East Bengal name Allstars

Kolkata giants East Bengal Club yesterday announced their Allstar squad to face FC Bayern Munich Allstars on November 17 at the Saltlake Stadium to raise funds for the Towards Life Foundation, a foundation who looks after street children. Players who represented East Bengal in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s have been included in a real star studded line-up which is impressive for Indian football.

Former international defender Sudhir Karmakar has been given the task to lead the team as its captain with Goutam Sarkar as his vice-captain. The squad will be managed and coached by Surajit Sengupta and Manaranjan Bhattacharya.

The match is being organised by Towards Life Foundation, an NGO looking after street children in Kolkata, in partnership with East Bengal Club and FC Bayern Munich. And the Germans are set to come to Kolkata with a strong squad which includes six World Cup winners. The proceeds from the match will go to the TLF and the East Bengal players have all pledged to donate Rs 1,000 each with an amount of up to Rs 50,000 to be raised by the ex-players.

Here the blog entry for the FC Bayern Munich Allstar squad .


East Bengal Allstars

Goalkeepers
Debasish Mukherjee, Atanu Bhattacharyya, Arpan Dey, Tarun Bose, Bhaskar Ganguly

Defenders
Sudhir Karmakar (Captain), Tarun Dey, Swarup Das, Aloke Mukherjee, Shyamal Banerjee, Krishnendu Roy, Shyamal Ghosh, Balai Mukherjee

Midfielders
Tushar Rakshit, Chinmoy Chatterjee, Maidul Islam, Goutam Sarkar (vice-Captain), Debjit Ghosh, Kabir Bose, Bikash Panji, Mihir Bose, Amit Das, Ranjan Chowdhury, Abhijit Roy Chowdhury, Gautam Ghosh, Jamshed Nassiri, Kartik Sett, Sanjoy Majhi, Monojit Das, Dulal Biswas, Basudeb Mondal

Forwards
Sishir Ghosh, Shyam Thapa, Swapan Sengupta, Subhash Bhowmick, Ranjit Mukherjee, Chandan Banerjee, Sukumar Samajpati

Managers
Surajit Sengupta, Manaranjan Bhattacharya

Manipur to host Dr T. Ao Memorial Football Tournament

This time around Manipur will play hosts for the Dr T. Ao Memorial Football Tournament to be played from November 21 to 30 in Imphal. The tournament is funded by the ministry for Development of North Eeastern Region (DoNER). The last edition was played in Nagaland.

In all the seven Northeastern states along with Sikkim will be seen in action. The eight participating states will be divided into two groups of four teams each with the top two sides making it to the semifinals. And the tournament can be seen as an own Santosh Trophy of the Northeast in this football crazy part of India and it gives young talent the chance to compete with the best from the region, who aren't playing at the top national professional level.

The All Manipur Football Association has named L. Nandakumar Singh as the states coach with S. Premkanta Singh as the goalkeeping coach and Ng. Brojendra Singh as the manager. 28 players have been called for the trials to select the final squad for Manipur, who would like to keep the trophy in the state.

Mohun Bagan, East Bengal fail AFC Club Licencing

A six member expert team from the Asian Football Confederation visited the 14 I-League clubs over the last week to access their status and to see if they comply with the AFC Club Licencing criteria set out of by the AFC and AIFF to fulfill status of a professional football team in India. If a club does comply with the criteria by December 31, then they would be thrown out of the league and sadly eight of the 14 clubs failed the screening, amongst them Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.

This was disclosed by the visiting AFC delegation at Football House in New Delhi yesterday with all the 14 clubs present. The AFC Delegation comprising of Tokuaki Suzuki (Director of Competition), Maskat Klychamamedov (Development Manager, AFC Professional Football Project Manager), Steve Kim Tae Hyung (Media and Communication Manager), Bryan Kuan Wee Hoong (Director, Audit), Khan Hung Meng (Development Officer, Coach Education Department) and Mahajan Vasudevan Nair (Sports Lawyer) along with I-League CEO Sunando Dhar and Sujesh Rajan (I-League, Senior Manager) had visited the clubs. Visited the club, looked at the club structure, general organisation, training facilities and stadium.

Only six clubs in defending champions Dempo SC, Churchill Brothers SC, Pune FC, Chirag United SC, JCT and Mumbai FC have fulfilled the criteria so far. The other eight failed due to different reasons. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal failed due to the fact that they have the same 50% owners, the United Breweries Group; the PSU (Public Sector Units) clubs in Air India, ONGC and HAL due to their status; while Salgaocar SC and Viva Kerala due to the lack of their audit papers; and the AIFF XI (India Under-20) due to the fact of missing a number of factors.

