India suffer 0-5 defeat against Zambia

India suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat in an international friendly at the hands of visiting Zambia at the Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa this afternoon. For Zambia, Musaknya Bruce Bwala scored a hattrick while Mulilo Jimmy Chisenga and Sitali Joseph Mushumba scored the other goals.

Zambia, who had beaten a Goa XI 4-1 on Saturday, was the better side on the day, but they only scored a goal in the first session with Mulilo Jimmy Chisenga giving the Africans a 15th minute lead, which they took into the break.

If one thought that India could come back into the match and maybe cause an upset, then they were in for a rude shock as Zambia would hit four more past goalkeeper Karanjit Singh. First Sitali Joseph Mushumba would make it two-nil in the 55th minute before Musakanya Bruce Bwalya would score a clean hattrick with goals in the 69th, 73rd and 90th minute.

India had to play Zambia without the strike duo of Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua, both of whom are away for trials with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers. The duo would be rejoining the squad in Delhi on December 1. It gave the other strikers a chance to prove themselves, but they couldn't score on the day.

It wasn't the result with which India would like to go into the SAFF Cup, but a good test to see where the team currently stands. This was India's last friendly ahead of the SAFF Cup which starts on Friday in New Delhi with India playing Afghanistan in their opening match on Saturday afternoon. In two earlier friendlies India had drawn Malaysia 1-1 in Guwahati on November 13, while winning 3-2 in Kolkata on November 16.

India
1-Karanjit Singh; 16-Samir Naik, 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 9-Syed Rahim Nabi; 23-Steven Benedic Dias [C] (46' 26-Francis Fernandes), 25-Jewel Raja Sheikh, 7-Baldeep Singh (46' 8-Climax Lawrence), 15-Clifford Miranda; 18-Sushil Kumar Singh (80' 12-Anthony Pereira), 6-Baljit Singh Sahni (46' ??-Joaquim Abranches)

Bundesliga: Suddenly the Borussia's ahead of Bayern Munich

Round 14 of the German Bundesliga was the weekend of derbies and at the end of the round defending champions Borussia Dortmund lead the table along with Borussia Mönchengladbach on 29 points, while early league leaders Bayern Munich suffered their second defeat in a row to drop into third but only a point behind.

The weekend had opened on Friday with Mönchengladbach winning the Rhine derby at archrivals 1.FC Cologne 3-0 to go top of the league. But less then 24 hours later Borussia Dortmund won their Ruhr valley derby against FC Schalke 04 2-0 to move ahead of Mönchengladbach on goal difference.

In one of the afternoons other matches, the Southwest derby between 1899 Hoffenheim and SC Freiburg, ended in a one-all draw with the evening match being a North German derby between Hannover 96 and Hamburger SV ending with the same result.

On Sunday there were no more derbies, but league leaders FC Bayern Munich suffered a surprise 2-3 defeat at the hands of 1.FSV Mainz 05, which denied them the chance to go back on top of the Bundesliga. In a close encounter the Bavarians simply couldn't utilise their many chances.

Many feared we could be heading for a boring Bundesliga season with Bayern Munich already champions, but now it seems it could be a long season ahead...

India face Zambia test ahead of SAFF Cup

India play Zambia later today as part of their preparations for the South Asian Football Federation Championships in New Delhi nex month.

Chief Coach Savio Medeira stays aware of the Zambian challenge. "The match is very important for us. This is a great opportunity to gauge where we stand. The Zambian team are ranked higher than us and are an athletic side," Savio said. "It will be a learning experience for the boys ahead of the SAFF Championship."

India go into the game without its two key strikers - Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua - who are currently on trial with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers FC. It will be a test of India's attacking options upfront without the duo as Joaquim Abranches, Baljit Singh Sahni and Sushil Kumar Singh will have a chance to prove their worth,

However, Medeira seemed unfazed by the absence of his strikers. "It's true the duo has brought us laurels in the recent past. But this is a great opportunity for the others to prove themselves," Savio Medeira added.

The defenders Govin Singh and Nirmal Chhetri make a comeback to the National squad for the match.

The boys, nevertheless, stay unperturbed by their higher ranked rivals. They look forward to repeat their performance against Malaysia when India got the better of them in a two-match series. But Zambia showed on Saturday in their 4-1 win against a Goa XI what the African side is capable off.

"If we play as a unit – the manner we played against Malaysia, we should pose a challenge for Zambia," quipped Baljit Sahni. "We hope to bank on the crowd support. We will give our 100 percent," he echoed.

The match is slated for a 15.45 IST kick-off with the match to be live on DD Sports.



INDIA

Goalkeepers
Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Dempo SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC)

Defenders
Nirmal Chetri (East Bengal Club), Mahesh Gawli (Dempo SC), Sameer Subash Naik (Dempo SC), Debabrata Roy (Dempo SC), Govin Moirangthem Singh (United Sikkim FC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Jaspal Singh Parmar (Salgaocar SC)

Midfielders
Steven Benedic Dias (Churchill Brothers SC), Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Climax Lawrence (Dempo SC), Clifford Rayes Miranda (Dempo SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Jewel Raja Sheikh (Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Baldeep Singh (Pune FC), Mehrajuddin Wadoo (Salgaocar SC)

Forwards
Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Baljit Singh Sahni (East Bengal Club), Chongtham Sushil Kumar Singh (United Sikkim FC)

Officials
Savio Medeira (Chief Coach), Mariano Dias(Assistant Coach), Antonio Marcus Pacheco (Goalkeeping Coach), Mandar Tamhane (Manager), Sandeep Kumar (Doctor), Vishnu Nair (Physio), Pradip Dutta (Fitness Coach), Liaqat Ali (Masseur)

VIDEO: Looking back at the 2009 SAFF Cup

The India Under-23s won the 2009 SAFF Cup in Bangladesh. Below is a video look back at the tournament in Dhaka.



Group A: INDIA U23 - Afghanistan


Group A: INDIA U23 - Nepal


Group A: INDIA U23 - Maldives
No video clips available

Semifinal: Bangladesh - INDIA U23


Final: INDIA U23 - Maldives

Subroto Cup School Football Tournament ended yesterday

The Subroto Cup, India's national school football tournament organised by the Indian Air Force, ended yesterday at the Ambedkar Stadium with the closing ceremony and the Junior Under-17 Boys final. The boys from NCC (West Bengal & Sikkim) beat Mynken Christian Higher Secondary School, Meghalaya 2-1 in the final to lift this years trophy.

NCC's Bhaskar Seal gave his side an eighth minute lead, but Meghalaya's Gamediel K. Lyngdoh equalised in the 30th minute.The match ended one-all after 70 minutes of regulation time. NCC's Viswanath Soren scored the winner in the third minute of extra time.

Air Marshal K.K. Nohwar (PVSM VM ADC, Vice-Chief of the Air Staff) graced the occasion as Chief Guest, while former India captain Baiching Bhutia was the Guest of Honour on the day of the final.

Prizes and Cash Prizes were presented to the teams during the final ceremony. The winner team was awarded with Rs. 300,000 (3 lakhs) while the Runners-up team was awarded with Rs. 150,000 (1,5 lakhs). NCC's captain Biswajit Halder was adjudged 'Best Player of the Tournament' and a cash prize of Rs. 25,000; while NCC's Kalyan Hembram was adjudged 'Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament' and handed Rs. 20,000. The Best Player and Most Promising Player of the Tournament were also awarded with a gealess Scooter each during the ceremony by Baichung Bhutia.

This year for the first time a Girls Under-17 tournament was played. Vasant Valley School, Vasant Kunj lifted the first ever title of Subroto Cup Girls tournament by defeating Tagore International School, East of Kailash, New Delhi by a solitary goal.

Dynamo Dresden thrown out of next years German Cup

2.Bundesliga side Dynamo Dresden have been thrown out of next seasons DFB Pokal (German Cup) by the German Football Association (DFB) due to disturbance and violence by its fans away to Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup last month.

"This verdict is designed to send out a strong signal. If we let things lie then it would only be a matter of time until someone dies," said DFB official Hans E. Lorenz, who announced the decision.

The move by the DFB had been expected to give a stern message against violent conduct and pryotechnics at stadiums and grounds across the country. Dresden created history by being the first team ever to be thrown out of the DFB Pokal competition.

In Dortmund fans from Dynamo Dresden had disrupted the match which even led to the game being halted a few times, the fans damaged property at the stadium and lit pyrotechnics, which is totally forbidden in German stadiums.

Dynamo president Andreas Ritter has made his disappointment clear. The club is being hurt due to the misconduct of a few 'so-called' fans. But what else can the DFB do to try and maintain order at stadiums?

In recent weeks there has been trouble at some grounds with especially clubs from the former East Germany effected by Dresden, Hansa Rostock and others.

Goa XI face Zambia in friendly

The Goa Select XI go into the match against the Zambian national football team not knowing where the assembled squad stands against the Africans.

Coach Armando Colaco said that it was an honour for him to be the coach of Goa XI for this prestigious event and a golden chance to play a higher ranked opponent. He also mentioned that the mood in the camp was upbeat with the Goan youngsters keen to lock horns with such a strong opponent and showcase their talent.

But Armando was candid enough to say that the match could go anyway. His side could get trashed or cause an upset, but for him Zambia are the favourites for the match to be played at the Nehru Stadium, Margao.

Armando named his likely starting eleven with right-back Valeriano Rebello as the captain and goalkeeper Felix D'Souza as the vice-captain of the team.

The match is slated for a 16.00 IST kick-off with DD Sports showing the match live.


Likely GOA XI

Felix D'Souza; Valeriano Rebello [Captain], Rowilson Rodrigues, Antun Mathew Kovacic, Cresson Antao; Peter Carvalho, Godwin Diogo Franco, Lenny Rodrigues, Denzil Franco; Ranti Martins Soleye, James Moga

Chhetri & Jeje arrive in Glasgow for Rangers FC trials

The Indian international strike duo of Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua arrived on Friday in Glasgow for a trial with Scottish Premier League giants Glasgow Rangers FC, which if successful could see both or one of them sign for the Scottish club in the winter transfer window depending on their release of their respective Indian clubs.

The duo will train with Rangers FC in the coming days under the watchful eyes of coach Ally McCoist and they will join the Rangers squad in training tomorrow. Chhetri and Jeje were met at Glasgow Airport by the Club's Director of Football Gordon Smith and were taken for a tour of the training ground, Murray Park.

Sunil Chhetri currently plays for Mohun Bagan AC, while Jeje Lalpekhlua is contracted to Pune FC. For Sunil Chhetri it wouldn't be the first trial abroad, while for talented Jeje it would be the first foreign trial experience.

In 2010 Chhetri was contracted a few months with MLS side Kansas City Wizards, before that he had been on trial with English Championship side Coventry City while also been linked in the past with Queens Park Ranger FC and Celtic Glasgow but he couldn't sign for them for different reasons.

