INDIAN FOOTBALL NEWS 2020 (MAY)

This is not the right time to say when CFL will start. But we expect to start it from October end - IFA SECRETRY
30.5.2020: Kolkata Maidan is fairly popular for its football. But due to this lockdown period there are several people who are severely affected directly as the season of Calcutta Football League is yet to start. In this lockdown period, we managed to get in touch with the CFL’s governing body Indian Football Association (IFA) Secretary Mr. Joydeep Mukherjee regarding when the season will start and what is his views regarding the matches of the last season.

In an exclusive interview with IFA Secretary Mr. Joydeep Mukherjee, he said regarding the season’s start that - “No such clearance received still now from the Govt. due to this situation. We are in a discussion with the Sports Ministry. This is not the right time to say when CFL will start. But we expect to start it from October end starting from the 5th division to Premier A “ During the conversation he said about IFA’s objective- “IFA will conduct tournaments to scout more young talented footballers. IFA is not a profit making organisation, but to conduct tournaments. Due to this situation, players, officials’ health is a big concern.

On the other side without the tournament it will affect more than 10000 people starting from players, officials, coaching camps, referees, staffs, media persons, others like various vendors directly involved in it. “ Discussing about healthy measures to all related to the beautiful games, he said “We have also formed a Health Advisory panel to take all safety and precautionary measures. We will discuss these guidelines to the club to follow that. Even we can discuss in the Governing body meeting regarding how to maintain social distancing in dug out and players reserve bench.”

Regarding remaining matches of last season like Women’s Football League, he said “Nursery League, Kanyashree Cup will hopefully be completed when lockdown is over after discussing with the clubs.” IFA also cleared dues of the clubs for 3 years of their 5 years before this lock down period. IFA also have a plan to help all players, clubs, and district associations. He also requested to all the clubs to be with their players, only when the games will start that will help all the players.




LA LIGA TO START FROM 8TH JUNE
23.5.2020: Football to start at Spain as prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has given the permission for football from 8th of June, allowing La Liga to go ahead with plans to restart the first division with the Seville derby on 12 June. A formal announcement on the date of the return to competition will be made by the league’s president, Javier Tebas, in the next couple of days.

In his statement Pedro Sánchez said, "worst has passed" and that Spain was now at "the end of the tunnel.The time has come to recover some of the activities that were suspended," Sanchez added, "I want to inform you that, in agreement with the CSD [the sports council] and the ministry of health, the government has given the Spanish professional league the green light to return to playing."

Bercelona are currently the league leaders with 27 points from 18 matches as Real Mardid following them with 27 points from 16 matches. Though these two teams are at identical points but Barcelona had a better goal advantage(32) than Real Mardid (30)till now.




Dempo Sports Club unvailed Home and Away jerseys for the upcoming 2020-21 Football Season.
18.5.20: Dempo Sports Club is delighted to announce that the Golden Eagles will proudly bear the words “Thank You Goa’s Covid Warriors” on their Home and Away jerseys for the upcoming 2020-21 Football Season.
The Dempo group of companies having already joined the fight against Covid 19, contributing Rs. 1 Crore &Rs. 20 Lakhs to the PM Cares Fund and the CM Covid Fund respectively, thought to, in its small personal way, to also involve Dempo Sports Club, in its bid to acknowledge and thankthe service, commitment and courage demonstrated by the men and women that continue to fight this new disease with great vigour, sacrifice and success. In a show of solidarity and respect towards these brave men and women, the Club will have the words “Thank You Goa’s Covid Warriors” in the space usually occupied by the main sponsor. The “Dempo” name will move to the back of the jersey.

This is a humble attempt to show our appreciation for the efforts these men and women, who battle at the frontlines of this pandemic, which allows us citizens to go about our lives from the comforts of our homes.




FIFA FOUNDATION TO ORGANISE FOOTBALL MATCH TO COMBAT AGAINST COVID-19
18.5.20: The FIFA Foundation will organise its first-ever official football match to raise funds for Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT), a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable global access to new coronavirus essential health technologies, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

The president of FIFA Gianni Infantino said, “It is our responsibility to demonstrate solidarity and continue to do everything we can to participate and support the efforts in the combat against the pandemic. We have been active in raising awareness via several other campaigns, and FIFA has also contributed financially to this cause, but now we commit ourselves to organise this global fundraising event when the health situation permits, even if this is only in some months’ time.”

