AFC Disciplinary Committee has today extended the suspension of nine Vietnamese players from XM Vissai Ninh Binh FC

		Kuala Lumpur: The Chairman of the AFC Disciplinary Committee has today extended the suspension of nine Vietnamese players from XM Vissai Ninh Binh FC to take effect at confederation level in accordance with sanctions issued by the Vietnamese Football Federation (VFF) Disciplinary Committee. This action was undertaken following a request from the VFF pursuant to Article 136 of the AFC Disciplinary Code. On 20 May 2014, the VFF Disciplinary Committee temporarily suspended nine players from taking part in any kind of football-related activity while the Ninh Binh Office of Investigation (Police) commenced criminal proceedings for violations of the Vietnam Penal Code relating to gambling on football matches. The prosecution is ongoing. The suspended players, all Vietnamese nationals, are: Nguyen Manh Dung; Tran Manh Dung; Chu Ngoc Anh ; Le Quang Hung; Nguyen Xuan Phu; Phan Anh Tuan; Nguyen Van Hung; Le Van Duyet; and Nguyen Gia Tu. Each extension decision shall expire on 20 November 2014 or the issuing of a final decision by the VFF Disciplinary Committee, whichever is sooner. The decisions have been duly notified to the VFF today.

Czech Republic Tour: U-23 team loose to Senco Doubravka

Czech Republic Tour: U-23 team loose to Senco Doubravka Posted: 28 Jul 2014 01:41 PM PDT 27.07.2014 Pilsen, Czech Republic India U-23 0-1 Senco Doubravka SD: Kutak(85th) INDIA: Amrinder Singh; Pritam Kotal (Keenan – 75th), Joyner Lourenco (Shankar – 75th), Sandesh Jhingan (Salam Singh – 46th), Narayan Das; Milan Singh (Lalrindika Ralte – 46th), Rowlin Borges (Pronay Halder – 46th), Mandar Rao Desai (Clifton Dias – 87th), Francis Fernandes (Seiminlen Doungel 86th), Sunil Chhetri (Alwyn George – 65th), Robin Singh (Haokip – 46th

IFA Announces fixture for CFL Premeir divison for matches to be played on 31st July and 2nd August

Indian Super League(ISL) Central Domestic Draft Day 1 Roundup Posted: 22 Jul 2014 12:34 PM PDT Indian Super League Central Domestic Draft Day 1 completed Mumbai's plush Palladium Hotel was the center stage for Indian Super League(ISL)'s first day of Central Domestic Player Draft, which saw some crunch decision making between different teams. 26 players who have been a part of the National Team anywhere in the last 3 years were drafted by the six participating clubs. The order for drafting was pre-decided by a draw, which took place a day earlier. Team Mumbai picked up Subrata Paul in its first pick while Mehtab Hussain was snapped up by Kerala Blasters. Versatile defender Syed Rahim Nabi also will feature for Team Mumbai. See below for entire team list. Here is how the teams shaped up after Day 1: Team Pune Lenny Rodrigues  Dharmaraj Ravanan  Ashutosh Mehta  Joaquim Abranches  Pritam Kotal  Manish Maithani  Israil Gurung Team Mumbai Subrata Paul  Lalrindika Ralte  Syed Rahim Nabi  Raju Gaikwad  Subash Singh  Ram Malik  Deepak Mondal Kerala Blasters FC Mehtab Hussain  Sandesh Jhingan  Ishfaq Ahmed  Gurwinder Singh  Nirmal Chettri  Sushant Matthew  Godwin Franco Team Bengaluru Harmanjot Khabra  Dhanachandra Singh  Jeje Lalpekhlua  Gouramangi Singh  Shilton Paul  Denson Devadas  Khelemba Meitei Atletico de Kolkata Cavin Lobo  Arnab Mondal  Denzil Franco  Rakesh Masih  Mohammed Rafique  Mohammed Rafi  Biswajit Saha Delhi Dynamos FC Francis Fernandes  Robert Lalthamuana  Naoba Singh  Shylo Malswamtluanga  Shouvik Ghosh  Shouvik Chakraborty  Munmun Lugun Team Goa Laxmikant Kattimani  Debabrata Roy  Gabriel Fernandes  Clifford Miranda  Jewel Raja Shaikh  Alwyn George  Narayan Das NorthEast United FC Kunzang Bhutia  Jibon Singh  Durga Boro  Aibor Khongjee  Zodingliana Ralte  TP Rehnesh  Boithang Haokip

