Latest Calcutta Premier Division fixtures

The Indian Football Association (West Bengal) has released the latest fixtures for the 2012/13 season of the Calcutta Premier Division which is seeing 19 teams in action and they have been divided into two group - Group A with 10 teams, Group B with nine teams.

The latest list has scheduled matches from Wednesday, October 3 to Sunday, October 7 with not all clubs to be in action over this period.


FIXTURES

Group A
East Bengal Club, Prayag United SC, Aryan Club, Army XI, Kalighat Milan Sangha, Railway FC, BNR, George Telegraph SC, Eastern Railway SC, Peerless SC

03-Oct-2012: Prayag United SC - Aryan Club
07-Oct-2012: Army XI - Kalighat Milan Sangha
07-Oct-2012: Railway FC - BNR

Group B
Mohun Bagan AC, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Bhawanipore Club, Calcutta Port Trust, Tollygunge Agragami, Police AC, Southern Samity, West Bengal Police, Kalighat Club

04-Oct-2012: Mohammedan Sporting Club - Police AC
05-Oct-2012: Bhawanipore Club - Kalighat Club
05-Oct-2012: Tollygunge Agragami - Southern Samity

125th Durand Cup: Air India new champions!

In an all Mumbai final, Air India got the better of Dodsal FC 3-2 in a the penalty shootout at the floodlit Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi. It is the first Durand Cup for the Airmen from the financial capital of India.

After a goalless regulation and extra-time the third knockout match in a row after the two semifinals entered a penalty shootout which Air India won 3-2. Pradeep Mohanraj, Vijith Shetty and Ramandeep Singh scored for Air India but Harshad Meher and Pratek Chaudhury could not score; while Sunil Kumar and Demba Diakhate scored for Dodsal FC but N.P. Pradeep, Surkumar Singh and Mohammed Rafi miss.

The 125th edition of the Durand Cup, India's oldest football tournament, had been held from August 16 until today without any of the I-League biggies taking part.


RESULTS

Qualifiers
Round 1
16-Aug-2012: Delhi United 2-2,7-6 Indian Navy [penalties]
16-Aug-2012: Army Green 2-0 Jammu&Kashmir Bank
17-Aug-2012: JCT Academy 2-1 Arty Centre
17-Aug-2012: Assam Rifles 4-1 Assam Service Corps
18-Aug-2012: BEG, Kirkee 0-1 Border Security Force
18-Aug-2012: Uttarakhand Police 0-6 CRPF
19-Aug-2012: Indian Air Force 0-0,3-4 Garhwal Heroes [penalties]
19-Aug-2012: Punjab Police 7-1 Subrata Academy

Round 2
20-Aug-2012: Army Green 0-2 Delhi United
20-Aug-2012: CRPF 0-0,5-3 Border Security Force [penalties]
21-Aug-2012: Assam Rifles 3-0 JCT Academy
21-Aug-2012: Garhwal Heroes 1-2 Punjab Police

Quarterfinal League
Group I
25-Aug-2012: Delhi United 2-2 Pailan Arrows
26-Aug-2012: Delhi United 0-3 Air India
28-Aug-2012: Pailan Arrows 1-1 Air India

Group II
24-Aug-2012: Sporting Club de Goa 2-3 Assam Rifles
26-Aug-2012: ONGC, Mumbai 1-1 Assam Rifles
28-Aug-2012: Sporting Club de Goa 3-1 ONGC, Mumbai

Group III
23-Aug-2012: Pune FC 0-0 CRPF
25-Aug-2012: Sesa Football Academy 3-2 CRPF
27-Aug-2012: Sesa Football Academy 1-1 Pune FC

Group IV
23-Aug-2012: Punjab Police 0-1 Army Red
25-Aug-2012: Army Red 0-3 Dodsal FC, Mumbai
27-Aug-2012: Punjab Police 0-6 Dodsal FC, Mumbai

Semifinals
30-Aug-2012: Air India 2-2,7-6 Sesa Football Academy [penalties]
30-Aug-2012: Assam Rifles 1-1,4-5 Dodsal FC, Mumbai [penalties]

Final
01-Sep-2012: Air India 3-2 Dodsal FC, Mumbai [penalties]

Anglian Holdings comes forward to support 125th Durand Cup

There is finally good news for India's oldest football tournament, the 125th Durand Cup as Anglian Holdings, an NRI-owned multi-national corporation with diverse global investments, today announced that the company has joined hands with the Indian defence forces to support the 125th edition of the Durand Cup.

