AIFF to celebrate ‘Fair Play Week’ from 26th August to 1st Sept '09 25.08.2009 ::To launch various initiatives on-ground and on air during the ONGC Nehru Cup 2009 as the world unites in fair play The All India Football Federation and its President in charge, Mr. Praful Patel, appeal to the players, referees, fans and officials throughout the country to help praise and promote the spirit of fair play on the FIFA Fair Play Days. “Fair play is essential to our sport and to everyone involved in it,” declared Mr. Praful Patel. “We need to cherish and nurture the values of sporting spirit and work tirelessly to keep up the momentum. We are appealing to all football fans in India to help us celebrate the FIFA Fair Play Days.” FIFA President President Joseph Sepp Blatter recognises the fundamental role of fair play in sport and the need to apply it to all sporting activities, including children’s activities. “Children need strong values to grow up with, and football, being a team sport, makes them realise how essential discipline, respect, team spirit and fair play are for the game and for life,” he commented. “FIFA’s Fair Play campaign involves much more than simply promoting fair play on the pitch during a competition. FIFA is committed to encouraging fair play in society too, beginning with our future – with children,” he said. Some of the initiatives, that AIFF will activate during the week would include: I. Fair Play Literature to be distributed II. FIFA Fair Play flag on the pitch during the teams’ line-up in the ONGC Nehru Cup 2009. III. Fair Play message and logo on the giant Screen at the Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi. IV. ‘Fair Play Week’ messages by players and officials to be shown on Zee Sports during the match telecast. V. The ‘Fair Play’ message to be displayed on AIFF website (www.the-aiff.com) throughout the week. Mohammedan S.C won the first Trophy in new Season 25.08.2009 ::Kolkata Giant Mohammedan Sporting srtarts their new season campaign by winning.Today they beat another I-League Ist Division Team from Kolkata Chirag United 4 - 2 in tie breaker in Kalna.the Final of Kalna Independence Cup 2009. Today Mohammedan took the lead oin 20th minute when they got a free kick near the Chirag Box. Experienced Footballer Satyajit Bose scored from the kick beating Ex-India and Mahindra United Goal keeper of Chirag United Sandip Nandy.In the First half Mohammedan was leading by 1 - 0 . In the 2nd half Chirag Coach Subrata Bhattacharyya got the positive result when he put Ex East Bengal footballer Parveen Kumar in the place of Malswamma Hmar..Chirag Equalised in the 58th minutes through substitute Parveen Kumar.Chirag was dominationg the match in the 2nd half half but missed some opportunities to lead.The match ended 1 - 1 in the schedule time. In direct Tie Breaker to point out the winner Mohammedan won the match 4 - 2. Dipendu Biswas, Rajeeb Ghosh, Babin Biswas, Bapi Chowdhury scored for Mohammedan.Parveen Kumar and Brazilian footballer of Chirag United Joshimar scored while Abhiskek Aich and Denson Debdas missed the target. In this Tournament Arnob Mondol of Chirag united was declared Man of the Tournament.Satyajit Bose was adjudged Man of the Match. Fair play trophy went to the organizing Team Kalna Super Soccer Club. The member of Kalna Super Soccer club Mr. Sougata Sarkar told that Ex Indian International Footballer Samaresh Chowdhury, Biswajit Bhattacharyya and Olympian Nikhil Nandy were present in the final to observe the game as Guest. VISIT Kalna Independence Cup '09 Mohammedan S.C: Nasim Akhtar, Peter Odafe, Anupam sarkar, Rajib Ghosh,Mir Faruq Haider,Satyajit Bose(Sasthi Dulay), Sovan Chakrabarty, Babin Biswas, Jyothi Kumar (Bapi Chowdhury),Dipendu Biswas, Goutam Thakur (Nilendu) Chirag United:Sandip Nandy, Abhishek Aich, Arnab Mondol, Kinshuk Debnath, Manas Das, Tulunga, Jayanta Sen (Basudeb Mondol), Denson debdas, Gouranga Biswas, Joshimar, Malswamma Hamr (Parveen Kumar) Mighty Syrians tame Lankan Lions, 4 - 0 SYR : Mohamed Al Zeno 26',Abdelrazaq Hussain 33',Abdul Alaga 37',55' M.O.M : Abdelrazaq Al Hussain (SYR) 24.08.2009 :Anirban Roy,Delhi ::The Sri Lankan Lions suffered a heavy thrashing at the hands of a mighty Syrian side here in the capital. It was expected to be competitive encounter and a game of a quick n nippy Lankan side against a long ranger floater game of the Syrian side, but Syrians dominated the encounter against the island nation. Sri Lanka looked comfortable playing short passes and position play in the beginning but soon Syrian got the taste of their game as they took over after 20th min all through extra time. In the 14th min Al Zeno shot from outside of the box as he clipped the post. A corner in the 26th min found Al