INDIAN FOOTBALL NEWS 2020 (NOVEMBER)

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MSC : Ghanaian playmaker Mohammed Fatau has arrived in Kolkata

30.11.20: Finally the wait is over as Mohammedan Sporting Club’s Ghanaian playmaker Mohammed Fatau has arrived in Kolkata this evening amid much fanfare.

Mohammedan acquired the services of the former La Liga midfielder last month as their first foreign signing for the forthcoming I-League. “I am very happy to be a player of Mohammedan Sporting Club. I love new challenges and it’s a very nice challenge for me to come to Mohammedan Sporting Club. The club’s history fascinates me. I also wanted a new experience, in a new city. It will be an interesting experience for me. I am here to make my contribution and I will be doing my job as best I can,” Fatau said.

Fatau, who primarily plays as a defensive midfielder, has a wealth of experience having played top flight football in Europe. He played for Granada, Rayo Vallecano and Almería in the Spanish La Liga before joining Turkish side Gaziantepspor. He has also played for Al Qadsiah in Saudi Professional League, before joining Kuwaiti champions Al Kuwait Sports Club on loan.

The 27-year-old is known for his physical presence which makes a difference on both ends of the pitch while churning out consistent performances in the middle of the park. “Mohammedan have a great dream and I want to make it a reality. The club’s dream is to win the I-League and I hope to help them achieve this,” Fatau concluded.

DEPUTY CM DELHI LAUNCHES SUDEVA FC

28.11.20: The newly introduced team in Hero I-League, Sudeva Delhi FC, was launched by Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Delhi, Shri Manish Sisodia in New Delhi on Friday, November 27. Sudeva FC is set to participate in I League under COVID-safety bubble from which they are to operate.

The Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Manish Sisodia took pride in the fact that a team from the national capital will be playing in the national-level league once again.

In his massage Mr Sisodia said, “As a person from Delhi, it fills me with pride to see that a team from our city will be participating in the Hero I-League in Kolkata from January 9. I am extremely happy and honoured that the Delhi Government has shown its support and trust in Sudeva Delhi FC as we aim to nurture the talented youth in the capital,”

PRINCE OF FOOTBALL DIEGO MARADONA PASSES AWAY

25.11.20: The Prince of World footall, legend Diego Maradona passed away on Wednesday due to a heart attack at the age of 60 following a cardiac arrest at his residence at Buenos Aires as reported from by a reliable sources.

In November, Maradona had an emergency operation for a subdural hematoma, which is an accumulation of blood between a membrane and his brain few days back. He was released from the hospita after recovery.


As a captain of Argentina Maradona won World Cup in 1986, the pinnacle of an illustrious career. Maradona was responsible for 'Hand of God' that eliminated England from the 1986 tournament. He is regarded as one of the all time legend in World football.
MORE PICTURE FROM 2008 MARADONA TOUR IN KOLKATA CLICK
In a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association stated, "its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend", Argentine football Association added, "You will always be in our hearts."In his tributes to Maradona, King Pale said, "One day we'll kick a ball together in the sky above."

Maradona led his country to the 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine. He was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals. Passing away of Maradona at an early age is a real loss for Argentina as well as world football.

JOSE HEVIA COMMITTED TO BUILD UP A STRONG TEAM

23.11.20: The Spanish coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club, Jose Hevia feels that the footballers are improving day by day and is committed to build up a strong team ahead of IFA Shield and I League.



In a discussion with the club media, the Spanish coach said, "I think the boys are really working hard. I am extremely happy with the attitude, the commitment and the focus of the players at training. We are working hard to improve the tactics, fitness and psychological approach. Each day we grow stronger and are more united as a team.Players are interacting more with each other building more chemistry and players has adapted well to our training philosophy."

Mohammedan Sporting included experienced footballers like Priyant Singh, Tirthankar Sarkar, Satyam Sharma, Balwinder Singh, Shafiul Rahman and Vanlalbiaa Chhangte along with some talented youths in the squad.

