AIFF to organise prospective I-League Investors meeting in Dubai on Saturday

After a successful first of its kind AIFF organised Open House Meeting for induction of two new I-League Clubs in New Delhi on March 5, a follow-up meeting for prospective foreign investors and European clubs will be held in Dubai on Saturday, April 6.

AIFF president Praful Patel after the first meeting was extremely confident that a minimum of two corporate-backed clubs will help raise the standard of the I-League significantly in place of PSUs (public sector units) teams ONGC and Air India, who will be relegated at the end of the season due to not fulfilling the AFC Club Licencing criteria for several seasons.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told Gulf News that an attempt to "attract corporates with football vision" was being made to revive the game in India and provide the sport with a much-needed shake-up.

The Dubai prospective I-League investors meet was originally planned for last weekend, but it was postponed and will now be held on Saturday, April 6 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in DIFC from 4 to 6pm local Dubai time.

As per information coming out of Dubai there is quite some interest in setting-up a new team in the I-League with at least 15 corporate groups already registering to attend the prospective I-League Investors meet.

The background of the interested investors is currently not known.

VIDEO: Referee unintentionally fouls Player

Referees are there to detect fouls, but sometimes they themselves get involved in situations. Take this friendly match between Russian side FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Ukrainians Shakhtar Donetsk, where the referee slips and slides into a Zenit player though it isn't clear from the footage if there is any contact or not.

India U-16 boys lose friendly 2-3 against the UAE U-16

The India Under-16 boys lost a friendly 2-3 against the United Arab Emirates at the UAE FA Stadium in Dubai today. India is preparing for the AFC Under-16 Championship to be played in the Iranian capital Tehran from September 22 to October 6.

India went ahead in the 25th minute through a Daniel Lalampuia strike, but the UAE hit back by scoring three goals before the half-time break to go 3-1 ahead. India did try and get back into the match and reduct the deficit through a Alen Deory penalty, but it remained 3-2 for the UAE at the final whistle.

In an earlier friendly against the UAE, India had lost 1-2 on Wednesday with Daniel Lalampuia having also scored India's goal that day. Ahead of that match India had won 4-1 against the Al Kaleej Academy Under-17 team.

The Colm Toal coach India Under-16 team is preparing to participate in the AFC Under-16 Championship in which the India Under-16 boys have been drawn in Group D alongside Uzbekistan, Syria and China.

Jeje Lalpekhlua to captain India Under-22s

Pune FC's Jeje Lalpekhlua will lead India in the AFC Under-22 Asian Championship qualifiers to be played in Muscat from June 23. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been named his deputy. The Indian squad which has been preparing at the Al Wasl Training Ground in Dubai leaves for Muscat on Thursday, June 21 morning for the qualifiers.

The final 23 players were also named for the qualifiers with Ramandeep Singh (Air India), Chingkhei Meetei Yumnam (Tata Football Academy), David Lalbiakzara (Pune FC), Bikramjit Singh Sr. (Pailan Arrows) and Rajinder Kumar (Pailan Arrows) being left out of the final squad.

"It is a huge honour for me to lead my country," Jeje said on the appointment. "We have been training under Head Coach Arthur Papas since the first week of June and he has been a pillar of support to all of us," Jeje added.

India who have been clubbed with hosts Oman, Lebanon, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Turkmenistan in Group A of the qualifiers. India open their campaign against Lebanon on June 23.

Meanwhile, the India U-22s defeated DNATA Club 4-1 in their second friendly match yesterday. After a barren first half, Lalrindika Ralte scored a brace for India while Shyjumon and striker Manandeep Singh scored one apiece.


INDIA U-22 Team

Goalkeepers
Soram Poirei Angamba (Shillong Lajong FC), Ravi Kumar (Pailan Arrows), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club)

Defenders
Abhishek Das (East Bengal Club), Narayan Das (Tata Football Academy), Deepak Devrani (Pailan Arrows), Souvik Ghosh (Pailan Arrows), Pritam Kotal (Pailan Arrows), Vishal Kumar (Pailan Arrows), Prathmesh Maulingkar (Pailan Arrows)

Midfielders
Romeo Fernandes (Dempo SC), Ganeshan (Pune FC), Pronoy Haldar (Pailan Arrows), Shyjumon (Chirag United Kerala), Deepak Prakash (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Tirthankar Sarkar (Pailan Arrows), Ongnam Milan Singh (Pailan Arrows), Simranjit Singh (Tata Football Academy)

Forwards
Alwin George (Pailan Arrows), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune FC, Captain), Holicharan Narzary (Pailan Arrows), Manandeep Singh (Air India)

Officials
Arthur Papas (Head Coach)

India U-22 draw friendly against African XI

The Indian Under-22 squad presently camping in Dubai for the forthcoming AFC Under-22 Asian Championship qualifiers were held to a 2-2 draw in their first practice match against a combined African XI today. Midfielders Lalrindika Ralte and Tirthankar Sarkar scored the goals for the Indian squad.

