AFC U-14 Girls Regional Championship: India are South & Central champions!

The India Under-14 Girls team are inaugural champions of the AFC Under-14 Girls Regional Championship 2013 for the South and Central region after whipping Bhutan 9-0 in their final game at the City Football Complex in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo today.

The Indian girls finished on 15 points from five matches as Kashmina scored thrice, Daya Devi Heigrujam and Pooja Dnyaneshwar Dhamal both with a brace with Nisha and Roja Devi Asem also amongst the Indian goals.

India scored an impressive 33 goals in their five matches, while only conceeding two. India beat Tajikistan 3-0 in their opener, followed it up by beating Bangladesh 5-1, then trashed hosts Sri Lanka 10-0, went on to beat Iran 6-1 and finished off with a 9-0 against Bhutan.


Final standings:

India – 15 points
Iran - 12 points
Bangladesh - 7 points
Sri Lanka - 6 points
Tajikistan - 4 points
Bhutan - 0 point

SAFF Women's Cup - Stats: India triumph again!

The second edition of the SAFF Women's Championship was organised by the South Asian Football Federation and the tournament was held from September 7 to 16 at the CR&FC Place ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka with India defending their crown.

The Indian Women went into the tournament as the defending champions having won the inaugural edition with a 1-0 final win against Nepal in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in December 2010 and this time around they beat Nepal 3-1 in the final.

India were drawn in Group A along with Bangladesh, Bhutan and hosts Sri Lanka, while Group B contained Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan.


RESULTS

Quarterfinal League

Group A
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka

07-Sep-2012: India 3-0 Bangladesh
07-Sep-2012: Sri Lanka 4-0 Bhutan
09-Sep-2012: Sri Lanka 0-5 India
09-Sep-2012: Bangladesh 1-0 Bhutan
11-Sep-2012: Sri Lanka 2-1 Bangladesh
11-Sep-2012: India 11-0 Bhutan

Group B
Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan

08-Sep-2012: Nepal 8-0 Pakistan
08-Sep-2012: Maldives 1-1 Afghanistan
10-Sep-2012: Nepal 5-0 Maldives
10-Sep-2012: Pakistan 0-4 Afghanistan
12-Sep-2012: Nepal 7-1 Afghanistan
12-Sep-2012: Maldives 2-3 Pakistan

Semifinals
14-Sep-2012: India 11-0 Afghanistan
14-Sep-2012: Nepal 3-0 Sri Lanka

Final
16-Sep-2012: India 3-1 Nepal

SAFF Women's Cup: India trash Afghanistan 11-0, reach finals!

Defending champions India scored their second 11-0 victory win in a row, this time against Afghanistan in the semifinals of the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship at the Longden Place ground in Colombo. India now await the winner of the Sri Lanka vs Nepal second semifinal to play on Sunday in the final.

India made a perfect start as Yumnam Kamala Devi fired them ahead in the 5th minute. As expected India were in control but they only scored their second in the 31st minute through Irom Prameshwori Devi and it was Prameshwori who set-up captain Oinam Bembem Devi to score India's third in the 40th minute. Only a couple of minutes later Sasmita Malik made it 4-0 and it remained so until the break.

India made a quite start into the second session, but then found their scoring boots again as they scored three goals in four minutes. First it was Yumnam Kamala Devi in the 57th minute, then Ashem Romi Devi in the 59th minute and against captain Oinam Bembem Devi to make it 7-0.

But it wasn't over for the Afghani women as India would add four more in the remaining 20 minutes. First captain Oinam Bembem Devi would score her third in the 70th minute, then Sasmita Malik her second of the day in the 78th minute before Pinky Bompal Magar joined the party by scoring India's 10th in the 81st minute. The final goal came in the 90th minute through Yumnam Kamala Devi, who had also scored India's first.

In the end it was another 11-0 win for India, who rather easily reached their second SAFF Women's Cup final and now have scored 30 goals in only four matches, conceding none.


INDIA
Sita Sharma - Ashem Romi Devi, Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, Alochana Senapati, Suprava Samal - Yumnam Kamala Devi, Oinam Bembem Devi [C], Tuli Goon - Sasmita Malik, Irom Prameshwori Devi, Pinky Bompal Magar

SAFF Women's Cup: India demolish Bhutan 11-0, top their group

Defending champions India demolished minnows Bhutan 11-0 to continue their winning run in the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship at the Longden Place ground in Colombo. India have topped Group A with three wins and move into the semifinals with a clean 19-0 statistic.