Mohammedan Sporting qualified in the I League qualifiers will play in I Legaue which is scheduled to start at Kolkata from January.

FAST & UP IN ASSOCIATION WITH MUMBAI CITY FC

23.11.20: Mumbai City FC announced its association with India's leading sports & active nutrition brand, Fast&Up as the Official Sports Nutrition Partner of the club for the 2020/21 edition.

The association sees Fast&Up joining hands with Mumbai City FC for a strategic partnership that will see the nutrition brand welcoming sports back in the country, and representing a team, which is also based out of Mumbai, the same city where Fast&Up's India Headquarters are situated.

Fast&Up will feature on the club’s back of shorts jersey position and inside the stadium on the LED perimeter boards in Mumbai City's home matches during the season, and will also be involved with Mumbai City's grassroots initiatives and activities.

HIMACHAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE TO START FROM 25TH NOVEMBER - 12 TEAMS

22.11.2020 : Himachal Pradesh State League 2020 will started from 25th November under Himachal Pradesh Football Assocoation ( HPFA). The Himachal state league would be the first state league to be held after ending of the nation-wide lockdown due to the global coronavirus pandemic COVID -19. So, The HPFA is taking all the necessary precautions to organise the Tournament according to the COVID-19 guidelines.



This information was given by Himachal Pradesh Football Association's Media Coordinator Satyadev Sharma Sahod. He informed that the tournament, which is played without audience, will be inaugurated by a match between Paonta United FC and Sai Kangra FC. He informed that all the matches of the tournament will be played at the Khad Football Stadium in Haroli.

The League will have 12 teams which will be divided into 3 Groups and they will play Round Robin Matches among them to qualify for the knockout stage. In accordance with the latest guidelines from FIFA this league will have five Substitutions per Match in the emergence of COVID-19 Pandemic. The winner of the Himachal state league 2020 will be nominated for 2nd division of the I-League.

GROUP-A : Paonta United FC, Sai Kangra FC, Siva FC, Techtro Swades United FC and KFC Khad.
GROUP-B : Shimla FC, Shahpur FC, Venga Boys Kullu FC, Himachal FC and Summerhill United FC.

Indian Women's national team to start first camp after COVID-19 lockdown on December 1

21.11.20: The Indian Women's Senior National Team will begin their first National Team camp in Goa on Tuesday (December 1, 2020), which will be the first time the team will assemble after the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 30 players have been summoned by head coach Maymol Rocky for the camp to kickstart their preparations for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 which will be hosted in India.

Thermal screening shall be conducted before each training session and weekly check-up and monitoring are mandatory. All areas within the training and accommodation premises shall be disinfected at regular intervals. A COVID Task Force shall be constituted at the training camp to guide and monitor all players and staff in the camp. Additionally, the document lays down in detail various protocols to be followed while arriving for training, during training, using the gymnasium, medical room and accommodation facility.

The list of players selected for the camp is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS : Aditi Chauhan, Elangbam Panthoi Chanu, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi, Narayanasamy Sowmiya.

DEFENDERS : Asem Roja Devi, Jabamani Tudu, Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, Ngangbam Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Sorokhaibam Ranjana Chanu, Michel Margaret Castanha, Wangkhem Linthoingambi Devi, Pakpi Devi Yumlembam.

MIDFIELDERS : Grace Hauhnar Lalrampari, Manisha, Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi, Sangita Basfore, Karthika Angamuthu, Sumithra Kamaraj, Kashmina, Pyari Xaxa.

FORWARDS : Jyoti, Anju Tamang, Dangmei Grace, Karishma Purushottam Shirvoikar, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Renu, Jyoti, Soumya Guguloth, Heigrujam Daya Devi.

HEAD COACH: Maymol Rocky.