Glasgow Rangers eye India, Chhetri & Jeje trial the start

Later in the day India strikers Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua will arrive in Glasgow for a trial with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers FC. The club is giving the two players a chance to show themselves and if successful in the trials, they would sign them.

Ali Russell, Rangers Chief Operating Officer, commented, "Sunil and Jeje will arrive in Glasgow today, they will be assessed at Murray Park and will have every chance to impress the management team. Both players have excelled in the I-League and now have the chance to train with Rangers."

The Scottish Premier League isn't as strong as their more famed rivals across the border, the English Premier League but the Glasgow giants are a formidable side. It will be interesting to see if Chhetri and Jeje are able to impress and earn a contract on merit. One thing is clear for Rangers that they wouldn't want to sign the boys for commercial reasons as it does not work if players do not play regularly for the first eleven.

"The Club is attracting interest globally and there is now a huge appetite across the Atlantic following the recent signings of USA captain Carlos Bocanegra and rising star Alejandro Bedoya," Ali Russell added.

For Glasgow Rangers besides the United States also India is on their radar and especially due to their CEO Ali Russell, who earlier worked at Queens Park Rangers FC in London under Indian co-owners, the Mittal family.

The Rangers are actively pursuing the Indian market. Ali Russell ended by saying, "A Rangers delegation is visiting India in the next week to meet with key officials from the Indian Premier League. The Club already has links to India thanks to the Rangers Charity Foundation’s partnership with UNICEF and there are undoubted opportunities for Rangers in the Indian market."

TenAction+ to broadcast 2011 SAFF Cup

The 2011 SAFF Cup will be shown by TenAction+ after the World Sports Group appointed Ten Sports as the tournaments official broadcaster. The 15 matches of the SAFF Cup (South Asian Football Federation Championships) will be played from December 2 to 11, 2011 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.

TenAction+ will be broadcasting the tournament across the eight participating nations - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Atul Pande, CEO-Ten Sports said, " We are delighted to broadcast the 2011 SAFF Championship. The championship will not only help in the development of football in the region but also in fostering goodwill among neighbouring nations. The telecast of this prestigious tournament reaffirms our commitment to grow our football and sports broadcasting business, and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster."

Harish Krishnamachar, Senior vice-President & Country Head, India, World Sport Group said, "World Sport Group has worked on seven editions of the SAFF Championship and we are happy to be producing this event in India. Together, our capability and the football pedigree of Ten Sports will help us deliver a world class event."


2011 SAFF CUP - New Delhi

Group A: India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan

03-Dec-2011: India - Afghanistan (15.00 IST)
03-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Bhutan (18.00 IST)
05-Dec-2011: Afghanistan - Sri Lanka (15.00 IST)
05-Dec-2011: India - Bhutan (18.00 IST)
07-Dec-2011: Bhutan - Afghanistan (15.00 IST)
07-Dec-2011: India - Sri Lanka (18.00 IST)

Group B: Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan

02-Dec-2011: Bangladesh - Pakistan (15.00 IST)
02-Dec-2011: Maldives - Nepal (18.00 IST)
04-Dec-2011: Nepal - Bangladesh (15.00 IST)
04-Dec-2011: Maldives - Pakistan (18.00 IST)
06-Dec-2011: Pakistan - Nepal (15.00 IST)
06-Dec-2011: Maldives - Bangladesh (18.00 IST)


Semifinals
09-Dec-2011: Group B Winners - Group A Runners-up (15.00 IST)
09-Dec-2011: Group A Winners - Group B Runners-up (18.00 IST)

Final
11-Dec-2011: Winner SF 1 - Winner SF 2 (18.00 IST)

Michael Ballack's Return to Form!

Former German international Michael Ballack last night played his 100th European continental cup match (Champions League, Europa League/UEFA Cup) as the captain of Bayer 04 Leverkusen against his former club FC Chelsea, which the Germans went on to win 2-1 through a 90th minute goal. A great achievement for the club and a very special night for Ballack. First it was a win, then against his former club and finally Bayer 04 also qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Things have really turned around for Michael Ballack in the last few weeks. About three months back at the start of the Bundesliga season there was talk of Leverkusen considering to release Ballack ( Could Ballack be leaving Leverkusen? ) as new coach Robin Dutt didn't see Ballack as a key player in his squad with younger, fitter players ahead of the ex-Germany captain.

But over the last few weeks Ballack has won his place back in the starting eleven, not as one of the double six's as initially planned, but as the central No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It is a position Ballack has played in the past, which had earned him the title of being the most dangerous midfielder with goalscoring abilities.

It went even to the extend that Ballack has been playing in recent weeks with a special mask due to a broken nose, which he broke on October 29 in Freiburg after scoring the winner early on. Since then coach Robin Dutt has made Ballack even captain, showing the importance of the seasoned pro for the team. In the meantime Ballack has been critical of his young team mates about not having a winning mentality and the need to focus more. It sounds the old Capitano is back!

It makes me happy to see Ballack back in the thick of action, then he has been the flag bearer of German football when there weren't so many talented and gifted players around. And Leverkusen can need an inform Ballack to push for a good finish in the Bundesliga.

AS Monaco heading for Russian takeover?

Former UEFA Champions League finalists AS Monaco are currently bottom of the French Ligue 2 (Division 2) and the future of the club from the principality looks bleak without outside investment. Last summer after relegation from Ligue 1 an offer from Russian billionaire Dmitry Evgenevich Rybolovlev was turned down by Prince Albert II, but now with the club heading for the third division the opinion in the matter has changed in the city state.

Rybolovlev could bring in the necessary funds to strengthen the team to stay in Ligue 2 this season and then push for a place amongst France's elite clubs thereafter. The example that Monaco could follow are current French Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain. PSG are showing what positive effect foreign investments can have, then the capital club has been bought by the Qataris, who have pumped in substantial money to strengthen the squad in the summer.

If Rybolovlev invests then Monaco could stabilize itself in Ligue 2. Rybolovlev would have to work together with a new club president with industrialist and players agent Jean-Marc Goiran, a personal friend of Prince Albert II, a potential consensus candidate and former Monaco player Youri Djorkaeff could come in as a special advisor.

For AS Monaco currently it is all about survival. Their downfall is unparalleled in European football only comparable to Leeds United, then only in 2004 Monaco lost the Champions League final against FC Porto in Gelsenkirchen.

North-East Premier League set for March 2012 launch

The ambitious North-East Premier League (NEPL) is set for a March 2012 launch. It is an AIFF initiative being pushed by the federations vice-president Ankur Dutta, who hails from the Northeast. The NEPL is an effort to promote football in the region with Calcutta-based Celebrity Management Group set to organise the league. The overall prize money would be Rs 10 Million (1 crore) with the clubs set to earn further potential revenues from TV rights and sponsorship sales.

The NEPL will feature the state champions from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. There had been an earlier proposal to include the champions of Sikkim as the eight team, but that idea has been dropped due to logistical reasons. Now a pre-tournament will be held amongst the state league runners-up of the seven states to determine the eighth team.

As per plans the eight participating teams will be split into two groups of four teams each with all playing each other home-and-away in the group stage. From there the top two teams will qualify for the semifinals with the winners moving on into the finals.

As per the NEPL rules only commercial entity football clubs will be allowed to participate meaning Public Sector Undertaking clubs, which are common in the Northeast will not be allowed to participate; while winning the league will open opportunities in the I-League Division 2.

The NEPL is set to be played over a nine week period from March 2012 onwards with travel and fatigue a potential problem which the organisers would have to look into.

Nicolas Anelka on his way to China?

Former French international striker Nicolas Anelka is having a tough season under new Chelsea FC manager André Villas-Boas with limited playing time. The 32 year old strikers has fallen behind in the pecking order having to fight for a place along with Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, new signing Juan Manuel Mata and youngster Daniel Sturridge.

Anelka's class is known around the world, but he can be a difficult player having had his problems with managers, fellow players and fans. Anelka's four-and-a-half year contract ends at the end of the season with Chelsea unlikely to offer him a new contract and he might be allowed to leave in January.

But Anelka isn't a player who is unwanted, actually there is huge interest in the striker from around the world, be it Italian giants AC Milan, former club FC Paris Saint-Germain, big spending Russians FC Anzhi Makhachkala; MLS sides New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy, Philadelphia Union and Montreal Impact plus Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

The offer from China seems to be the most tempting for Anelka. Reports say he has been offered 10 Million Euros per season with French sports paper L'Équipe even reporting that Anelka has accepted the offer from Shenhua.

It would be interesting to have a striker of Anelka's calibre playing in Asia...

Zambia arrive in Goa ahead of friendlies

The Zambian national football team has arrived in Goa ahead of their two matches against Goa XI (November 26) and India (November 29). The Chipolopolo (Chi-Polo-Polo) as the team is nicknamed have come with 20 players and eight officials.

Zambia coach Hervé Renard only finalised his final 20 player squad just before leaving for India as he had to make some last minute changes to his squad which now does contain four players who play abroad.

Hervé Renard wants to use the India trip to access the local players who are at his disposal ahead of the 2012 CAF African Cup of Nations in less then two months.


ZAMBIA

Goalkeepers
Jacob Banda (Zesco United), Kalililo Kakonje (TP Mazembe, DR Congo)

Defenders
Jimmy Chisenga (Red Arrows), Bruce Musakanya (Red Arrows), Lawrence Chungu (Power Dynamos), Nyambe Mulenga (Zesco United), Francis Kasonde (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Hichani Himonde (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Dennis Banda (Green Buffaloes), Stephen Kabamba (Kabwe Warriors)

Midfielders
Thomas Nyirenda (Konkola Blades), Nathan Sinkala (Green Buffaloes), Felix Katongo (Green Buffaloes), Joseph Sitali (Power Dynamos), Kennedy Mudenda (Power Dynamos)

Strikers
Evans Kangwa (Nkana), Reynold Kampamba (Nkana), Luka Lungu (Power Dynamos), Alfred Luputa (Zesco United), Chisamba Lungu (Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia)

Officials
Hervé Renard (Head Coach), Stanley Kaseko (Manager), Gipson Chaloba (Physio)

INDIA down two, 162nd in latest FIFA World Rankings

The world football governing body released the latest FIFA World Rankings earlier today in which India dropped two places to be now 162nd amongst the 208 ranked nations and territories, while within Asia India remain 29th amongst 46 nations in the rankings. The drop is due to the fact that around the world teams have been playing continental and World Cup qualifiers.

India is 162nd behind Barbados and ahead of New Caledonia with 119 points, four more then last month. The points came from the two friendlies against Malaysia, a draw and then a win; but India lost ranking points from the 2-2 draw against Lebanon in October 2007 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The next official assignment will be SAFF Cup (South Asian Football Federation Championships) next month at home in New Delhi. Ahead of that India play a friendly against African side Zambia on November 29 in Goa, who happen to be 79th in the rankings. A win could give India some valuable points in the rankings.

