67th Santosh Trophy: Odisha name final 30 probables

The Football Association of Orissa has named 30 players for the state's final trials ahead of the 67th edition of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy which is being played from February 1 to March 3 in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

As part of their final selection the Odisha trialists will play two friendly matches against Samaleswari Sporting Club, the state's only 2nd Division I-League club. The matches will be played today and on Friday, January 25 at the District Athletic Association ground in Sambalpur.


ORISSA Probables

Goalkeepers
Ramesh Chandra Naik (SAI Orissa), Sheikh Kamaluddin (Sunrise Club), Umar Khan (Morning Club), Saroj Pradhan (Royal Wahingdoh FC)

Defenders
Fayajuddin Shah (Morning Club), Gobinda Senapati (Odisha Police), Abdul Khan (Radha Gobinda), Sheikh Alam (Morning Club), Kedar Singh (Sunrise Club), Kanheya Majhi(SAI Orissa), Dinesh Lakra (Sunshine Club), Ramdas Hansda (Odisha Police)

Midfielders
Sheikh Moin (Chand Club), Somnath Nayak (SAI Orissa), Baichand Hansda (Jobra Durga Club), Sidhartha Sankar Puruseth (Odisha Police), Sanatan Lohar (SAI Orissa), Manoj Murmu (Radha Ramana), Debasis Murmu (Radha Gobinda), Lakhai Murmu (SAI Orissa), Laxman Murmu (Sunshine Club)

Forwards
Hurshikesh Behera (Odisha Police), Sanjit Panna (Chand Club), Bijay Das (Mangala Club), Mohammed Ehesan Khan (Odisha Police), Abhimanyu Pandey (Odisha Police), Sankho Marandi (Radha Gobinda), Kishor Khadia (Radha Ramana), Gokul Oram (Radha Gobinda), Mohammed M. Khalid (Rising Star Club)

AIFF send East Bengal GS Kalyan Majumdar showcause notice

The fallout of the AIFF decision to revoke the suspension of Mohun Bagan AC and allow them back again into the I-League continues as the federation has showcaused East Bengal Club General Secretary Kalyan Mazumder for 'derogatory' remarks against the national body in the media.

The East Bengal General Secretary has been asked by the federation to explain why the AIFF should not take action against him under the AIFF'S Code of Ethics. Kalyan Majumdar has been given seven days to give a written reply to the showcause notice.

After the AIFF Executive Committee meeting on January 15 and the decision to reinstate Mohun Bagan AC into the I-League with zero points and a 2 crore fine, Kalyan Majumdar had said to the media that the decision was made possible by 'under hand and/or under the Table modus' which as expected the federation wouldn't take lightly.

Kalyan Majumdar further added fire into the story by saying that the expanded three match suspension of Odafe Onyeka Okolie was also an expected decision, but not a harch enough punishment.

A Sunday afternoon at the Saltlake Stadium

Currently I am in Kolkata and on Sunday afternoon I went to the Saltlake Stadium to watch the I-League game between Pailan Arrows and Shillong Lajong FC. I won't talk about the match, which was very scrappy at best but rather write about things around it which I saw and observed.

I thought I was late when I came to the ground around 1.45 pm, but at the time the stadium was close to empty. The good thing was that there was enough security from police and a private agency checking everyone who was coming into the ground or trying to sneak in.

I went up the two floors, but at that time even the press box was just having one colleague inside, so I decided to go across to the VVIP box, where I saw India coach Wim Koevermans standing alone outside.

My thought was simple, watch some I-League football and enjoy a good chit-chat. Wim and I were joined by East Bengal coach Trevor James Morgan and his clubs new Australian recruit Andrew Barisic in the VVIP. We did talk a lot, but that remains private then that was and is not intended for the general public.

A few hundred spectators did turn-up for the match and some colleagues did fill the press box before kick-off, but in one of the large venues around the world, the atmosphere simply cannot be created which would push the players to greater heights.

The game was that way, but I at least had an interesting afternoon at the Saltlake Stadium, watching and talking football, while not having to report about it...

Desmond Bulpin no more Shillong Lajong FC coach

61 year old Scotsman Desmond Bulpin is no longer the coach of I-League Shillong Lajong FC, who relieved him of his duties. Assistant Coach Thangboi Singto will take charge as Interim coach with immediate effect and could stay until tne end of the season, if successful.

"Thangboi has been with the team since 2009 and has two and a half seasons of I-League experience besides a stint in the second division in 2010/11 season, when Shillong Lajong qualified again in the I-league. We have faith in his abilities," said SLFC General Secretary Larsing Ming Sawyan.

"The club would like to place in record the valuable contributions of Desmond Bulpin in the Youth Development system of the Club, which we believe will pay dividends in the near future. We thank him for his services and the commitment showed to the Club. We wish him all the best for the future. Our immediate goal is to concentrate on the next two home games and the away game at Salgaocar before the break."

After Sunday's 0-1 loss against Pailan Arrows in the I-League there was a feeling that Lajong could fire Desmond Bulpin and it happened only a couple of days later with the Northeastern club fighting for survival in the league.