FIFA CANCELLED U17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP IN 2020,INDIA TO HOST IN 2022,

FIFA MEDIA: 17.11.20 In light of the current global COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing impact on football, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has taken a number of decisions related to FIFA competitions, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2020 as well as the women’s youth tournaments planned for 2020.



In light of the global pandemic caused by Covit 19 and further consultation between FIFA and the respective host member associations regarding the 2022 editions of the tournaments, the Bureau of the Council has approved Costa Rica as host of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2022 and India as host of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 respectively.


FIFA Club World Cup 2020 will now be held from 1 to 11 February 2021, taking place in Qatar as per the original host appointment by the FIFA Council in June 2019.

In line with FIFA’s International Match Protocol, FIFA and the host country will provide the required safeguards for the health and safety of all involved.

FIFA, together with the host member associations, confederations and key stakeholders, will continue to monitor the situation concerning the pandemic globally, as well as any potential impact on preparations for and the future hosting of FIFA tournaments.

12 TEAMS TO PLAY IN 123RD IFA SHIELD

11.11.20: 123rd IFA Shield will start at this December. There will be 12 teams in this edition whereas 11 teams already confirmed their participation. They are - Gokulam Kerala FC, Sudeva FC, Indian Arrows, Mohammedan SC, George Telegraph SC, Aryan SC, Peerless SC, Southern Samity, BSS SC, Khidirpore SC and United SC.
SC East Bengal Reserves team are yet to confirm their participation in this tournament. ATK Mohun Bagan already confirmed their inability to participate due to upcoming Indian Super League at Goa.

Kolkata to host this year's I-League and all I-League teams have to maintain 14 days mandatory quarantine before the tournament, so this tournament have to complete before last week of December. As there are 4 I-League teams in this tournament, this will help them to complete their pre-season with their squad before I-League 2020-21 season.

Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan keen to play his part to help Md Sporting win the Hero I-League..

AIFF PRESS RELEASE - 09.11.20: Last year the Bangladesh National Team had faced off against India in Kolkata, where the two teams walked off with a point apiece (with a 1-1 scoreline). A little over a year later, the man who had led Bangladesh out onto the turf at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Jamal Bhuyan, is all set to return to the City of Joy, albeit, with completely different intentions.



Newly promoted Hero I-League side Mohammedan SC have named Jamal as one of their latest signings ahead of the new campaign. “An offer from the Hero I-League is very good for me. So when Mohammedan Sporting approached me I asked around to know more about their rich history,” Jamal said to the-aiff.com. “They just earned promotion and now want to win the League. I felt that that is the kind of intent I want to play with, and that I can make an impact there. Looking forward to playing at Mohammedan.”

The Bangladesh captain has enjoyed a healthy rivalry with the Blue Tigers in International football, and boasts of a record where he was never lost to India on the three occasions when he played against his neighbouring country. Jamal feels a special motivation when it comes to playing against India on the International area.

“It’s always special to play against India, because India is like an elder brother to Bangladesh. And you always want to beat your elder brother when you play against him,” the Bangladesh captain laughed.

MARKING SUNIL CHHETRI : Looking back at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Joint Qualifier that was played in Kolkata last year, Jamal informed that the entire team was charged up ahead of the game. “That day I sensed a different atmosphere in our camp when I woke up. Everybody wanted to do well against India. Right from the morning we were cheering each other up, telling everyone to pick up the essentials, do our morning stretches properly and be ready for the game. This match meant a lot to us,” he recalled.

“In the stadium, the galleries were already full by the time we had come in for our pre-game warmups. That’s when we felt that this is going to be a really good game. The crowd was amazing.”The holding midfielder had played a crucial role for Bangladesh against the Blue Tiger in the game. While he was carrying out his duties in the heart of the midfield, Jamal also had the added task of marking his Indian counterpart and talismanic forward Sunil Chhetri.

