HERO INTERNATIONAL CUP 2018 (FIXTURE)

PIC : AIFF PRESS RELEASE

India will take on Chinese Taipei tomorrow at 8.00 PM in Hero Intercontinental Cup .

31.05.2018 : AIFF PRESS RELEASE : National Coach Stephen Constantine said he has “broken things down and have set the plans to win each of these three games” in the Hero Intercontinental Cup. Constantine was speaking at the official pre-tournament press conference in Mumbai.

India take on Chinese Taipei in the opening match of the Hero Intercontinental Cup at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday (June 1, 2018), the kick-off of which is slated for 8 pm. Tickets are available at the box office counters at the venue and also online onwww.bookmyshow.com .The match will also be telecast live on Star Sports HD2, Star Sports, Hotstar and Jio TV.

“We will use this tournament as a preparation for the AFC Asian Cup. I am aware of the quality of the players whom Kenya and New Zealand have brought in and they are playing all across Europe.” “The quality of those leagues matter. We are using this game to develop and improve,” the Coach added. “Kenya and New Zealand will be giving us different problems and we need them in our developmental process. Physically we are prepared and we need to now prepare tactically.”

Team Captain Sunil Chhetri, also present on the occasion mentioned ABOUT the “desire to win among the players is 100 percent.” “It’s an absolute honour for me to have played for my country. I have been involved with many coaches, players, physios and staff. I love playing for India and will give my best what I can. I am fully fit.”“It was a mixed bag when he first arrived for the Camp. There were players some of whom hadn’t played for almost a month while there were some who joined the Camp straight from an AFC Cup match. But we are ready.”

Chhetri who stays two matches short of becoming the second-ever Indian player to play 100 International matches after Bhaichung Bhutia opined there is a lot of “awareness” among the players since he first started off.“The present generation is much more aware. The boys have more knowledge of what to do and what not to. They are willing to take care of themselves and their nutrition,” he stated.

Constantine made a mention of the two new support staff – Joel Carter and Claus Peeterson.“Carter works with individual players who are not quite ready. He is a rehab specialist and the players really enjoy and need the session,” Constantine informed.

“Claus is doing match analysis and is a coach in his own right. We have broken down our opponents. We have had separate sessions with individual players and are looking at the video clips both from matches and training sessions to get better. I need to thank AIFF for allowing me to do this.”Referring to the “programme coming up” Constantine felt there is a “lot of Football to be played between now and the Asian Cup.”

“We have quite a programme coming up. We have the Asian Games, the SAFF Championships, the October and November windows. It’s quite a busy schedule. There is a lot of Football to be played between now and the Asian Cup. “I have 11 U-23 players in the squad but we also need the senior players lead, guide and mentor these players,” he pronounced.

“It’s all about performance, work. It doesn’t matter whom we play. Whoever is in front of us is the team we need to beat. There is much more awareness about the game from the general public. But I think in the last 4 years we have taken it to a new level. We need to continue the momentum and qualify for tournaments like the Asian Cup on a regular basis.”

The 23-member squad for Hero Intercontinental Cup is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.

DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Anas Edathodika, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Lalruatthara, Narayan Das, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Subhasish Bose.

MIDFIELDERS: Udanta Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan, Rowllin Borges, Anirudh Thapa, Pronay Halder, Md. Rafique, Halicharan Narzary, Laldanmawia Ralte.

FORWARDS: Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh, Alen Deory.

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India will take on Chinese Taipei on the opening day in Hero Intercontinental Cup .

10.05.2018 : AIFF PRESS RELEASE : India will take on Chinese Taipei on the opening day of the much-awaited Hero Intercontinental Cup which kicks-off at the Mumbai Football Arena on June 1, 2018. The other two teams in the competition – Kenya and New Zealand will play their first match against each other the next day.

The tournament which will be telecast live on Star Sports is being organised to strengthen India’s preparation for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 - India’s second qualification to the Continental Championship in 8 years and fourth overall.Indian National Team Coach Stephen Constantine labelled the Hero Intercontinental Cup as a “very important tournament for development.”

“The Intercontinental Cup is a very important tournament for our progression and development. It is good that New Zealand are coming as they have a strong team,” Constantine stated.“Chinese Taipei have improved in the last four-five months and the Kenyans will be strong and physical. In fact, any team from Africa will be a challenge for us,” he added. “You always learn from playing against better teams.”

The National Team is currently camping in Mumbai as part of their preparation for the tournament.Several players from Kenya and New Zealand have been playing their professional football across the globe and fans in Mumbai will be in for a major treat. The four-team tournament has representation from the CAF region in the form of Kenya, New Zealand from the Oceania, and Chinese Taipei from the AFC.

All the four teams will be playing against each other once before the top two teams will be competing in the Grand finale slated to be held at the new hub of Indian Football on June 10. The Indian National Team which has been on an upsurge over the last couple of years are currently ranked 97 (as per May 2018 FIFA Rankings) and were on an unbeaten run for 12 official matches for a span which extended from June 2016 to November 2017.

The fixtures stay as follows:

June 1, 2018: India vs Chinese Taipei.
June 2, 2018: Kenya vs New Zealand.
June 4, 2018: India vs Kenya.
June 5, 2018: Chinese Taipei vs New Zealand.
June 7, 2018: India vs New Zealand.
June 8, 2018: Chinese Taipei vs Kenya.
June 10, 2018: FINAL.

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Stephen Constantine called up 30 players preparatory camp for upcoming Hero Intercontinental Cup .

