Pune FC will look forward to open their away account when they take on defending champions Salgaocar Sports Club in an I-League (Round-9) encounter at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Thursday. The game for Pune FC is the third in this edition of the league and one fact they desperately look forward to wipe-clean is the unforgettable experiences they had in the two matches before.

Pune FC has reasons aplenty to look up and believe on the eve of the game and it begins by remembering the last encounter against Churchill Brothers at Fatorda seven months back which they won and catapulted themselves to a Top 5 finish. The other reason being the two-match winning streak (v Air-India and HAL) they carry forward into the game when they brace up with the Goans, who comparatively have drawn three successive matches.

Currently in eighth place on the league table, Pune FC has a task on hand against opponents who are fighting to improve upon the 10th place they currently occupy. Coach Derrick Pereira, an ex-Salgaocar SC player himself, says, "We have to do well for sure. The two wins at home must be taken ahead and that is because our opponents are a good side." While the coach talks of a "fighting performance," from his side to achieve points he does not rule out the fact that his rivals are a good side. "They are a set team with good players in their ranks and it will all boil down to who fights well till the end."

Pune FC who had an early morning pre-match practice session will be back to full strength for the evening game after striker Jeje Lalpekhlua and central midfielder Baldeep Singh joined the team after completing National duty. Likewise, creative midfielder Douhou Pierre, who missed the last match due to a one-match suspension, returns to give the coach confidence. The additions would give Derrick several options to choose from for his final playing eleven. Upfront Subash Singh, in Jeje's absence, has scored, while Douhou's inclusion will mean who among the four foreigners will sit out. "The rest period has done the players a world good and they are looking forward to perform," informed the coach.

On Salgaocar's performance this year, the coach opined, "Their results have been in their favour, but otherwise they are fighting side." Thursday's game will be the sixth meeting between the two sides, with Pune FC holding the edge winning three of which two have come in Goa. Salgaocar has won one game and never at home, while one match has ended in a draw.

Head-2-Head 03/04/11   IL   Pune FC 0-1 Salgaocar

29/12/10   IL   Salgaocar 0-1 Pune FC

17/04/10   IL   Pune FC 1-1 Salgaocar

17/01/10   IL   Salgaocar 1-3 Pune FC

05/04/09   IL-2   Pune FC 1-0 Salgaocar

HAL Bangalore vs McDowell Mohun Bagan: Winless in the last two I-league encounters and a loss to the minnows in local league, McDowell Mohun Bagan is definitely seeking redemption, when they meet the cellar-dwelling HAL in Bangalore on Wednesday.

However, there is no respite for the Subrata Bhattachayra-managed team, as several players from the starting line-up are out due to injury. Team is without medio Hudson Lima, dependable Rakesh Masih, striker Sunil Chhetri is also injured after dishing out a stellar performance in the recently concluded SAFF Championship, Chhetri's team mate and steady performer, Syed Rahim Nabi, with 4-stiches seemed to a doubtful starter.

While talking to media before the match Subrata said "No way we're underestimating them! HAL will get the home support; they are bound to play well. We're a big team and we always look for full points even in away games." With 5 points separating Dempo and Mohun Bagan, who are currently at the 5th spot in the league table, Subrata sounded confident, “This is marathon league, Dempo will surely loose points in their coming matches, we're very much in the title chase."

HAL is looking to bank on the low esteem of their opponent - Mohun Bagan, who lost their last match in the local league. HAL manager M Muralidharan remains confident and said, "This is our home match and we’ll go all-out," We will field a fully fit team, he added.

Match is slated for a 3 PM on Wednesday, December 14, 2011

13.12.2011: Mohammedan SC   1-0   Aryan Club ( YBK - FT : 90'+ 4'..)
MSC : Stanley 48'

MSC : Arnab, Azim, Suman, Tapan, Alfred, Safar, Goutam ( Lucky Imran, Muktar), Phoolchand, Adeola, Monirul, Stanley.

ARN : Shibram, Raju, Dipak, Mohon, Subha Kumar, Gopal, Subhankar, Surajit, Eric, Munna, Ogbuka.

48': GOALLLLLLLLLLLL ... Mohammedan SC scored goal through Stanley got the final pass from Alfred and beat Aryan Keeper Shibram to score the goal.

Pailan Arrows will take on Prayag United SC on Wednesday, at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. Prayag United head coach Sanjoy Sen said before the match "This is the first match in the I-League that we have a full strength team to choose from." When asked on Pailan Arrows inexperience Mr Sen said "They are a fit team and will work hard, but we are going all out to win this match."

Pailan Arrows on the other hand have yet to win a match. Sujit Chakraborty the team coach said "We have worked on all departments to win our matches but we are not getting the desired result. Prayag United is a really strong team and one of the best in the league but if we can get a goal everything might change." Pailan Arrows do not have any major injury worries or suspensions due to bookings so they too should have a full team to choose from.

