FCBEscola Camp Kicks Off In New Delhi

FCBEscola, in association with Conscient Football, began the first of the two camps at The British School, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. The second camp will take place at The Heritage School Gurgaon. With 180 participants, the camp has been divided in two batches of 90 each.

The first phase of the camp was held from December 30, 2011 to January 04, 2012 with January 01, 2012 being the day off. All participants received an official FCB Camp kit to wear during their 15 hours of FCBEscola training.

Ex-Barcelona player and now coach at FCBEscola Josep ‘Pep’ Moratalla is leading the training assisted by two Spanish coaches, six coaches from Conscient Football and six assistants. The participants are in following groups - Under 8, Under 10, Under 12, Under 14 and Under 17.

The camp is open to both boys and girls of all football playing abilities. During the intense sessions, participants will be trained in the same manner the FC Barcelona players undergo.

Anupama Jain, Director – Conscient Football, said, “This has been a great start as we have received phenomenal interest from players in Delhi as well as from other cities around the country. The participants represent over 80 schools and we have a number of girls who have registered for the camp which reflects the growth of football in India.”

Grab this Headline Animator

Bayern Munich Stars excited about India's trip

India is fast becoming a destination for international football clubs and their leading stars are equally excited about playing in front of a billion and more people. 

Thomas Mueller, the winner of the ‘Golden Boot’ at the 2010 FIFA Wold Cup, is thrilled to be leading a bevy of stars from FC Bayern Munich to play against the Indian National Team at the Audi Football Summit, to be held in New Delhi on January 10, 2012.  This will be Muller’s second trip to India, and he’s “happy that more and more kids are playing the game in India”.

Talking about his forthcoming trip, the German star said, “I am happy to come back after the visit to Kolkata and Siliguri in January 2009.”  Mueller, also the ‘Best Young Player’ at the previous World Cup, sought to motivate young Indian footballers by saying, “Football is the best team sport in the world.”

Mario Gomez said that the entire team was looking forward to the tie against the Indian team. The striker said, “The trip to India will be a big experience for us, as most of us have not been to India."

German great Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who was honoured twice as ‘European Footballer of the Year’, said the club was happy was send their full first team for the exhibition tie.

“I have heard about the great experiences from our players and coaches when they traveled for Oliver Kahn’s farewell match. We are now delighted to bring the full first team to India. Many of us are excited about the country, the city of Delhi, the people and their enthusiasm for football,” said Rummenigge, who is currently the CEO of FC Bayern Munich AG.

Josef Jupp Heynckes, the coach of FC Bayern Munich, said, he would like to utilize the opportunity to the hilt at the Audi Football Summit.

“We are coming to India after a week long training camp in Qatar. We will want to show quality football and want to present ourselves in the best possible manner. Naturally, I would like to utilize the opportunity to learn more about Indian football. I really look forward to it,” said Heynckes, who belonged to the German national squad that won the World Cup and European Championship in the early 1970s.

Grab this Headline Animator

Buy India vs Bayern Munich 10th january 2012 Delhi match tickets

Tickets of India vs Bayern Munich Match [10th january 2012].

The tickets for the India vs FC Bayern Munich match on January 10, 2012 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi went live today on Bookmyshow.com! The tickets have been priced between Rs 100 to 3,000 to be affordable for as many fans as possible.

Buy Tickets Online

Grab this Headline Animator

India won SAFF championship as they beat Afghanistan 4-0

India comprehensively defeated ten-man Afghanistan 4-0 in the finals of the SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi with referee Sukhbir Singh being at the epicenter of events.

The defending champions came alive only in the final 20 minutes after Afghanistan’s Hameedullah Yousefzari was sent-off under questionable circumstances.

A penalty from Sunil Chhetri and goals from Clifford Miranda, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sushil Singh sealed the victory for the Indians.

The two coaches named an unchanged line-up from the one that started in the semi-finals.