Meanwhile there has been one change amongst the top five of the FIFA World Rankings. World champions Spain stay at the top with the Netherlands, Germany and Uruguay behind them. England with the victories against Spain and Sweden move into fifth ahead of Brazil. The biggest mover into the Top 10 is Croatia in eighth, up four places.

VIDEO: 2011 SAFF Cup promo

The 2011 SAFF Cup (South Asian Football Federation Championships) will be played from December 2 to 11, 2011 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. The tournament organisers World Sports Group have now released a promotional video for the tournament.

Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools launches next month in Mumbai

A little over a year ago the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) was launched in New Delhi by Indian football icon Baichung Bhutia in partnership with "Football by Carlos Queiroz" from Portugal. Now after having set-up the non-residential football school in Delhi it is now spreading to Mumbai next month.

BBFS will hold a school tournament from December 2 to 4 in Mumbai from which at least 20 talented students would be given direct scholarships. The first BBFS Mumbai batch could see up to 200 kids in training which would begin on December 5 at four centres across Mumbai - Priyadarshini Park, Bandra, Juhu and Kandivali.

The BBFS fees are between INR 2,000 to 3,000 per month and Baichung said that up to 30 percent of children could be from the underprivileged section of society in Mumbai under the BBFS scholarship program.

After the successful launch in Delhi the BBFS spreads west to Mumbai with Pune and Bangalore the next possible destinations. Baichung's aim is to have between 5,000 to 10,000 kids in proper football training in five years time.

Baichung made it a point to reiterate that unlike other football schools or academies in India the BBFS is linked to Baichung's football club United Sikkim FC and they have plans for an residential Academy in Sikkim. The BBFS could in future be a feeder into the Academy and USFC.

Zambia prepare for Indian challenge

African nation Zambia will be bringing a team of 20 players based at home including three under-20 youngsters to India for the matches against the Goa XI (November 26) and India (November 29) both at the Nehru Stadium, Margao as part of the Goa Football Associations Golden Jubilee celebrations.

24 players are currently preparing for the India trip with 20 players to be chosen for the final squad. Zambia will be coached by 43 year old Frenchmen Hervé Renard. Renard was reappointed Zambia coach only last month and he will be testing his home-based players in the two matches in Goa to see who could be part of the squad for the 2012 CAF African Cup in January jointly hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabun.

The Africans will be playing without their star players who play in Europe, China and other African nations like top stars Emmanuel Mayuka (Young Boys Bern, Switzerland) and Jacob Mulenga (FC Utrecht, Netherlands). In a recent friendly on November 15 a full Zambia XI was beaten 2-0 by Nigeria.

For India meanwhile the Zambia test will be good one going into next month's SAFF Cup in New Delhi.

ZAMBIA Probables

Jacob Banda, Kalililo Kakonje, Joshua Titima, Jimmy Chisenga, Daudi Musekwa, Nyambe Mulenga, Hichani Himonde, Dennis Banda, Osward Kalamba, Lawrence Chungu, Stephen Kabamba, Bruce Musakanya, Jonas Sakuwaha, Thomas Nyirenda, Nathan Sinkala, Joseph Sitali, Emmanuel Chimpinde, Kennedy Mudenda, Felix Katongo, Rodrick Kabwe, Evans Kangwa, Luka Lungu, Alfred Luputa, Ronald Kampamba

Officials
Hervé Renard (Head Coach)

VIDEO: QPR Player Development Centre - encouraging Asian Participation in Football

The FATV went out to see what QPR in the Community Trust and West Middlesex & Hayes Youth Football League are doing at their brand new Player Development Centre to develop young football talent.

An interesting piece to watch...




This is the report on my blog about the launch on October 12, 2011:
Launch of the QPR Player Development Centre - encouraging Asian Participation in Football

Kolkata Derby: More hype then substance?

The seasons first Kolkata derby was played last night at the Saltlake Stadium infront of more then 90.000 spectators. Coming to the simple match stats, Mohun Bagan won 1-0 against East Bengal through a penalty from Nigerian Odafe Onyeka Okolie. It was the first derby win for the green-and-maroon in over a year, but it was a game that lived of the suspense...

The question that I asked myself after yesterdays match was simple: Is the Kolkata derby these days more hype then substance? I fear it is so though the fans still go and watch the derby in huge numbers, which would make European football giants proud.

But why is it so? People in Kolkata and Bengal will not like to hear it, but Indian football has moved on beyond Kolkata. One thing that the old National Football League and now the I-League have achieved is to spread the game to certain pockets in India, though not across the nation. There is top class football in Goa, Mumbai, Kerala, Pune and Shillong.

The I-League is an Indian League and not a Kolkata centric league anymore with the Kolkata clubs spending huge money on star signings, getting the maximum media coverage and creating the biggest hype; but at the end of the day winning the Federation Cup for most of the last few years will not be enough then the Goans and former Mumbai club Mahindra United have been winning the NFL/I-League title regularly in recent years.

The two giants of Kolkata football actually have local competition in Prayag United SC (former Chirag United SC) on the field, though off the field it is close to impossible for anyone except Mohammedan Sporting causing them any worries on the fan front.

But rather then fighting their own little battles, the two giants of Kolkata should focus on bringing the lost glory of an I-League title back to the City of Joy. Then winning the Santosh Trophy shouldn't be what the football crazy state should be proud off...

Indian Pro Football Ad-hoc Committee meeting

The AFC Ad-hoc Committee for Indian Professional Football took stock of the Indian game by reviewing the implementation of its objectives yesterday. The meeting was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur under the chairmanship of Acting AFC President Zhang Jilong, the committee put the focus on Indian football and the recent improvements brought about in the I-League with AFC's assistance.

At the outset, Jilong had words of praise for the members' active participation in achieving the goals.

"AFC succeeded in setting up the criteria for Indian League, the selection of Indian League participating clubs and the launch of the league," Zhang Jilong said.

"AFC will continue to support Indian football because we want India to move forward as a leading member association of the continent."

While adding, "FIFA and AFC are both working together towards development of Indian football. We need all the Asian countries, irrespective of their size or strength, to make progress."

The AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das highlighted several activities related to the Indian League.

"Now three clubs organise their home matches and we hope in the future more clubs will follow the same," he said.

"We also have a committee to review and monitor activities of the league. We have also started centralised accreditation system and formulated national club licensing regulations. We will also form Club Licensing Committee and Club Licensing Appeals body soon," he said.

FIFA's Senior Development Manager for Asia, David Borja briefed the members on the progress of 'Win in India, with India' project saying artificial turfs in Bangalore and Shillong had been completed and would be handed over by early December. He said the artificial turf in Mumbai's Cooperage ground would be installed by the end of the year and additional funds had been approved for the stadium’s renovation.

He said some facilities at the AIFF House in New Delhi would also be upgraded.

Borja also revealed that FIFA would fund regional academies in India up to US$200,000 per year for each of the academies from 2012-17 and help the AIFF identify potential sponsors at the regional level to support the academies.

"FIFA will also design the training curriculum for regional and elite academies and will set up guidelines for talent identification. FIFA will also financially support youth and grassroots development programmes," said Borja. "FIFA will also organise annual courses and refresher courses coaches, referees and instructors."

The next meeting of the AFC Ad-hoc Committee for Indian Professional Football, to be held in India next year, will be the last meeting of this committee.

I-League: Odafe penalty wins Kolkata Derby for Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan AC beat archrivals East Bengal Club 1-0 at a packed Saltlake Stadium in the I-League. A lot had been expected from the seasons first Kolkata derby, but the match never really rose to great heights with a controversial penalty having to decide the game.

East Bengal looked the better of the two sides initially as the red-and-gold had more of the ball and possession in midfield, but rarely did they trouble Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee while the green-and-maroon played a more wait-and-watch game.

Mohun Bagan earned a penalty when Uga Okpara wasn't able to clear the ball first time, he had to tackle Sunil Chhetri to clear the ball. While the Nigerian thought he had carried out a clean tackle, the referee pointed to his disbelieve to the spot which resulted in majo discussions. Striker Odafe Onyeka Okolie cooly took the spot-kick and gave the green-and-maroon a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.

After the goal the match stayed even with East Bengal continuing to have more of the ball, but chances remained a rare commodity in the game with the keepers Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sangram having to make no saves at all.

East Bengal continued their search for the equaliser after the break with the red-and-gold now having chances to get onto the score-sheet with Sangram Mukherjee now the hero for Mohun Bagan. First he denied captain Sanju Pradhan a goal, while also thwarting attempts from Robin Singh and Alan Gow. Sunil Chhetri had the chance to seal the match for Mohun Bagan in the 78th minute, but he couldn't slot the ball home.

Towards the end the match had to be stopped for a few minutes with the lights going off at the Saltlake Stadium, something which continues to happen regularly at India's biggest football stadium. It ended 1-0 for Mohun Bagan with celebrations in the Ghoti camp.


MATCH STATS

Mohun Bagan AC 1-0 (1-0) East Bengal Club - Goals: 1-0 Odafe Onyeka Okolie (22', pen)

Mohun Bagan AC
21-Sangram Mukherjee; 13-Surkumar Irungbam Singh, 4-Kingshuk Debnath, 2-Daniel Carl Zeleny, 6-R. Dhanarajan; 10-Jose Ramirez Barreto [C], 23-Jewel Raja Sheikh, 20-Rakesh Masih (46' 25-Snehasish Chakraborty), 19-Syed Rahim Nabi; 9-Odafe Onyeka Okolie, 11-Sunil Chhetri

East Bengal Club
30-Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; 8-Naoba Thokchom Singh, 3-Nirmal Chetri, 4-Uga Okpara, 25-Robert Lalthlamuana; 12-Reisangmi Vashum, 17-Susanth Mathew (70' 6-Baljit Singh Sahni), 18-Penn Ikechukwu Orji, 15-Sanju Pradhan [C] (84' 2-Ravinder Singh); 10-Alan Gow, 23-Robin Singh

Referee
Pratap Singh (Services)

Yellow Cards
Jose Ramirez Barreto (90+', Mohun Bagan); Susanth Mathew (6'), Alan Gow (8'), Uga Okpara (21', all East Bengal)

Borussia Dortmund conquer Bayern Munich

German Bundesliga record champions FC Bayern Munich suffered a 0-1 loss against defending champions Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena last night. Still Bayern Munich stay top of the league with 28 points but their lead was cut to only two points with the two Borussia's - Dortmund and Moenchengladbach in their pursuit.

It was a tactical game with both teams giving little space to each other to play. Interesting was unlike other sides who have come and played this season in Munich, Dortmund didn't worry about the strength of Bayern Munich and tried to play their own game. This did cause problems to the Bavarians who missed injured Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield. He could have made a difference in the game, while Arjen Robben return from injury straight into the first eleven did not pay off.