Bhutan were no match for India, but it took 13 minutes to take the lead which Tuli Goon scored off a cross which beats the keeper and goes into the goal. 10 minutes later midfielder Yumnam Kamala Devi doubled the score with an effort from outside the box. In the 27th minute Sasmita Mallick scored from a penalty and only three minutes later Yumnam Kamala Devi made it 4-0. In the 38th minute Pinky Bompal Magar would get her first before Irom Prameshwori Devi added India's sixth in the 42nd minute. It remained 6-0 at the break.

And it didn't get any better for Bhutan as india went on to score five more after the break. In thr 49th minute Pinky Bompal Magar scored her second of the day before India went on to score three goals in two minutes. Nameirakpam Montesori Chanu started it in the 63rd minute, Irom Prameshwori Devi scored her second a minute later and Pinky Bompal Magar scored her third of the day less then sixty seconds later.

Now Bhutan were heading for a very heavy defeat as the Himalayan nation were 10 goals down, but India went on to score only one more in the remaining 25 minutes though having more chances to score. The final goal was scored by Supriya Routray in the 73rd minute.

It ended 11-0 for India, who in the end easily top Group A and now await who they face in the semifinals.


INDIA
Sita Sharma - Ashem Romi Devi, Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, Alochana Senapati, Tuli Goon - Yumnam Kamala Devi, Oinam Bembem Devi [C], Nameirakpam Montesori Chanu - Sasmita Malik, Irom Prameshwori Devi, Pinky Bompal Magar

SAFF Women's Cup: India win 5-0 against hosts Sri Lanka

Defending champions India continued their winning run in the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship with a 5-0 trashing of hosts Sri Lanka at the Longden Place ground in Colombo.

As expected India were the better side on display, but they today needed time to settle down before a Suprava Samal strike gave them a 17th minute lead. Only six minutes later Salam Rinaroy Devi doubled the lead with a powerful shot from outside the box. It stayed 2-0 for India though they had more chances to score.

After the break India would go on to score three goals within fives minutes to seal the match in their favour. First Salam Rinaroy Devi scored her second of the day off a mistake in the Sri Lankan defence in the 51st minute, then Pinky Bompal Magar made it 4-0 two minutes later of another Sri Lankan mistake and then substitute Irom Prameshwori Devi scored India's fifth with just 56 minutes on the clock.

Thereafter India did have chances to score more, but they failed in their attempts as the match also slowed down with the outcome already clear in favour of the Indian Women's team. It ended 5-0 for India, who on Tuesday take on Bhutan in their third and final Group A match.


INDIA
Sita Sharma - Ashem Romi Devi, Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, Alochana Senapati, Suprava Samal - Supriya Routray, Oinam Bembem Devi [C], Nameirakpam Montesori Chanu - Sasmita Malik, Salam Rinaroy Devi, Pinky Bompal Magar

SAFF Women's Cup: India start with 3-0 win against Bangladesh!

Defending champions India made a successful start into the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship with a 3-0 win against Bangladesh at the Longden Place ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka. All three Indian goals were scored in the second session.

In the first session India had more problems with the heavy rains then their opponents from Bangladesh and after only 14 minutes the referee stopped play due to unplayable conditions. Over an hour later play resumed and it was India who took control of the game, but it would remain goalless at the break.

This would change after the break for the Shahid Jabbar coached Indian Women's team. It was striker Sasmita Malik who posed the biggest threat for Bangladesh, but the opening goal for India came through a strike from Yumnam Kamala Devi in the 64th minute. India kept on the pressure and doubled the lead in the 77th minute through a left-footer from captain Oinam Bembem Devi. The final goal came in the 90th minute through Alochana Senapati.

It ended 3-0 for India, who on Sunday take on hosts Sri Lanka in their second Group A match.


INDIA
Sita Sharma - Ashem Romi Devi, Kangujam Rebika Devi, Alochana Senapati, Suprava Samal - Supriya Routray (33' Irom Prameshwori Devi), Yumnam Kamala Devi, Oinam Bembem Devi [C], Nameirakpam Montesori Chanu - Sasmita Malik, Salam Rinaroy Devi (68' Pinky Bompal Magar)

AIFF name Bem Bem Devi as India captain for Women's SAFF Cup

The All India Football Federation has named Bem Bem Devi as the captain of the Indian national women's team for the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship to be played from September 7 to 16 at the Longden Place ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Indian Women go into the tournament as the defending champions having won the inaugural edition with a 1-0 final win against Nepal in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in December 2010.