This news comes after a key sponsor in mobile cellular company Micromax pulled out due to their overspending on India's cricket tour of Sri Lanka.

Anglian Holdings would associate as a sponsor to aid one of the most prestigious and historical annual sporting events in India. The Durand Cup, first held in 1888 in Shimla, and currently being organized under the aegis of the Indian defence forces in Delhi, is Asia's oldest and the world's third oldest football tournament.

Anglian Holdings is a young and dynamic company with interests in various exciting sectors including sports. The company, which has a vision of working towards the upliftment of Indian football and taking the sport in India to the next level, has club football investments in Shillong Lajong FC & Danish football club FC Vestsjælland through its subsidiary, Anglian Football, to provide new avenues for Indian talent and create an Indo-European pipeline for bi-directional exchange of talent, knowledge and expertise.

Anglian Holdings and the Durand Football Tournament Society also announced that while the company is associating itself as one of the sponsors of this year's edition of the Durand Cup, it is in talks with the society for a long-term association to jointly work with the strategic intent of enhancing the standard of the tournament via a marketing and promotional deal as well.

Commenting on Anglian Holding's association with the 125th Durand Cup, the Chairman of the Durand Football Tournament Society Lt. General V K Pillai, AVSM, SM said, "We welcome Anglian Holdings into the folds of the Durand Cup as a co-sponsor and appreciate their gesture of coming forward to promote the prestigious tournament and look forward to a long association for promoting football in the country."

On joining hands with the Durand Cup, Uday Narang, Chairman at Anglian Holdings said, "At Anglian, we want to make a definite and positive contribution towards the improvement of Indian football, and following our twin investments in Shillong Lajong FC and FC Vestsjælland, we see this association with the Durand Cup as another step in that direction. We are extremely proud to partner a prestigious and historically significant tournament like the Durand Cup, and are thankful to the Indian defence forces for giving us the opportunity."

125th Durand Cup: Fixtures of the tournament proper are out!

The 125th edition of the Durand Cup kicked-off with the qualifiers a few days ago on August 16 with 16 teams trying to make it into the quarterfinal league in which 12 teams will try and win the trophy. The tournament proper will be held from August 23 with the final slated for September 1. All matches are being played at the Ambedkar Stadium.

As reported earlier ( 125th Durand Cup: Problems at the start of India's oldest tournament ) the tournament has been sidelined this season and faced numerous problems which has resulted in no Kolkata club and neither the top Goan sides in former champions Dempo SC, Churchill Brother SC and Salgaocar SC taking part.

Even though a weakened competition this time around there are still I-League sides involved in Air India, Pailan Arrows, Pune FC, ONGC and Sporting Clube de Goa besides Division 2 sides HAL - Bangalore and Sesa Football Academy plus newcomers Dodsal FC from Mumbai.

The organisers also faced problems with a key sponsor, who pulled out at the last moment and therefore the organisers have also cut down on the prize money from Rs 4 Million (40 lakhs) to Rs 2 Million (20 lakhs). The champions would now received Rs 1 Million (10 lakhs), the runners-up Rs 500,000 (5 lakhs) and the beaten semifinalists Rs 250,000 (2,5 lakhs).


