Page 2 - Indian Football

Sunil Chhetri melts hearts with tweet after first ever Durand Cup victory

Talismanic India footballer Sunil Chhetri has said it would have been a "shame" had an Army kid like him not been able to win the Durand Cup in his professional life.

Durand Cup: Bengaluru FC beat defending champions in semis, reach final

An own goal at the half-hour mark by Spanish defender Odei Onaindia Zabala, was enough for Bengaluru FC (BFC) to overcome the challenge of Indian Super League (ISL) champions Hyderabad FC (HFC) and make the final of the 131st IndianOil Durand Cup.It was a largely cagey second semi-final played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) with HFC having the lion's share of chances as well as possession and their star striker Batholomew Ogbeche being wasteful for once, but in the end, the Blues did well enough to win the battle of ISL heavyweights.All 47 games of the 131st IndianOil Durand Cup are being telecast LIVE on Sports18 1 SD & HD andSports18 Khel as well as live-streamed on the Over the Top (OTT) platform VOOT!The match began with no team willing to give an inch and as a result, there were quite a few rough challenges witnessed. BFC's Parag Shrivas was shown a yellow card early.The goal came quite against the run of play and in what was probably BFC's first ...

Durand Cup: Hyderabad FC beat Rajasthan United FC 3-1, reach semi-finals

Hyderabad FC took the game by storm in the initial minutes of the game as striker Bartholomew Ogbeche opened the scoring from a downward header

Delhi Football's Shaji Prabhakaran appointed new secretary general of AIFF

Delhi Football president and long-time administrator Shaji Prabhakaran was on Saturday appointed the new secretary general of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The appointment, which was on expected lines, was carried out by the newly-formed executive committee of the AIFF, at the helm of which is president Kalyan Chaubey. The decision was taken during the new dispensation's first executive committee at the Football House, and was chaired by Chaubey. The president proposed Prabhakaran's name as the new secretary general of the AIFF, which was unanimously approved by all the members, the AIFF said in a statement. Prabhakaran, who was in the forefront of the group of people who wanted a change in the functioning of the AIFF, did not contest the apex body's elections here on Friday, when Chaubey became the federation's first player president in its 85-year existence. Welcoming the members, the AIFF president said: "This is the first time that six former eminent players are pa

India names squad for SAFF U-17 Football C'ship set to begin from Sept 5

Head coach Bibiano Fernandes on Thursday named a 23-member India squad for the SAFF U-17 Championship which kicks off in Colombo on September 5. India begin their campaign against Bhutan on the opening day of the tournament. The final is slated for September 16. "The boys have worked so hard over the months. They are excited. They are hitting the ground with high levels of intensity and motivation," said Bibiano. "We believe this batch has what it takes to outdo what the previous two batches achieved. Our short-term aim is to win the SAFF U17 Championship and qualify for the AFC U17 Championships as group leaders," the coach stated. Squad: GOALKEEPERS: Sahil, Julfikar Gazi, Tajamul Islam. DEFENDERS: Ricky Meetei, Mukul Panwar, Manjot Singh Dhami, Balkaran Singh, Suraj Kumar Singh, Chandan Yadav. MIDFIELDERS: Gurnaj Singh Grewal, Korou Singh, Lalpekhlua, Vanlalpeka Guite, Boby Singh, Malemngamba Singh Thokchom, Huzafah Ahmam Dar, Ngarin Shaiza, Danny Meitei, Lalhmingchhuanga Fana

Futsal becomes new fad in football-crazy Goa with more than 15 grounds

The football crazy state of Goa has been slowly warming up to futsal, an indoor version of the sport played on hard court. More than 15 futsal grounds have been developed in the state in a span of less than 10 years and promoters of the sport have termed it as nursery for football players and initiation into football. Talking to PTI, Futsal Alliance of Goa president Benjamin Silva said they had taken baby steps to promote the sport in 2016 and six years down the line, their efforts have borne fruit. Silva recalled how the journey was not easy, as the Goa Football Association (GFA), which is affiliated to FIFA, refused to extend a helping hand. We continued in our own way. Our intention was to create more futsal players in the state, he said. With no proper infrastructure, futsal took time to grow in the state. But now, there are enough grounds and ample number of teams engaging in the fixtures. The Don Bosco Institution at Fatorda in South Goa has come as a saviour for the game b