Sujit Chakraborty added "We are not getting the elusive victory but one win might change our fortunes and we can only move forward from there." Both teams have their best available players to choose from so a good battle is on cards. It is to be seen if Pailan Arrows can provide some resistance or Prayag United will keep climbing the points table and consolidate their position in the league.

In the current standings Prayag is at fourth position with 16 points from eight matches, while Pailan is languishing at the bottom of the table on 13th position with 4 points from eight matches.

Sporting Clube de Goa coach Ekendra Singh has asked his team to put the disappointment of two consecutive losses behind them and get back to winning ways when they meet Air India at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Wednesday. Sporting Clube had an encouraging run at the start when they remained unbeaten in six games. But two consecutive losses, first against Mumbai FC in Pune and later against East Bengal, at home, has put the pressure back on Ekendra's side.

"The last two matches were disappointing. There could be ups and downs in the league. I understand that, but two losses in a row are simply not acceptable," said Ekendra. Sporting Clube have been hit hard by injuries with at least three of their regulars - Joseph Pereira, Bisheshwor Singh and Boboi Singh - all out due to injuries, but the return of midfielder Freiman Peixoto should help make up for the deficit. The Coach understands the team's difficulties at the moment but believes they have enough ammunition to bomb Air India.

"Three points are a must. I will not accept any other result", said the chief coach. Air India coach Santosh Kashyap said he was reasonably satisfied with the 10 points from eight matches, and is now eager to start winning after the dual setbacks against Pune FC and Prayag United in the last two matches.

"I am reasonably satisfied. We had a bad start but then got back to winning ways. The last two defeats have pegged us back but I believe this team has enough quality to do better than what we have been doing at the moment," said Kashyap. Air India will miss the likes of Nepolean Singh and Sandeep Sangha due to injuries. Sporting Clube remains at Sixth position with 12 points from eight matches, while Air India is a Ninth position with 10 points from eight matches.

Positioned just behind the league leaders Dempo SC and hoping to cash in on a weaker opponent, Churchill Brothers SC travel to Kerala to face Chirag United Kerala in the ninth round of I-League 2011-12 at the University Stadium, Trivandrum this Wednesday. Coming into the game from back-to-back draws and gaining confidence from holding the defending champions Salgaocar SC in the last round, Chirag Kerala will provide a tough challenge for the Goan side at home.

Churchill are also in fine form pocketing seven points from their last three games and looked like real title challengers against Dempo SC in the last round, a game they won with the help of goals from Antun Kovacic and Henry Antchouet.

But Manuel Gomez's weakened side have enough fire power to trouble any team in the league. It would be the duo of Bineesh Balan and Mohammed Rafi who would lead the attack for Churchill against Chirag at Trivandrum, with Beto and Henry Antchouet anchoring the midfield. The defensive line up headed by Australian defender Antun Kovacic will be hard to penetrate.

Meanwhile Nizam Pakir Ali's team will feature PK Anil Kumar, who scored his first goal for the club in the last match after rejoining them, and Nigerian David Sunday who looked impressive in his debut in the attack. Australian Michael Matricciani is expected to be back after missing out on last two matches with illness and it would be interesting to see how Nizam Ali would accommodate the foreigners in the squad.

In the league table Churchill are at second position with 17 points from eight matches, while Chirag are at twelfth position with five points from 8 matches.

Sport in the Global Society - Contemporary Perspectives Soccer, the most popular mass spectator sport in the world, has always remained a marker of identities of various sorts. Behind the facade of its obvious entertainment aspect, it has proved to be a perpetuating reflector of nationalism, ethnicity, community or communal identity, and cultural specificity. Naturally therefore, the game is a complex representative of minorities' status especially in countries where minorities play a crucial role in political, social, cultural or economic life.

The question is also important since in many nations success in sports like soccer has been used as an instrument for assimilation or to promote an alternative brand of nationalism. Thus, Jewish teams in pre-Second World War Europe were set up to promote the idea of a muscular Jewish identity.

Similarly, in apartheid South Africa, soccer became the game of the black majority since it was excluded from the two principal games of the country - rugby and cricket. In India, on the other hand, the Muslim minorities under colonial rule appropriated soccer to assert their community- identity.

The book examines why in certain countries, minorities chose to take up the sport while in others they backed away from participating in the game or, alternatively, set up their own leagues and practised self-exclusion. The book examines European countries like the Netherlands, England and France, the USA, Africa, Australia and the larger countries of Asia - particularly India.

This book was previously published as a special issue of Soccer and Society.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :Kausik Bandyopadhyay : An Academic Editor of Soccer and Society, teaches History at West Bengal State University, Barasat, India. A former Fellow at the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, Dr. Bandyopadhyay is the author of Playing Off the Field: Explorations in the History of Sport (Kolkata: Towards Freedom, 2007) and Playing for Freedom: A Historic Sports Victory (New Delhi: Standard Publishers, 2008); co-author of A Social History of Indian Football: Striving to Score (London: Routledge, 2006); and co-editor of Fringe Nations in World Soccer (London: Routledge, 2008).