Ground problems continue to plague I-League football

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) With just two days left for the second edition of the I-League to start, the age-old problem of quality grounds has returned to haunt Indian football.

This time Mumbai has been hit hard due to the poor condition of the Cooperage Stadium and it seems that Delhi and Pune are in the race to host its matches as neutral venues.

In the past few editions, Kolkata grounds were a headache for All India Football Federation (AIFF).

This time with three Mumbai teams - Mumbai FC, Mahindra United and Air India - in fray, Mumbai is set to host 33 matches. And the AIFF is struggling to find a suitable ground as the Cooperage Stadium, whose redevelopment plans have been stalled due to a court case, is not in a good shape.

AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi Wednesday accepted that the professional league, which is in its second year, is suffering due to the lack of infrastructure.

‘This time we are having problems of hosting matches at the Cooperage because the ground is not in a good shape. We have allotted first two matches at the Cooperage and if we are satisfied, then we will take a decision where to host the remaining of the Mumbai matches,’ Dasmunsi told reporters here.

Mahindra United’s home game against Kolkata’s Chirag United Oct 4 and the derby between Mahindra and newly promoted Mumbai FC Oct 11 are the only two matches given to Cooperage till now.

Dasmunsi also added that the D.Y. Patil Sports Complex in Navi Mumbai, which hosted the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, is still being negotiated as an alternative to the Cooperage. Within the state, Kolhapur, which hosted the second division of the I-League also stands a chance to host the matches.

The D.Y. Patil Sports Complex authorities are charging Rs.1.2 million to host a match, but the amount exceeds AIFF’s budget.

‘The authorities of the D.Y. Patil Sports Complex were charging a huge amount per match. But our senior vice-president Praful Patel is negotiating with them so that we get the ground at a reasonable cost,’ Dasmunsi said.

The Western India Football Association (WIFA) officials hoped that the Cooperage Stadium will be able to host all the home matches of the Mumbai teams.

‘We accept that there are a few problems but the turf is in an excellent shape,’ WIFA assistant secretary Wali Mohammed told IANS.

Wali admitted that a case filed by Jamshed Kangra, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is lying in the Bombay High Court and that is also a reason why WIFA was not able to redevelop the ground.

‘The case which was filed against the redevelopment plan three years back is in the Bombay High Court. For that we can’t do any construction work here but still the existing facilities are good enough to host the matches,’ he added.

News Courtsey:SindhToday.net

AIFF planning international friendlies during I-League break

New Delhi (PTI): The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is planning a couple of friendlies for the national team during the 45-day break between the two legs of I-league.

The I-League will have a 45-day break after the end of the first leg on November 30 to facilitate completion of the Federation Cup's final round, to be held in Delhi and Gurgaon from December 5 to 22.

"Following this the national players will assemble for a camp from January 2 to 10 during, which we are planning the friendlies," AIFF secretary general Alberto Colaco said during the launch of the second I-League here on Wednesday.

"Efforts are on to get China and another team to play against India," Colaco added. This season's I-League, scheduled to start from Friday, will get over by April-end, Colaco said.

The I-League teams are required to have coaches who are A license holders, a must for competing in the 2009 pro-league. But with some coaches still to acquire the license issued by AFC, the AIFF said it was trying to get more time to fulfill the criteria.

"We have requested the AFC to give us some time to so that our coaches can fulfill the criteria," said AIFF president Priyaranjan Dasmunsi. The AIFF chief also said he has approached some corporate houses to sponsor some of the clubs.

News Courtsey: Hindu.com

Cool Links

toomanyballs
Kickoff.com/

AIFF fails to appoint a CEO to run I-League football

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) step towards professionalising the game has suffered a initial set-back as the second edition of the I-League football will start Friday without a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).The AIFF last month created three posts - chief executive, manager and assistant manager - to run the professional league on the basis of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) guidelines.

But till now the national body has failed to appoint anyone for all the three posts.

The second edition will be very crucial as the AFC will be monitoring it closely. If the AIFF fails to fulfil the criteria set by AFC to run a professional league, it may cost India a berth in the Champions League.

In fact, when the I-League was launched last year on the basis of AFC pro-league, the AIFF was very much aware of the fact that it has to appoint a CEO and other officials under a separate body to run the league.

However, an I-League Committee has been formed and AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said that the national body has applied for registration under the Societies Registration Act. AIFF general secretary Alberto Colaco will be the chairman and Srinivas Dempo the deputy chairman of the committee.

“Till now we didn’t get a good candidate for the post of CEO. We are still looking for it and our host broadcaster Zee Sports is helping us to find a suitable person. So we have decided to appoint an acting CEO for the time being,” Dasmunsi told reporters here Wednesday.

But a senior member of the committee told IANS on the condition of anonymity that it will take a month or two to even appoint an acting CEO.

The chief executive’s role will be to run the I-league and also oversee other domestic tournaments, design and implement programmes to help the professional clubs. The manager will help the chief executive in handling serious cases of players’s registration an transfer.