A red card at last

It is an opportunity to get the Indian football administration cleaned up

Indian women footballers witness uncertain future as FIFA bans AIFF

In a country obsessed with Cricket, women footballers have defied the scant investment and tried their best to make inroads in the game, but have only gone as far as getting muted recognition

AIFF ban: Sports Ministry requests FIFA, AFC to allow Indian clubs to play

The Sports Ministry has requested the world football governing body FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allow Indian clubs -- Sree Gokulam Kerala FC and ATK Mohun Bagan -- compete in the tournaments as scheduled despite the ban on AIFF. With FIFA suspending the All India Football Federation (AIFF) late on Monday, there was chaos as Gokulam Kerala women's team had already reached Uzbekistan to participate in their second AFC Women's Club Championship. The women's team is scheduled to compete against a team from Iran on August 23 and one from the host nation on August 26 in Qarshi, while ATK Mohun Bagan is slated to play the AFC Cup 2022 (Inter-Zone semifinals) on September 7 in Bahrain. The ministry wrote an email to FIFA and AFC, apprising them of the fact that Gokulam Kerala was already in Uzbekistan when FIFA's suspension of AIFF was announced. "It has requested FIFA and AFC to therefore consider allowing the team to play in the AFC Women's Club Championship (West

Durand Cup: Neroca FC beat TRAU FC 3-1 in thrilling Manipuri derby

Neroca FC came away with the Imphal Derby bragging rights, posting a 3-1 victory over Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC here at the Khuman Lampak stadium to start the Durand Cup

Manisha Kalyan becomes first Indian to play UEFA Women's Champions League

Young striker Manisha Kalyan has become the first Indian footballer to play at the UEFA Women's Champions League when she made her debut for Apollon Ladies FC in the European Club competition in Engomi, Cyprus. Kalyan replaced Cyprus' Marilena Georgiou in the 60th minute at the Makareio Stadium, as Apollon Ladies FC beat Latvian top flight club SFK Riga 3-0 in their UWCL opener on Thursday. The 20-year-old had emerged as the fourth Indian women's international footballer to sign for an overseas club when she landed a multi-year contract with Cypriot top division winners Apollon Ladies. Kalyan had produced impressive performances for the national team and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League (IWL). She was recently awarded the AIFF Women's Footballer of the Year for the 2021-22 season. Kalyan had shot to fame last year when she scored against former World Cup runners-up Brazil in their own den during an international friendly. Kalyan is the second player from Gokulam Kerala

FIFA bans AIFF: Everything you need to know about Indian football crisis

Initially, FIFA was not troubled by CoA's appointment, which was the first time a third party was involved in the running of football in India. Then why did it ban AIFF on third-party involvement?

'Unfortunate, very harsh', say Indian footballers after FIFA suspends AIFF

The world governing body of football, FIFA has suspended the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with "immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties", jeopardising the country's staging

News updates: Vajpayee made pioneering efforts to transform India, says PM

Live news updates: A prime minister for six years between 1998-2004, Vajpayee, a Bharat Ratna awardee, died in 2018 at 93 years of age

Centre mentions FIFA suspension of AIFF before SC, hearing tomorrow

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Wednesday the issue related to FIFA suspending the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect.

WU23 3-Nations Tournament: India go down 1-4 against USA in Sweden

The Indian women's team went down 1-4 against the USA U23 in their last encounter of the WU23 3-Nations tournament played at the Larods IP, Helsingborg in Sweden on Saturday

Indian Super League: Chennaiyin FC sign winger Romario Jesuraj

Two-time Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin FC on Thursday announced the signing of winger Alexander Romario Jesuraj on a multi-year deal ahead of the upcoming season.

Hosts Kerala defeat Bengal on penalties to win their 7th Santosh Trophy

In an eventful summit clash, hosts Kerala came back from behind and eventually got the better of West Bengal 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out to emerge champions of the 75th Santosh Trophy

VPS Healthcare offers Rs 1 Cr to Kerala if they bag Santosh Trophy

On a day when the Kerala Santosh Trophy team is all set to face West Bengal in the finals, a UAE-based entrepreneur on Monday announced a cash prize of Rs one crore for the team if they bag the cup

I-League: Table-toppers Mohammedan SC tick all boxes vs Sreenidi Deccan

Mohammedan Sporting Club made it three wins out of three with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Sreenidi Deccan FC. The star of the show was Marcus Joseph, who netted a brace