Head Coach Arthur Papas used 18 players in the match which was played at Al Wasl's training ground. The rival opposition comprised of players from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, who have come to Dubai to appear in trials for various UAE clubs.

"It is a good result against a very tough opposition," Arthur Papas maintained. "The positive part stays the boys are improving," he added.

"We wanted to play at 5pm (local time) as that's the time when our first match against Lebanon kicks-off. The temperature was 39 degrees," he informed. India play their first qualifying match in Muscat on June 23 against Lebanon.

"We will play another practice match on Tuesday (June 19). The squad has so far stayed away from injuries and we need to take care of ourselves," Papas maintained.

VIDEO: SEPT U-12 at the Dubai Super Cup

The Kerala-based Manorama News did a video feature on the Under-12 boys team of the Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT, Calicut), who had finished finished runners-up in the 2012 TTD Dubai International Super Cup held in the United Arab Emirates from April 9 to 12.

Here to read the full report on my blog: SEPT U-12 Boys finish Runners-up in Dubai!

The Manorama News report is in Malayalam

SEPT U-12 Boys finish Runners-up in Dubai

The Under-12 boys team of the Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT, Calicut) finished runners-up in the 2012 TTD Dubai International Super Cup held in the United Arab Emirates from April 9 to 12.

The SEPT boys faced Evolution Soccer I, PG 10, Soccer Circus and Podar IS in Group 1 and finished second behind Soccer Circus from Dubai in the group stage. Meanwhile in Group 2 Jabez, Evolution Soccer II, Mondial SC, Billabong HS and Dubai Super Stars faced each other.

In the semifinals SEPT beat Jabez from South Africa to meet local side Soccer Circus again in the finals and were beaten like in the group stage as Soccer Circus won 4-1. They were the strongest team with players from England, Finland, Scotland and African countries in their ranks.

The SEPT U-12 boys received a lot of appreciation for their display and were well supported by the expat community at the Dubai Sevens grounds.


FIXTURES & RESULTS

09-Apr-2012
Evolution Soccer I, Qatar 0-3 SEPT U12 (2xFavad, Inayath)
Pitch 6 | Kick-off: 19.00 local time

10-Apr-2012
PG 10, Wales 3-3 SEPT U12 (Josefin, Ishal, Favad)
Pitch 1 | Kick-off: 15.00 local time

11-Apr-2012
Podar International School, Mumbai 0-15 SEPT U12
Pitch 3 | Kick-off: 15.00 local time

SEPT U12 0-4 Soccer Circus, Dubai
Pitch 4 | Kick-off: 19.00 local time

12-Apr-2012
Semifinal
Jabez, South Africa 1-4 SEPT U12 (Favad, Abid, 2xIshal)

Final
Soccer Circus, Dubai 1-4 SEPT U12 (Anupam Sreejayan)

SEPT sign Partnership with TSDS, Netherlands

The Calicut-based Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT) today signed a partnership agreement with Total Soccer Development Solutions (TSDS) from the Netherlands at a function held at the Hotel Dubai Premier Inn in the United Arab Emirates. An SEPT Under-12 boys team is currently in Dubai to participate in the 2012 TTD Dubai International Super Cup.

The partnership agreement was signed on behalf of SEPT by its chairman Arun Kumar Nanu and Marcel van Dijk, the Director of Total Soccer Development Solutions.

TSDS will provide all technical support to SEPT, educating the SEPT trainers and coaches, coaching the boys, initiate exchange programes. The TSDS coaches will visit SEPT once in every 6 months. They will also facilitate training for three SEPT coaches a year at C.J.V.V. Soccer Academy in Amersfoort in the Netherlands.

Manoj Kumar M.C. (Chief Coach, SEPT), Sethumadhavan (Secretary, SEPT), Sojan Sekhar, Pramod K. G. and Thomas van Dijk were also present at the function.

