C . PIFA organize two more soccer camps to Europe this summer 17.4.2008:Following the sell out of the their earlier camps this summer, PIFA has planned 2 more camps to Europe.Premier India Football Academy (PIFA) has now planned two more camps in summer 2008 for college and international school students. The camp is open to all abilities of boys & girls aged 10-18 years. No matter what club you support, it is an experience of a lifetime. Train under highly qualified and experienced youth soccer coaches in the World. The AC Milan's Camp in San Martino al Cimino - Viterbo, Italy will be held on 22 June to 1 July 2008. AC Milan is the most successful club in the world and has the best youth academy in Europe. The Milan Junior Camps are the official youth camp of AC Milan. It is now accessible to Indian children only through PIFA. Going to a Milan Junior Camp means to live a vacation that will guarantee sports, a healthy environment, security, entertainment and education, all at the same time. All these ingredients are put together in order to teach high quality soccer. Children get to train just like the AC Milan team. It is an opportunity to be seen by scouts from the club. The camp will be hosted by AC Milan certified coaches. The children will train along with 80 children from all over the world. Each child will receive an official AC Milan Junior Camp Adidas Kit and a Milan Junior Camp diploma at the end of camp. A tour of the city of Rome is included in the package and if possible, a visit to AS Roma stadium. The London Tour - Arsenal will be held on 4 July to 13 July 2008. England, the home of football is the venue for this camp. The children will stay in London and visit Arsenal’s – Emirate Stadium & Museum. They will be trained by the best youth academy coaches from Inspire Academy. The children will also get to play friendly matches with local teams and visit an amusement center - Thorpe Park. Premier India Football Academy has already sold out the earlier two camps, 50 children will be participating in one of these 2 camps; The London Tour-Arsenal leaving on 27 April for England & the AC Milan Camp leaving on 12 May leaving for Italy. Both these camps featured a premiership game. For more details on all the camps email info@pifacademy.com or call Anjali Shah on 98202 68365 Courtesy:Anjali Shah (Marketing Director PIFA) East Bengal lost home match 2 - 4 to Al Wihdat 16.04.2008:East Bengal failed to take advantage in their home match against Al widhat today at Salt Lake Stadium in AFC Cup Broup B Match. After two successive wins, the red and gold brigade's quarter final hope is unsure as the Jordanians side took revenge their April 2 loss in Amman by beating East Bengal 4-2 in their away match . Wihdat again scored in the 22nd minute, with Mahmoud feeding by team mate Jaber, who did the finishing with a left footer. In 30th minute Brazilian Edmilson scored forEast Bengal by using his right footed punch from a pass off Mehtab hossain. Within next 15 munutes Al Wihdat scored two goals through Hassan Mahmoud ( 4 – 2)..In the 2nd half both teams were trying to scored but failed.East Bengal were reduced to ten men for the last 15 minutes, when Edmilson received marching orders after receiving his second yellow booking for kicking rival defender Hayder Kadhem directly in his belly. EAST BENGAL: 1-Subrata Pal; 27-Irungbam Surkumar Singh, 2-Muttath Suresh (7-Jayanta Sen), 3-Majekodumni Bolaji, 5-Debabrata Roy; 23-Mehtab Hussain ( 6-Snehashish Chakraborty), 26-Mehraj din Wadoo, 15-Ike Ibe Gift (20-Vinu Jose), 9-Alvito D'Cunha; 19-Syed Rahim Nabi, 30-Edmilson Marques Pardal. AL WIHDAT: 22-Mahmoud Ali Msallam Qandil; 5-Hasan Abdel-Fattah Hasan Mahmoud, 6-Basem Fathi Omar Othman (3-Fadi Faris Nimer Shahin), 7-Musab Nabil Mahmod Al-Rifae, 8-Amer Deeb Mohammad Khalil (12-Mosa Ibrahim Mosa Hammad), 10-Issa Husamaldean Issa Al Sapah ( 27-Bamba Aboudramane), 13-Rafat Ali Ahmad Jaber, 16-Faisal Ibrahim Khalil Suleiman , 19-Haitham Hasan Saleh Semrin, 20-Mohammad Jamal Amin Jarrar, 22-Mahmoud Ali Msallam Qandil, 29-Hayder J Kadhem. In the other match another Indian team Dempo stun Al Muharraq of Bahrin by 2 - 1 in their away match but they lost their home match 0 - 4 to them. Nigerian Striker of Dempo Ranti Martins scored 2 goals for the Team in 11th and 62nd minutes while Al Muharraq equalised in 77th minutes through a penalty by their striker Leandson da Silva who scored all 4 goals in thieir away match at goa. East Bengal is ready to fight Al Wihdat at home tomorrow 15.04.2008: "It was a great win in Jordan. Now the boys are confident of repeating the result tomorrow at Salt Lake Stadium, having