Indian squad departs for Czech Republic exposure tour Posted: 21 Jul 2014 08:55 PM PDT A 25-member Indian squad left for Czech Republic for a 19-day exposure Tour for preparation for the forthcoming Incheon Asian Games. The Team would be back on August 8, 2014. However, four Players from the 29-member squad – Deepak Devrani, Shouvik Ghosh, Sanjay Balmuchu and Romeo Fernandes -- who were practicing under National Coach Wim Koevermans have been released from the Camp and didn’t travel to Czech Republic. 25 member squad leaves for Czech Republic The Indian squad will play three matches during the period against three different Clubs -- Senco Doubravka, FK Most and TJ Domazlice. The Team will be based in Pilsen. Besides, the Indian Team would be playing two matches in the Friendly Series against Pakistan U-23 National Team in Bangalore on August 17 and 20 respectively. Furthermore, the squad will also be travelling to China for another exposure Tour from August 25-September 8 where they would be playing two matches against Shanghai FC and JiangSu. Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and Francis Fernandes are the three Senior Players who are part of the squad. The rest of the squad comprise of U-23 Players. The 25-member squad presently which travelled to Czech Republic is as follows: GOALKEEPERS: Amrinder Singh, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh. DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Salam Singh, Narayan Das. MIDFIELDERS: Pronoy Halder, Rowlin Borges, Clifton Dias, Alwyn George, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Dhanpal Ganesh, Milan Singh.  FORWARDS: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Alesh Sawant, Mandar Rao Desai.

ISL Domestic Player Draft Day 1 Completed. Which team do you feel have done a good shopping till now?

PUNE CITY FC
Lenny Rodrigues, Dharamraj Ravanan, Ashhutosh Mehta, Joaquim Abranches, Pritam Kotal, Manish Maithani, Isreal Gurung

MUMBAI CITY FC
Subrata Paul, Lalrindika Ralte, Syed Rahim Nabi, Raju Gaikwad, Subash Singam, Ram Malik, Deepak Mandal

KERALA BLASTERS
Mehtab Hossain, Sandesh Jhingan, Ishfaq Ahmed, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Sushanth Mathew, Godwin Franco

BENGALURU TEAM
Harmanjot Singh. L Dhanachandra, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Gouramangi Singh, Shilton Paul, Denson Devadas, Khelemba Singh

ATHLETICO DE KOLKATA
Cavin Lobo, Arnab Mondal, Denzil Franco, Rakesh Masih, Mohammed Rafique, Mohammad Rafi, Biswajit Saha

DELHI DYNAMOS
Francis Fernandes, Robert Lalthamuana, Naoba Singh Thokchom, Malsawmtluanga Syuhlo, Souvik Ghosh, Souvik Chakraborty, Munmum T Lugun

FC GOA (Picked from Dempo SC)
Laxmikant Kattiman, Debabrata Roy, Gabriel Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Jewel Raja, Alwyn George, Narayan Das

NORTH EAST UNITED FC (Picked from Shillong Lajong)
Kunzang Bhutia, Jibon Singh, Durga Boro, Aiborlang Khonjee, Z Ralte, Rehnesh TP. Boithang Haokip

Indian Super League updates

Pune franchisee sign Italian players Cirillo and Belardi Posted: 16 Jul 2014 07:39 AM PDT Bruno Cirillo(Left) and Emanuele Belardi(right) signed by Pune based ISL side After the tie up with Serie A heavyweights Fiorentina, Pune based Indian Super League(ISL) side has signed two Italian players. Partly owned by Bollywood star Salman Khan, the Pune based club roped in Bruno Cirillo(37) and Emanuele Belardi(36). Emanuele Belardi, Goalkeeper, started his career as a youth product of Italian outfits Reggina. He enjoyed several loan spells during his time with Napoli being the most notable highlights. Belardi also featured for Juventus and Udinese, but only as a backup goalkeeper. Bruno Cirillo, 6ft, centre back, has played for clubs like Inter Milan(Italy), AEK Athens and PAOK(both Greece), Levante(Spain) and FC Mentz(France).

NorthEast United FC officially announce signing of Joan Capdevila Posted: 16 Jul 2014 03:59 AM PDT NorthEast United FC announce signing of Spanish International and World Cup Champion Capdevila NorthEast United Football Club has signed World Cup 2010 & European 2008 Championship Winner; Spanish Defender, Joan Capdevilaas their Marquee player for the inaugural season of Indian Super League(ISL). Capdevila who marshalled the left back position for the La Roja, was a prominent member of the sides that won both the World Cup in 2010 and European Championship in 2008. He has played over 400 games with 36 goals in the Spanish La Liga for big Guns like Espanyol, Athletico Madrid, Deportivo, and Villarreal. Capdevilla last season played for La Liga Club, Espanyol and expressed his delight on recently signing for NorthEast United FC, “At this stage, after winning everything to be won a new challenge was needed. After speaking to John Abraham about the way he is passionately looking to promote football in India and the project of NorthEast United FC, it excited me to take up this challenge. India is a huge country and it should be a privilege for me to be a small part in popularising this global game here and working with the young talented footballers of North East India.” NorthEast United FC co-owner John Abraham said “We at North East United FC are very excited that Joan Capdevilla is a marquee player for our team. We are confident that his achievements in the game and his presence in our team will motivate our younger Indian players and his inputs would help us build a strong team for our future. Speaking with him when he was in Brazil I got a sense of his passion for the game and especially his excitement for joining our team was motivational and unparalleled. We look forward to his arrival in India.” Lajong FC Managing Director and NorthEast United FC co-owner, Mr.Larsing M. Sawyan feels “This is the best thing that has happened to NorthEast United FC. A player of Joan Capdevilla’s calibre will definitely add impetus to our ambitions in the upcoming ISL. Football fans from the NorthEast are already familiar with him and we believe the excitement of the ISL in NorthEast has already reached a high level. We welcome Joan Capdevilla to NorthEast United FC and hope he can help us bring success both on and off the field.”