SEPT U-12 face tough competition in Dubai

The Under-12 boys team of the Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT, Calicut) is taking part in the 2012 TTD Dubai International Super Cup being held in the United Arab Emirates from tomorrow until April 12. The SEPT boys face will face Evolution Soccer I, PG 10, Soccer Circus and Podar IS in Group 1, while in Group 2 Jabez, Evolution Soccer II, Mondial SC, Billabong HS and Dubai Super Stars face each other.


FIXTURES


09-Apr-2012
Evolution Soccer I, Qatar vs SEPT U12
Pitch 6 | Kick-off: 19.00 local time

10-Apr-2012
PG 10, Wales vs SEPT U12
Pitch 1 | Kick-off: 15.00 local time


11-Apr-2012
Podar International School, Mumbai vs SEPT U12
Pitch 3 | Kick-off: 15.00 local time

SEPT U12 vs Soccer Circus, Dubai
Pitch 4 | Kick-off: 19.00 local time


12-Apr-2012
Semifinals-&-Finals

SEPT U-12 Boys Team to play in Dubai

The Under-12 boys team of the Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT, Calicut), is preparing to participate in the 2012 Dubai International Super Cup being held in the United Arab Emirates next month. The 16 players squad accompanied by four officials will leave for Dubai on April 6 and will return to Kerala on April 14. Marcel van Dijk, a coach from the Netherlands, will join the team directly in Dubai. The tour has been made possible by sponsors Shabana & Faizal Foundation, Dubai.

This edition of the Dubai International Super Cup will see teams from England, South Africa, India, Qatar, the UAE and other Gulf countries in action. The SEPT under-12 boys team has been selected from amongst outstanding boys from across the SEPT centers in Kerala.

SEPT has 41 centers in eleven districts of Kerala, with a total of 1,200 children plying football at these centers. SEPT as an organisation imparts training in the grassroot development of football in the state of Kerala.

The Dubai International Super Cup will be the third international tour for an SEPT team - first one was in 2007 to Finland and Sweden, the second one was to Malaysia in 2009.

As preparations for the tournament in Dubai the SEPT U-12 Boys Team is planning to play some friendly matches before leaving for Dubai.

Match results & tour updates will be available on the official SEPT website under www.sept.in .


SEPT UNDER-12 BOYS TEAM

Players
Suresh Sachin (Parappur), Muhammed Shahad (Palayad), Mohammed Ihsal (Edarikode), Josefin (Edathirinji), Anupam Sreejayan (Calicut), Jawad P.P. (Therattammal), Abid Jumail (Kadalundi), Jidhu Roby (Thiruvambadi), Akhil K. (Vazhakkad), Favad K. (Therattammal), Ninin Alan Noushad (Edathirinji), Sanjay (Poyilkavu), Rumais K. (Therattammal), Muhammad Inayath (Mavoor), Nandu K.T. (Thiruvambadi), Emil Benny (Kalpetta)

Officials
Marcel van Dijk (Coach), Manoj Kumar M.C. (Coach), C. Sethumadhavan (Manager), Prof. T.M. Abdurahiman, Arun Kumar Nanu

Azerbaijan win 3-0 against India

India lost 0-3 against Azerbaijan in the first-ever international friendly between the two sides at The Rugby Sevens Stadium in Dubai.

After the 5-1 trashing at the hands of Oman last Thursday in Muscat, India coach Savio Medeira made seven changes to his starting line-up. Savio had said before the match that he would once more experiment with Manish Maithani, Adil Khan and Francis Fernandes getting their first India starts with Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Syed Rahim Nabi, Raju Gaikwad and Reisangmi Vashum returning to the starting eleven.

Defender Gouramangi Singh had the honour of leading India onto the field as the captain for the first-time. The match kicked-off with a minute's silence for former India captain Sailendra Nath Manna, who died at the age of 87 in the early hours of today in Kolkata. As a mark of respect Team India wore black armbands in the match.

Like against Oman India conceded an early goal. In the third minute Vugar Nadirov gave Azerbaijan a 1-0 lead after goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury's goal-kick only reached an Azerbaijan midfielder, who played the ball through for Nadirov to slot home. Thereafter Azerbaijan had more of the ball and the match with India often forced to chase the faster and physically better build team from the Caucasus. Three minutes from the interval young Raju Gaikwad unnecessarily brought down Mahir Shukurov to gift Azerbaijan a penalty just like he had done in similar fashion against Darryl Roberts from Trinidad&Tobago last August. Shukurov himself took the spot-kick and send Subhashish the wrong way. It ended 0-2 at half-time.

