Indian Arrows form bulk of pre-Olympic pool‎

It was little surprise when the Indian Arrows I-League team once again formed the nucleus of the country's pre-Olympic squad. Seventeen of the under-21 team which finished a creditable ninth in the just-concluded I-League, were among the 25 probables for the second round of pre-Olympic qualifiers against Qatar.

India will face Qatar in Doha on June 10 in the first leg, with the return leg scheduled for Pune on June 23. India qualified for the second round after beat Myanmar 3-2 on aggregate in the first round. Among the probables, Jagroop Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Ravi Kumar are the three goalkeepers from the Arrows, while defenders Inderpreet Singh, Raju Eknath Gaikwad, Deepak Devrani, R Vishal Kumar, Abhishek Das, Lalrozama Fenai and midfielders Jewel Raja Sheikh, Shilton Sydney D'Silva, Ongnam Milan Singh, Jibon Singh, Lalrindika Ralte were also selected in the probables.

Coach Desmod Bulpin, who is also in charge of Indian Arrows formed last year to prepare the national team for the 2018 World Cup, is also in charge of the pre-Olympics squad. Indian Arrows striker Jeje Lalpekhlua, Manandeep Singh, Jagtar Singh will be spearheading the attack.

AIFF relaunches Vision India
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday re-launched the Vision India Programme by shifting its focus from states to cities/districts after the initiative, launched by the Asian Football Confederation in 2004, met with failures in Delhi, Kerala and Goa. The executive committee of the AIFF ratified the re-launch programme for Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh under the new format.

The Probables:
Goalkeepers: Laxmikant Kattimani, Jagroop Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Ravi Kumar.
Defenders: Inderpreet Singh, Raju Eknath Gaikwad, Deepak Devrani, R Vishal Kumar, Abhishek Das, Lalrozama Fenai, Arnab Mondal, Saba Saleel.
Midfielders: Jewel Raja Sheikh, Shilton Sydney D'Silva, Oinam Milan Singh, Kh Jibon Singh, Lalrindika Ralte, Gurjinder Kumar, Snehasis Chakraborthy, Anthony Barbosa, Zakir Mundampara.
Forwards: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Manandeep Singh, Jagtar Singh, CS Sabeeth.

Tevez, Di Maria to be seen alongside Messi in Kolkata friendly

It’s good news for football-crazy fans of the city as Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and his teammates are playing a FIFA official international friendly match against Venezuela at Salt Lake’s Yuba Bharati Krirangan on September 2.
After rounds of rumour, the official confirmation came on Monday when Celebrity Management Group along with the state government, All India Football Federation and Indian Football Association announced this at a press conference.

“The Argentina Football Association had indeed signed a contract to bring in the full-strength squad including Messi and Carlos Tevez among others. So the contract guarantees their participation,” said Bhaswar Goswami of CMG.
The city-based sports management firm that had earlier brought football legend Diego Maradona in 2008 would also organise another international friendly match between Argentina and Nigeria in Dhaka on September 6.
“We were given the match in condition that we have to buy another. We did not think twice and bought both the matches just to make Messi play in Kolkata,” Goswami said. 

The Barcelona star forward and winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or award was recently instrumental in his club’s Champions League win. 
Giving a brief detail about the itinerary, he said Messi and Co. would stay here for four days, beginning August 30. “We are also planning several other events which will be announced later. We are thinking of a minimum ticket price of Rs 1000 -- about USD 20, a nominal price compared to the ticket prices in other international friendlies.”
“Those who could not afford to make the match, we would give them another chance for both the teams practice sessions the tickets of which would be at a cheaper price,” Goswami added. 

West Bengal sports minister Madan Mitra said he is getting full support from the chief minister to clean up the ‘mess’ in the stadium where Messi is going to play. 
“The stadium is completely in a mess. The garbage there has been piled up for 34 years. We are leaving no stone unturned to make the stadium international match-worthy,” he said. 
“It’s difficult to give YBK a complete facelift in such a short period. Our list of priorities include better toilets, changing rooms and passage ways. We will also bring a generator from a Chennai firm to avoid the frequent blackouts in the stadium,” Mitra said. 
All India Football Federation vice-president Subrata Dutta said that the match would be a turning point in India’s football history. 
“This would inspire others to organise more such matches. It’s going to be a historical day,” Dutta said. 
In the same vein, IFA secretary Utpal Ganguli said, “I don’t think it would improve our standard of the game but surely it would popularise the sport. I am sure it would help more and more people turning away from EPL and other leagues (IPL)”. 
The match is scheduled to begin from 7pm.

