Indian Football Weekly - 25th August
Here is a list of pretty much whatever is happening in Indian Football. For more regular updates, bookmark this page.
AIFF- AFC 'Task Force'
It is definitely a very serious name for a group of individuals who are going to sit around a table and talk. Then again, it's very important discussion. There has been huge controversy around the India's ISL- I-League merger and with clubs pulling out of the last season (as proposed) of ISL, left right and centre.
AIFF has proposed one club per city, and that seems to be very unfair to the cities of Kolkata and Goa. Even, Mumbai to a certain extent. Then there is the whole no relegation structure, which besides confusing is very stupid. Here's hoping AFC knock some sense into the AIFF.
You can read all about the proposed 'task force' here.
Goa Pro League
After a very difficult few months for Goa football in general, the Goa Pro League has kicked off this week. It promises to be a very interesting one, with all of Sporting Club de Goa, Churchill Brothers, Dempo and Salgaocar boasting very balanced squads. Goa domestic leagues have always been very feisty affairs, and a boy does Goan football need a push at the moment.
Here is the list of fixtures and timings for the League.
Indian National Team
India took on Bhutan in a pre-season unofficial friendly in the picturesque backdrop of the Changlimithang Stadium in Chang Lam, Thimphu. The Indians took the lead as early as the second minute, and never looked back. They went 3-0 up by the 20th minute and played some irresistible football during the first-half.
East Bengal and Bengaluru FC refused to send their players for the pre-season friendlies on account of the Calcutta Football League and AFC Cup, and that allowed Constantine to experiment and give debuts to a couple of youngsters. He played in a 4-4-2 formation opposed to his preferred 4-3-3, and the Indians played with width and invention.
The performances of Holicharan as the left-winger and Sumit Passi as the target man was especially encouraging. A good pre-season game all in all, but all the positives from the game will inadvertently be seen through tinted glass with the opposition being Bhutan who are ranked 192 in the world, a whole 40 places below India.
That brings me to the question, is it better for the National Team to play against weaker opposition to winding n and gain confidence, or should they rub shoulders with the best in the world to evaluate where the stand in the grand scheme of things. Guess we will find out when Puerto Rico comes to town.
India play Puerto Rico at Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai on the 3rd of September, 2016. Interestingly, Star Sports has got the bragging rights to telecast the game.
Calcutta Football League
The Calcutta Football League has been getting more and more interesting, as each day passes. East Bengal, of course, are doing all they can to keep the League trophy after winning it each of the last six seasons.
East Bengal, who have withheld the likes of Arnab Mondal from joining the Indian pre-season camp have had an impeccable season so far, winning each of their five games in the league, generally looking like they would blow teams out of the water with their attacking play, and capping it off by grinding out a 1-0 win in the last game of Tollygunge.
Mohun Bagan who began the season with reservations about the Calcutta Football League after poor performances in the friendly games has since picked up the pace until the disappointing goal-less draw with Peerless on Monday. The Mariners won each of their first four games, now lie second in the league standings at 13 points, 2 behind arch-rivals East Bengal.
Shankarlal Chakraborti, who is managing the green and maroon brigade during the league will also be aided by the signings of Haroon Amiri and Daniel Bidemi who are yet to feature in the league. Mohun Bagan recently reiterated that they are using the CFL as a way to give valuable game time to their youngsters.
The only problem with that statement is, we all know, as the battle lines are drawn for the Kolkata Derby, rational thought processes go out of the window, bragging rights is all that matters. Amiri and Bidemi's arrival is a shout-out to exactly that sentiment.
Everyone seems to have forgotten Mohammedan Sporting, the eleven-time champions have themselves not been in bad form, winning four and losing just one of the games against Tollygunge. It seems a far-fetched idea to push Sporting for the title with the limited resources they possess, but if results go their way, especially with the dark cloud hanging over the decision of playing the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby, things can get very interesting (read Leicester City).
ISL
With the ISL third season edging closer and closer, the last minute signings have been coming in thick and fast.
* Lucio has re-joined Goa as their marquee player, and Zico will be hoping he has a similar impact as he did last season.
* Deigo Forlan is a huge name in International Football, having played for teams like Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Villareal has signed for Mumbai FC. The two-time Pichichi winner will definitely look to make a mark on the ISL. He isn't the player he once was, he is much more of a number 10, and he had a decent last season with his boyhood club Peñarol, winning the championship in the process.
* Guðjohnsen is a very interesting one, he played for Iceland at the Euros but didn't start for any of the games. The bonus here is the fact that he will be fit and ready for the ISL, but will he able to make the kind of impact he did at clubs like Bolton, Chelsea, and Barcelona at Pune? Only time will tell.
* Riise has signed for Chennaiyin after playing for the Delhi Dynamos for a season. This is definitely a huge coup for Chennaiyin, as he played predominantly as a central defender of Delhi and was pretty solid throughout the season. Chennaiyin despite winning the league last time around were pretty poor at the back, and you can't always trust Mendy to win you the league.
In other news...
- # Subrata Paul became the 24th footballer to win the Arjuna award
- # Eleven-year-old Chandan Boro from Odisha earns the opportunity to train with Bayern Munich for two months.