10.05.2018 : AIFF PRESS RELEASE : National Coach Stephen Constantine called up 30 players for the National Team’s preparatory camp for the Hero Intercontinental Cup which is slated to be held in Mumbai from June 1, 2018.

The summoned players are to assemble for the Camp in Mumbai on May 16 while players from JSW Bengaluru FC will be reporting to the camp on May 18 after finishing their club commitments for the AFC Cup. India will compete with Kenya, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei in the Hero Intercontinental Cup which is part of their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

Constantine termed the Hero Intercontinental Cup as "an opportunity to play against good opponents.""We need to play more International games before the AFC Asian Cup and here we are getting some International games against good opponents. New Zealand will be going to be a difficult team to deal with,” he said.

“Chinese Taipei will give us different problems. They play the same kind of football akin to Thailand who are clubbed with us in the Asian Cup,” he added. “Kenya are renowned for their physical prowess and strength. The tournament is going to be very crucial for us.”The Coach also mentioned that there is a “long way to go before the Asian Cup kicks off.”

“I always look for more options as the set of players who are with me now might not be available then. An injury or a bad patch might come in between. Players should come to the camp with an open mind and give their best. We might have some difficult decisions to make in future,” he further stated.

"I always look forward to the National Camp as I love working with the players. All of them have worked very hard to qualify for the camp. We can say the India National team has reached a certain level in many years and now the onus is on us to maintain this. We have to work hard relentlessly to continue the process."

The squad of 30 players for the preparatory Camp in Mumbai is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith, Amrinder Singh, Sanjiban Ghosh.

DEFENDERS: Lalruatthara, Davinder Singh, Pritam Kotal, Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan, Salam Ranjan Singh, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Narayan Das, Subhasish Bose.

MIDFIELDERS: Udanta Singh, Laldanmawia Ralte, Seiminlen Doungel, Dhanapal Ganesh, Souvik Chakraborti, Md. Rafique, Rowllin Borges, Pronay Halder, Anirudh Thapa, Bikash Jairu, Halicharan Narzary.

FORWARDS: Sunil Chhetri, Balwant Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Manvir Singh, Alen Deory, Ashique Kuruniyan.

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Kenya replace South Africa in upcoming Hero Intercontinental Cup .

07.05.2018 : AIFF PRESS RELEASE : Kenya has been roped in as a replacement for South Africa in the forthcoming Hero Intercontinental Cup after the South African Football Federation in a letter to All India Football Federation expressed their inability to participate in the four-nation tournament.

Besides Kenya from the CAF region, the Hero Intercontinental Cup which will kick-off at the Mumbai Football Arena on June 1 will also have representation in the form of New Zealand from the Oceania region, and Chinese Taipei from the AFC region.

The Kenyan squad boasts of a number of players who play across various professional premier leagues in Europe and other parts of the world.

The tournament which will be telecast live on Star Sports is being organised to strengthen India’s preparation for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, our second qualification to the Continental Championship in 8 years and fourth overall, the last being in Doha 2011.

The Indian National Team which has been on an upsurge over the last couple of years are currently ranked 97 (as per April 2018 FIFA Rankings) and were on an unbeaten run for 12 official matches for a span which extended from June 2016 to November 2017.

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The Mumbai Football Arena,to host four-nation Hero Intercontinental Cup in June 1-10.

30.04.2018 : AIFF PRESS RELEASE : The Mumbai Football Arena, the new hub of Indian Football will play host to the inaugural edition of the four-nation Hero Intercontinental Cup from June 1-10, 2018 which will see the Indian National Team competing with the likes of South Africa, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei.

The Hero Intercontinental Cup which will be telecast live on Star Sports has been planned to be an annual event and will thus have representation from the CAF region in the form of South Africa, New Zealand from the Oceania, and Chinese Taipei from the AFC.

While South Africa has participated in previous three editions of FIFA World Cups, New Zealand have competed in the World Cup twice -- both teams last playing in a World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The respective FAs of all the participating teams will be sending their first Teams for the competition as per the agreements signed with All India Football Federation. Every team will be playing each other once with the top two advancing to a Grand finale.

The tournament is being organised to strengthen India’s preparation for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, their second qualification to the Continental Championship in 8 years and fourth overall, the last being in Doha 2011.Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation mentioned the tourney will help the Blue Tigers prepare better for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

“The concept of the Hero Intercontinental Cup is to test our team against strong oppositions from other Continents. As we approach the Asian Cup it’s pertinent that we play against tougher teams. I need to thank our marketing partners FSDL for playing an active part in planning this out,” he said.

“As all the first teams would be competing it will be a Football fest for the fans in Mumbai. The commercial Capital is a sporting city and the support from the Indian Football fans has been outstanding in recent times. I look forward to a successful organisation of the tournament,” he added.

The Indian National Team which has been on upsurge over the last couple of years are currently ranked 97 (as per April 2018 FIFA Rankings) and were on an unbeaten run for 12 official matches for a span which extended from June 2016 to November 2017.

The Hero Intercontinental Cup comes on back of the Hero Tri-nation series in September 2017 which was also held at the same venue with India eventually emerging champions.

FIXTURE
1.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : India VS Chinese Taipei

2.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : Kenya VS New Zealand

4.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : India VS Kenya

5.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : Chinese Taipei VS New Zealand

7.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : India VS New Zealand

8.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : Chinese Taipei VS Kenya

FINAL
10.06.2018 : 20:00 IST : TBD VS TBD