The FIFA Foundation intends to take the opportunity of hosting the match to widen the reach of football beyond the traditional sporting network and into wider society to help support efforts at tackling the coronavirus.

The CEO of FIFA Foundation, Youri Djorkaeff in a press statement said, “Various scenarios and plans are currently under consideration, all of which are in line with health and other relevant guidelines from respective governments and international organisations. He added, "Details of this unique event, including the location, date, participants and format will be announced by the FIFA Foundation in due course.




VIJAYAN INTERACTS IN THE GOKULAM KERALA'S AFC GRASSROOT FESTIVAL
17.5.2020 : The online AFC Grassroot Festival organised by Gokulam Kerala FC got an outstanding response as about 100 kids took part in the webinar on Sunday. The kids got an opportunity to interact with chief guest IM Vijayan as he patiently answered all the queries during the two-hour-long festival.

“It is great to see Gokulam Kerala FC conducting such workshops during lockdown. Football will comeback strongly after this pandemic,” said the legendary footballer in the grassroot festival. He also replied to an array of questions including as his memorable match and his life as a professional footballer. “Though I have several memorable matches, I still relive the Scissors Cup held in Kozhikode. The Scissor’s Cut goal I scored in the match against Peerless FC is something special for me,” he reminisced during the interaction.

He also gave several suggestions for the kids on the questions about how to become a professional footballer. The AFC Grassroot Festival was also attended by GKFC coaches, who spoke on different aspects of the sport. While Matt Ward from UK asked the kids to dream and work towards their goal, Simone Quintieri showed football skills to the kids. The other foreign coaches, who took part in the grassroot festival along with GKFC academy coaches, were Leigh Robinson (UK), and James Mcaloon (UK).

GKFC fitness trainer Djair Miranda Garcia, CEO Ashok Kumar, and Technical Director Bino George also were present in the online festival.





MD SPORTING HELP THE GROUNDSMEN OF KOLKATA MAIDAN
16.5.20 Mohammedan Sporting Club comes forward to help the groundsmen of Kolkata maidan amid the ongoing health crisis. President Mohammed Amiruddin, General Manager Sk. Wasim Akram and Official Belal Ahmed Khan distributed food aid bags to groundsmen of various clubs in Kolkata Maidan. The aid bags contained food items as well as daily essentials.




AIFF FINALISE THE FOREIGNERS QUOTA FOR 2020-21 SEASON
13.5.2020 : AIFF's Executive Committee in a video conferencing headed by Praful Patel, President, finally decided the number of foreigners and Asian quota footballers to be played in the forth coming I League 2020-21. This is the first ever executive committee meeting via video conference where President Praful Patel said, “These are unusual times. But we need to make the best use of technology. We see what is happening all across the world, and we have to learn to live with it for some more time till normalcy returns in our society, and also in sport.”

The Committee decided unanimously after suggestion from the I League playing clubs to implement the 3 (foreigners) + 1 (Asian) recruit rule for Hero I-League matches from 2020-21 season itself. The Committee also discussed and felt that as per the AFC regulation of clubs needing to play minimum 27 matches for them to gain eligibility to play in the AFC Champions League, clubs playing in the Hero ISL need to play more matches not just to adhere to the guidelines, but also for the holistic development of players, and Indian Football overall.



FIFA RESCHEDULE THE DATES OF U-17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP
KFC NEWS DESK-12.5.20: FIFA finally decided to host the U-17 Womens World cup in India from 17 February – 7 March 2021. This was finalised by the Bureau of the FIFA Council, following recommendations made by the FIFE-Confederations COVID-19 Working Group. The tournament will be played in the five cities in India, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai and Ahmadabad. The final match will be played at Navi Mumbai. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held between 2 and 21 November 2020, but rescheduled due pandemic Covit 19 worldwide.

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica/Panama 2020 will be played between 20 January – 6 February 2021.