India have been drawn in Group A along with Bangladesh, Bhutan and hosts Sri Lanka. India face Bangladesh in their opener on September 7, then play the hosts Sri Lanka on September 9 and then face Bhutan on September 11. The other Group B contains Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan.


INDIA Women's Probables

Goalkeepers
Sita Sharma (Orissa), Aditi Chauhan (Delhi)

Defenders
Ashem Romi Devi (Manipur), Loitongbam Ashalata Devi (Manipur), Kangujam Rebika Devi (Manipur), Alochana Senapati (Orissa), Suprava Samal (Bihar), Tuli Goon (West Bengal)

Midfielders
Yumnam Kamala Devi (Manipur), Yumlembam Premi Devi (Manipur), Montessori Chanu (Manipur), Oinam Bembem Devi (Manipur), Supriya Routray (Orissa), Lochana Munda (Orissa)

Forwards
Irom Prameshwori Devi (Manipur), Salam Rinaroy Devi (Manipur), Laishram Naobi Chanu (Manipur), Raju Suganya (Tamil Nadu), Pinky Bompal Magar (Orissa), Sasmita Malik (Orissa)

Officials
Shahid Jabbar (Chief Coach); Pratima Biswas (Assistant Coach), Mutum Surmala Chanu (Assistant Coach); Ranjita Mohanty (Goalkeeping Coach); Poulami Ghosh (West Bengal); Khyati Sharma (Physiotherapist); Sudeshna Mukherjee (Manager)

India to defend SAFF Women's Cup title in Sri Lanka next month

The second SAFF Women's Championship will once again be organised by the South Asian Football Federation and the tournament will be held from September 7 to 16 at the Longden Place ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Indian Women go into the tournament as the defending champions having won the inaugural edition with a 1-0 final win against Nepal in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in December 2010.

India have been drawn in Group A along with Bangladesh, Bhutan and hosts Sri Lanka. India face Bangladesh in their opener on September 7, then play the hosts Sri Lanka on September 9 and then face Bhutan on September 11. The other Group B contains Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan.

Interestingly both these groups had been drawn with the same set of four teams as two years ago at the 1st SAFF Women's Championship.

30 Indian Women probables are currently sweating it out at the SAI Eastern Centre to make the final 20 players squad which will fly across to Sri Lanka. India go into the tournament as the big title favourites, especially after having scored 41 goals and conceded only one in their title triumph in 2010.


FIXTURES

Quarterfinal League

Group A
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka

07-Sep-2012: India - Bangladesh
07-Sep-2012: Sri Lanka - Bhutan
09-Sep-2012: Sri Lanka - India
09-Sep-2012: Bangladesh - Bhutan
11-Sep-2012: Sri Lanka - Bangladesh
11-Sep-2012: India - Bhutan

Group B
Afghanistan, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan

08-Sep-2012: Nepal - Pakistan
08-Sep-2012: Maldives - Afghanistan
10-Sep-2012: Nepal - Maldives
10-Sep-2012: Pakistan - Afghanistan
12-Sep-2012: Nepal - Afghanistan
12-Sep-2012: Maldives - Pakistan

Semifinals
14-Sep-2012: Winner Group A - Runners-Up Group B
14-Sep-2012: Winner Group B - Runners-Up Group A

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

AIFF name India Probables for Women's SAFF Cup camp in Kolkata

The All India Football Federation will organise a preparatory camp for the India Women's team for the forthcoming SAFF Women's Championship scheduled to kick-off in Sri Lanka on September 1. The initial phase of the Camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India - Eastern Centre in Kolkata from July 16 to 31 where 45 players have been asked to report.

The next phase of the Camp will also be held at the same venue from August 1 to 31 and the list of probables will be cut down to 30 ahead of naming the final squad for the tournament.