It was Afghanistan who started on a brighter note as the very first minute needed a last ditch clearance from Gouramangi Moirangthem after Anthony Pereira gave away the ball and Balal Arezou was through.

The next minute it was Arezou again as he picked up a ball in the second minute from Ghulam Hoddein and his shot from the top of the box was stopped by Karanjit Singh.


The Men in Blue were finding it difficult to find their feet as they failed to stitch together a couple of passes inside the opposition half.

Gouramangi couldn’t keep pace with Arezou who sent in a ball across the face of the goal which Sanjar Ahmadi just about missed by a yard or so.

Around the half way mark of the first half, Yousef Mahsriqi released Arezou in the space between Gouramangi and Mahesh Gawli and the Afghan number nine’s shot was blocked by Karanjit once again.

India’s first real foray forward was when Climax Lawrence’s chip found Clifford Miranda get behind the Afghan defence but the Dempo winger couldn’t control the ball well.

Savio Medeira’s side were second best for most of the first half and couldn’t deal with the pace of their opposition who interestingly had played 120 minutes just a day before.

After the break, India looked the keep the ball with Climax being the chief instigator as he found Anthony Pereira on the right whose cross saw Jeje’s header go over the bar.

Afghan were finding it difficult to keep up the tempo of the first session and looked content to hit on the counter, which were restricted to a few.

It was around the hour mark that Jeje was allegedly brought down by Faisal Safa inside the box and referee Sukhbir Singh awarded a soft penalty to India. In the aftermath, goalkeeper Hameedullah Yousufzari was given marching orders for pushing the referee.

Chhetri scored from the ensuring spot-kick but had to retake it due to intrusion from Syed Rahim Nabi inside the box. The India number 11 sent the substitute Bashir Ahmad Darman, after winger Ghulam Hoddein had to be sacrificed, the wrong way to help side surge ahead.

With a man down Afghanistan were always susceptible to concede more goals with Faisal Safa receiving treatment on the sidelines, Chhetri played Miranda who took a shot from his unfavoured right foot into the far side of the goal.

Chhetri ran with the ball from the left and laid the ball across for Jeje who from his second touch slotted the ball home.

Substitute Sushil Singh scored a gem of a goal as he scored a goal with the final kick of the match.

That goal turned out to be the last piece of action in the game as the referee blew the final whistle to send the Indian fans, staff and players into delirium as they celebrated another SAFF Championship triumph.

Grab this Headline Animator

Match Preview:India vs Afganistan

PROBABLE LINEUPS

INDIA Karanjit; Nirmal, Gawli, Gourmangi, Nabi; Pereira, Lamare, Climax(c), Miranda; Jeje, Sunil

AFGHANISTAN Yousufzai; Faisal, Maqadar, Haroon, Djelaluddin; Israfeel, Mashriqi, Ata Yamir Ali, Waheed; Ahmadi, Arezou

Just over a week ago, when India kicked off their SAFF Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw with Afghanistan, an eerie silence and a sense of disappointment was prevalent in the Indian camp, as they felt it was two points dropped against a nation from whom not much was expected.Coming back to the present, India finds itself in its seventh final of the SAFF Championship. However the focus is entirely on the Afghanistani team, who have fast become the story of the tournament. A motley group of players, scattered across the world, some of them part-timers, have come together and astounded one and all with their performances in the competition by reaching the finals for the first time in their history.
Yousef Kargar’s side have not only shown great team ethic and workrate, they have also been surprisingly skillful on the ball and are not scared of a physical battle either. Coming into the game after a physically shattering but morale boosting triumph over Nepal, the Lions of Khorasan shall definitely give it their best shot when they come up against India.

India Exercise Caution After Bruising Group Tie....