SESA ACADEMY FACILITATES PLAYERS TO DEVOLOPE SKILLS BY E-MONITERSHIP PROGRAMME
SESA FA PRESS RELEASE-12.5.20: Sesa Football Academy coaches develop an innovative way to ensure steady up-gradation and training of academy players during the lockdown. The players are currently enrolled in Sankhali and Sirsaim campuses and are connected via video conferencing with the coaches who are guiding and mentoring the players on various aspects such as reflexes, concentration, coordination, sprinting, etc with limited gym equipment. The coaches and technical staff has developed modules and video illustrations that can be accessed and utilized by the players while adhering to social distancing norms.

Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President SFA said, "This is an unprecedented situation we have on our hands, and our players are trying to make the most out of it. Our coaches and staff have built a safe and effective curriculum of e-learning for our players." Coaches and staff are providing learning materials and depictive videos of various exercises focusing on stretching, strength, and conditioning. The players are following the regime and benefitting from the videos/pictures. SFA physiotherapists shared videos on how to improve body flexibility and how to deal with cramps etc which were demanded by the players themselves.

The exercises and modules are not solely focused on the strength and conditioning of the players but also addressing their mental health issues during the lockdown period. This ensures the overall development of players. SFA chief mentor and Arjuna awardee Mr. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar provided videos depicting yoga that players can perform. The academy physiotherapists and the medical team are also addressing the specific injuries and queries from the players. SFA is also ensuring that the players are well equipped with theoretical aspects of the game and the new trends in the footballing world.

SFA Technical Director, Mr. Armando Colaco said, "Our players are working hard on their fitness during the lockdown period. We are catering to their questions and doubts every day using video conferencing technology. A streamlined curriculum consisting of exercises, activities will ensure players remain focused and fit for when football resumes in Goa. We are connected with the parents as well. Fitness and Training is an ongoing subject and we are focused on providing the same for our young players."



FIFA ALLOWED FIVE SUBSTITUTES OPTION TEMPORARILY: AMENDMENT OF LAW 3
FIFA MEDIA-8.5.2020 : As football begins to consider resumption of competitions across the world following the COVID-19 pandemic, The International Football Association Board (The IFAB) has agreed to make a temporary amendment to the Laws of the Game based on a proposal received from FIFA seeking to protect player welfare.

For competitions which have either started or are intended to start, but are scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2020, the IFAB has approved FIFA’s proposal to introduce a temporary amendment to Law 3 – The Players, which will allow for a maximum of five substitutes to be made per team. However, to avoid disruption to the game, each team will only have three opportunities to make substitutions; substitutions may also be made at half-time.

The temporary amendment comes into force with immediate effect, and has been made as matches may be played in a condensed period in different weather conditions, both of which could have impacts on player welfare. The decision on whether to apply this temporary amendment will remain at the discretion of each individual competition organiser, while The IFAB and FIFA will determine at a later stage whether this temporary amendment would need to be extended further (e.g. for competitions due to be completed in 2021).

The amendment to Law 3 affects both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 Laws of the Game, with the latter coming into effect as from 1 June 2020.
In relation to competitions in which the video assistant referee (VAR) system is implemented, these competitions are permitted to cease its use upon restart at the discretion of each individual competition organiser. However, where VAR is used, all aspects of the Laws of the Game and, by extension, the VAR protocol will remain in place.



AIFF IMPLEMENTED THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN FOOTBALLERS IN A VIDEO CONFERENCE
KFC NEWS DESK-8.5.20: The All India Football Fedaration in a video conference headed by Shyam Singh Thapa decided and implemented the number of foreign footballers as well as the Asian footballers recruit rule for all domestic league matches after the 2021 season onwards, as per current AFC regulations for participation in AFC Club competitions.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman Mr. Henry Menezes, Mr. Prasanta Banerjee, Mr. Ganapati Palguna, Mr. Pradip Kumar Datta, Mr. Ishfaq Ahmed and Mr. Sundar Raman, and Mr. Abhishek Yadav along with AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das. The commiittee finally decided the implementation of the 3 (foreigners) +1 (Asian) by a team in the post league 2021 matches. However, if AFC changes this rule, the changes will be implemented for domestic league matches.