INDIA Women's Probables

Goalkeepers
Sita Sharma, Aditi Chauhan, Roshini Devi, Swarnamayee Samal, Anjana Saikia, Rashmi Kumari

Defenders
Romi Devi, Radharani Devi, Ashalata Devi, Rashmita Patra, Alochana Senapati, Bijay Laxmi Sahu, Suprava Samal, Nagi Mardi, Reema Noronha, Kusumika Das, Tuli Goon, Prerna Mishra, Ansha, Bijaya Devi, Rebika Devi

Midfielders
Kamala Devi, Premi Devi, Supriya Routray, Manisha Panna, Amoolya, Puja Bhatt, Satish Kumari, Sharon Fernandez, Riya Arya, Lochana Munda, Montessori Chanu, O. Bembem Devi, Manpreet

Forwards
Parmeshwari Devi, Nima Lamhu Bhutia, Ng. Bala Devi, Michel Margaret Castanha, Reena Roy, R. Suganya, Swati Rawat, Sabina Minz, Naobi Chanu, Pinky Bompal Magar, Sasmita Malik

Stand-Byes
Jabamani Soren, Puja Karmakar, Kalpana Roy, Paramita Sit, Nasoba Allam, Jibisha

Officials
Shahid Jabbar (Chief Coach); Pratima Biswas (Assistant Coach), Surmala Chanu (Assistant Coach); Ranjita Mohanty (Goalkeeping Coach); Khyati Sharma (Physiotherapist); Sudeshna Mukherjee (Manager)

VIDEO: AFC U-13 Girls Championships Sri Lanka - Players Feedback

Here a video from the AFC about the AFC Under-13 Girls Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in which the girls speak about playing in the tournament. Impressive stuff!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: AFC U-13 Girls Championship in Sri Lanka

Here a video from the AFC about the AFC Under-13 Girls Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka which the India U-13 Girls won!






Here the link to the report: INDIA Under-13 Girls: Champions return home; girls felicitated .

INDIA Under-13 Girls: Champions return home; girls felicitated

India's triumphant Under-13 Girls were felicitated at the Football House in Dwarka by the All India Football Federation today. The girls returned back after winning the AFC U-13 Girl's Football Tournament held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said on the occasion, "I congratulate you for the feat which you have achieved. Hope you will continue with this in the future tournaments. All of you have made the country proud."

Kushal Das also announced a cash reward of Rs 5,000 each for the players and the support staff in the name of the federation.

Head Coach Priya sounded elated. "We are very happy that we won. This is a step in the right direction. We hope to sustain our performance even at the U-14 tournaments."

She also lauded AIFF's support and the reward awarded to the team. "AIFF has been very encouraging and this kind of appreciation would only inspire more players to take up the sport in the country," Priya added.

The girls won all their five matches and defeated the likes of Iran (1-0), Bhutan (13-0), hosts Sri Lanka (7-0), Jordan (7-1) and Palestine 9-0 on way to winning the tournament.

2011 SAFF Cup: The Group Stage is over

The SAFF Cup (South Asian Football Federation Championships) is being played from December 2 to 11, 2011 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. The group stage ended yesterday with the semifinals to be played tomorrow.

The tournament has had its surprises with Afghanistan topping Group A ahead of India being the biggest one so far with Bhutan a major disappointment again as they conceded 16 goals in three matches.

Group B was much more even with the Maldives topping the group ahead of Nepal, both on five points with Pakistan drawing all their matches while last hosts Bangladesh finishing a disappointing last.


2011 SAFF CUP - New Delhi

Group A: India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan

03-Dec-2011: India 1-1 Afghanistan
03-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka 3-1 Bhutan
05-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka 1-3 Afghanistan
05-Dec-2011: Bhutan 0-5 India
07-Dec-2011: Bhutan 1-8 Afghanistan
07-Dec-2011: India 3-0 Sri Lanka

Group B: Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan

02-Dec-2011: Bangladesh 0-0 Pakistan
02-Dec-2011: Maldives 1-1 Nepal
04-Dec-2011: Nepal 1-0 Bangladesh
04-Dec-2011: Pakistan 0-0 Maldives
06-Dec-2011: Pakistan 1-1 Nepal
06-Dec-2011: Maldives 3-1 Bangladesh


Semifinals
09-Dec-2011: Maldives - India (15.00 IST)
09-Dec-2011: Afghanistan - Nepal (18.00 IST)

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

VIDEO: Match Highlights India vs Sri Lanka

India beat Sri Lanka 3-0 tonight, but it wasn't enough to finish top of Group A then Afghanistan trashed Bhutan 8-1 in the day's other match. Here are the match highlights from the India vs Sri Lanka match!

Some quality goals in there to watch...