The match winner of the day came from teenager Mario Götze in the 65th minute. The Dortmund youngster pounded on a lose ball past Manuel Neuer as German international team mate Jerome Boateng lost vision of the ball.

Many have been speaking about a possible march through by Bayern Munich in this seasons Bundesliga, but with last nights result the league is wide open with Bayern Munich having to prove their worth in the matches to come.

Goa FA name squad for Zambia friendly

The Goa Football Association has named its 24 player squad to face the Zambian national team on Saturday, November 26 at the Nehru Stadium, Margao. The team to be coached by Dempo SC's Armando Colaco contains 17 Goans and seven foreign footballers who play in Goa.

The Goan squad will miss several Goans who are in the India squad, which will face Zambia on November 29 at the same Nehru Stadium in Margao.


GOA XI

Goalkeepers
Felix D'Souza (Churchill Brothers SC), Laxmikant Kattimani (Dempo SC)

Defenders
Antun Mathew Kovacic (Churchill Brothers SC), Boubacar Keita (Sporting Clube de Goa), Valeriano Rebello (Dempo SC), Rowilson Rodrigues (Dempo SC), Selwyn Fernandes (Dempo SC), Cresson Antao (Dempo SC), Denzil Franco (Churchill Brothers SC)

Midfielders
Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Sporting Clube de Goa), Marcus Peixoto (Dempo SC), Peter Carvalho (Dempo SC), Godwin Diogo Franco (Dempo SC), Gilbert Oliveira (Salgaocar SC), Anthony Barbosa (Salgaocar SC), Mauricio Freeman Peixoto (Sporting Clube de Goa), Jovel Martins (Sporting Clube de Goa), Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers SC)

Forwards
Ranty Martins Soleye (Dempo SC), Henry Antchouet (Churchill Brothers SC), James Moga (Sporting Clube de Goa), Ndubuisi D. Opara (Churchill Brothers SC), Joy Ferrao (Dempo SC), Victorino Fernandes (Sporting Clube de Goa)

Officials
Armando Colaço (Chief Coach), Mathew Costa (Assistant Coach), Pascoal Pereira (Assistant Coach), Lawrence Gomes (Manager), Venkadesh (Physio), Raju (Kit Boy)

Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: The Seasons first Kolkata Derby

Tomorrow it's derby time in Kolkata when Mohun Bagan AC host East Bengal Club, the Ghotis against the Bangals, in the I-League in the first derby of the season. Ticket sales have been going well, so a crowd of around 100,000 could be expected at the Saltlake Stadium, a fitting surrounding for the derby in which after a long time both clubs are amongst the top sides in the I-League. In the last few years either of the two sides where involved in the title race while the other side was fighting to stay in the league.

Hosts Mohun Bagan will be without centre-back Anwar due to injury, while Brazilian winger Hudson Lima da Silva and Manish Maithani are doubtful starters; but still the green-and-maroon have enough bench strength to compensate for these players.

Mohun Bagan Head Coach Prasanta Banerjee said, "We are currently in second in the I-League so there is no pressure on us and nothing to worry about. We have been winning the last few matches and it pushed us towards the top of the table."

Captain and Brazilian Mohun Bagan legend Jose Ramirez Barreto said, "Attack is the best form of defence and we will have to keep attacking and keep their defenders busy, if we are to take the pressure of our defenders".

But Prasanta Banerjee added, "Although Barreto's thinking is attacking-minded I think we will have to play a more constructive game, working the ball upwards with many passes starting right from the defenders."

East Bengal Club will also miss the services of certain players due to injury. Winger Khemthang Paite is sure to miss the match, while the red-and-gold hope that Mehtab Hussain will have recovered enough from his injury to play. The club will also be missing Australian striker Tolgay Ozbey, who has in recent matches refound his form, due to a card suspension.

East Bengal Club Head Coach Trevor Morgan said ahead of the big clash, "It does not make a difference if few players are injured or suspended. It is part and parcel of the game and we have replacements in every department to have a strong team on the pitch. We need to keep up the momentum we have from recent matches and put in a strong performance". Furthermore Morgan went on to request East Bengal fans to come in large numbers and support their team.

East Bengal captain Sanju Pradhan was upbeat about the match and said it was a must win match for them and they would be going all out for a win. He was quick to add that their present form and combinations have been working well enough to be strong contenders to win the Kolkata derby.

Both sides go into the match on a high and a heated derby looks to be on the cards with both sides needing the three points to stay on the heals of league leaders Dempo SC, who will hope for a draw.

The match will be telecast live on Television. It will be shown from 18.30 IST onwards by TenAction+ and News Time Bangla.

India's SAFF Cup probables named

Head Coach Savio Medeira has named his 26 probables for the camp ahead of the friendly against Zambia on November 29 and the SAFF Cup next month. The camp will be held in Goa from November 25 with Team India shifting base to Delhe after the Zambia match.

There aren't any major surprises in the selection with East Bengal Club duo Raju Eknath Gaikwad and Mehtab Hossain missing out due to injury, while Anwar has been omitted. Govin Singh and Nirmal Chetri make a comeback into the senior national team fold.


INDIA

Goalkeepers
Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Dempo SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC)

Defenders
Nirmal Chetri (East Bengal Club), Mahesh Gawli (Dempo SC), Sameer Subash Naik (Dempo SC), Debabrata Roy (Dempo SC), Govin Moirangthem Singh (United Sikkim FC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Jaspal Singh Parmar (Salgaocar SC)

Midfielders
Steven Benedic Dias (Churchill Brothers SC), Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Climax Lawrence (Dempo SC), Clifford Rayes Miranda (Dempo SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Jewel Raja Sheikh (Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Baldeep Singh (Pune FC), Mehrajuddin Wadoo (Salgaocar SC)

Forwards
Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Sunil Chhetri (Mohun Bagan AC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune FC), Baljit Singh Sahni (East Bengal Club), Chongtham Sushil Kumar Singh (United Sikkim FC)

Officials
Savio Medeira (Chief Coach), Antonio Marcus Pacheco (Assistant & Goalkeeping Coach), Mandar Tamhane (Manager), Sandeep Kumar (Doctor), Vishnu Nair (Physio), Pradip Dutta (Fitness Coach), Liaqat Ali (Masseur)

Bayern Munich vs Dortmund: Bundesliga top of the table clash

German Bundesliga record champions FC Bayern Munich tonight host current champions Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena in what promises to be a top encounter with the duo also being currently one and two in the Bundesliga league table.

Bayern Munich under new-and-old coach Jupp Heynckes have been a different outfit then last season especially with the signings in defence - goalkeeper Manuel Neuer along with defenders Rafinha and Jerome Boateng - giving the team much needed stability at the back. So far Bayern have only conceded four goals in 12 league matches, which shows the new found strength at the back.

But upfront the Bavarians aren't pushovers either with the team having scoring an impressive 32 goals so far. Especially striker Mario Gomez has been able to conserve his form from last season as he has scored 13 goals in only 11 matches, while Franck Ribery has scored not only six goals but set-up numerous more.

Borussia Dortmund meanwhile had a mixed start to their season, but in recent weeks they have been able to find their form as they moved up in the table to now be Bayern Munich's number one challenger though they are five points away just liek Werder Bremen.

Especially Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has been in fine form with 8 goals to his name, while he has taken the place of injured Lucas Barrios and even after Barrios has come back from injury Lewandowski has stayed the number one striker. But the most important development has been that the midfield comprising of youngsters Mario Götze, Shinji Kagawa and Kevin Großkreutz has found their form of last season and have once more troubled recent opponents.

Bayern Munich will be missing the services of injured Bastian Schweinsteiger as well as the suspended Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. Dortmund meanwhile will miss centre-back Neven Subotic as due to an injury.

Tonight at 18.30 CET the Round 13 match kicks-off in Munich which could decide on who gets the unofficial title of mid-season champions in a few weeks. Bayern will hope to open up a eight point lead, while Dortmund will try and close the gap at the front.

Indian Football: Transfer Season 2011 - Version 12

Here is the latest updated list of Transfers 2011 from across India of the I-League, 2nd Division sides and further clubs. It contains once more some additions...


Here an updated list of Transfers 2011

SALGAOCAR SC - GOA
RETAINED: Karanjit Singh, Macklas Moraes, Jaspal Singh Parmar, Rino Anto, Luciano Sabrosa, Irungbam Khelemba Singh, W. Tomba Singh, Cajetan Fernandes, Rocus Lamare, Francis Fernandes, Anthony Barbosa, Gilbert Oliveira, Beevan D'Mello, Ryuji Sueoka, Milagres Gonsalves, Marcus Mascarenhas
NEW: Presley Mascarenhas, Keenan Almeida, Roy Rodrigues, Aliston Fernandes, Godfrey Silva, Cliften Dias, Bobbychan Singh, Rosario Mendes (all Salgaocar Juniors), Nicolau Colaco, Augostinho Fernandes, Gagandeep Singh, Vivek Singh Kaira (all Sesa Football Academy), Chidi Edeh, Ishfaq Ahmed, Biswajit Saha (all Mohun Bagan AC), Rahul Kumar, Randeep Singh, Balwant Singh (all JCT), Vinay Singh, Thounaojam Dinesh Singh (both Churchill Brothers SC), Mehrajuddin Wadoo (East Bengal Club), Elijah Obagbemiro Junior (United SC), Mohammad Dada Nabeel (Air India), Karthik Kisku (Mohammedan Sporting Club)
LEFT: Arnab Das Sharma, Monotosh Ghosh, Syed Farid, Govin Moirangthem Singh, Khangembam Thoi Singh (all United Sikkim FC), Chinta Chandrashekar Rao, James Lukram Singh, Yakubu Yusif (all United SC), Baldeep Singh, Singam Subash Singh (both Pune FC), William Colaco (Dempo SC), Peter Costa (Mumbai FC), Jagdeep Singh (Viva Kerala), Dawson Fernandes (Sporting Clube de Goa), Daniel Albert Vales (Sesa Football Academy), Sukhwinder Singh, Alvito Rodrigues, Jagrup Singh, Sohail Akhtar, Eneke Ikenwa
COACH: Karim BENCHARIFA (MOROCCO)