News Courtsey:Thaiindian.com

Dempo lifts tempo for India

By R. Ravi Kumar


File picture of Indian football fans celebrating.


Posterity might well view 2008 as the breakthrough year for Indian football when the beautiful game stopped playing second fiddle to cricket.

Hot on the heels of India’s historic win in the AFC Challenge Cup in August which also booked their passage to the AFC Asian Cup 2011, Dempo Sports Club have become the first team from the sub-continent to enter the semi-finals of the AFC Cup, hitherto alien and intimidating territory.

India boasts of some of the world’s oldest football clubs and tournaments.

Mohun Bagan (established in 1889), Mohammedan Sporting (1892) and East Bengal Club (1920) figure prominently in the vintage list of clubs while the Durand Cup (since 1888) is the third oldest tournament in the world followed by the IFA Shield (since 1893).

But the appeal of football has plummeted over the years, leading to empty stadiums and an overall drop in the quality of the game.

This is where Dempo’s success could herald a new beginning by enticing fans back to the stadiums and restoring football to its once pre-eminent position in the second most populous country in the world.

“With the national team winning the AFC Challenge Cup, football in India is going up, and as an Indian coach, I am really happy about that,” said Dempo coach Armando Colaco after their win over Home United of Singapore.

Dempo might be arrivistes on the Indian football scene but have gained wide-spread popularity with their do-or-die attitude and devotion to total football.

Established only in the late 1960s, the club played a peripheral and regional role for decades before bursting into the limelight by clinching the countrywide league title thrice in the last four years.

But continental success proved elusive and the Panjim-based side’s two previous forays in the AFC Cup turned out to be chastening experiences by any standards.

In 2005, they were rewarded for their maiden league win with a berth in the AFC Cup but lost all their matches in a three-team group, shipping seven goals without scoring any.

There was a slight improvement in 2006 and though Dempo finished a distant second in a group of three, they seemed to have gotten a good measure of how the game is played by other Asian sides and returned this year to implement the hard-learned lessons.

“This is the result of keeping the team together for eight years and putting the focus on performance and not just results,” said Colaco.

“I am happy to have brought them so far.”

Having scraped past Home United, Dempo now have a chance to make real history and re-catapult the sport to its former highs.

Standing between them and a coveted berth in the final are Safa FC of Lebanon and Colaco would do well to remember that West Asian teams have run the rule in the AFC Cup since its inception in 2004.

And, with three teams from West Asia in the last four this time, Dempo will need every bit of their combative spirit to provide the moment football historians would be tempted to chronicle as the turning point for Indian football.


CLUB PROFILE
Name: Dempo Sports Club
Country: India
Founded: 1960s
Coach: Armando Colaco
Colours: Blue + Blue (home), White + White (away)

Achievements
Indian League - x 3 (2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08)
Durand Cup - x 1 (2006)
Federation Cup - x 1 (2004)

News Courtsey: AFC.com

Churchill's 'To Be Coach' Expected To Arrive

Churchill Brothers have zeroed in on their new coach for the I-League and is expected to arrive later today in Goa which means that Emeka Ezeugo is just hours away from getting the boot.

The Goan side has been enshrouded in controversies this season and have been practicing without their coach ever since the Durand Cup final loss to Mahindra United more than two weeks back.

Speaking to Goal.com late last night, team manager Denzil Ferrao said, “Yes, we are on the lookout for a coach and he is expected sometime tomorrow. He is a Yugoslavian coach and his first name is Zoran.”

Denzil mentioned that he had been in touch with Zoran for sometime but it was club president Joaquim Alemao who invited the coach over for the meetings and formalities.

Meanwhile, Emeka Ezeugo reported to the training session last morning but the players on seeing him decided to boycott the practice. It was only after the Nigerian coach left that the players returned to train.

The World Cupper was at the center of creating problems in the club as criticized several player in the media for which he was blasted by the club management when they met on 9th September.

Two days later in another meeting attended by the squad and the coach at Churchill Alemao’s office, several players voiced their thoughts on Emeka’s tactics and expressed their displeasure.

“At half time, the coach would blast us so much that our morale would go down automatically,” said a player on anonymous grounds.

“It’s good that the coach (Emeka) is going as the relationship with him as crumbled down and went to the point of no return,” added another.

Source : Goal.com

Ghanaian Villas lights up Chirag United camp

Kolkata, September 22 Subrata’s changed style gets players’ support
Chirag United have got a boost ahead of their I-League campaign. On Monday morning, Ghanaian defender Patrick Villas joined their squad and impressed one and all during his half hour training. This was despite the fact that he reached here from Ghana only last night.

The player has an impressive CV. He represented his country in the Athens Olympics. Also, played in the Under-20 World Cup in 2001.

United’s Brazilian physical trainer Diego Garcia was all praise for the newcomer. “The players — Solomon Opoku is the other one — barely had any rest after a long flight.