Prathamesh Maulingkar: We owe everything to Arrows!

Pailan Arrows and Under-22 India centre-back Prathamesh Maulingkar aims to make the most out of his stint with Pailan Arrows as he moves to Dempo SC on a loan. In an interview with AIFF Media, Prathamesh speaks his heart out about his sting with Arrows, its impact, contribution of Arrows to Indian football, Coach Arthur Papas, his Dempo SC's childhood heroes and much more.


How do you reflect back on your journey with the Arrows?

It's about an initiative by All India Football Federation which invested in a rookie, trained, taught and guided him mature and made them footballers. It is because of Arrows, I am what I am today. There's no other way other than thanking them from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much!


What was most memorable?

It's impossible to pin point one single incident. Everything has been so memorable, every moment. Like as it happens with all, I faced ups and lows in my career. But I was never dropped. Whenever I hit a low, I was taken special care of. In fact, not only me, but all of us!

The management could have easily dropped me from their plans but didn't. Rather, they invested and backed me to the hilt. That sort of confidence was so much essential for a young player like me. Or should I reiterate, for all of us. It helped us to showcase our talent.


Which aspect of Arrows will you carry with you?

The discipline! Indian Arrows and Pailan Arrows have been like an Academy. It stays the perfect stage to groom a player. We have developed our habits from it and learnt everything from there. It helped us to mature fast.


There are a lot of ex-Arrows boys who are big names in Indian football. How do you describe that?

That was bound to happen. The Arrows were formed at a stage when we had nowhere to go. It was the transition phase, a phase which has killed the motivation of so many youngsters just for the lack of an opportunity to play.

In 2010 when Arrows were formed, some of us may have been roped in by clubs but it was on open secret they won't ever get a chance to play. Ever! In such a situation, Arrows gave us the perfect platform to play in the I-League. What more can you ask for? We were all U-19 boys at that time but we got to play regularly. And we played well, that too being a team without any foreign recruits.

Jeje Lalpekhlua, Lalrindika Ralte, Raju Gaikwad, Jewel Raja Shaikh, Manandeep Singh, Bikramjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and we all, owe it to the Arrows. It shaped our careers.


What stayed your turning point?

I was a junior player when I first joined Arrows and obviously, I was not the first choice. But I waited for my chance. The U-22 AFC Qualifiers gave me a lot of confidence. It was my first International Tournament and when Coach Arthur Papas put his faith in me, I had to pay him back.

Playing against Iraq, UAE, Oman, Lebanon and other teams gave me a lot of confidence. It changed me as a player.


There has been a shift in the Coaching philosophy in Arrows. How do you describe that?

It wasn't easy. In fact, when (Arthur) Papas took over and showed to us what he wanted, we found it hard to believe we could play that way. If you look at the earlier years, though we performed well, we were groomed in a different fashion. Hence, we had our apprehensions.

But we realised fast Papas was stressing on the basics and henceforth, adapting was no more a problem. He stresses on modern-day football and we are enjoying it. I can tell you, we are getting better day by day. The football which we play is a breath of fresh air.


What do you except from defending champions Dempo SC?

The gesture from Arrows floored me. The moment I received an offer from Dempo SC, they realised it will benefit me in the long run (at this stage) and responded fast and released me. I need to thank them for that too.

From my side, all I can say is that I'm ready for the next step. I will carry my experience and work culture and blend them with the Dempo philosophy.

I know, I may not get a start immediately but I will wait for my chance and prove myself whenever I get it. It’s a dream come true to be playing alongside Mahesh Gawli, Sameer Naik and Climax Lawrence, all of whom have been my childhood heroes.

(Interview & Photo courtesy AIFF Media)

I-League: Prayag United set to make Kalyani Stadium their home venue

I-League side Prayag United SC are considering to play their remaining matches in the I-League at the Kalyani Stadium, which has been a winning venue for them as they scored wins against champions Dempo SC and Pune FC besides drawing unusual big crowds.

Prayag United SC are currently number three in the pecking order of the Kolkata sides in the I-League behind East Bengal Club and Mohun Bagan AC, even down to number four if 2nd Division Mohammedan Sporting Club side are counted regarding their fan base.

But while the men in purple, who are a side full of stars for Indian standards, play infront of near empty galleries at the 120,000 capacity Saltlake Stadium, Prayag United have been able to draw good crowds in Kalyani, which is about 90 minutes away from Kolkata.

Prayag United's Kolkata derby against Mohun Bagan AC on Sunday is set to be played at Kalyani Stadium, which is likely to see a capacity crowd. Surely a good reason to shift to a good venue, where crowds come and attend matches.

VIDEO: Snow falls through the Amsterdam ArenA roof!

At the moment the winter is quite harsh in Europe and here is a clip on what happened Sunday at the Amsterdam ArenA during the Ajax Amsterdam vs Feyenoord Rotterdam Eredivisie match, when through a hole in the closed roof snow feel through onto the reserve benches and seats around.