Like against Oman India started off better in the second session as they showed more presence and purpose. The best chance came in the 51st minute when a Francis Fernandes cross from the right was headed goalwards by Joaquim Abranches, but it was cleared by keeper Kamran Agayev. The game slowed down in the second session allowing India more possession of the ball, but rarely was the midfield or the wingers able to create something for the striker as Sushil Singh would often drop back to simply touch the ball.

Towards the end of the game the Berti Vogts coached Azerbaijan once more upped the tempo and it was substitute Nizami Hajiyev to finish any hopes of an India comeback with Azerbaijan's third goal in the 84th minute of a Vugar Nadirov pass. The match ended India zero, Azerbaijan three.

It was India's last match as part of the preparatory camp in Dubai ahead of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal. India did lose both their matches against superior opposition, but hopefully this match experience will help the team in the 'Group of Death' against North Korea, the Philippines and Tajikistan.

India return back to New Delhi from their preparatory-cum-selection camp in Dubai on March 3 and will proceed to the Nepali capital Kathmandu the very next day.


MATCH STATS

India 0-3 (0-2) Azerbaijan - Goals: 0-1 Vugar Nadirov (3'), 0-2 Mohir Shukurov (43' pen), 0-3 Nizami Hajiyev (84')

INDIA
25-Subhasish Roy Chowdhury; 22-Syed Rahim Nabi, 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh [C], 3-Raju Eknath Gaikwad, 27-Gurjinder Kumar Singh; 32-Reisangmi Vashum (81' 20-Lalrindika Ralte), 45-Manish Maithani (70' 28-Jewel Raja Sheikh), 17-Adil Ahmed Khan (90' 47-Lenny Rodrigues), 26-Francis Fernandes (90+2' 10-Lester Mark Fernandez); 18-Sushil Kumar Singh, 9-Joaquim Santan Abranches (85' 50-Manandeep Singh)
Substitutes: 1-Karanjit Singh, ??-Arindam Bhattacharya, 5-Anwar, 7-Baldeep Singh, 12-Anthony Pereira, 16-Samir Naik

WATCH LIVE: The INDIA vs Azerbaijan friendly

WATCH LIVE the INDIA vs Azerbaijan friendly from 17.30 local time (19.00 IST // 14.30 CET) onwards here on my blog as a Livestream from The Sevens Stadium in Dubai!

Livestream courtesy Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan!

Weakened India take on Azerbaijan in friendly tomorrow

A weakened Indian national football team take on Azerbaijan in the first-ever international friendly match between the two sides at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai at 17.30 local time (19.00 IST).

India coach Savio Medeira hasn't decided on his starting eleven for tomorrow with some players still carrying some niggles here and there with Savio saying, "The intention stays to try as many players as possible," which has earned Savio a lot of criticism back home from the media and fans then after winning the 2011 SAFF Cup in December and the good second half performance against FC Bayern Munich in January 2012, the expectations back home have risen.

Against Oman the new look Team India did look out of sorts for a great part of the match as they suffered a 1-5 defeat. Speaking about it Savio said, "This is what football is all about. We need to be patient. The new boys will settle down," only to repeat, "But we need to be patient."

Azerbaijan are ranked 109th in the FIFA world rankings against the 95th rank of Oman, but they play their qualifiers in the much tougher Europe so their ranking might have little to say. This is India's last qualifier before the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup next month in Nepal and ideally Savio would play his starting eleven for the upcoming tournament in this match. But with certain players still unfit an experimental Indian side is once more to take the field with hopefully some more experience in there through players like Syed Rahim Nabi and Rocus Lamare on the field.

Azerbaijan are currently in Dubai like India for a training camp preparating for their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers later in the year. They played Singapore on Friday and were held to a late two-all draw by the Southeast Asian nation, while they play India tomorrow and then Palestine on Wednesday.

Speaking about Azerbaijan Savio said, "They are a strong side and we know they will come hard at us."

Azerbaijan are coached by seasoned German Berti Vogts, who with Germany won the 1996 European Championships; and thereafter went on to coach Bayer 04 Leverkusen and then the national sides of Kuwait, Scotland and Nigeria before taking over Azerbaijan in April 2008.

There will be no live telecast on Television from the match, but those interested can watch the game live on www.affatv.az (the official website of the Azerbaijan FF).

India have arrived in Dubai for their camp

The Indian national football team arrived in Dubai overnight for a preparatory selection camp for the forthcoming 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal next month. Dubai-based Gulf International Promotions has once again organised a camp for an Indian national team in the Emirate.