EAST BENGAL CLUB - KOLKATA
RETAINED: Sandip Nandy, Abhra Mondal, Jayanta Pal, Saikat Saha Roy, Thokchom Naoba Singh, Nirmal Chetri, Uga Okpara, Gurwinder Singh, Sunil Kumar Thakur, Soumik Dey, Ravinder Singh, Sanju Pradhan, Reisangmi Vashum, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Susanth Mathew, Mehtab Hussain, Penn Ikechukwu Orji, Alvito D'Cunha, Beingaichho Beokhokhai, Tolgay Ozbey, Baljit Singh Sahni, Robin Singh, Budhiram Tudu, Biswarup Deb
NEW: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Abhishek Das, Raju Eknath Gaekwad, Subodh Kumar (all Indian Arrows, returns from a one year loan), Robert Lalthlamuana, Charan Rai, Khanthang Paite (all Churchill Brothers SC), Sunil Kumar (Pune FC), Branco Vincent Cardozo (United SC), Seiminl Doungel (JCT), Debjit Majumdar (United Sikkim FC), Alan Gow (Notts County FC, ENGLAND)
LEFT: Naseem Akhtar, Bikash Narzary (both Mohammedan Sporting Club), Mehrajuddin Wadoo (Salgaocar SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Rajib Ghosh (Indian Arrows), Sushil Kumar Singh (United Sikkim FC), Aseem Koraliyadan Kutty (Central Excise, Chennai), Sukumal Santra, Lalchhuan Awma, Alexandro da Silva Santos
COACH: Trevor MORGAN (ENGLAND)

DEMPO SC - GOA
RETAINED: Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Laxmikant Kattimani, Luis Xavier Barreto, Tyson Caiado, Valeriano Rebello, Mahesh Gawli, John Charles Dias, Creson Antao, Covan Lawrence, Dominic Noronha, Samir Naik, Debabrata Roy, Shallum Pires, Anthony Pereira, Climax Lawrence, Godwin Diogo Franco, Micky Fernandes, Peter Carvalho, Marcus Peixito, Jessel Carneiro, Aaron Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Nicolau Borges, Joe Rodrigues, Johnny D'Cruz, Bharat Thapa, Joaquim Abranches, Ranty Martins Soleye, Clifton Gonsalves, Myron Fernandes, Terence Fernandes, Mandar Rao Dessai
NEW: Brian Mascarenhas, Richard Fernandes, Romeo Fernandes, Aniston Fernandes, Reagan Juliao (all Dempo Juniors), Savio Fernandes, Koko Sakibo, Joy Ferrao (all Vasco SC), William Colaco (Salgaocar SC), Rowilson Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers SC), Selwyn Fernandes (Pune FC), P.K. Anil Kumar (Viva Kerala), Sidroy Alfonso (Sesa Football Academy), Romeo Fernandes (Margao SC), Densill Theobald (Caledonia AIA, TRINIDAD&TOBAGO)
LEFT: Roberto Mendes Silva (Churchill Brothers SC), Cavin Peter Lobo (Mumbai FC), Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Sporting Clube de Goa), Aikan Dias (Vasco SC), Samson Fernandes (Sesa Football Academy), Roy Colaco, Flann D'Souza, Rouhollah Samieinia, P.K. Anil Kumar (Chirag United Kerala, in the season)
COACH: ARMANDO COLACO

CHURCHILL BROTHERS SC - GOA
RETAINED: Arindam Bhattacharya, Lalit Thapa, Denzil Franco, Yumnam Raju Mangang, Sudhakaran Naveen Kumar, Joshua Rebello, Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Ashley Fernandes, Rauf Sher Khan, Steven Benedic Dias, Chitrasen Chandam Singh, Lenny Rodrigues, Mundampara P. Sakeer, Savio Diogo Carneiro, Israil Gurung, Melroy Fernandes, Durga Boro, M. Mohammed Rafi, T. Bineesh Balan, Jaison Vales, Sabino Bryan Rodrigues
NEW: Jerry Zirsanga, Nascimento Silveira, Melwyn Rodrigues (all United SC), Y. Jaikumar, Xavier Vijayakumar (both HAL, Bangalore), Thangjam Saran Singh, Jagpreet Singh (both JCT), Roberto Mendes Silva (Dempo SC), Lalrindika Ralte (Indian Arrows, returns from a one year loan), N.D. Opara (ONGC), Felix D'Souza (Sporting Clube de Goa), S. Parthiban (Chennai Customs), Henry Antchouet (Moreirense FC, PORTUGAL), Antun Kovacic (Richmond SC, AUSTRALIA), Felipe Gomes, Lionel Rodrigues, Ovlito Dias, Nicholas Fernandes, Richard Costa
LEFT: Robert Lalthlamuana, Charan Rai, Khanthang Paite (all East Bengal Club), Vinay Singh, Thounaojam Dinesh Singh (both Salgaocar SC), Rowilson Rodrigues (Dempo SC), Odafe Onyeka Okolie (Mohun Bagan AC), Kayne Vincent (United SC), Konsam Ajitkumar Singh (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Warundeep Singh (Sporting Clube de Goa), Noel Fernandes, Amit Rajbhansi, Jayanta Rajbhansi, Sunil Barla, Hardeep Singh, Vimal Pariyar, Amaury Gentil Nunes, Boima Karpeh
COACH: Manuel GONSALVES GOMES (PORTUGAL/new)

PUNE FC - PUNE
RETAINED: Subrata Pal, Othallo Tabia, Caitano Costa, Kamaljeet Kumar, Gurjinder Kumar Singh, Rollingson Hungyo, Shanmugam Venkatesh, J. Prasad, Asim Hassan, Lester Mark Fernandez, Paresh Shivalkar, Izumi Arata, Mandjou Keita
NEW: Baldeep Singh, Singam Subash Singh (both Salgaocar SC), Shahinlal Meloly, Karma Tsewang (both Viva Kerala), Amrinder Singh, Surjit Singh (both Harbhajan SC, Punjab), Thangjam Arung Meetie (Mohun Bagan AC), Anes Edathodika (Mumbai FC), Chika Wali (United SC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Indian Arrows, returns from a one year loan), Ramu Srikanth (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Maninder Singh (JCT), John Benedict (Bengal Mumbai FC), Sarif Molla (Milan Samity, Kolkata), Karthik Govind (Bangalore FC), Lalrimawma Lianhna Rintea (Tamthar FC, Mizoram), William Lalnunfela (Pui Pui FC, Mizoram), Lalrempuia F. (Bazar Veng FC, Mizoram), Preemjeet Singh (Barielly Hostel FC, Uttar Pradesh), Douhou Sey Djidja Pierre
LEFT: Krishnan Nair Ajayan, Gunashekar Vignesh, Manoj T.M. (all Viva Kerala), Lamine Tamba, Sandesh Gadkare (both Air India), Velington Rocha, Valito Cruz (both Margao SC), Sunil Kumar (East Bengal Club), Selwyn Fernandes (Dempo SC), Soram Poirei Anganba (Shillong Lajong FC), Thokchom Roshan Singh (Sesa Football Academy), Johny Khamrang (NISA, Manipur), S. Vinobagandhi (Indian Bank), A. Sherin (AGORC, Chennai), K. Vigneshwaran (Tamil Nadu), Edmar Figueira (CD Feirense, PORTUGAL), Narshiman Balaji
COACH: Derrick PEREIRA

MOHUN BAGAN AC - KOLKATA
RETAINED: Shilton Pal, Sangram Mukherjee, Sudipta Banerjee, Irungbam Surkumar Singh, Kingshuk Debnath, Anwar, Rakesh Masih, Nallappan Mohanraj, R. Dhanarajan, Gouranga Datta, Satish Kumar Jr, Manish Mathani, Souvik Chakraborty, Dipendu Dowary, Snehashis Chakroborty, Ashim Biswas, Jose Ramirez Barreto
NEW: Sheikh Jewel Raja, Jagtar Singh (both Indian Arrows, return from a one year loan), Daljit Singh, Sakatar Singh (both JCT), Souvik Mondal, Sourav Chakraborty (both Techno Aryan Club), Syed Rahim Nabi (East Bengal Club), Odafe Onyeka Okolie (Churchill Brothers SC), Bungo Thokchom Singh (Mumbai FC), Sunil Chhetri (United SC), Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep (Viva Kerala), Joseph Muralidharan (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Simon Storey (AUSTRALIA), Hudson Lima da Silva (BRAZIL), Daniel Zeleny (AUSTRALIA, in the season)
LEFT: Chidi Edeh, Ishfaq Ahmed, Biswajit Saha (all Salgaocar SC), Sheikh Azim, Suman Datta, Surabuddin Mollick (all Mohammedan Sporting Club), Deepak Kumar Mondal, Jayanta Sen (both United SC), Harpreet Singh, Karan Atwal (both United Sikkim FC), Sagram Mandi, Santosh Oraon (both Bhawanipore Club, Kolkata), Thangjam Arung Meetie (Pune FC), Amar Deb (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Nazimuddin Mollick (Southern Samity), David Lalbiakzara (Pune FC Reserves), Pralay Datta, Rahul Kumar, Parminder Singh, Jacken Sebastian, Subair Muritala Ali, Owky Diamondstar, Simon Storey (released in the season)
COACH: Steve DARBY (ENGLAND/new - resigned) - Subrata BHATTACHARJEE (new)

MUMBAI FC - MUMBAI
RETAINED: A.C. Nithinlal, Ishan Debnath, Faizal Rehman M.A., Goutam Debnath, Nihal Chandran, Karan Amin, Peter Siddiqui, Ashutosh Mehta, Nicholas Lewis Rodrigues, Dane Lloyd Pereira, Keegan Pereira, Salil Usman, Chhangte Malswamkima, Sampath Kumar Kuttymani, Noel Anthony Wilson, Ebi Theophilus Sukore, Abhishek Yadav, Pachau Lalam Puia, Jayesh Rane
NEW: Neeraj Sharma, Ritesh Perambara, Rolfred Coutinho, Rohit Mirza, Manuel D'Souza, Tushar Poojary (all Mumbai FC Under-19), L. Dhanachandra Singh, Darren Caldeira (both Air India), Peter Costa (Salgaocar SC), Cavin Peter Lobo (Dempo SC), Mintu Saha (Bengal Mumbai FC), Sanjiban Ghosh, Ajmaludheen M., Kingsley Chioma, Gbeneme Friday, Amiri Islam (AFGHANISTAN, in the season)
LEFT: Ramandeep Singh Randhawa, Ezeh Nna Henry (both Air India), Anes Edathodika (Pune FC), Bungo Thokchom Singh (Mohun Bagan AC), Pradeep Mohanraj (Viva Kerala), Deepak Prakash (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Hiralal Chetri (United Sikkim FC), Lihaz Koya, Sheikh Mustakin, Nishant Mehra, John Coutinho, Evans Quao
COACH: Khalid JAMIL