Zeno who headed the ball in past keeper H.M.A Kumara for Syria’s first goal. In the 29th min a lob by Gunaratne was kept out by an alert Syrian goalkeeper Mosab Balhous. Alaa Alshbli received a long ball on the left in the 33rd min and his inch perfect cross found Al Housian who headed the ball in to give a 2-0 lead. He could have scored a brace as he dribbled past the keeper only to found the side netting in the 35th min. A through ball in the next minute found Wael Ayan as he passed it on to Abdul Fatah Alaga as he netted home to give Syria a 3-0 lead before halftime. After the break, Sri Lanka came out stronger as they tried to play from the wing and attempted through balls but a sturdy Syrian defence cleared with ease. In the 55th min, Al Housian went past two defenders as his shot was saved by Kumara but Alaga pounced on the rebounded cross to score from 5 yards to make the score 4-0. After the clock hit 60, Raumy Mohideen and Issadeen provided numerous crosses into the Syrian box but defenders Feras Ismail and Daim cleared with ease and created opportunities for counter attacks. The score remained 4-0 as Sri Lanka tried hard to control play and dominate but their attempts were thwarted by the bodily Syrian defenders. After the final whistle Lankan coach Sampatha Perera looked dejected as he accepted defeat. Syrian coach Fajer Ibrahim lamented his boys playing during Ramadan as he showed his displeasure towards the hot and humid weather of the capital. He looked forward to his match against their neighbours Lebanon, as he set his sights on the final. LATEST TABLE TEAMS M W D L GF GA GD PT Syria 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 6 Lebanon 2 1 0 1 4 4 0 3 India 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3 Sri Lanka 2 1 0 1 4 7 -3 3 Kyrgyzstan 2 0 0 2 1 4 -3 0 Fixtures of 114th IFA shield has been released 24.08.2009 :: Historical 114th edition of IFA shield will start from 30th August..The inauguration match will be played between Mohammedan S.C and Shillong Lajong S.C. and East Bengal will face Tata Football Academy the winner of Prodyut Dutta Memorial Cup .Today in a press meet IFA secretary Utpal Kumar Ganguly has announced the Fixtures of the 12 teams IFA shield.The venues of the Tournament will be announced later after visiting the Groun Conditions by IFA officials. The Group league match will start from 2.45 and the Semi Final And final will be played from 3.05 PM. ESPN will telecast the match live from Semi Final and Final which is scheduled to be played in Salt Lake Stadium. THE GROUPS   GROUP A : East Bengal, Chirag Utd, TFA, GROUP B : Mohammedan S.C, Churchill Bros., Shillong Lajong F.C GROUP C : Mohun Bagan, George Telegraph, Mahindra United GROUP D : Air India, Pune F.C, AS Doune (SENEGAL)     FIXTURES 30.08 : Mohammedan S.C Vs Shillong Lajong F.C 30.08 : Air India Vs Pune F.C 01.09 : Chirag United  Vs  TFA 01.09 :  Camellia George Telegraph  Vs Mahindra United 02.09 : Mohammedan S.C Vs Churchill Bros 02.09 : AS Doune (Senegal) Vs Air India 03.09 : East Bengal Vs TFA  03.09 :  Mohun Bagan Vs Camellia George Telegraph   04.09 : Churchill Brothers VS  Shillong Lajong F.C 05.09 : AS Doune (Senegal) Vs Pune F.C 06.09 : East Bengal Vs Chirag United    06.09 : Mohun Bagan Vs Mahindra United 08.09 : 1st Semi (Gr. B Vs D) 09.09 : 2nd Semi (Gr. A Vs C) 12.09 : (F-I-N-A- L) Winner of 1st Semi Vs 2nd Semi   One dead in Football Hooliganism in Kolkata 24.08.2009 ::Supporters of two local football clubs clashed with bombs and Pistols after a match today.One person who was a small businessman, 19 years old Amirul Sardar (Vegetable Seller by his own Van) killed and a holiday resort set ablaze . At least 15 persons were also injured during the clashes which started on the football field in Rajarhat ,Sekharpur area after the supporters of the defeated team apparently without any provocation attacked the supporters of the winners with bombs and Pistols, police said. Police said 10 persons have been arrested . When local people gathered at the scene, the attackers rushed to the nearby ''Vedic Village'' resort to take shelter and the local mob set several cottages of the resort on fire, believing some supporters of the rival team had taken shelter there and some vehicles also were also smashed in the arson. There was no report of any foreign tourists being trapped in any of the cottages in the resort. "It's a great honour for me " - Bhaichung Bhutia 24.08.2009 ::Bhaichung Bhutia playing his 100th match couldn't have asked for more. He scored the first goal for India on a evening where India beat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 to register their first win of the ONGC Nehru Cup. Bhaichung said" It was a great honour for me to play my 