Team India will be in Dubai until March 3, will stay at the Akas Inn Hotel in Barsha and will be training every evening at the The Sevens Stadium in Dubai before heading for Nepal.

Gulf International Promotions MD Raul Fernandes stated that his company was honoured to be once again involved with organizing the visit of Team Indian to Dubai and are doing their best to make the teams stay comfortable. This is the sixth time that Gulf International Promotions are making arrangements for the Indian National Team and has previously also hosted the under-19s and under-16s.

Fernandes went on to thank Emirates Sevens, UAE Football Federation, Embassy of India in Dubai, Sportswater, Haryard Tours, Akas Inn Hotel and Challet Grill Plus restaurant in Dubai for all the assistance granted to the team.

The team arrived last night from New Delhi and will leave for Oman on February 21 where they will play against the Oman National Team in a friendly on February 23. The team will return to Dubai on February 24 and will train until in Dubai until March 3.

A friendly game against Azerbaijan has also been arranged in Dubai on February 27 at the The Sevens Stadium. Kickoff is at 1730 hrs local time.


India Probables

Goalkeepers
Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers SC), Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (Dempo SC), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club)

Defenders
Anwar (Mohun Bagan AC), Nirmal Chetri (East Bengal Club), Kingshuk Debnath (Mohun Bagan AC), Raju Eknath Gaikwad (East Bengal Club), Arnab Mondal (Prayag United SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Sameer Subash Naik (Dempo SC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Gurjinder Singh (Pune FC)

Midfielders
Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Lester Mark Fernandez (Pune FC), Adil Ahmed Khan (Sporting Clube de Goa), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Manish Mathani (Mohun Bagan AC), Clifford Miranda (Dempo SC), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Jewel Raja Sheikh (Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers SC), Baldeep Singh (Pune FC), Reisangmi Vashum (East Bengal Club)

Forwards
Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Sunil Chhetri (Mohun Bagan AC), C.S. Sabeeth (Pailan Arrows), Manandeep Singh (Air India), Sushil Kumar Singh (Shillong Lajong FC)

Officials
Savio Medeira (Chief Coach), Mariano Dias (Assistant Coach), Marcus Pacheco (Goalkeeping Coach), Pradip Datta (Physical Trainer), Sandeep Kumar (Doctor), Gigy George (Physio), Liaqat Ali (Masseur), Mandar Tamhane (Manager)

Team India leave for Dubai camp tonight

The Indian national football team will be leaving for Dubai tonight for a preparatory selection camp for the forthcoming 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal next month. The team leaves Delhi later today and would board an Air India flight at 8.40pm (20.40 IST).

Chief Coach Savio Medeira has called-up 30 players for the probables camp and will choose his final squad for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup from this group of players.

Coach Savio Medeira lauded the AIFF for getting the tour arranged and said, "It's always important to prepare yourself and the team before such a big tournament. Specially going to Dubai where there would be good infrastructure and facility. Hope the camp would be very helpful in our preparation."

Savio also expressed confidence in the players selected for the camp and quipped, "The squad selected for the camp are very talented, hope they all would perform to their potential."

Savio also expressed happiness over his team playing two international friendlies before the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup and added "It would add to their experience and preparation for the Challenge Cup."

The National team is slated to play two international friendlies against Oman in Muscat on February 23, while taking on Azerbaijan in Dubai on February 27.


India Probables

Goalkeepers
Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers SC), Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (Dempo SC), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club)

Defenders
Anwar (Mohun Bagan AC), Nirmal Chetri (East Bengal Club), Kingshuk Debnath (Mohun Bagan AC), Raju Eknath Gaikwad (East Bengal Club), Arnab Mondal (Prayag United SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Sameer Subash Naik (Dempo SC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Gurjinder Singh (Pune FC)

Midfielders
Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Lester Mark Fernandez (Pune FC), Adil Khan (Sporting Clube de Goa), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Manish Mathani (Mohun Bagan AC), Clifford Miranda (Dempo SC), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Jewel Raja Sheikh (Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers SC), Baldeep Singh (Pune FC), Reisangmi Vashum (East Bengal Club)

Forwards
Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Sunil Chhetri (Mohun Bagan AC), C.S. Sabeeth (Pailan Arrows), Manandeep Singh (Air India), Sushil Kumar Singh (Shillong Lajong FC)

Officials
Savio Medeira (Chief Coach), Mariano Dias (Assistant Coach), Marcus Pacheco (Goalkeeping Coach), Pradip Datta (Physical Trainer), Sandeep Kumar (Doctor), Gigy George (Physio), Liaqat Ali (Masseur), Mandar Tamhane (Manager)

India to play Azerbaijan in friendly

The AIFF has finalised another international friendly for Team India during the team's preparatory camp in Dubai for the upcoming 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. India will be facing Azerbaijan on February 27 in Dubai.