PRAYAG UNITED SC - KOLKATA
RETAINED: Abhijit Mondal, Somnath Khara, Bapi Saha, Sukhen Dey, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Anupam Sarkar, Arnab Mondal, Justine Stephen, Narugopal Hait, Shylo Malswam Tulunga, Gouranga Biswas, Subhas Chakraborty, Denson Devadas, Lal Kamal Bhowmick, Soumik Chakraborty, Sheikh Shabbir Ali, Josimar da Silva Martins, Shankar Oraon, Mohammed Rafique
NEW: Chinta Chandrashekar Rao, James Lukram Singh, Yakubu Yusif (all Salgaocar SC), Parimal Burman, Arjun Chakraborty, F. Liandala (all United SC Under-19), Deepak Kumar Mondal, Jayanta Sen (both Mohun Bagan AC), Kayne Vincent (Churchill Brothers SC), Jagroop Singh (Indian Arrows), Bello Razaq (Viva Kerala), Thoudam Joychandra Singh (Sporting Clube de Goa), Tanmoy Ghosh (United Sikkim FC), Snehashish Dutta (Techno Aryan Club), Crispin Chetri (Tollygunge Agragami), Gourshankar Dutta (Railway FC, Kolkata), Sena, Suhas S.N.
LEFT: Jerry Zirsanga, Nascimento Silveira, Melwyn Rodrigues (all Churchill Brothers SC), Noushad K., Asif K. (both Viva Kerala), Elijah Obagbemiro Junior (Salgaocar SC), Sunil Chhetri (Mohun Bagan AC), Branco Vincent Cardozo (East Bengal Club), Chika Wali (Pune FC), Safar Sardar (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Munna Mallick (Techno Aryan Club), Ram Malik (Kalighat Milan Sangha), Subhojit Majumdar (Bhawanipore Club, Kolkata), S. Santha Kumar (Integral Coach Factory), Swarup Das, Bibhash Ghosh, Subho Kumar, Sirajudeen C., Sergei Tokov, Young Il Choi
COACH: Sanjoy SEN (new)

PAILAN INDIAN ARROWS - KOLKATA
RETAINED: Ravi Kumar, Kamaljeet Singh, Deepak Devrani, Vishal Kumar, Lalrozama Fanai, Souvik Ghosh, Prathamesh Maulingkar, Bikramjit Singh, Tirthankar Sarkar, Ongnam Milan Singh, Shilton Sydney D'Silva, Jibon Singh, Malsawmfela
NEW: Naveen Kumar, Gurtej Singh Sr, Amarwant Singh, Gurtej Singh Jr, Ajay Singh (all JCT), Rajib Ghosh (East Bengal Club), C.S Sabeeth (Viva Kerala), Bijendra Rai (Royal Wahingdoh SC), Loukik Jadhav (Bengal Mumbai FC), Avinaba Bag (Kalighat Milan Sangha, Kolkata), Narayan Das, Shenaz Singh, Prabir Das, Krishanu Banerjee, Lalnunka, Lalnunpuia, Holicharan Narzary
LEFT: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Abhishek Das, Raju Eknath Gaekwad, Subodh Kumar (all East Bengal Club), Sheikh Jewel Raja, Jagtar Singh (both Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune FC), Jagroop Singh (United SC), Manandeep Singh (Air India), Ravindra Kumar, Inderpreet Singh, Akshay Kumar Mall
COACH: Sukhvinder Singh (TD)

VIVA KERALA - KANNUR/COCHIN
RETAINED: Sharath K., Charles Dzisah, Faisal T., Sherin Sam, Jimshad U., C.K. Vineeth, O.K. Javed
NEW: Krishnan Nair Ajayan, Gunashekar Vignesh, Manoj T.M. (all Pune FC), Noushad K., Asif K. (both United SC), Jagdeep Singh (Salgaocar SC), Pradeep Mohanraj (Mumbai FC), Shahbas Shaleel (ONGC), Gurjinder Singh (Peerless SC, Kolkata), Arindam Ghosh (Kolkata), Alex Carioke (Moto Club de Sao Luis, BRAZIL), Isaac Boakye (Young Africans SC, TANZANIA), Michael Matricciani (MetroStars, AUSTRALIA), Shyjumon, P.K. Anil Kumar (Dempo SC, in the season)
LEFT: Shahinlal Meloly, Karma Tsewang (both Pune FC), P.K. Anil Kumar (Dempo SC), Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep (Mohun Bagan AC), Bello Razaq (United SC), C.S Sabeeth (Indian Arrows), Muhammed Shafi M. (Air India), Bimanyu Bimal Birua (Peerless SC, Kolkata), Felix Chimaokwu, Alex Carioke (released, in the season)
COACH: P.K. KUNHIKRISHNAN (fired); Mohamed Nizam Packeer ALI (SRI LANKA/new)

AIR INDIA - MUMBAI
RETAINED: Kunal Sawant, Arup Debnath, Avijit Ghosh, Haobijam Napoleon Singh, Uttam Leishangthem Singh, Chanchal Saha, Collin Abranches, Vijith Shetty, Santosh Koli, Hringsolal Thomte, Allan Dias, Bijay Baspore, Manjit Singh, Alex Mario Ambrose, Soccor Velho, Kumar Samson Singh, T. Narender Meetei
NEW: Lamine Tamba, Sandesh Gadkare (both Pune FC), Ramandeep Singh Randhawa, Ezeh Nna Henry (both Mumbai FC), Manandeep Singh (Indian Arrows), Muhammed Shafi M. (Viva Kerala), Pawan Kumar (JCT), Sandeep Sangha (ONGC), V. Prem Kumar (United Sikkim FC), Oken Singh (Kenkre FC), Harshad Meher (Bengal Mumbai FC), Abhishek Matthew (Union Bank of India, Mumbai), Nisthar Kali Alaudeen (Central Excise, Chennai), Satvinder Singh (Punjab State Electricity Board), Royston D'Souza (Mahindra United Under-19), Takayuki Omi (Japan), Amit Nandy, Pratek Chaudhury, Bhuvan Krishna Joshi, Satwinder Singh, Abhishek Ambekar, Rahul Bhere
LEFT: Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, Soraisam Dharamjit Singh, Babin Biswas (all Southern Samity), Mohammad Dada Nabeel (Salgaocar SC), L. Dhanachandra Singh (Mumbai FC), Amrit Pal Singh (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Praneel Mendon (Mumbai Customs), Amulya Mondal (Peerless SC, Kolkata), Okorogor Nnabuike Praise, Yusuf Ibrahim
COACH: Santosh KASHYAP

HAL SC - BANGALORE
RETAINED: Pramod P., Femi Joseph Adeola, Liliyan Kennath, Goutam Debnath, Prakash Koley, Sargolsem James Singh, Rajendra Prasad, Abdullah Hamza Amaba, R.C. Prakash, Kshetrimayum Malamnganba Meitei, Satish Kumar Sr,
NEW: Sarbjeet Singh, Chandandeep Singh (both JCT), Bhola Prasad, Kaushik Bose (both ONGC), T.V. Biju Kumar, Muttath Sudheesh (both Vasco SC), Ramesh, J. Karthigeyan (both BEML (EM), Bangalore), Konsam Ajitkumar Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Amar Deb (Mohun Bagan AC), Deepak Prakash (Mumbai FC), Bijoy Das (United Sikkim FC), Ethesham Bucks (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Sukalpa Mondal (Techno Aryan Club), Praveen Kumar (Josco FC), B. Prakash (Postal FC, Bangalore), Vinoth Kumar V. (Railway Wheel Factory, Bangalore), Aleksandar Sujdovic (Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, BANGLADESH), Sunder Raj Rajan
LEFT: Y. Jaikumar, Xavier Vijayakumar (both Churchill Brothers SC), Ramu Srikanth (Pune FC), Joseph Muralidharan (Mohun Bagan AC), Deepak K. (Southern Samity), P. Karthik (Indian Bank), Rohit Chand (NEPAL), T. Karthikeyan, Vijesh Kumar, Sanath Kumar R., Shekar Muralidharan, Bengkok Nameirakpam, Arun S., D. Samuel Dhinakaran, B. Karthik, Shahas K., Meikinlung
COACH: Thayarajan

JCT - PHAGWARA
LEFT: Naveen Kumar, Gurtej Singh Sr, Amarwant Singh, Gurtej Singh Jr, Ajay Singh (all Indian Arrows), Prasanta Dora, Barjinder Pal Singh, Parveen Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Jaswinder Singh (all Tollygunge Agragami), Rahul Kumar, Randeep Singh, Balwant Singh (all Salgaocar SC), Omkar Singh, Jatinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh (all Calangute Association, Goa), Thangjam Saran Singh, Jagpreet Singh (both Churchill Brothers SC), Daljit Singh, Sakatar Singh (both Mohun Bagan AC), Sarbjeet Singh, Chandandeep Singh (both Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Baldeep Singh, Harish Sharma (both United Sikkim FC), Seiminl Doungel (East Bengal Club), Maninder Singh (Pune FC), Pawan Kumar (Air India), Lalchuanmawia (Shillong Lajong FC), Nurain Kareem Omolaja (Royal Wahingdoh SC), Vijay Hooda (Hindustan FC, Delhi), Navtej Singh (Delhi United FC), Inderjit Singh (Shahdara FC, Delhi), Thangjam Manikanta Singh (USA, Manipur), Rajbir Singh (Mauri SC, Kolkata), Rakinderjit Singh, Sehij Pal Singh, R. Sriram, Abhishek Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Balraj Singh, Badru Keke Ibrahim

ONGC - MUMBAI
RETAINED: Bilifang Narzary, Krishna Shirodkar, A. Naresh, M.C. Dhanesh, Bimal Minz, Jatin Singh Bisht, F. Lalmuanpuia, Kailash Patel, Kenistan C.
NEW: Sachin Gawas, Joel Sequeira (both Vasco SC), J. Modi, Reuben D'Souza, Wahid Mohammed, Ashish Pandey
LEFT: Kamal Thapa, Robin Gurung, Bikash Jairu (all Ar-Hima FC), Bhola Prasad, Kaushik Bose (both Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Tapan Maity, Surojit Bose (both Mohammedan Sporting Club), N.D. Opara (Churchill Brothers SC), Shahbas Shaleel (Viva Kerala), Sandeep Sangha (Air India), Gour Naskar (Southern Samity), K.V. Lalu (Josco FC), Sudipta Kar (Bhawanipore Club, Kolkata), Ricky Joy (Postal FC, Bangalore)
COACH: Caetano PINHO (new)

SHILLONG LAJONG FC - SHILLONG
RETAINED: Lalthuammawia Ralte, Gumpe Rime, Aibor Khongjee, Wailadmi Passah, Zomingliana Ralte, Rodingson Sangma, M. Subhas Singh, C. Lallawmzuala, Mashangva Genius Zenith, Samson Ramengmawia, Boithang Haokip, Lalramluaha, James Giblee, P.C. Lahlimthara Mahlima, Samuel Shadap, Racy Khiangte Lalrengmawia, Saikhohau Tuboi, Lalnunmawia
NEW: Henry Gangte, L. Romenjit Singh (both Bengal Mumbai FC), Soram Poirei Anganba (Pune FC), Lalchuanmawia (JCT), John D. Menyongar (United Sikkim FC), Eugeneson Lyngdoh (Ar-Hima FC), Tuishim Mashangva (Southern Samity), Iyikwobe Christopher Chizoba (Kalighat Milan Sangha/Mohammedan Sporting Club), H. Lalmuamkima (Sport & Youth Service, Mizoram)
LEFT: Marcus Basumatary, Keleche Okoye (both Ar-Hima FC), Marlanki Suting (Royal Wahingdoh SC), Ochei Emeka Michael (George Telegraph SC), Thanggoulal (AIM, Manipur), Jonathan Mgochukwu Kingsley (Nagpur FC), Anil Gurung (Manang Marshyangdi Club, NEPAL), Kryshan Lyngshing, Niwan-O-Gatphoh, Roming Thanga, Henry Marboh, Jenga Rongmei, Gaiham Rongmei, Million Mwenge Butshire
COACH: Pradhyum REDDY