FIXTURES

Quarterfinal League

Group I
23-Aug-2012: Qualifier A1 or HAL, Bangalore - Qualifier B1
25-Aug-2012: Qualifier A1 or HAL, Bangalore - Dodsal FC, Mumbai
27-Aug-2012: Dodsal FC, Mumbai - Qualifier B1

Group II
23-Aug-2012: Pune FC - Army Red
25-Aug-2012: Army Red - Sesa Football Academy
27-Aug-2012: Sesa Football Academy - Pune FC

Group III
24-Aug-2012: Qualifier A2 - Pailan Arrows
26-Aug-2012: Qualifier A2 - Air India
28-Aug-2012: Pailan Arrows - Air India

Group IV
24-Aug-2012: Qualifier B2 - Sporting Club de Goa
26-Aug-2012: Qualifier B2 - ONGC, Mumbai
28-Aug-2012: ONGC, Mumbai - Sporting Club de Goa

Semifinals
30-Aug-2012: Winner Group I - Winner Group III
30-Aug-2012: Winner Group II - Winner Group IV

Final
01-Sep-2012: Winner SF1 - Winner SF2

125th Durand Cup: Problems at the start of India's oldest tournament

The 125th edition of the Durand Cup will kick-off tomorrow with the qualifiers and the final is slated for September 1, but India's oldest football tournament seems to have lost its former standing within Indian football if one looks at the scheduling and state of the Ambedkar Stadium.

The 125th Durand Cup, qualifiers and tournament proper, are being held from August 16 to September 1 in the capital while the 2012 Nehru Cup on the occasion of the All India Football Federations 75th anniversary will be held from August 22 to September 2 at the bigger Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. This means that the Durand Cup proper is being held parallel to India's only international level football tournament.

One has to question the planning of the AIFF in its seasonal calendar having two tournaments at international and club level at the same time, in the same city with no top level football in the capital for the rest of the season except if the 2nd Division is played there.

Then the Indian Football Association (West Bengal) is starting its local Calcutta Premier Division tomorrow as well meaning that no club from Kolkata will participate in this edition.

And then there is the Ambedkar Stadium ground which got a battering yesterday with the Delhi Police using the venue as a temporary prison for the protesting Baba Ramdev and his supporters, who weren't just on the stands but rather used the football turf to take a rest, even cook and for other things. This has left the pitch in a very bad state, but the organisers have no options then to play the tournament now on this ground.

124th Durand Cup: Pune FC & Churchill Bros reach semifinals

The last couple of teams have qualified for the semifinals of the 124th edition of the Durand Cup, India's oldest football tournament. They are Pune FC and former champions Churchill Brothers SC who have won their respective Groups 3 and 4.

Pune FC qualified for their first-ever Durand Cup semifinal from Group 3 after a 2-1 win against state rivals Air India from Mumbai. Former PFC striker Sandesh Gadkare gave the Airmen a first half lead, but goals from Paresh Shivalkar and Rollingson Hungyo turned things around as Pune FC needed the three points to leap-frog past Air India; then in their opening match a second string PFC had only drawn ONGC 1-1, while Air India had won 3-0 against the Oilmen.

In Group 4 former champions Churchill Brothers maintained their 100% record with a 2-0 win against another former champion in Mohammedan Sporting Club. Though the Goans took an early lead through a Roberto Mendes Silva penalty, it was Mohammedan Sporting who worked hard to get onto the scoresheet; but in the end it was junior international Lalrindika Ralte who sealed the game for Churchill Brothers. In earlier matches Mohammedan Sporting had won 1-0 against Army Red, while Churchill Brothers trashed them 5-0.

Yesterday Prayag United SC and Shillong Lajong FC had qualified for the semifinals. There Prayag United SC take on Pune FC on October 12, while on October 13 Shillong Lajong FC face Churchill Brothers SC.


STATS from GROUPS 1 & 2

Quarterfinal League

Group 3
Pune FC, Air India, ONGC

05-Oct-2011: Pune FC 1-1 ONGC
08-Oct-2011: ONGC 0-3 Air India
10-Oct-2011: Pune FC 2-1 Air India

Group 4
Mohammedan Sporting Club, Churchill Brothers SC, Army Red

05-Oct-2011: Mohammedan Sporting Club 1-0 Army Red
08-Oct-2011: Churchill Brothers SC 5-0 Army Red
10-Oct-2011: Mohammedan Sporting Club 0-2 Churchill Brothers SC