The clubs have until December 31, 2010 to fulfill the criteria or otherwise they will not be allowed to take part in the 2011/12 I-League season. But the question remains if all will be able to do so. Salgaocar and Viva Kerala have the easiest of tasks. Get their numbers and accounts checked and hand in the papers with profit or loss. But for the other six the problems could be more fundamental.

An exception for the AIFF XI is likely as the team is linked to the overall development program of the national federation. One of the reasons which could be given by the AIFF is the fact that the federation has to look after youth development as not enough is done by all the clubs. If that had been the case, then all this would not have been needed.

The PSUs are at a cross road. Will the AFC and AIFF find a backdoor for them to stay in the I-League or will the rules for all apply. If second is the case, then it could be quite tough for them to stay in the league, actually it looks very unlikely.

For Mohun Bagan and East Bengal a fundamental issue has come up which surprisingly no one seems to have thought about. No two clubs anywhere in the world can be owned by the same entity, even if it is through different arms of a company or corporation. In the case of the Kolkata giants Vijay Mallya happens to be a director at both clubs; while Mohun Bagan is sponsored by McDowell's, rivals East Bengal wear Kingfisher on their jersey's. If the UB Group have to relinquish the ownership of one of the two Maidan giants will have to be seen. If this becomes part of the criteria, then things will surely get much more difficult then who does the UB Group drp of the two clubs and who would be willing to take over the UB group stake in that club.

A major concern for the visiting AFC team are the match venues. None of the stadium got an A-class certification. The closest to certification is the Stadium at the Balewadi sports complex in Pune, while the Saltlake Stadium has been provisionally certified due to its artificial turf but the stands and other facilities are a major worry.

The first step is taken, the clubs informed about what they have and what needs to be done. The AFC is set to send a team again in January 2011 to look at the development in three month's time.

123rd Durand Cup: Semifinal line-up complete

The semifinals of the 123rd Durand Cup will be played over the next couple of days at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi with the quarterfinal league coming to an end earlier today as Chirag United trashed Indian Air Force 5-0 to qualify as the fourth and final team for the semifinals are Churchill Brothers SC, JCT and East Bengal had done so over the last couple of days. And it went mainly as per expected script with the I-league top teams making their way through in Group A, B & D; while in the weaker Group C a revamped JCT got past relegated Sporting Clube de Goa and qualifiers Garhwal Heroes from the capital.

In Group A defending champions Churchill Brothers had to face two Army sides, in the hosts Army Red and qualifiers MEG from Bangalore. And it was once more the sheer goal scoring might of Odafe Onyeka Okolie which took the Goans into the semifinals. Odafe scored five of Churchill Brothers seven goals, but the teams weaklink was also exposed as they conceded three goals against weaker opposition. The team could miss goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya and defender Gouramangi Singh when the I-League starts later this month.

Group B was the most competitive of all the groups with Chirag United SC only qualifying for the semifinals due to their huge 5-0 win against Indian Air Force, being better then Pune FC by three goals. The two I-League sides had played out a goalless draw and then the goal difference became an issue against the weaker Airmen.

Group C looked evenly poised with no clearcut favourites as JCT have lost a number of their players in the transfer period, Sporting Clube de Goa is also rebuilding after their relegation, while Garhwal Heroes were happy to play on this stage. The Garhwal Heroes did upset Sporting Clube de Goa, but JCT won both their group matches to gain a place amongst the last four.

A lot of people were looking forward to Group D then the question was can East Bengal continue their unbeaten run. In an all I-League affair East Bengal continued their winning run with wins against Air India and Salgaocar SC. The red-and-gold have now won 18 matches in a row, but it the wins weren't as easy as the results might sounds. In both games the Trevor Morgan coached side went down a goal, but where able to turn things around which is also a good sign for the coach.

In the first semifinal tomorrow defending champions Churchill Brothers SC will take on JCT from Punjab, while on Thursday in a small Kolkata derby East Bengal would take on Chirag United. The final is planned for Sunday, November 7.

VIDEO Interview with Lutz Pfannenstiel (Global United FC)

My friend Lutz Pfannenstiel has founded and runs with two partners the football charity Global United Football Club which aims to fight climate change and global warming. I caught-up with Lutz for a television interview at the Arena auf Schalke over the weekend to get to know more about Global United FC and its work.