The hosts meanwhile have also progressed well after that first match against Afghanistan. Having brushed aside Bhutan and Sri Lanka, India also dominated the match against Maldives to set up this final clash against Afghanistan.
While everyone expects India to run away with the trophy, Savio Medeira and his boys know that there is no place for complacency against the Afghans, especially after the first group match debacle.
Medeira knows that Afghanistan, having made the final for the first time and with the vociferous support of their war-ravaged nation with them, definitely will need no more motivation to give their best and with India playing infront of their home fans, the pressure to win shall entirely be on the Indians.
Both the teams go into the final with no injury worries and both the coaches shall have their full roster to choose from.

MEN TO WATCH OUT FOR

Balal Arezou: All of 22 years, the striker has the responsibility of adding that touch of class upfront for the Afghans. Based in Norway, Arezou has dovetailed well with his strike partner Sanjar Ahmadi and has in general been a nuisance to deal with for opposition defenders as he has bought a unique style of skills mixed with physicality.

Center Of Attack For Afghanistan Led By Their Skipper

Tied as the top scorer with Sunil Chhetri at six goals, Arezou’s eyes shall definitely be on scoring the winner which shall combine personal glory with a historic moment in Afghanistan’s football history.
Syed Rahim Nabi: India’s Mr. Versatile has been under-rated within India for far too long. While Jeje Lalpekhlua, Chhetri and Subrata Paul have hogged the limelight in recent years, Nabi has continued to be one of India’s most consistent and dependable players.

For The Sake Of Crying Out Loud, Here's Nabi

Capable of playing anywhere on either wing, Nabi has been holding the Indian defence together during these SAFF Championship, keeping all the opposition players at bay on his wing, while at the same time covering for his defensive colleagues. He has also penned the opposition players back with his barnstorming runs down the wing and got India rolling against Maldives with the crucial opener.
The Mohun Bagan player could finally announce his arrival as a National star for India in the match against Afghanistan.

DID YOU KNOW?

• India and Afghanistan, the two finalists, are the only two teams in the competition who did not employ a foreign coach.

• Sunil Chhetri and Balal Arezou are both tied on six goals at the top of the scoring sheet. If either of them manage to score in the final then they shall break I.M Vijayan’s record of six goals in the 1997 Championship.

• Afghanistan’s best performance in an international competition before this SAFF Championship was the fourth place finish in the 1951 Asian Games, ironically played at the same venue as the final.

• The two teams have faced each other 13 times with India winning an astonishing 10 times with the Afghans winning just once.

Grab this Headline Animator

SAFF Wrap:India beat Maldives 3-1

A day of rest and a chance to book their place in the final saw India raise their performance several notches higher to go past ten-men Maldives in the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

Sunil Chhetri’s spot-kick turned out to be the difference between the two sides after Shamweel Qasim had cancelled out Syed Rahim Nabi’s first half goal. The Delhi lad scored another at the death to become the competition’s leading goalscorer with six goals.

India shall play the winner of the Afghanistan versus Nepal semi-final on December 11 at the same venue.


Maldives coach Istvan Urbanyi made one change in the starting line-up from the previous match as he included Mohamed Sifan in place of Mohamed Arif. On the other hand, India preferred to go with the same starting eleven.

The very second minute saw Clifford Miranda’s shot from the left being parried by Imran Mohammed with Jeje Lalpekhlua’s shot went over the bar.

A couple of minutes later, it was Ali Ashfaq who did well to cut in from the right and his shot, under pressure from Rocus Lamare, went wide. He had another shy on goal which didn’t bother Indian goalkeeper Karanjit Singh.

Imran Mohammed had to dive to his left to keep the scoreline intact as Jeje’s header from Syed Nabi’s cross was on its way in.

Sunil Chhetri’s attempt from the top of the box after Jeje did well to find him in space brought no rewards as the ball went sailing over the bar.

India kept dominating the possession as they launched several attacks while the opposition weren’t seeing much of the ball to create anything noteworthy.

It was Syed Nabi who opened the scoring as he knocked in a Clifford Miranda’s free-kick to the far post to send the Indian bench into ecstasy.

Shamweel Qasim’s lofted ball was brilliantly controlled by Ashfaq and held off Gouramangi and ended up side netting just before the half-time.