“Naturally, they had a light training this morning. They will take a little time to settle down. Still, Villas was very impressive. He has got a very good technique,” he told The Indian Express.

Another overseas player, Kelvin from Cameroon has also arrived for trial. The team already has two foreigners in Muritala Ali and Lewis who played in the Calcutta Football League (CFL). The team management will have to decide in next 48 hours who will be their overseas trio in the I-League. Villas, however, appears a certainty. United will start their I-League campaign against East Bengal on September 26.

Meanwhile, coach Subrata Bhattacharya seems to be in sync with his players. There is a definite change in his approach that has the players’ support. Maybe, a couple of inauspicious seasons with East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have prompted Bhattacharya to change his style.

Earlier, Bhattacharya used to be predictable with attacks from the flanks and a mix of a long ball game in between. Now he is keen on playing more ground passes a la modern way.

Said a few senior team members: “We are playing about 30-35 passes to build an attack from our defensive-third.

“Also, Bhattacharya is giving stress on playing more incisive passes in the penetrative zone and cracking the opposition defence in two to three touches. It makes the game exciting. Crowd will love it.”

Kolkata set for a date with Arshavin

Kolkata, September 19 If everything goes to plans, Andrei Arshavin and his club Zenit St-Petersburg would be seen in action in Kolkata. It is learnt that the state sports ministry is planning to organise a mega football event in the city in January. Along with Zenit St-Petersburg, a top club from Turkey is also expected to play.

The three city giants — Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting and an outstation I-League side will make the list in this proposed six-team tournament. The tournament will be named after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and is likely to start on January 23, Netaji’s birthday.

The 27-year-old Arshavin was the undoubted star of Russia’s march to the Euro 2008 semifinal. Earlier, he helped his club to first Russian Premier-Liga title last year. He is also Russia’s first ambassador for the Fifa SOS Children’s Village Charity Project for child orphans.

The state sports minister Subhas Chakraborty plans to organise the tournament after the first phase of the I-League. There would be a few days’ gap before the second phase starts. If the plan materialises, the city will once again witness top quality soccer action.

Kolkata’s tryst with top class football stars is few and far between. Pele came here in 1977. Then Roger Milla of Cameroon paid a visit in 1990. Last in the list was Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn who played his farewell match against Mohun Bagan last May.

Mohun Bagan gets partner for ticket distribution

This initiative is the first of its kind in football in the country

KOLKATA: Mohun Bagan named a new partner, Sudidha Infoserve, to spruce up the ticket distribution for its matches in the upcoming I-League.

Explaining this initiative as a first of its kind in football in the country, the Mohun Bagan Secretary, Anjan Mitra, said the tie-up with a firm specialising in service provision is aimed at brining more professionalism in the sport.

“With hardly had a handful of counters operating previously, people had to queue up for hours on end to get a ticket to see their favourite team play. With 90 counters of Suvidha across the City, we are trying to make ticket-buying more easy and comfortable for our fans,” he said.

The I-League rules stipulate that the home side will get 90 per cent of the gate money while the local organising committee gets the remaining 10 per cent. Mohun Bagan’s Moroccan coach, Karim Bencherifa, said Indian football needs to be more professionalism and this initiative by the club is a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, East Bengal signed Ghanaian Yusif Yakubu on Tuesday as its second foreigner ahead of the I-league opener against Chirag United on September 26.

Brazilian Edmilson Marques is the other foreigner in the side.

Dempo enters AFC Cup semifinals

Brazilian striker Beto was an influential figure in Dempo's stunning 4-3 win over Home United in Singapore. (AFP)

New Delhi: I-League champion Dempo defeated Home United 4-3 in Singapore on Tuesday to become the first team from India to make it to the semifinals of the AFC Cup.

The Goan club, which was held 1-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Hyderabad last Wednesday, came out firing on all cylinders and at the final whistle did what East Bengal and Mahindra United could not do — earn a place in the last four stage.

Early strike

Needing a win or at least a 2-2 draw to progress, Armando Colaco’s boys got things moving when Congolese player Mboyo Iwomi, who had netted the equaliser in the first leg, scored in the very first minute.

Home United skipper Peres De Oliveira nullified Dempo’s advantage when he found the net in the 14th minute following a quick counterattack.

Dempo’s Brazilian midfielder Roberto Mendes Silva then got into the act and scored his first goal in the 25th minute, rising high to head home Clifford Miranda’s corner.

Sahdan’s double

The local side restored parity in the 36th minute after Kengne Ludovick was brought down in the box. Though De Oliveira’s penalty was parried by Abhijit Mondal, Indra Sahdan was on hand to slot in the rebound from close range.

Two minutes later Sahdan got his second goal by diverting a low cross from Ludovick. However, Climax Lawrence’s low drive in injury time meant the teams went into the break on even terms.

Roberto Mendes Silva scored Dempo’s winner in the 83rd minute by drilling a shot past Lionel Lewis. — Agencies