Joan Capdevila set to join ISL side North East FC Posted: 16 Jul 2014 01:26 AM PDT Joan Capdevila is set to join North East FC

AIFF organizes back-to-back exposure Tours for Incheon bound Team

Source Credit :AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Keeping in mind India’s participation in the forthcoming Incheon Asian  Games, All India Football Federation has arranged for two exposure Tours to Czech Republic and China respectively for the Indian Men’s U-23 Team. The squad of 30 is presently training in Bangalore under National Coach Wim Koevermans in the Camp which kicked-off on July 1.

A 25-member squad will be leaving for a Tour to Czech Republic on July 21 and returning back on August 8. The Indian squad will play three matches during the period against three different Clubs --Senco Doubravka, FK Most and TJ Domazlice. The Team will be based in Pilsen.

Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation felt the Tours will help the Team prepare better for the Games.

“All India Football Federation believes in providing the best of facilities to all Teams and hence, we have organised for back-to-back Exposure Tours for the India’s Asian Games squad for them to prepare in the best possible fashion,” he told www.the-aiff.com.

National Coach Wim Koevermans stated it was important the boys “adapt playing against different styles.”

“The boys need to play against different styles, learn about strong opposition and build on from there,” he maintained.

Besides the exposure Tour to Czech Republic, the squad will also be travelling to China for another exposure Tour from August 25-September 8 form where the squad will be leaving directly for Korea.

The Indian squad will be playing two matches in China, against Shanghai FC and JiangSu.

Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and Francis Fernandes are the three Senior Players who have been named in the squad. The rest of the squad comprise of U-23 Players.

The 30-member squad presently training in the Camp in Bangalore is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh.

DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Deepak Devrani, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Sanjay Balmuchu, Salam Singh, Narayan Das, Shouvik Ghosh.

MIDFIELDERS: Pronoy Halder, Rowlin Borges, Clifton Dias, Alwyn George, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Dhanpal Ganesh, Milan Singh.

FORWRADS: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Romeo Fernandez, Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Alesh Sawant, Mandar Rao Desai.

Germany win 2014 World Cup

The two sides could not be separated in normal time, but Mario Gotze scored in the second half of extra-time as Germany became the first European team to win the World Cup on South American soil.

Argentina had a half-chance inside four minutes when Gonzalo Higuain flashed an effort across goal, but there were no takers at the far post.

Higuain then had a stunning opportunity after 21 minutes following a poor backwards header from Toni Kroos, but somehow he fired his effort wide of the post from just inside the penalty box.

Germany were next to come close 10 minutes before the interval when Andre Schurrle, who had just entered as a substitute for the injured Christoph Kramer, was found by Thomas Muller, but Sergio Romerowas on hand to make the save.

Argentina had another golden chance after 40 minutes following a brilliant run from Messi, but Jerome Boateng was on hand to clear at the vital moment.

Kroos had a half-chance for Germany moments before the break, but his effort was straight into the arms of Romero. Germany again came close in first-half stoppage time, but Benedikt Howedes could only hit the post with a close-range header, before Muller was flagged offside from the rebound.

Lionel Messi had a golden chance for Argentina moments into the second period, but the Barcelona attacker placed his effort just wide of the bottom corner.

Schurrle fed Muller down the other end five minutes later, but the latter's low cross was cleared by Martin Demichelis during what was an end-to-end period of the match.

Miroslav Klose tested Romero with a header just before the hour mark, but his effort never had enough power to beat the goalkeeper.

Schurrle had another opportunity after 70 minutes following bright work from Muller, but the Chelsea winger's touch was poor and Romero was out to collect once more, with the score still goalless at the Maracana.

Messi fired one wide of the post for Argentina in their next attack, before Kroos placed an effort just wide of Romero's post after 82 minutes as Germany threatened to break the deadlock once more.