beaten them at their home earlier in the month . Now our target is to win two home matches against Safa and Al Wihdat and there is no reason why we can't win those matches and make the quarter- finals." East Bengal Coach Alok Mukherjee told it in the team practice session in their home ground before meet Al Wihdat. Starting with a defeat against Safa FC in Lebanon, East Bengal beat Yemen's Ahli Sana'a at home before humbling the Jordanian club 2 - 0 in Amman. Now East Bengal's close rivals SAFA are on 5 points from three matches, but East Bengal have an advantage of playing two of their remaining three Matches at home. But Al Wihdat the last year's semi-finalists chances of progressing from the group stages as they lie bottom of the table with only two points. The Egyptian Coach ,Mohammed Omar of Al Wihdat admitted their home defeat two weeks ago was a shock, he is looking for his charges to bounce back in Salt Lake tomorrow. Recently his team won the league title and we know that our celebrations should continue with a win in India," he said. He told "We have looked at the previous match and have noted the mistakes we made.We must pressurise from the start of the game tomorrow and we are confident our players can do their duty and able to get an important three points from Kolkata. East Bengal’s major wins against Gulf Clubs: 1953: East Bengal 6 Lebanon Club 1 Romanian Youth Cup 1970: East Bengal 1 PAS Club (Iran) 0 IFA Shield Final 1990: East Bengal 1 East Rafa Club (Bahrain) 0 Rovers Cup 1993: East Bengal 6 Al Zawra (Iraq) 2 Asian Cup Winners Cup 2004: East Bengal 4 Negri Sembilan(Malaysia) 2 AFC Cup TOP Scorer:Cristiano Juior (6 Goals in 5 Matches : 2004) East Bengal Played against Foreign Teams: 119 Matches : won 55:Drawn 27:Lost 37:Goal Scored 184 : Goal Against 134 Probable Team of East Bengal Tomorrow Subrata Paul,Surkumar Singh,M.Suresh,M.Bolaji,M.Hossain,Debabrata Roy,Alvito, Mehrajuddin,Rahim Nabi,Edmilson,Gift Mohun Bagan Welcomes Bengali New Year 1415 Chief Minister cup - 2008 will start Tomorrow at Delhi 14.04.2008:Super Six league matches of the Chief Minister cup –DSA Institutional League championship, New Delhi, will start from tomorrow. The six qualified super league teams will vie for top honours in Senior & A1 division respectively of the DSA Institutional League championship which commences tomorrow at Dr. Ambedkar stadium. In the senior division the participating teams are : Food Corporation Of India (FCI-North Zone - Defending Champion) Delhi Audit Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Oriental bank Of Commerce (OBC) Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) Food Corporation of India Head Quarters. The A1 division super league teams are : Urban Development Ministry All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Airport Authority of India (AAI) Central Secretariat and Indian Airlines (IA). Urban Development Ministry will take on Indian Airlines at 1:15 pm. In the 2nd match Delhi Development Authority will take on Airport Authority of India at 2:45 pm while AIIMS will meet Central Secretariat at 4.00 pm. Top 2 teams of each division will qualify for the finals. Courtesy:N K Bhatia:DSA Secretary AIFF starts "Coaches Clinic" at Kalyani Stadium 13.04.2008:All India Football Federation has started a Special Coaches Clinic at Kalyani Stadium West Bengal from today. Famous Ex- Footballers and coaches of India, like Swarup Das,Tanumoy Basu, Debasish Mukherjee,(Bengal),Tarun Roy(Delhi),Victor Amalraj,,Peter Vales(Goa), Jo Paul Ancheri(Kerala),C.M.Ranjith,S.Balan,Francisco D.Costa,Thomas J(South India) etc. have taken part in this programme under guidance of Indian National Team's Technical Advisor Mr.Colin Toal. Mr. Toal is currently selecting India U-14 football team from Kalyani Camp where 30 Boys have been shortlisted .The Team will participate AFC U-14 Football Festival in Iran from May. The Clinic will run from 12th to 20th April. Mumbai Team will represent India In Budweiser Cup in England 12.04.2008: After beating the teams from Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka in the national finals of Budweiser Six-On-Six International Football Tournament Mumbai was crowned the National Champion. Now Jonathan Fernandes, Sheldon Fernandes, Allan Nadar, Denis Menezes, Arveen Thakur, Hekmat Singh and Osbern d Souza (Captain) of Mumbai Team will represent India and ''Live The Dream'' of playing against teams from 17 other countries at Manchester Uniteds home pitch Old Trafford in Manchester on May 5 . Teams from Cyprus, Norway, Sweden, England, Wales, Scotland, Paraguay, Ireland, South Korea, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, India, Northern