Azerbaijan, the Euroasian side from the Caucasus region, plays its football in UEFA (Europe) with former Germany coach Berti Vogts as their manager. The team is currently ranked 111th in the FIFA World rankings and they were in a group with Germany, Turkey, Belgium, Austria and Kazakhstan in the Euro2012 qualifiers.

The friendly is possible as Azerbaijan will be in Dubai at the same time as India for a camp of their own. While in Dubai Azerbaijan are set to play further friendlies against Singapore (February 24) and Palestine (February 29).

The camp in Dubai starts on February 15. The AIFF had earlier announced a friendly for Team India against Oman on February 23 in their capital Muscat.

Visiting Ten Sports' C2K show

On my way back from India to Germany over the weekend I had a stopover in Dubai and I always try to utilise the long stops to meet friends and contacts in football.

This time around I visited the offices-cum-studios of Ten Sports in Dubai's Media City. There I met production guys, saw how Ten produce their program, while I then had an enjoyable evening at the sets of the C2K show (Countdown 2 Kickoff), TenAction+ football show, with anchor Joe Morrison and experts-cum-pundits John 'Budgie' Burridge and Carlton Palmer.

As someone working in football media I am always interested to see the operations of a TV channel. And while being taken into production at Ten Sports I met Joe Morrison, with whom I have had numerous Twitter interactions and who told me that he follows my blog for Indian football. Good to know.

After the initial interaction in the production room, we went across to the set of C2K where Joe introduced me to Budgie and Carlton. All three are interesting individuals, who really enjoy doing the show! The three talk and discuss football - not in a cool, analytical way, but rather with flair and an entertainment aspect attached to it. Watching it from close quarters was really enjoyable.

There was also a football match in-between - Racing Santander vs FC Valencia. Not much happened in the first session, but a lot after the break. During the game we four had interesting discussions about football in general, but especially Indian football then these guys have to cover Indian football too these days. And at this stage I did most of the talking, a topic I speak about for hours...

The show ended, a small chit-chat thereafter and then I went back to my hotel. It surely was an enjoyable visit...


Here some photos on my Facebook Fanpage from the visit .

2012 AFC Challenge Cup: India's 30 Probables named

Indian national coach Savio Medeira has named his 30 probables for his training camp ahead of the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, which will be held in Nepal from March 8.

The probables camp for Team India will kick-off in Dubai from February 15. The squad will assemble in New Delhi on February 13 and leave for Dubai the next day. The final list of 23-Players for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup would be named towards the end of the camp.

Savio has called-up a number of players for the first time to a senior national team probables camp like Kingshuk Debnath, Arnab Mondal, Lester Fernandez, Manish Mathani, Lenny Rodrigues and Manandeep Singh; who have been performing well in the I-League. Others like Anwar, Anthony Pereira and Joaquim Abranches have been recalled.

The AFC Challenge Cup will also mark the first assignment for Team India with Baichung Bhutia, Climax Lawrence and Mahesh Gawli having resigned.

A proposed camp in Blackburn organised by the Blackburn Rovers owners Venky's was turned down by the AIFF and once more Dubai was chosen as venue for the camp.


India Probables

Goalkeepers
Arindam Bhattacharya (Churchill Brothers SC), Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (Dempo SC), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club)

Defenders
Anwar (Mohun Bagan AC), Nirmal Chetri (East Bengal Club), Kingshuk Debnath (Mohun Bagan AC), Raju Eknath Gaikwad (East Bengal Club), Arnab Mondal (Prayag United SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Sameer Subash Naik (Dempo SC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Gurjinder Singh (Pune FC)

Midfielders
Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Lester Mark Fernandez (Pune FC), Adil Khan (Sporting Clube de Goa), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Manish Mathani (Mohun Bagan AC), Clifford Miranda (Dempo SC), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Jewel Raja Sheikh (Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Lenny Rodrigues (Churchill Brothers SC), Baldeep Singh (Pune FC), Reisangmi Vashum (East Bengal Club)

Forwards
Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Sunil Chhetri (Mohun Bagan AC), C.S. Sabeeth (Pailan Arrows), Manandeep Singh (Air India), Sushil Kumar Singh (Shillong Lajong FC)