Gotze had the final chance in normal time, but the German's effort was straight at Romero as the match headed for extra-time.

Schurrle had a golden chance for Germany in the early stages of extra-time, but his effort was straight at Romero. Down the other end, Aguero flashed a low attempt across the edge of the German box.

Rodrigo Palacio was next to come close for Argentina after the substitute burst into the German box, but the striker could only lift his effort wide of the post after initially beating the onrushing Manuel Neuer to the ball.

Germany won it seven minutes from the end of extra-time, however, when Gotze showed wonderful skill inside the box before finishing into the bottom corner.

Argentina responded with a period of pressure, but could not open their tally as Germany secured the trophy.

Match Analysis: Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (Arg win 4-2 on penalties

© Getty Images

Argentina booked their spot in the final of the 2014 World Cup following a penalty shootout win over Netherlands in Sao Paulo.

The two teams could not be separated during 120 minutes of football, with penalties once more left to decide the outcome.

Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder both missed for the Dutch, but Argentina scored all four of their efforts to book a spot in Sunday's final against Germany.

Match statistics

Netherlands
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 53%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 15

Argentina
Shots: 8
On target: 5
Possession: 47%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 10

Was the result fair?

In truth, neither side deserved to triumph in the 120 minutes of football, with clear chances few and far between. Fairness as such goes out the window in penalty shootouts, but it was Argentina that showed the greater nerve when it mattered. Both teams struggled to create opportunities in a fairly tight first half of football, but opportunities did arrive in the second period. It was a similar story in extra-time, with Netherlands enjoying the better of the first period, but Argentina creating chances in the second. Had penalties not occurred, the pair might have played all evening without scoring. Both defences should be admired, but neither team's attacking stars turned up in Sao Paulo.

Netherlands' performance

With Nigel de Jong declared fit, Memphis Depay dropped out of the Dutch XI this evening and it proved to be a smart decision, with a crowded Dutch midfield stopping a certain Lionel Messi from influencing proceedings. Once more, Netherlands were tight and compact in defensive areas, with Daley Blind (laterDaryl Janmaat) and Dirk Kuyt providing legs in the wide areas. Both Robin van Persie and Arjen Robbenstruggled to effect the match in forward areas, however, with the pair well-marshalled by the Argentine defence. Sneijder also struggled to produce his best form in a match where overall quality was fairly low for the calibre of players that were on the field. The Dutch certainly have their limitations, but they can be proud of their performance in this summer's competition, especially when considering that they topped a group that included Spain and Chile. Had they taken a few more risks this evening, it might have been a different outcome. However, ultimately, it was one penalty shootout too far, with Argentina advancing from the lottery of spot-kicks.

Argentina's performance

Again, it was not too inspiring from Argentina, but they have found a way to get the job done. That has been the case throughout the competition, but the South American side have shown a different side to their game in recent matches and have now kept three successive clean sheets. Enzo Perez was given a start in place of the injured Angel di Maria and it proved to be a smart decision from Alejandro Sabella, with the midfielder impressive in the middle of the park. Most of Argentina's star performers were from defensive areas, however, with Pablo Zabaleta and Javier Mascherano both terrific. The same cannot be said for the likes of Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, who like Robben and Van Persie, struggled to make their mark. The quality of the football should be better when considering the talent that Sabella has at his disposal, but Argentina now have the chance to win the World Cup on Brazilian soil. Another clean sheet on Sunday and they will fancy their chances.

Tactical Note's man of the match

Javier Mascherano: In truth, this is not a difficult decision. Mascherano was the best player on the pitch this evening by a considerable distance. It appeared that the 30-year-old would be forced to depart in the first period following a sickening clash with Georgino Wijnaldum, but he returned to the field following a period of treatment. The versatile midfielder saved his side in the latter stages with a stunning challenge on Robben, while he was also calm and composed in possession of the ball. It was just about the perfect midfield performance.

Biggest gaffe

Dutch boss Louis van Gaal would have had his reasons for sending centre-back Vlaar to take the first penalty this evening, but it was a strange decision. The likes of Robben, Kuyt or indeed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would have surely got their side off the mark with the first effort, but Vlaar fired his penalty straight at Argentine stopper Sergio Romero. From that moment, it was all downhill for Netherlands. Van Gaal has made some brilliant calls this summer, but he might live to regret that one.

Referee performance

Despite the intensity and tension surrounding the match, referee Cuneyt Cakir performed well this evening. The 37-year-old issued just the three yellow cards throughout the 120 minutes - none of which were particularly controversial. In truth, Cakir did not have too many major decisions to make, which made his task a lot easier. Neither manager will have had any complaints about the official's performance.

What next?

Netherlands: Netherlands face the hosts Brazil in the third-place playoff on Saturday.

Argentina: Argentina go on to face Germany in Sunday's final.