Ireland,South Africa, Netherlands, Belgium and Italy will fight for the challenge for the 2008 Budweiser Cup title. This is the first year India is participating in the international amateur tournament. Win or lose is not a matter, the experience of playing at Old Trafford, the home ground of Manchester United, will create memories that will last a lifetime for these seven passionate footballers of Munbai who represent India" told Mr Anil Manjunath, head of Marketing for Budweiser in India.. The national winners will receive * Round-trip airline tickets to the United Kingdom * first-class hotel accommodation *Access to Manchester United training facilities *Exclusive tour of Old Trafford. The format of the tournament will be 20-minute matches under the six-on-six Side format. Torshe Farrel (Everton Cheif coach tecnical Advisor) , Robert Elstone (Deputy chief Marketing Executive). Everton and IFA launch coaching partnership programme in Kolkata 12.04.2008:English Premier League Giant Team Everton F.C today has officially launched a three years partnership programme with Indian Football Association (IFA - West Bengal). In a press meet today at Hotel ITC Sonar Bangla IFA Secretary Mr. Utpal Kumar Ganguly announced it in presence of President Mr.Satyabrata Ganguly,Torshe Farrel (Introducer of "THE EVERTON WAY" - former England international and technical director of Academy) and Robert Elstone (Deputy chief Marketing Executive) of Everton F.C. Mr. Elstone addressed "We are delighted to reach in Bengal and excited by this new partnership with IFA. It will be a coaches’ training programme aimed at developing the coaching standards at the grassroots and district level which is the breeding ground of footballers.the camp will be a seven-day training session from 13th -19th April under a 20-day year-long programme, the coaching process will continue throughout the year through www.evertonway.com internet online class. The grassroots initiative will give youngsters an opportunity to be taught the same way as some of the Premier League’s current stars including Wayne Rooney, Leon Osman, Tony Hibbert, James Vaughan and Victor The new programme will see the IFA receive: • Coaching services to football coaches licensed by the IFA. • Training services to referees licensed by the IFA.. • Expert feedback and assessment of the programme. . • Technical assistance of how to implement an elite football programme.. • IFA coaches to visit the Academy at Everton’s training headquarters, Finch Farm. The coaching programme will start from tomorrow at Salt Lake Stadium where 65 IFA nominated coaches wiil train from Everton F.C coaches and U-14 and U-16 Boys of Bengal will also be present in the training. IFA Secretary addressed that they are trying to launch three more academy like IFA-CSF Football Academy at Haldia in future. Tony "Tosh" Farrell is a coach for English Premier League Everton FC. He is lauded by many as the best youth coach in the country and frequently holds conferences and open days for children to participate including Everton's own "Mini Kickers". Tosh is responsible for the Everton partnerships with Everton FC America and the Ontario Soccer Association. The "Everton Way" is also a brainchild of his, it is the first training programme readily available on the internet. He is friends of Simon Clifford (founder of Brazilian Futebol de Salão schools in England )and a believer in Futebol de Salao style football. Clifford impressed with him and said. “Tony Farrell is one of the most inspirational coaches of young players I have seen. He literally had the children eating out of his hand. The most important ingredient is the investment into coaches and coach education”. Maradona denies to carry Olympic Torch relay 11.04.2008:The World Legandary Footballer,Argentine Mega Star and Captain of 1986 Mexico World Cup Diego Armando Maradona won't be part of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008’s torch tour towards Buenos Aires.But he was invited to be the first of 80 runners who will carry the Olympic torch across the Argentine capital. He is now in Mexico to watch Boca Juniors and Atlas Match.The tour Manager of Maradona told that,he did not cancel his commitments in Mexico and was set to remain there till next week. Maradona delayed his return from Mexico in an apparent bid to avoid the controversy. He was expected to be replaced Argentine Tennis Star Gabriela Sabatini on its last lap in Buenos Aires. The torch was set to cover just over 13 kilometres today through the streets of Buenos Aires. ICRC benefits from UEFA and Cristiano Ronaldo 