FOOTBALL HEADLINES

Saturday 21 May 2016

Consistent Mohun Bagan steamrolls Aizawl FC by 5-0 to win Federation Cup for 14th time





Guwahati: India striker Jeje Lelpekhlua scored twice as Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan thrashed Aizwal FC 5-0 in the summit clash to clinch the Federation Cup football tournament title for a record-extending 14 times here on Saturday.
Jeje struck in 73rd and 88th minutes while the other goal scorers for Mohun Bagan were Sony Norde (48th), Dhanachandra Singh (58th) and Bikramjit Singh (82nd) after the two sides were locked goal-less at the end of the first session at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium.
Mohun Bagan's 14th title, the most by any club in the country in the prestigious tournament, will give them the right to play in the AFC Cup after they missed out on the I-League title this season. They won the title after a gap of eight years, since their triumph in 2008.
For Aizawl, it was a case of so near yet so far as they failed to end their fairytale campaign with a title triumph.
Playing in their maiden Federation Cup after finishing eighth in the I-League (which they also qualified for the first time), the Aizawl side had beaten I-League champions Bengaluru FC and Sporting Clube de Goa en route to the final.
Aizawl might have come into the match with a lot of confidence after their 'giantkilling' performances but Indian football heavyweights Mohun Bagan were the far superior side, especially in the second half when they heaped misery on their hapless rivals and struck five times without reply.
The Northeastern side fought well in the first half and they had a few shots at Mohun Bagan goal though action remained in their half most of the time.
Mohun Bagan striker Glen Cornel missed a golden chance in the 34th minute as his strike off a Katsumi Yusa corner did not have enough power and Aizawl keeper Soram Poirei collected it easily.
Mohun Bagan returned a completely different side in the second half and pumped in five goals as Aizawl surrendered meekly to their far superior opponents.
The floodgates were opened three minutes after resumption with Norde slotting the ball home after a Bikramjit Singh and Jeje Lalpheklua build-up.
Dhanachandra Singh made it 2-0 as he nodded home, connecting a Katsumi corner at the far post. Jeje made himself enter the scoresheet with a curling shot after a fine back-heel by Cornell in the 73rd minute.
Nine minutes later, Norde dodged past a host of Aizawl defenders from the left and squared the ball for Bikramjit to place it into the empty net.
Two minutes from normal time, Jeje struck his second goal as he tapped the ball into Aizawl net from an Azharuddin Mullick pass to complete the route.
Mohun Bagan Fed Cup 2105

Tuesday 17 May 2016

The Indian Super League has been virtually recognised as the country's top league by the All India Football Federation as the I-League will be rechristened as League 1.

Chennaiyin FC 2012


New Delhi: Ending speculation around the merger of Indian Super League with I-League, the AIFF on Tuesday virtually recognised ISL as the country's premier league as per a new roadmap, which will have three more seven-month leagues in a hierarchical system from 2017 onwards.
In place of Nehru Cup, the AIFF also plans to start a multi-country tournament from 2017 in which teams ranked between 120 to 150 in the FIFA chart will be invited to participate.
As per its latest roadmap, the Super Cup, which was earlier played between the winner of I-League and Federation Cup, will be a two-month affair played by the best teams from ISL, League 1 and League 2 from March 2018. Teams vying to play in the continental AFC Cup will have to go through Super Cup.
Aiming to restructure Indian football, the AIFF and its marketing partners IMG-Reliance on Tuesday presented a new roadmap under which the ISL will be the country's top league followed by League 1, 2 and 3 that will start from November 2017.
A meeting attended by officials from AIFF, ISL, I-League, I-League 2, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and official broadcaster Star Sports was held today. Well-known Indian players such as former captain Bhaichung Bhutia and current star Sunil Chhetri were also present.
While the majority sounded positive about the new roadmap created to restructure Indian football, a few traditional clubs raised concerns.
According to All India Football Federation president Praful Patel, this is aimed at reducing the "friction" between the ISL and the existing I-League, which will be rechristened League 1.
Speculation was rife that the ISL would merge with I-League and become a single entity but when asked about the sudden change in their stance, Patel said they were only trying to have different tiers, and not separate leagues, to have a wider pool of talent.
The AIFF's objective is to create a "sustainable ecosystem" for clubs.
Promotion and relegation will not be applicable to the ISL but Patel said there could be 10 to 12 teams participating in the event from next year onwards.
The AIFF said it is striving to see the national team improve its FIFA rankings to 120 by December 2017. It also wants to help the women's team qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
Under the AIFF Lakshya programme for club football, the federation said it aims to improve the marketability of clubs, attract investment, incentives competition and bring professionalism in Indian clubs.
While 28 teams from 15 states are playing currently in Indian leagues, the AIFF hopes to see the involvement of all states by 2020.
Patel said ISL has been a "disruption in Indian football and it because of this disruption that we are now looking for solutions".
For the sustenance of the lower division clubs, the AIFF said it will guarantee minimum central revenues to them.
The revamp in grassroots development programmes will continue.