Ahmed Thariq was almost through on goal with a last ditch tackle by Syed Rahim Nabi averting the danger for India.

After the break, Maldives came out all guns blazing as it was Akram Abdul Gani’s cross from the left which Thariq headed but Karanjit Singh punched it over for a corner.

Urbanyi’s side were pressing much better and it seemed that the half-time team talk worked.

The equaliser came around the hour mark when Akram Abdul Gani found Shamweel Qasim whose peach of a shot gave Karanjit no chance whatsoever.

India were given a lifeline when referee Timur Faizullin awarded a soft penalty when Mohamed Umair appeared to have pulled down Chhetri inside the box. Chhetri sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to restore the lead.

Akram Abdul Gani from inside the box sent a ball across the face of the goal which only needed a touch from the outstretched leg of Ahmed Thariq after Karanjit was beaten.

Maldives threw way too many bodies ahead and from a counter, Chhetri crossed for substitute Jewel Raja but the Mohun Bagan midfielder missed it completely.

India had another couple of decent opportunities to add to the scoreline which they failed to capitalise on. However Chhetri had other ideas as he collected Jeje’s pass between two defenders and slotted home for his second.

In the injury time, Ahmed Thariq was given his marching orders as he picked up his second booking of the match.

That was effectively the last real piece of action in the game as India played down the clock and booked their place in the Final.

Grab this Headline Animator

India thrashed Sri Lanka 3-0 and reach the semi-final

The defending champions shall face Maldives in the first semi-final of the SAFF Championship as they finished runners-up in Group A after defeating Sri Lanka 3-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

Two second half goals from Jeje Lalpekhlua and Sunil Chhetri , and an own goal by Bandara Warakagoda, helped India go past the Lankans who failed to threaten the Indian backline

India and Afghanistan finished on the same number of points and the head-to-head wouldn’t matter given they played out a 1-1 draw among them. Afghanistan enjoy a better goal difference of +9 when compared to India’s +8.

Savio Medeira made no changes to the line-up from the last match while Sri Lanka brought in Chathura Gunarathna back into the first eleven after having recovered from a bout of flu.


The first chance befell the Men in Blue when Sujan Perera, the Sri Lankan custodian, tried to play the ball out for a goal-kick but gives away a free-kick on the edge of the box. Clifford Miranda’s delivery left a lot to be desired.

Thereafter the game got into a lull mode wherein neither team showed any urgency to win and the pace of the game was too slow which deprived the audience any worthwhile action.

The ball was being aimlessly put forward by the defences of the two sides and the midfield lacked creativity which made the strikers look clueless.

It was in the 39th minute that Chhetri went down the left flank to send in a looping cross which Syed Rahim Nabi, after making a great run from the back, makes a bad connection and the opportunity went begging.

The best moment of the half came when Jeje’s shot on the turn touched the cross-bar on its way out.

India finally managed to get a breakthrough in the 53rd minute when Jeje side footed it in after Chhetri, who was found in space by Anthony Pereira, saw his shot being parried over. A defensive lapse by the Island nation cost them dear.

Jeje could have scored his second of the evening but decided to set-up his strike partner who shot it way over the bar around the hour mark.

Sri Lanka left too much space for the Indian strikers to work around and gave away some needless free-kicks which didn’t help their cause either.

Credit must go to Sujan Perera who kept his side in the game when he tipped over a firm shot from Chhetri from outside the box.

India’s second came through Chhetri who outjumped Danushka Vijesiri to head home from a Clifford Miranda cross.

Towards the end, substitute Sushil Singh put Chhetri through but the striker’s shot went wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Sushil, himself, had an opportunity to score when his header at the near post from a Steven Dias free-kick was collected by the rival goalkeeper.

The final nail in the coffin came in the end when Bandara Warakagoda scored an own goal from a Steven Dias cross in the injury time.

That bought to an end a positive second half performance by India, which saw them run away 3-0 winners on the night and book a place in the semi-finals versus Maldives.