10.04.2008:Manchester United football star Cristiano Ronaldo presented the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a cheque for CHF 100, 000 (around £50,000) just before Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League quarter- final second-leg match between Manchester United and AS Roma. The cheque was the first in a series of donations by the Union for European Football Associations (UEFA) to the ICRC as part of the UEFA EURO 2008 Score for the Red Cross campaign. Ronaldo is the humanitarian ambassador for the campaign, which is jointly organised by the ICRC and UEFA. Score for the Red Cross The campaign gives fans a chance to have fun while making a difference by purchasing virtual goals online in support of their favourite side. The side that gets the most goals will win the title of "Most Humanitarian Team". A weekly draw will also allow people who purchase at least seven goals online to win exciting prizes, including tickets to the UEFA EURO 2008™ games. UEFA will also donate €4,000 (around £3,200) for every goal scored – and €5,000 (around £4,000) for every goal scored by Ronaldo – during the tournament in Austria and Switzerland. Afghanistan The campaign and the money donated by fans and UEFA will benefit landmine victims in Afghanistan by providing them with artificial limbs, physiotherapy and vocational training. Ronaldo said: "Landmine victims need determination and a lot of encouragement on the road to recovery. I have a lot of respect for them and I want to support them. The great thing about this campaign is that everyone is a winner when it comes to giving and receiving. The website offers football fans a chance to have fun, while making a difference. What could be better than that?" Courtesy:The British Red Cross Society (ICRC Press Release) UEFA has chosen the ICRC as its official humanitarian partner for EURO 2008, which will be held in Austria and Switzerland. UEFA will donate 4,000 euro to the ICRC for each goal scored during the tournament. Interview with AIFF President by in FIFA Head Quarter FIFA.com: Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, please tell us why you came to visit FIFA? Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi: I came to FIFA to represent the AIFF (All India Football Association) at the meeting organised by the governing body of world football with the Asian Football Confederation. The aim was to give a status report on the Win in India with India project, which was launched almost exactly a year ago by President Blatter when he came to visit us in India on 15 April 2007. FIFA.com: And what is the aim of Win in India with India ? Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi: The President of FIFA clearly identified India as a leading country in the development of football. There is very high potential here and we have already begun to make improvements in terms of the professional game. FIFA and the AFC have set up a very detailed roadmap to enable us to make the kind of progress already seen in emerging Asian countries, and maybe even on a level with the up-and-coming European nations, in the next five to six years. There is particular emphasis on developing the professional set-up as well as youth football. FIFA.com: One of the main areas that you will be working on is the I-League. Where do things stand in this respect? Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi: We launched the Indian professional championship last year, with ten teams on board, and the season has just finished with Dempo SC finishing top of the league ahead of Churchill Brothers on goal difference. The championship was decided on the last day so it was a real cliff-hanger of a first season. Next year there will be 14 teams and we aim to have 16 by 2012, a 14-team second division and a ten-team third division. FIFA.com: And how do you intend to improve the standard of the national team? Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi: Its true that the national teams results have not been satisfactory, which is why the first measure that we will be implementing is to stick to the international calendar of friendly matches, and thats what we are working on at the moment. Our aim is to climb the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. We already made some progress last year when we won the Nehru Cup, one of Asias foremost tournaments. FIFA.com: Your U-16 team, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise, qualifying impressively for the AFC Championship in their age group. Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi: Yes, qualifying for the Asian U-16 Championship in Uzbekistan is an early sign of how Indian football is progressing. We managed to beat or hold our own against some of the big names likes Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Thanks to the support of a number of major Indian companies, the team was able to travel to Portugal and the United States to prepare for the tournament and that was a great help. We are holding out a great deal of hope for this team. FIFA.com: What are your five main aims as president of the Indian Football Association? Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi: First of all, developing the foundations of football in India and in particular amongst kids. Secondly, I want to improve the infrastructure of the clubs and the federations in every Indian state. Thirdly, use the support of FIFA and the AFC to install artificial pitches around the country. Fourthly, have a scientific approach to refereeing and physical development among professional clubs and finally, what all of these points are aiming towards: reaching the worlds top level by 2014 or 2018. Courtesy: www.the-aiff.com Win in India with India FIFA, AFC and AIFF specify contents of initiative 08.04.2008:A delegation from India visited FIFA yesterday to discuss FIFA's Win in India with India initiative, almost one year to the day since its launch on 14 April 2007. The delegation, headed by the President of the All India Football Federation, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, and by the Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Injeti Srinivas, was greeted by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Mohamed bin Hammam. The meeting focused on the implementation of the Win in India with India initiative. "I visited India exactly one year ago to see for myself the situation of football in India and to launch the Win in India with India initiative. Twelve months on, I have no doubt that Indian football is on the right track and following the economic, social and cultural development of this huge nation. I hope that development will be even further boosted by the programmes of FIFA, the AFC and the authorities of the Indian Union," said President Blatter. At the meeting, it was decided that Win in India with India would concentrate on developing Indian football at elite level, namely the top two divisions in India. The initiative will most notably focus on helping to develop infrastructure for clubs and on providing support in management and club licensing. The initiative will also support the development of national teams, particularly with regard to infrastructure. Training coaches, referees and technical directors will be another cornerstone of the initiative. There are also a number of other initiatives running alongside Win in India with India. "Vision India", which is part of the AFC's "Vision Asia" programme, and FIFA's Goal, Com-Unity and FUTURO III programmes are already concentrating on the development of amateur football and regional football associations in the states of the Indian Union whereas various government bodies are prioritising the development of football in rural areas and Indian schools. Therefore, in order to create synergies between the various parties involved, it was decided at yesterday's meeting that a four-party working group consisting of representatives of FIFA, the AFC, the AIFF and the Indian government should be set up as quickly as possible. Courtesy:(FIFA.com) News Service Last February, Fifa president Sepp Blatter who was in Delhi, promised to take Indian football to an international level India could soon have close to 60 new artificial football fields. For this to happen, the Indian government will have to cooperate with FIFA,which wants to sponsor the fields as part of its 'Win India in India' project. The project under the Vision Asia development scheme is the second in the country, with a deadline of 2011. Fifa president announced that the body was ready to consider the use of plastic pitches for the 2010 World Cup t South Africa. Meanwhile,The AFC will unveil a revamped Asian Champions League from 2009, and is keen on giving India a chance to not only qualify, but make its presence felt in the league in a big way as well. AFC wants I-League to be run by a separate legal and Commercial entity 07.04.2008: The AFC representative Tokuaki Suzuki, the vice chairman of AFC Pro League Ad-Hoc Committee today asked AIFF to set up a separate legal body for running the I-League and to convert the clubs into profit-making commercial entities if the country wants to take part in the next AFC Champions League. In presence of AIFF General Secretary Mr. Alberto Colaco at AIFF Head Quarter "Football House" at Delhi Mr.Suzuki told " 1.India has the capacity to meet the criteria and AIFF has the commitment to work on it. 2.There are a couple of issues which India will have to meet. 3.The clubs in India will have to be legal as well as commercial entity under the umbrella of AIFF. 4.The crowd participation in the I-league will have to be increased substantially. 