And in some good news for India, Lutz is planning to bring Global United FC with its football stars from around the world to India to play a charity match in 2011.





To learn more about Global United FC go to their official website under: www.globalunitedfc.com .

Team India departs for Dubai for final preparations

The Indian national football team left the capital New Delhi for Dubai earlier today to start their final preparations for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Qatar in January 2011. The team had gathered in New Delhi over the weekend after a two week break and now will focus on the Asian Cup which is less then 10 weeks away.

India are set to play a series of three international friendlies in November while in the United Arab Emirates. On Thursday, November 11 India are set to face defending Asian champions Iraq; followed by a friendly against Kuwait on Sunday, November 14 in Abu Dhabi; while the United Arab Emirates will be an opponent on Thursday, November 18 in what will be the three toughest friendlies so far in the preparation of the team. As Bob Houghton had said earlier, in the build-up to the Asian Cup, gradually tougher opponents will be played to prepare the team for the group matches against Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in Doha.

Towards the end of the month India will play three more friendly matches against local UAE club sides on November 24, 27 and 29. In these matches Bob Houghton is likely to test his bench and fringe players, giving them necessary match practice.

It has not been finally decided if the team would prepare until early-January 2011 in Dubai or shift their base to Qatar sometime in December 2010. In the coming month India is set to play three to five more international friendlies against nations playing in the Asian Cup, who would also prepare themselves in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Potential opponents are Iran, Uzbekistan, China, North Korea or Jordan. All footballing nations with pedigree.

Yes, we are getting closer to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and the tension is rising. Team India is now on its way...

Baichung launches Football Schools

On Saturday the papers were formally signed in New Delhi to seal a partnership between Baichung Bhutia and "Football by Carlos Queiroz" (FBCQ) for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS). The papers were signed by Baichung Bhutia himself and "Football by Carlos Queiroz" CEO Tiago Lopes on the sidelines of the formal launch of the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools held at the Shangri La's hotel in New Delhi, which was attended by authorities, partners and the media. Baichung Bhutia is pleased to join forces with FBCQ to address an unique football development model to young players in India.

Portuguese coaching legend Carlos Queiroz, former national coach, will draw on years of experience, developing young players and twice winning the youth World Cup, to be associated with Baichung's project.

The project will capture the essence of training methods of FBCQ to develop alongside with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) a football system of the highest quality in India and also contribute to the formation of the next generation of Indian football coaches.

FBCQ devoted the last years of research and reconstruction of a current sports model and in a matrix of operation that can serve clubs, academies and international partners who wish to develop a systematic quality approach in youth football.

"I am personally convinced that the potential that India football has is enormous. I think that this project will be further proof of that. I hope that football in India grows in the right way, developing youngsters with the will to succeed in life, with the will to commit to values and at the end of the day enables them to become better human beings. That is what football is about, that is the role of football and sport in society," Carlos Queiroz said.

"With Baichung's vision, with the infrastructures available, with the support of the community and partners, and with the will to work daily and improve, I believe it is only a matter of time before we start to see some rising talent," Carlos Queiroz added further in his statement.

The project foresees the development of eight academies spread throughout India and integrate a total of 16 Portuguese coaches trained in FBCQ. It is estimated that within three years, 5.000 young players aged between 8 to 16 years old will participate in regular programs.

"I have been extremely fortunate during my career to get the opportunities to develop as a footballer. But for our future little champions I do not want destiny alone to determine where they reach, but to give them the power to shape their own destiny," Baichung Bhutia said.

The partnership also includes the exchange in the first year of a total of 10 Indian coaches who will have technical training in FBCQ academy, located in Portugal, as well as allowing visits of many young Indian athletes to Portugal.

"We are pleased to be a part of the Baichung family. FBCQ believes the alliance is exactly the first great step toward a common goal of providing a football learning environment for Indian youth players," Tiago Lopes, CEO of Football By Carlos Queiroz, said in New Delhi.

"The overall success will be achieved through a highly tailored, well planned and resourced strategy fully integrated with the strength of all partners using our shared passions for Football, Health, Education and Social Responsibility." Tiago Lopes added.

The first phase of the project will start as of October 30, with the displacement of two FBCQ coaches. The first activities will be developed from numerous schools in New Delhi in December to an estimated participation of 500 children and youth. The first regular programs are scheduled for January and take place on a sporting infrastructure in New Delhi.

Another first for our captain, who continues to work to help in the development of Indian football.