SPORTING CLUBE DE GOA - GOA
RETAINED: Gerald D'Mello, Fulganco Cardozo, Boubacar Keita, Mathew Gonsalves, N. Samananda Singh, Singam Rojen Singh, Rovan Pereira, Konthoujam Boboi Singh, Michael Faleiro, Joyner Lourenco, Adil Ahmed Khan, Mauricio Freeman Peixoto, Jovel Martins, Pedro Gonsalves, P. Niroshan Mani, Lairenjam Bisheshwor Singh, Wilton Gomes, Mackroy Peixote, Angelo D'Souza, Joseph Pereira, Rowlinn Borges, Avelino Fernandes, Ningthounjam Pritam Singh, Valzinho Fernandes, Stephen Barretto
NEW: Milagrio Medeira, Prajot Naik (both Vasco SC), Dawson Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Warundeep Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Ogba Kalu Nnanna (Dempo SC), Ashok Singh (Ar-Hima FC), Charanjit Singh (Kenkre FC), Gabriel Fernandes (Sesa Football Academy), Mohammed Ali (Calangute Association, Goa), Victorino Fernandes (Santa Cruz Club of Cavellosim), James Moga (Mukti Joddha Sangsad, Bangladesh), Kailo Karpeh (Bayswater City FC, AUSTRALIA)
LEFT: Bibiano Fernandes, Mario Mascarenhas, Daison Cardozo (all Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim, Goa), Elvino Fernandes, Agnelo Colaco (both Vasco SC), Felix D'Souza (Churchill Brothers SC), Thoudam Joychandra Singh (United SC), Ayeni Bidemi Daniel (United Sikkim FC), Steven Fernandes (Sesa Football Academy), Siddesh Morje (Goa Velha SC), Ashokan Guru (Integral Coach Factory, Chennai), Thangjam Itomba Singh (Tiddim Road Athletic Union, Manipur), Joston Pereira, Koushik Ghosh, Sena Liandala, Jeswil D’Souza, Randell Dias, Gary D'Mello, Mackenze Fernandes, Emmanuel Akwuegbu, Joshua Maguire, Mohammed Ali (Calangute Association, Goa; on loan)
COACH: Ekendra SINGH (new)

VASCO SC - GOA
RETAINED: Julius Irabor Akpele, Agnelo Barreto, Subhankar Dey, Menino Fernandes, Aniket Dilip Jadhav, Jerose Oliveira, Jose Colaco, Christofer Borges
NEW: Milind Shinde, Rahul Kandulkar, Rohan Sagar (all Brasil Futebol Academia, Goa), Elvino Fernandes, Agnelo Colaco (both Sporting Clube de Goa), Aikan Dias (Dempo SC), Agnelo Noronha (Goa Velha SC), Sarvanand Korgaonkar, Sagar Bhatkande, Sunil Sharma, Andrew Igado
LEFT: Savio Fernandes, Koko Sakibo, Joy Ferrao (all Dempo SC), Sachin Gawas, Joel Sequeira (both ONGC), Milagrio Medeira, Prajot Naik (both Sporting Clube de Goa), T.V. Biju Kumar, Muttath Sudheesh (both Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Basileo Rego, Xavier Estrocio (both Goa Velha SC), Thomas Joaquim D'Souza (Calangute Association, Goa), Remus Gomes (Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim, Goa), Martin Frederick Okwagbe
COACH: Valentine EZEUGO (new)

UNITED SIKKIM FC - GANGTOK
RETAINED: Pranesh Dewan, Sagar Rai, Potsangbam Renedy Singh, Martin Louis Joseph Daniel, Jiten Rai, Nim Tshering Lepcha, Quinton Norman Jacobs, Mayal Dok Lepcha, Baichung Bhutia, Tenzing Tsephel Bhutia
NEW: Arnab Das Sharma, Monotosh Ghosh, Syed Farid, Govin Moirangthem Singh, Khangembam Thoi Singh (all Salgaocar SC), Harpreet Singh, Karan Atwal (both Mohun Bagan AC), Baldeep Singh, Harish Sharma (both JCT), Sushil Kumar Singh (East Bengal Club), Hiralal Chetri (Mumbai FC), Ayeni Bidemi Daniel (Sporting Clube de Goa/Shillong Lajong FC), Mumtaz Akhtar (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Babatunde John Oladele (Techno Aryan Club), Ong Teshering Lepcha (Bengal Mumbai FC), Nganingmi Shimran (Denzong Boyz), Prantosh Roy (Calcutta Port Trust), Vikram Singh Gill (Youngmen SC, Delhi), Sanasam Basant Singh (Manipur), Afzal Ansari, K. Romen Singh, Mayosing Khongreiwo
LEFT: Debjit Majumdar (East Bengal Club), Tanmoy Ghosh (United SC), V. Prem Kumar (Air India), Bijoy Das (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), John D. Menyongar (Shillong Lajong FC), Lalrinfela (Southern Samity), Mutum Bijen Singh (NISA, Manipur), Sukhdeb Ghosh (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Tashi Tseten Bhutia, Nanjangud Shivananju Manju, Mituski Ichihara, Muttath Suresh, Sumit Thapa, APD Carvalho, Kalia Kulothungan, Pradip Hembrom, Joseph Lapira
COACH: Stanley ROZARIO

MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING CLUB - KOLKATA
RETAINED: Suman Dey, Debkumar Sashmal, Mohammed Adeola Hassan, Sudip Das, Mohammed Mukhtar, Han Wook, Gautam Kujur, Suraj Mondal
NEW: Sheikh Azim, Suman Datta, Surabuddin Mollick (all Mohun Bagan AC), Naseem Akhtar, Bikash Narzary (both East Bengal Club), Tapan Maity, Surojit Bose (both ONGC), Safar Sardar (United SC), P. Ummer Farooque (Viva Kerala), Amrit Pal Singh (Air India), Sukhdeb Ghosh (United Sikkim FC), Cyprian Stanley Okoroigwe (Techno Aryan Club), Sovan Das (Peerless SC, Kolkata), Gobinth Adhikari (Faria Strikers, Goa), Felix
LEFT: Manas Barua, Dipendu Biswas, Satyajit Bose (all Bhawanipore Club, Kolkata), Habibur Rehman Mondal, Nilendra Dewan (both Southern Samity), Saheb Ali Mondol, Zotin Liana (both Peerless SC), Karthik Kisku (Salgaocar SC), Ethesham Bucks (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Mumtaz Akhtar (United Sikkim FC), Tenzing Dhondup (Royal Wahingdoh SC), Priyant Kumar Singh (Tollygunge Agragami), Sarfaraz Khan (Calcutta Port Trust), Tharangachan Tungshang (Langsning SC), Satvir Singh (Ahbab FC, Delhi), Sandip Rai, David Mkandawire, Musibau Olenrewaju Adebayo
COACH: Aloke MUKHERJEE (new)

SOUTHERN SAMITY - KOLKATA
RETAINED: Pronoy Roy, Rajib Ahmed, Gurpreet Singh, Mriganka Sharma, Chandan Das, Debayan Saha, Jamir Ali Mandal, Francis Xavier, Edmilson Marques Pardal
NEW: Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda, Soraisam Dharamjit Singh, Babin Biswas (all Air India), Habibur Rehman Mondal, Nilendra Dewan (both Mohammedan Sporting Club), Nazimuddin Mollick (Mohun Bagan AC), Gour Naskar (ONGC), Deepak K. (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC), Lalrinfela (United Sikkim FC), Zico Zorengsanga (Ar-Hima FC), Prasanta Chakraborty (Peerless SC, Kolkata), Thang Somi Ruivah (BEML (EM), Bangalore), R.K. Jimmy Kazip (New Delhi Heroes), Prateek Joshi (RCF, Mumbai), Moirangthem Basanta Singh (RCU, Manipur), Matthew Mayora (Sydney Olympic, AUSTRALIA), Gopal Das, Abhijit Das, Sheikh Moidul, Sanku Debbarma, Eehe Zara, Kaushik Biswas, Basant Singh, Suman Ghosal, Sheikh Sanjib, Thuksuma Boy
LEFT: Manas Das, Marcos Alexandro de Carvalho Pereira (both Bhawanipore Club, Kolkata), Tuishim Mashangva (Shillong Lajong FC), P.T. Somy (Josco FC), Amit Singha Roy, Binod Mallick, Rahul Bhattacharya, Madhab Kumar Das, Anit Kumar Ghosh, Karthik Chatterjee, Mahesh Sarkar, Uken Debbarma, Sasthi Duley, Pradip Nag, Deepak Sharma, S. Heman Singh, Adebayo Tokunbo Adewusi
COACH: Carlos Roberto PEREIRA da SILVA (BRAZIL)

SESA FOOTBALL ACADEMY - GOA
RETAINED: Bruno Colaco, Neves Fernandes, Andrew Don Bosco, Jayganesh Goltekar, Shishuram Chutia, Valinton D'Silva, Amol Salgaocar, Charles Miranda, Gaurish Naik, Pratesh Shirodkar, Inacio Colaco, Marcus Fernandes, Valentino Rodrigues, Edwin Lucas, Lesly Fernandes, Rakshak Naik
NEW: Daniel Albert Vales (Salgaocar SC), Samson Fernandes (Dempo SC), Thokchom Roshan Singh (Pune FC), Steven Fernandes (Sporting Clube de Goa), Agnelo Quadros (Goa Velha SC), Shadab Shaikh (Calangute Association, Goa), Chikudi Chukwama (Sesa Juniors), Daniel Fernandes, Amritpal Singh, Jonychand Singh, Joston Lourenco, Richard Colaco, Felix Barreto
LEFT: Nicolau Colaco, Augostinho Fernandes, Gagandeep Singh, Vivek Singh Kaira (all Salgaocar SC), Sidroy Alfonso (Dempo SC), Gabriel Fernandes (Sporting Clube de Goa), Don Tshering Lepcha (Royal Wahingdoh SC), Jason D'Mello (Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim, Goa), Pradeep Kumar (Indian National FC), Haolengou Kipgen (United Sports Association, Manipur), Shayan Roy, Ivo Fernandes, E. Shivamani, Richard Colaco, Anthony Fernandes
COACH: Clifford CHUKWAMA