5.Out of 50 critrieas under 10 heads if anyone of them fails in even one head it would not make the cut for next year. 6.The Ad-Hoc Committee will take a final decision on how many countries will take part in the Pro League next year on May 20. The AFC Professional League Ad-Hoc Committee has visited 21 countries from April 2007 and narrowed down to 15 countries for a second visit. Other proposed participating member associations include Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, Qatar, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China and Australia. AIFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco addressed that India is facing difficulties in fulfilling AFC's criteria but is optimistic of making it in near future to the top club competition. AIFF Media Release :Important Meetings for Indian Football Tommorrow . 06.04.2008:Two very important meetings, which can have a significant impact for development of Football in India, will take place on Monday 7th April, 2008. A high powered committee consisting of the FIFA President, Mr. Joseph Sepp Blatter, the AFC President Mr. Mohammed bin Hammam, the AIFF President, Mr. Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Mr. Injeti Srinivas, IAS, Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Government of India, will meet at the FIFA House in Zurich at 10.00 AM on Monday. This committee will discuss various matters related to development of football in India under the FIFA Presidents, Win in India with India project, FIFA GOAL Project and FIFA Referees Development Programme. On 7th April morning the Vice Chairman of the AFC Pro League Committee, Mr. T. Suzuki will meet the AFC General Secretary, Mr. Alberto Colaço at the AIFF Football House in Delhi to discuss progress made by Indian Clubs in the implementation of the club licensing norms. Mr. Suzuki will conduct a workshop for representatives of all ONGC I-League and ONGC 2nd Division League Clubs on Monday afternoon. Representatives of all the clubs are expected to attend this workshop. Besides representatives of AIFF Media and Marketing partners, Zee Sports, Bharti Enterprises, FIFA World Cup sponsors Satyam, Japanese marketing giant Dentsu are also expected to attend. For All India Football Federation Alberto Colaco :General Secretary 2nd E.K.Nayanar memorial International Gold Cup 05.04.2008:"E.K.Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup Football Tournament 2008 will start on and from 14th - 29th April at Kerala. This will be the 2nd edition of the international Football Tournament in memory of late Chief Minister of Kerala E.K.Nayanar. The chairman of the Organising committee E P Jayarajan told that, in this league- cum knock out basis Tournament, there would have three Football Teams from Brazil, Argentina and Nigeria alongwith five Indian teams. Ferroviaria F.C - Brazil and Kerala XI will play in the opening match of the 2nd E K Nayanar Memorial Gold Cup football tournament on April 14.The Kerala Chief Minister, V.S. Achyuthanandan, will inaugurate the tournament. Last year Nigerian Football Team F.C.Nania(Managed by formefer Ghanian Star Abedi Pele) beat Viva Kerala of India 3 - 0 in the Final encounter. In this year the participating teams are Group 'A':Ferroviaria F.C - Brazil :: Kerala XI - Kerala :: Sporting Clube de Goa :: Mohammedan A.C - Kolkata Group 'B' :Buenos Aires de Futbol - Argentina :: Bayelsa F C Nigeria :: INSC Manipur ::Air India - Mumbai Vivekananda Stadium :to be opened tomorrow at Khardah, West Bengal 05.04.2008: Newly built Vivekananda Stadium at Khardah, North 24 Parganas,West Bengal will open tomorrow.The Stadium is situated at 16 K.M far from Kolkata. Former Chief Minister of West Bengal Mr. Jyoti Basu will inaugurate the Stadium.Hon'ble Finance Minister of West Bengal Mr. Asim Dasgupta, Sports and Transport Minister Mr. Subhash Chakrabarty, Ex-Olympian and Padmasree Mr.Sailen Manna, and other eminent personalities will be present there to observe the ceremony. On 7th April an exhibition Football match will be held in this connection among Kolkata Giant East Bengal and Dr. Asim Dasgupta XI. PIFA is looking for Sponsor The academy has been at the forefront in development of football in Mumbai / Indian, with children from the academy