Grab this Headline Animator

India to face Pak for SAFF Championship

A 22-member Pakistan football team landed in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to participate in the SAFF Championships which begins on Friday.


Pakistan are in Group B along with Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal while defending champions and hosts India are in Group A with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the semifinals in the December 2-11 regional tournament to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.


Pakistan captain Jaffar Khan said his team aims to win the hearts of Indian people during their tour, which will mark the revival of sporting ties between two neighbouring countries.

"We are the first team to visit India for a long time and I hope that with our good conduct and play we leave a good impression of Pakistan in India," Khan, who is also the goalkeeper of the side, said at Lahore International Airport before leaving for India.

"We are going to try to win the championship no matter how tough our matches are," he added.

Pakistan will open their campaign on Friday against Bangladesh, followed by matches against Maldives on December 4 and Nepal December 6.

India froze all sporting relations with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attacks carried out by militants from across the border.

But a recent thaw in the relationship has led to hopes of a resumption of full sporting ties between the two nations.

Pakistan football team is being coached by Serbian Zavisa Milosavljevich, who was hired last month. 

Grab this Headline Animator

Zambia beat India 5-0

India’s confidence ahead of the SAFF Championship would certainly have taken a beating following their 5-0 defeat at the hands of Zambia at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa on Tuesday.


Musakanya Bwalya was the star of the match with a hat-trick within 21 minutes which sealed the victory for his side.

Savio Medeira handed Steven Dias the captain’s armband and decided to field Baljit Sahni and Sushil Singh upfront. Zambia, on the other hands, made several changes to their line-up from the one that started against Goa XI which highlighted coach Rene Havre’s strategy.

India keeper Karanjit Singh was tested early as he punched away a teasing cross from Katongo Felix from the right and saw Kangwa Evan’s bicycle effort sail wide.

It took around 14 minutes for the first breakthrough as Jimmy Chisenga went past Syed Rahi Nabi and Gouramangi Moirangthem before slotting past a hapless Karanjit Singh from inside the box.

Three minutes later, India were unlucky to witness Sushil Singh’s goal-bound header off a Steven Dias corner kick cleared just in front of the line by Sitali Mushumba.

Zambia kept on running down the flanks and held most of the ball possession as they forced an array of flag kicks that always looked dangerous.

India struggled to keep the ball at their feet and hardly created a threat throughout the first half.

In the 42nd minute from a Steven Dias flag-kick, Mahesh Gawli pulled back the ball to Sushil Singh who wasn't able to find the mark from inside the box in what was a half chance.

A few minutes earlier, Karanjit Singh kept his side from conceding the second goal in the first session of play when the India goalkeeper’s left glove was enough to keep out Felix’s pile-driver.

Crossing over, Savio Medeira hoped for some creativity in the midfield with the introduction of Climax Lawrence and Francis Fernandes, while sending out Joaquim Abranches in front.

However, it was Zambia who stepped on the gas when Kangwa Evans intercepted a pass to find Sitali Joseph who latched on to the ball to double their lead in the 55th minute.

In response, Sushil tried to create and opening for Abranches, but Zambia custodian Banda Jacob was quick to come off his line to pick the ball ahead of the Indian striker.

Zambia kept earning corners, while disallowing their opponents on the counter, and bore fruits for the same in the 69th minute. Katongo Felix’s set-piece found substitute Musakanya Bruce Bwalya who rose to the occasion to make it 3-0.

Bwalya struck again, just three minutes later, as he followed up on his own effort that was stopped in its tracks by defender Gouramangi Moirangthem who wasn’t able to get back on his feet before the Zambian striker slotted the remains past Karanjit.

The icing on the cake for Zambia was provided by hat-trick hero Bwalya in the 90th minute when he nodded in Sitali’s cross from the right to extend their lead by five goals.

It could have been 6-0 had it not been for the post. Lungu Luka's shot came off the crossbar in the 87th minute. India keeper Karanjit looked a bit nervous in front of charging Luputa Alfred as he fumbled but eventually got a grip over the ball.