GOA VELHA SC
RETAINED: Soma Korgaonkar, Valerio Vaz, Cruz Gomes, Randell Dias, Gary D'Mello, Nelson Fernandes, Alber Gonsalves, Saprem Diukar, Trevor Dias, Zico Costa, Augusto Monteiro, Clyde Dias, Cliff Fernandes, Donald Rocha
NEW: Basileo Rego, Xavier Estrocio (both Vasco SC), Wellington Fernandes, Tyson Fernandes (both Dempo Juniors), Joseph Rodrigues, Atish Shetgaonkar (both Holiday SC, Arpora, Goa), Siddesh Morje (Sporting Clube de Goa), Pio D'Sousa (Raia Sporting Club), Elias D'Sousa (Goa Police SC), Bruno Fernandes (Penha de Franca, Goa), Parsuram Kaddinawar (Peddem Bomm, Goa), Denzil Pritto (AA de Moira, Goa), Nestor Dylan Dias (Saligao United, Goa), Morbimore Pinto (Young Boys of Dhobitala, Goa), Jolan Lourenco (St Sebastian, St Cruz, Goa), Gautam Kanconkar (Sao Miguel de Taleigao, Goa), Royden Camelo (Young Boys of Tonca, Goa), Volvino Rego, Freddy Oliveira, Kunal Rodrigues
LEFT: Loyed Mascarenhas, Gaurish Naik (both Calangute Association, Goa), Agnelo Noronha (Vasco SC), Agnelo Quadros (Sesa Football Academy), Vishant Pednekar (retired, Goa Velha assistant coach), Rowan Colaco, Edwin Carvalho, Joston Lourenco, Khan Paite, Michael Dias, Oliver D'Souza, Pankaj Fondekar, Stanley D'Silva, Savio Fernandes, Ramesh Martins Palkar, Samir Agarwadekar, Reagan Fernandes, Stanley D'Silva, Stanley Lopes, Joy Gonsalves, Elvis Lopes, Gauresh Mandrekar, Blake Haldankar
COACH: Lino PEREIRA

CALANGUTE ASSOCIATION
RETAINED: -
NEW: Omkar Singh, Jatinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh (all JCT), Loyed Mascarenhas, Gaurish Naik (both Goa Velha SC), Alesh Sawant, Faizal Sheikh (both Brasil Futebol Academia, Goa), Thomas Joaquim D'Souza (Vasco SC), Sugitesh Mandraker (Faria Strikers, Goa), Gurinder Pal Singh (Harbhajan SC, Punjab), Freddy Faria, Sukhdeep Singh, Preepal Singh Gill, Jatminder Somu Singh, Sukhwinder Kumar, Charanjit Singh, Sarjit Singh, Varinderjit Singh, Hanson D'Sousa, Amar Haldankar, Frazer Picardo, Selwyn Fernandes, Marc Fernandes, Lawrence Fernandes, Ryan D'Sousa, Joaquim Gonsalves, Lestern Martins, Drupesh Dessai, Dominic Fernandes, Ologon Isaiah, Festos O.J. Avah, Mohammed Ali (Sporting Clube de Goa, on loan)
LEFT: Mohammed Ali (Sporting Clube de Goa), Shadab Shaikh (Sesa Football Academy), Sunford Cardozo (Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim, Goa), Agnelo Fernandes, Richard Costa, Stanley Coutinho, Frankie Pereira, Vesvino Miranda, Pedro Gonsalves, Siddesh Kesarkar, Manuel Crasto, Haresh Diukar
COACH: Vishwas GAONKAR (new)

TATA FOOTBALL ACADEMY - JAMSHEDPUR
RETAINED: Ricardo Cardozo, Mohammed Moniruzzaman Ansari, Bilal Khan, Suraj Kumar, Kamaldeep Singh, Gurpreet Singh, S.K. Rohit, Jarmanjeet Singh, Rocky Singh, Sanjiv Kumar, Manas Sarkar, Harpreet Singh, Biswajit Sardar, Chingkhei Meetei, Baidyanath Das, Amit Kumar, Vineet Rai, Deepak Tirkey, Mohammed Irfan Khan, Udanta Singh, Randhan Meetei
NEW: -
LEFT: -
COACH: P. Vijay KUMAR

SAFF Cup: Kick-off Timings finalised

The SAFF Cup (South Asian Football Federation Championships) will be played from December 2 to 11, 2011 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. The tournaments match schedule and kick-off timings have been finalised.

There is a slight change to earlier mentioned kick-off timings. Instead of 15.30 and 18.30 IST kick-offs, the matches will now start at 15.00 and 18.00 IST.

Meanwhile, the SAFF Championship Tournament Organisers have appointed Kyazoonga as official ticketing partner. Tickets will be available from today onwards on www.kyazoonga.com . The ticket counters at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will be opened starting November 30. Daily tickets have been priced at Rs 150 and Rs 75 respectively.


2011 SAFF CUP - New Delhi

Group A: India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan

03-Dec-2011: India - Afghanistan (15.00 IST)
03-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Bhutan (18.00 IST)
05-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Afghanistan (15.00 IST)
05-Dec-2011: Bhutan - India (18.00 IST)
07-Dec-2011: Bhutan - Afghanistan (15.00 IST)
07-Dec-2011: India - Sri Lanka (18.00 IST)

Group B: Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan

02-Dec-2011: Bangladesh - Pakistan (15.00 IST)
02-Dec-2011: Maldives - Nepal (18.00 IST)
04-Dec-2011: Nepal - Bangladesh (15.00 IST)
04-Dec-2011: Pakistan - Maldives (18.00 IST)
06-Dec-2011: Pakistan - Nepal (15.00 IST)
06-Dec-2011: Maldives - Bangladesh (18.00 IST)


Semifinals
09-Dec-2011: Group B Winners - Group A Runners-up (15.00 IST)
09-Dec-2011: Group A Winners - Group B Runners-up (18.00 IST)

Final
11-Dec-2011: Winner SF 1 - Winner SF 2 (18.00 IST)

Should Europe's Top Leagues be reduced to 16 Teams?

This is a thesis which FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell is advocating for not only for the Spanish La Liga, but also for the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and the French Ligue 1 who all have 20 team leagues along with other European top leagues like Germany's Bundesliga.

The approach from Sandro Rosell is interesting because of the reasons behind his thinking. Rosell is saying that his idea is in the interest of the players by having to play less national league matches; but also this would give a chance to the UEFA Champions League, Europe's continental club competition, to spread out and maybe even have matches on weekends to make it more marketable.

Only last week Sandro Rosell had said at the International Football Arena in Zurich that Spain's La Liga should be reduced from 20 to 18 and then 16 teams. It had created a stir in Spain with many questioning the Barca president's approach.

But with ideas of a European Super League always in the back of the mind and top clubs also looking at ways to increase their revenues, matches of the Champions League on Saturday's and Sunday's could just be the answer.

For an FC Barcelona to play Manchester United or AC Milan is more lucrative then some small Spanish league sides. Will European football discuss Rosell's idea? Will smaller European leagues help players and their clubs? What do you all think?

Ajax name van Gaal as new General Director

Dutch football giants Ajax Amsterdam have named former coach Louis van Gaal as their new General Director. Van Gaal will take-up his new assignment in July 2012 as a replacement for Rik van der Boog, who had left the job earlier this year.

Van Gaal is a controversial figure and former Ajax star Johan Cruyff has been very critical of the new appointment, which he thinks is a big mistake by the club. Cruyff had been favouring the appointment of former striker Marco van Basten.

The 60 year old Louis van Gaal will work alongside Director of Sports Danny Blind and Commercial Director Martin Sturkenboom, who will be General Director until van Gaal join, as part of a new leadership structure at the home of the four-time European Club champions.

Van Gaal had been Ajax assistant coach from 1988 to 1991 before he became the head coach in 1991. He stayed until 1997 which was a time of success for the Amsterdam club. They won the UEFA Cup (1992) and UEFA Champions (1995) besides local Dutch titles. Van Gaal returned in 2003 for a season as Director of Sports.

Van Gaal had on April 9, 2011 be fired by German giants FC Bayern Munich after a chequered 22 month stay in which he won the German league and cup double besides reaching the 2010 UEFA Champions League final, but in the season thereafter he wasn't able to push the club towards success. Earlier van Gaal had successfully coached Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.

India win five goal thriller against Malaysia

India won a five goal thriller 3-2 against Malaysia in their second International Friendly at the Saltlake Stadium, Kolkata infront of a sadly spare crowd of around only 1,500. The win followed the one-all draw on Sunday in Guwahati.

The late equaliser on Sunday had given India confidence of being able to challenge the Southeast Asian side. The Savio Medeira coached India played positive football and dominated proceedings for most of the match. In fact, the Indians could have won by a bigger margin but once more were undone by poor finishing.

Francis Fernandes made his international debut with Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Anwar, Debabrata Roy and Jeje Lalpekhlua back in the starting line-up. The newly put-together midfield quartett of Francis Fernandes, Baldeep Singh, Rocus Lamare and Lalrindika Ralte combined well and never allowed the rivals to settle down. Baldeep was a revelation in the heart of midfield and stayed the pivot around which India's game revolved with today's captain Syed Rahim Nabi also playing an inspirational game.

All five goals came before and after the breather. Following a Nabi free-kick an alert Sunil Chhetri beat the Malaysian defence and their keeper to give India a 39th minute lead, but the lead didn't last upto the break with Mohammed Safee Sali equalising on the stroke of half-time. Just into the second session India once more took the lead through an alert Jeje Lalpekhlua while Chhetri made it 3-1 in the 53rd minute. If one thought India would cruising to a victory then they were wrong as Mohammed Safee Sali once more reduced the deficit. But it stayed 3-2 until the end for a vital victory for India ahead of the SAFF Cup.

Coach Savio Medeira was a pleased man. "The boys played their hearts out," Savio said. "It's good to end with a victory. We did make quite a few changes in the playing XI and it paid off," Savio added. "The SAFF Championship is knocking at the door and we needed to give a chance to everyone to gauge their match temperament."

"We didn't get much time to prepare for the match but the boys rose to the occasion," Savio ended.

Star striker Sunil Chhetri has a happy man after the match, "We played well. It's a special feeling when you score for your country."

Next-up for India will be Zambia on November 29 in Goa to be followed by the SAFF Cup in December.


INDIA

33-Subhasish Roy Chowdhury; 9-Syed Rahim Nabi [C], 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, 5-Anwar (61' 14-Mahesh Gawli), 2-Debabrata Roy (62' 16-Samir Naik); 26-Francis Fernandes (71' 12-Anthony Pereira), 7-Baldeep Singh (78' 25-Jewel Raja Sheikh), 35-Rocus Lamare, 20-Lalrindika Ralte (90' 15-Clifford Miranda); 10-Jeje Lalpekhlua, 11-Sunil Chhetri (89' 18-Sushil Kumar Singh)