going on to play for their school, local club, state & country. The academy has tied up with the best youth academies around the world. It has been able to successfully adopt the latest training methods and is focused on the individual player. Our mens team have had great success in the last 2 years. The team will play MFL Elite Division and it is our goal to play I league at the end of the 2008-09 season. We will be playing the likes of Mahindra United, Mumbai FC, Air India, ONGC, BMFC all of whom have budgets of Rs 20-50 million. We are looking for corporate sponsors for this very successful team. Please email info@pifacademy.com or call Nirvan 9820268644 for our proposal Brazil’s Kaka becomes world’s highest-paid footballer 03.04.2008:Portuguese journal Futebol Finance published the list of world’s highest-paid footballers without their advertising contracts. Brazilian football star Kaka of Italy’s A.C. Milan tops the list with 14.9.Million Dollar of income a year. Ronaldinho earned 24 million euros last year, of which 15 million were made with the help of advertising.But Brazilian Superstar ended his lap in the 2nd position with 14.1 Million Dollar this year. Kaka began his club career with Sao Paulo at the age of eight. He signed a contract at 15 and led the SPFC youth squad to Copa de Juvenil glory. Kaka made his senior side debut in January 2001 and scored 12 goals in 27 appearances, in addition to leading Sao Paulo to its first and only Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo championship. He scored 10 in 22 matches the following season, and by this time his performance was soon attracting attention from European clubs. AC Milan, fresh from winning the 2003 Champions League, brought him aboard in 2003 for $8.5 million, a fee described in hindsight as "peanuts" by club owner Silvio Berlusconi. Within a month, he cracked the starting lineup, and has remained there since. His Serie A debut was in a 2–0 Milan win at A.C. Ancona. He scored 10 goals in 30 appearances that season, as Milan won the Scudetto Kaka was a part of the five-man midfield in the 2004–05 season, usually playing in a withdrawn role behind striker Andrey Shevchenko. He scored 7 goals in 36 domestic appearances as Milan finished runner-up to Juventus. Despite Milan losing the 2004–05 Champions League final to Liverpool F.C. on penalties, he was nonetheless voted the best midfielder of the tournament, and also finished ninth, with 19 votes, in the running for the 2005 Ballon D'Or. The yearly income of the World Top 20 richest footballers 1. Ricardo Kaka :AC Milan : 9.000.000 € 2. Ronaldinho Gaucho :FC Barcelona : 8.520.000 € 3. Frank Lampard :Chelsea FC :8.160.000 € 4. John Terry :Chelsea FC : 8.160.000 € 5. Fernando Torres: Liverpool FC :7.920.000 € 6. Andriy Shevchenko :Chelsea FC :7.800.000 € 7. Michael Ballack :Chelsea FC : 7.800.000 € 8. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester Utd : 7.680.000 € 9. Thierry Henry :FC Barcelona : 7.680.000 € 10. Steven Gerrard :Liverpool FC : 7.680.000 € 11. Didier Drogba :Chelsea FC : 7.380.000 € 12. Wayne Rooney: Manchester Utd : 7.320.000 € 13. Iker Casillas: Real Madrid : 7.200.000 € 14. Michael Owen: Newcastle Utd : 6.720.000 € 15. Sol Campbell :Portsmouth :6.600.000 € 16. Raul Gonzalez: Real Madrid : 6.420.000 € 17. Ruud Van Nistelrooy : Real Madrid : 6.420.000 € 18. Rio Ferdinand :Manchester Utd :6.060.000 € 19. Darren Bent: Tottenham Hotspur : 5.940.000 € 20. Carlos Tevez: Manchester Utd : 5.880.000 € "The Everton Way" will arrive at Kolkata on 11th April 02.04.2008:A three-member Everton team led by its chief coaching instructor Tony Farrell will be in Kolkata April 11 to hold a week-long coaches' training clinic under a three-year deal with the Indian Football Association(IFA). Everton F.C, one of the leading English Premier League clubs, has agreed in principle to a three-year deal with the IFA (Football Governing Body of West Bengal) aimed at developing the coaching standards at the grassroots and district level.In this MOU with IFA and Everton,a three-members Everton team led by its chief coaching instructor Tony Farrell, who is also the head of International Football Development of Everton will arrivew at kolkata on 11th April. The camp will begin probably at SAI Compound of Salt Lake within a couple of days. The process of selecting a group of coaches and the whole process will be complete soon by IFA.In the second phase they may scout out a few talents who would then be taken to the Everton academy. Everton's chief executive Keith Wyness said on the website: "We are delighted to have agreed this new partnership with the Indian