2011 SAFF Cup: India beat Sri Lanka, qualify for semifinals

Defending champions India needed three second half goals to overcome a spirited Sri Lanka to qualify for the semifinals of the 2011 SAFF Cup. But the win wasn't enough to top Group A then in the day's other match Afghanistan trounced Bhutan 8-1 to finish with a better goal difference then India as both finished on seven points. Now old rivals the Maldives wait in the semifinals on Friday.

India went into the match knowing that a draw would be enough to seal qualification, while Sri Lanka needed an upset win to progress. But both teams made a slow start into the game, both taking a wait-and-watch approach. This resulted in a lot of midfield action and often meaningless long balls forward which both defences dealt easily with.

Things changed after the break as India took a 50th minute lead through an alert Jeje Lalpekhlua, who scored from a rebound after the Lankan keeper had blocked a Sunil Chhetri shot. Chhetri himself doubled the lead in the 69th minute of a nicely placed header. In the final seconds of the game Sri Lanka's Bandara Warakagoda scored an own goal following a corner to make it 3-0 on the night for India.

Finishing second in Group A India now face Group B winners the Maldives in the first semifinal on Friday, December 9. A rematch of the 2009 SAFF Cup final in Dhaka, which the India Under-23s had won on penalties.


INDIA
1-Karanjit Singh; 4-Nirmal Chetri, 14-Mahesh Gawli, 19-Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, 22-Syed Rahim Nabi; 12-Anthony Pereira (79' 23-Steven Benedic Dias), 8-Climax Lawrence [C], 21-Rocus Lamare (71' 28-Jewel Raja Sheikh), 15-Clifford Miranda; 10-Jeje Lalpekhlua (83' 18-Sushil Kumar Singh), 11-Sunil Chhetri

2011 SAFF Cup: A draw will do for India

The Indian national football team know that a draw in their third and final Group A match against Sri Lanka at the 2011 SAFF Cup in New Delhi will do to progress to the semifinals of the tournament. But playing for a draw is always tricky, so Savio Medeira and his men will be wise to play for a win to also try to top Group A.

India have had a difficult start into the tournament. A surprise one-all draw against Afghanistan in their opener and then a hard-earned 5-0 win against Bhutan haven't been really convincing, but at least scoring five goals against Bhutan will hopefully have given India the confidence that they need for the remainder of the tournament.

Savio Medeira is set to try and field the strongest team as per his understanding. Rested Steven Dias is set to return on the right flank for Anthony Pereira; while Samir Naik would get his right-back position back from Nirmal Chetri, if he is deemed fit to play.

Otherwise the Indians tried to re-energize yesterday as the players had little to no time to prepare for the SAFF Cup, a five day camp along with the match against Zambia. A far from ideal preparation and a lot of the players have been playing non-stop since August for Team India and their respective clubs. Fatigue is a factor, but still India is expected to reach the semifinals against a Sri Lanka, who were shocked by an improved Afghanistan in their last match.

The match kicks-off at 18.00 IST and will be live on TenAction+.

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)

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.

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)

2011 SAFF Cup: Groups drawn, India in easier group

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 draw for the tournament was carried out at the Le Meridien hotel in New Delhi earlier today.

Defending champions India, who won the 2009 edition with an Under-23 team in Dhaka, Bangladesh, have been drawn in an easier Group A along with Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile Group B looks stronger in which Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan would face each other.

The top two teams from each group would qualify for the semifinals, which will be played on December 9 while the final is slated for December 11. All matches are set to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

It will be the ninth edition of the SAFF Cup, early on called SAARC Gold Cup, with India hosting the tournament for the second time after 1999 when it was held in Margao, Goa and India had won the title then with a 2-0 victory against Bangladesh.


2011 SAFF CUP - New Delhi

Group A: India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan

03-Dec-2011: India - Afghanistan
03-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Bhutan
05-Dec-2011: India - Bhutan
05-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Afghanistan
07-Dec-2011: India - Sri Lanka
07-Dec-2011: Afghanistan - Bhutan

Group B: Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan

02-Dec-2011: Maldives - Nepal
02-Dec-2011: Bangladesh - Pakistan
04-Dec-2011: Maldives - Pakistan
04-Dec-2011: Bangladesh - Nepal
06-Dec-2011: Maldives - Bangladesh
06-Dec-2011: Nepal - Pakistan


Semifinals
09-Dec-2011: Group A Winners - Group B Runners-up
09-Dec-2011: Group B Winners - Group A Runners-up

Final
11-Dec-2011: Winner SF 1 - Winner SF 2