We need to concentrate on youngsters, not seniors: Armando Colaco

Expectations are running high after Armando Colaco took over the reins of the National Team. Fully aware of the challenge ahead, Armando, by far the most successful Indian Coach in recent times, feels everyone need to be a bit patient. In a freewheeling interview, Armando says the doors for the Senior Players haven’t been shut for ever. 

Excerpts.
How much different is it to coach the National Team from a club side?
Both are entirely different. The National Team is a much more difficult bunch to handle. In a club the entire squad stays with you all throughout the season whereas in a National Team, there are footballers from different clubs and all parts of the country. It’s not possible for the National Team Coach to keep a tab on them over the year. Moreover, you have to know their psyche and then work with them.

How much difficult was it to keep some Big Names out of the list of 42 Probables for the World Cup?
I have full respect for the Seniors and am aware of their contribution for Indian football. Obviously, it was a very difficult decision for me. I relied on present form and building a team for the future. Players who have played well in the I-League have been preferred over others. Hence, some Big Names had to be left out. If we are to look at the future, we need to concentrate on the youngsters who performed well in AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur.

Does that mean the National Team doors have been shut on the Seniors for ever?
I have never said so and neither do I believe so. The list of 42 Probables is for a specific time period with a specific plan. Anyone who performs well after that can easily walk into the National Team. Doors on the Seniors haven’t been shut for ever.

What would you focus on when the boys assemble for the Camp?
We would focus on keeping the ball. Ball possession defines the character of a team and invariably scripts the fate of a match. But it’s not easy to play ‘simple yet breathtaking football.’ We will have special sessions with the ball and the conditioning will be done at the same time.

How do you rate India’s chances against UAE in the World Cup Qualifiers?
They are a tough unit no doubt who prefer to play physical football. There are many foreigners who have naturalised for the UAE National Team. After all, India did lose to them 5-0 in one of the practice matches ahead of the Asian Cup. We also need to keep in mind the climatic conditions won’t favour us much when we play them in July.
(source the-aiff.com)

Kolkata will host Argentina-Venezuela soccer match

olkata, June 6 (IBNS): West Bengal Sports Minister Madan Mitra said that the state government will try to take all the necessary steps to ensure the success of the International friendly match between Argentina and Venezuela that will be hosted on Sep 2 at the Salt Lake Stadium here.

"We want this match to be played is a clear statement from the government. We will try our best. We will have no stone unturned," Mitra said.

"The condition of the toilet, change room, media room is very poor," he said on Monday as the official announcement on the much awaited match was made.

He also said that the time for the preparation is very less and it will take time for them to prepare the stadium for such an important match.

"We are not saying that it will be possible to transform it to the international standard but we will give extra importance to the toilet, change room and media room this time," he said.

Speaking on the power cut problem that often affects the stadium he said: "We have already spoken to Chennai for the back up power."

"We will also see that the Astroturf is better maintained," he said.

Slamming the previous Left Front government, Madan Mitra said: "Messi is coming only there where there is mess."

Subrata Dutta, Vice President, All India Football Federation, said: "These events not only enhance the popularity of the game but draws the attention of government both at the state as well as at the central."

"The game will make football more popular in India rather than bettering the game in India," U.K.Ganguly, Honorary Secretary, Indian Football Association, said.

Bhaswar Goswami, Executive Diorector, Celebrity Management Group (CMG), the organisation which is the exclusive Licensee for this historic match, announced that the match will take place on Sep 2 and they will also organise the match between Argentina and Nigeria in Bangladesh on Sep 6.

He announced that Argentina and Venezuela will bring the full and strong team in India and will arrive in India on Aug 30.

"There will be one day practice session that will be held in a different stadiums and that will also be ticketed," Goswami said.

"We are also planning to felicitate the entire team and we will hope that our Chief MInister will be there as the Chief Guest in the event," he said.

CMG was also responsible for the historic tour of football legend Diego Maradona in Kolkata during Dec 2008.

"We will announce shortly the ticket distribution plan. Tickets can be purchased online from any part of India. Tickets will also be available in CBS branches of our Partner Bank," D. Pandey, CEO, CMG said.

He also announced that they are planning to introduce few special VIP hospitality boxes in the stadium.

Video: Coming soon, football IPL style