Football Association. It is currently an extremely exciting time for the game in India and hopefully our expertise at grassroots level can help shape the future of their game. Everton Football Club operates an extensive and highly successful Youth Academy. Players such as David Unsworth, Tony Hibbert, Francis Jeffers, Leon Osman, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe have graduated through the Youth system The most famous graduate of the Everton FC youth academy is Wayne Rooney, the England star who was transferred from Everton to Manchester United. Rooney was signed by Everton shortly before his 11th birthday and gained national prominence when he became the youngest goal scorer in the history of the English Premier League at 16 years and 360 days. Rooney was transferred to United in a deal worth more than $60 million dollars. In recent years, the Everton academy has produced a stream of players who have gone onto to play in the Premier League for the club PRESS RELEASE : MOHUN BAGAN A.C - KOLKATA BHAICHUNG SIGNS TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WITH MOHUN BAGAN (02.04.2008) We are pleased to inform you that Mr. Bhaichung Bhutia, professional footballer has entered into contract with our Club as a registered footballer for two seasons, i.e., 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. Anjan Kumar Mitra Hony. General Secretary I have been very happy playing here with the love and support I have received from the members, supporters and Club Management and I am pleased to sign a contract with Mohun Bagan for the next two years as well. Bhaichung Bhutia Registered Footballer AIFF PRESS RELEASE News - 1(01.04.2008):The Beijing Olympic Torch Relay being passed through India and is expected to be received by Indian Olympic Association, on 17th April 2008. True, that the Indian National Football Team Captain, Padma Shree Shri Baichung Bhutia was invited to grace the occasion, which is also an honour to the Football fraternity. But Shri Baichung Bhutia, expressed his desire not to take part or participate in this function, for some personal reasons, is purely an expression of his Fundamental Right and is own decision, totally unrelated to AIFF and Football fraternity. While Football as a whole and All India Football Federation is a part and parcel of the International Olympic Movement and especially for the forthcoming Beijing Olympics, 2008, it is a fact that on several occasions in the past, in the history of international sports and games hosted in several parts of the world, on the grounds of human rights against serious violence, artists, human right activists, players, scientists, academicians and eminent intellectuals, did express their mind in their own individual capacity without any assault to the honour of the Sports or Olympic movement. Peoples Republic of China and India are two important nations in the globe as well as great friends and partners of socio-economic progress. The Government of India is engaged in further strengthening the ties through several bilateral initiatives. We all welcome the Beijing Olympic Games and participation of India in the said event including the torch relay. Our Football National Team Captain Shri Baichung Bhutia, hails from one of our important Himalayan State, Sikkim. His concern on Lhasa incident is a concern of any other human rights activist or social activist or cultural legacy of the monks, etc, against the violence. I had a telephonic talk with Shri Baichung Bhutia and we understood his sentiments. All India Football Federation welcomes the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay as a part of the legacy of Olympic Movement at the eve of Beijing Olympics 2008 and we wish the success of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Sd/----------------- (P.R. DASMUNSI) PRESIDENT, AIFF India U-16 Football Teams Fixure in AFC U-16 Championship News - 2 (01.04.2008): From October 4th to 19th this year Uzbekistan will be the host for the event AFC U- 16 Championship. India kickoff their campaign against South Korea thereafter taking on Syria followed by Indonesia.. The semifinalist teams of this Tournament wiil be played in the next U-17 World Cup. India U-16 Team Will Play 4th October India Vs South Korea 6th October India Vs Syria 8th October India Vs Indonesia GROUP A 1. Iran 2. Singapore 3. Uzbekistan 4. Bahrain GROUP B 1. Syria 2. Korea Republic 3. India 4. Indonesia GROUP C 1. China 2. Saudi Arabia 3. Australia 4. Turkmenistan GROUP D 1. Japan 2. Yemen 3. UAE 4. Malaysia Japan who won the title two years back (2006) in Singapore after defeating DPR Korea 4-2 in extra time.