Besides some rare shots on target by India, Climax Lawrence’s effort was saved by Zambia keeper Banda Jacob in the 89th minute.

The win shall certainly boost Zambia’s confidence whereas India would wonder as to why did they play a higher ranked nation before entering a competition.

Grab this Headline Animator

India to face Zambia

The youthful Zambia team are on a high after thrashing the Goa XI 4-1 and look to take on the Indian National Team in a friendly.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

INDIA Karanjit; Jaspal, Gouramangi, Gawli, Nabi; Dias, Jewel, Rocus, Miranda; Sushil, Abranches

ZAMBIA    Kakonje;  Chisenga, Banda, Mulenga, Kabamba; Katongo, Sinkala, Kasonde, Sitali; Mulenga, Lungu

Before the SAFF Championship is underway in Delhi on December 2, India plays an international Friendly against Zambia, who are ranked at 79 in the world, a far cry from India's 162. This will, on one hand allow India a final practice match as well as allow them to test themselves against a much higher ranked side in the world.

Zambia had played a previous match against a Goa XI team, thrashing them comprehensively by 4-1. In that match, they clearly demonstrated that their higher ranking was rather deserved as they outplayed the Goa team, in the second half.

Savio will miss his first choice striking pair Chhetri and Jeje up front. With the additions of young central defenders Nirmal Chettri and Govin Moirangthem, who will certainly get a look in, the squads resemble the ones against the twin friendlies against Malaysia.

This will be Savio's third match in charge of the Indian National Team and with already one win and one draw in his bag, he will look to maintain his unbeaten streak. More importantly this will allow Savio to effectively rotate his squad and decide on the players he would like to represent India at the all important SAFF Championship.

Zambia coach, Herve Renard will look to field an unchanged team from the one that took apart the Goa XI. Moreover Zambia have come without much of their International players, allowing their young players to represent the Zambia national team and is confident that the 20 something players will give a good account of themselves and fill in the three slots in the team that are yet to be fulfilled.

This will thus be a perfect opportunity for Renard to test his squad in preparation for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

Available Squad For India

Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh, Subhasish Roychowdhury, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Defenders: Jaspal Parmar, Sameer Naik, Mahesh Gawli, Debabrata Roy, Nirmal Chettri, Syed Rahim Nabi, Gouramangi Moirangthem, Govin Moirangthem.

Midfielders: Baldeep Singh, Rocus Lamare, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Francis Fernandes, Climax Lawrence, Anthony Pereira, Clifford Miranda, Jewel Raja, Steven Dias, Lalrindika Ralte.

Forwards: Baljit Sahni, Sushil Singh, Joaquim Abranches.

Available Squad for Zambia
Goalkeepers: Jacob Banda, Kalililo Kakonje, Joshua Titima,

Defenders: Jimmy Chisenga, Daudi Musekwa, Nyambe Mulenga, Hichani Himonde, Dennis Banda, Oswald Kalamba, Lawrence Chungu, Stephen Kabamba,

Midfielders: Bruce Musakanya, Jonas Sakuwaha, Thomas Nyirenda, Nathan Sinkala, Joseph Sitali, Emmanuel Chimpinde, Kennedy Mudenda, Felix Katongo, Rodrick Kabwe,

Strikers: Evans Kangwa, Ronald Kampamba, Luka Lungu, Alfred Luputa.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Savio Medeira is still unbeaten as Head Coach of India although India has played only two matches under him!

• Zambia are ranked a startling 83 places over India.

• India will be without star strikers Chhetri and Jeje, who are in Scotland to appear for a trial with Rangers.

• This is the first time India will be facing Zambia

• This is the second stint in charge of Zambia for the Frenchman Renard after he was in charge of them from 2008-2010.

• Zambia's highest FIFA ranking was an impressive 15 in 1996. At the same point of time India's ranking was 94.

Grab this Headline Animator