100th match and win it. People dream of this kind of a thing to happen and I am very happy to realize it. Winning my 100th match, scoring a goal and being adjudged the man of the match, I couldn't have asked for more.I dedicate this win to my team." Chief National coach of India Bob Houghton was happy to win and get 3 points. He also praised the field which had come under sever criticism after the first match and opined that the field was nice to play on. "I am happy that Bhaichung scored the goal playing in his 100th match and also got the man of the match award. Subrata was brilliant today. Kyrgyzstan played really well compared to their last match against Syria", was what Bob Houghton had to say at the various questions thrown at him by the media at the post match press conference. The Kyrgyz coach on a low note contemplated on his side's close loss. "We had equal chances to score especially in the second half. We had to move all the players up at the later stage", was what he had to say. Courtesy : www.the-aiff.com SHORT PROFILE How to his 100 Match and 42 Goals for India Played upto 17 Matches for Nehru Cup = 7 Goals Played upto 5 Matches for AFC Challenges Cup = 4 Goals Played upto 20 Matches for SAAF Cup = 13 Goals Played upto 4 Matches for Afro Asian Games = 2 Goals Played upto 4 Matches for Pre-Olympic = 2 Goals Played upto 5 Matches for LG Cup (u-23 Team) = 2 Goals Played upto 8 Matches for Asia Cup = 1 goal Played upto 10 Matches for Asian Games = 4 Goals Played upto 13 Matches for Pre- W.C = 2 goals Played upto 14 Matches for Friendly = 5 Goals India scrapes past Kyrgyzstan 2 - 1 in 2nd Match 23.08.2009 :Anirban Roy,Delhi ::India showed an inspired performance against a promising Kyrgyzstan side to beat them hands down and put three vital points in their kitty. Leading the team was henchman Bhaichung Bhutia as he scored the first goal for the Blue Brigade on his 100th appearance for the national team. It wasn’t easy for India as Kyrgyzstan came out guns blazing against an off-colour Indian mid-field.. Harchenko got the ball in the 9th min through the box as keeper Subrata Pal made a brilliant one-on-one save. An young Kyrgyzstan midfield played short wall passes enroute to the Indian box but inumerous shots were saved by the custodian Subrata Pal, as he got hint of the things to come. In 42nd min a long goal kick by Subrata Pal found Bhaichung in the box as he turned his marker and placed the ball past the Kyrgyzstan keeper, before hitting the inside post.. India entered the tunnel with a goal off their chest. India started the second half on a high as Climax Lawrence’s shot from top of the box found Bhaichung in the rebound who just cranked the post & sent the crowds cheering. In the 57th min Sunil Chhetri got a ball from the right as he laid off Bhaichung who dribbled past the keeper & fell a scarecrow as the keeper caught his foot leading to a penalty. Chhetri placed the ball calmly in the right corner as he gave India a much needed lead. Two mins later, Mirzaliev was caught from behind in the box by Gourmangi Singh as the referee gave a penalty. Subrata Pal again flashed his name on the screens as he saved a brilliant penalty and kept India in the game. Renedy Singh came in for Anthony Pereira in the 70th min as he, Bhaichung & Chhetri made some good moves in the opposition half. A pass by Bhaichung to Chhetri made Chhetri just shoot wide off the right post in the 76th min. There were nervous last 15 mins as Kyrgyzstan came out guns blazing in the Indian half as India looked vulnerable. Bhaichung received a standing ovation as he was replaced by Sushil Singh in the 82nd min. Kyrgyzstan kept attacking and Indian side backs allowed the wingers ample space to provide crosses. A pass for Sidorenko saw him shooting a bullet as his attempt hit the crossbar & went for a goal kick. As the clock hit 90th min Mirlan Murzaev took the ball from left played a wall with Anton Zemliannuhin & shot past Subrata Pal to score a goal. India survived a scare as another attempt hit the bar & went out in extra time. Coach Bob Houghton was pleased with India’s performance as Bhaichung got the Man of the Match award from Delhi player Jatin Bisht (of ONGC). Also Houghton laid forth his next assignment against their sub-continental neighbours Sri Lanka,who have impressed him to a great extent with their simple and endearing game. India : Subrata Pal, Anwar Ali, Gouramangi Singh,Deepak Mondal, Mahesh Gawli, Climax Lawrence, Steven Dias, N.P. Pradeep (Mehraj 87'), Anthony Pereira (Renedy 70'), Sunil Chetri, Baichung Bhutia (Sushil 82') ONLINE UPDATES 90+4: Match ends, India wins 2 - 1. 90+3: Center nicely headed out by Anwar. 90+2: Attack by KZK down, nicely tackled by Rennedy. 90: 4 minutes injury time. 89: KZK scores 1 goal, No. 18 Mirin scores, pushing the ball past goalkeeper Subrata with right foot after dribbling two defender of India. 89: Climax snatches the ball nicely but his run stopped by KZK midfielder. 88: Renedy fouls Anton. Free kick for KZK. 87: Mehraj in Pradip out. 87: Renedy pass to Mahesh, but his center goes out. 86: KZK mainly attacking down left flank of India. 85: India defence has become little complacent, KZK attacks and takes a shot which beat Subrata and goes over cross bar. 84: Pradip pass to Sushil, who holds the ball, turns and takes a shot, but the attempt is a very weak one. 82: Baichung out, Sushil in 81: Another attack on India defence, but cleared by defence. 79: Subrata makes 2 back to back brilliant saves to deny KZK from scoring. 77: Another lucky escape for India, No. 17 shot beat Subrata and hits cross bar. 76: Counter attack, Baichung makes a down the middle run and gives pass to Sunil, who takes left footed shot that narrowly misses target. 75: Another brilliant tackle by Anwar. 74: An easy goal missed by KZK, center from right flank, Subrata could not judge the ball properly, but KZK player could not head the ball in empty goal, ball goes out. 73: Close shave for India goal, brilliantly intercepted by Anwar. 70: Renedy comes in place of Anthony Pereira. 67: Dipak injured, strechered out. 66: Dipak and Mahesh being basically stoppers, today really played well in side back position. 64: Baichung pass to Anthony, his left footed shot goes wide. 61: KZK attacks, takes shot from outside box but goes straight to Subrata. 59: Subrata saves penalty by brilliantly diving to right side. 58: KZK gets penalty for Gourmangi tripping No. 8. 57: Sunil scores from penalty. 56: Baichung tripped by goalkeeper, India gets penalty. 55: Corner goes to Gourmangi in far post, his center cleared by defence. 53: Anthony pass to Mahesh in left flank, Mahesh shot saved by goalkeeper for corner. 52: KGZ attack, but cleared by Mahesh. 50: Baichung gets loose ball, but holds the ball too long, cleared by defence. 49: Brilliant long ball by Baichung, Steven runs down right flank, but cleared by defence. 48': Inspiring play by India. Baichung pass to Steven, his center, Pradip shot saved by goalkeeper. From rebound, Baichung takes left footed shot, hits post. 47': Pradip pass to Sunil, gets past 2 players but takes weak shot. 46': Mahesh injured, gets up, match starts again. 45': India is leading 1 - 0.. Baichung Bhutia scored for India.It is his 7th Goal in Nehru Cup from 1995 and 100th match for Indian National team 43': Subrata paul's back kick directly went to the Kyrgyz box where Baichung collected the ball.. dribbled two players,, pushed the ball with his left foot.. goal.. 42'; Goall... Baichung Scored for India. It is his 7th Goal in Nehru Cup.. 41': India defence just blocked a Kyrgyz right sided attack.. 38': India playing long ball.. Baichung and Sunil duo oftenly opened the goal mouth of Kyrgyz.. 35': Hyrgyz defence is very tight and playing well.. They are able to block each movement of India.. 33':Counter attack of Kyrgyz from right side.. India defence cleared easily.. 31':India got a free Kick.. Steven taken the shot.. no impact in the opponent box. 30': Still no score.. In 2007 Nehru Cup India beat Kyrgyz 3 - 0.. 26':Baichung dribbled two kyrgyz player.. passed to pradeep,, he centered.. defence of Kyrgyz cleared. 23': Pradeep slightly injured.. he is lying in the ground..under Doctors treatment 21': Kyrgyz good attcak from right side.. wall pass between two.. shoot but India keeper was alert.. 20': No score yet.. India is trying to put pressure from both side. 10': Baichung tried.. His header went away off a steven dias right sided lob. 9':Unbelievable missed by Kyrgyz.. Subrata Paul saved an one to one attack of Kyrgyz ..a solo attack of their striker. 7':Again attack of India from right side.. Logn ball.. Chhettri's header went away. 5': N.P missed a header ..crossed from right flank 2': Good save by Subrata plaul a movement of Kyrgyz. AFC "B" Certificate Course at Jamshedpur 23.08.2009 : ::The second practical examination for the AFC "B" certificate course coaches are over at Jamshedpur and the course is proceeding to the third and final phase. The following photographs will show the practical examinations of the Ms. Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar (Former captain of the Women' National team and Coach), M/s Subrata Bhomick, Xavier Pius (Former Captain of the Indian team), Sebastiao Roberto Fernandes (Former captain of the Indian team), Prasanta Chakraborthy and Bernar A Opernozie (Former player represented Kolkata glamour teams) being assesed by Gabriel.E.Joseph AFC Instructor and Director of coaching, AIFF