“Sunil is an icon and a legend in India. He’s scored so many International goals, so we always had our eyes on him. The Coach and I spoke about the game and he told me, ‘You have to stop Sunil’,” recalled Jamal. “So I was focusing on not letting him get any chances. Whatever move he made, I went with him. My job that day was to cut him off from the rest and frustrate him.”

While the Bangladesh captain went about his duties neutralising Sunil Chhetri, he also managed to play a role in his side taking the lead in the first half, as he provided the assist for Saad Uddin to nod in a free-kick. The Blue Tigers responded via Adil Khan in the second half, as the teams shared the spoils. It was after that game that the charm of Kolkata and its football lovers struck Jamal, who had started off his career at Danish club Hellerup IK.

“Some of the fans recognised me when we were going around the city after the game. They came to me and told me about how well I had played. I was quite taken aback,” he added. “I had initially felt that they would maybe throw taunts at me because I was on the opposing side. But they showed a lot of respect, and as a player, you really appreciate that.”

BACK TO THE ROOTS : Being from Bangladesh, the 30-year-old will look to settle quickly into life in Kolkata, as he feels that knowing Bengali will help him develop a connection with the local players. However, the Bangladesh captain also feels a deeper connect on his sojourn across the border.

“I think the environment and culture in Kolkata will be very similar to the one we experience back here in Bangladesh,” said Jamal. “My family used to stay in India before Independence,” said Jamal. “That was a long time back, but I am really looking forward to it as it will be kind of getting back to the roots as well.”

The 30-year-old has been a keen observer of Indian football in the past, and had been following the progress of one of his old friend from back in his days in Denmark – David Williams. However, the Bangladesh captain was quick to point out that the Australian is now at ATK Mohun Bagan, a club that Mohammedan Sporting consider rivals.

“I’ve been following the progress of David (Williams. We have been friends for some time. I like to follow his matches in the Hero ISL. But ATK Mohun Bagan is a rival club now, and I love rivalries,” laughed Jamal.

I-LEAGUE 2020-21 TO START ON JANUARY 9TH AT KOLKATA

07.11.20: After the successful competition of I League qualifiers, IFA is all set to ogranise the 14th edition of I-League, which will kick-off on Saturday 9th January, 2021 in Kolkata. The matches will be telecast live on 1Sports. Eleven teams will need to enter the bio-secure bubble like I-League Qualifier fourteen days prior to their first match according to the schedule.

ELEVEN PARTICIPATING TEAMS IN I LEAGUE:
1. Roundglass Punjab FC (PUNJAB)
2. Real Kashmir FC ( j&k)
3. Tiddim Road Athletic Union FC ( MANIPUR)
4. Gokulam Kerala FC ( KERALA)
5. Chennai City FC ( TAMILNADU)
6. Churchill Brothers FC (GOA)
7. Neroca FC(MANIPUR)
8. Aizawl FC (MIZORAML)
9. Indian Arrows (AIFF)
10.Sudeva FC (DELHIL)
11. Mohammedan Sporting Club (BENGAL).

"We can't thank Government of West Bengal and IFA enough for their unconditional support to hosting the Hero I-League Qualifier this year. Without their support, we couldn't even think of hosting the tournament smoothly. Hero I-League Qualifier was a stage rehearsal for the next edition of Hero I-League as it'll be a longer and more challenging tournament from every single aspect. We'll work with them hand in hand to make it a grand success and we're confident to pull it off successfully," Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League commented.

All eleven teams will face each other once in the first leg of the league before they are divided into two different groups. Top six teams, according to the points table, will face each other once again to decide the winner whereas the other five teams will play against each other in a one-leg league format.

The entire tournament will be hosted adhering to the COVID-19 SOPs released by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and no spectator will be allowed inside a stadium during a match.

IFA PLANNING TO ORGANISE IFA SHIELD ON DECEMBER

6.11.20: IFA is planning to organise the century old IFA Shield tournament in December. Though the dates are yet to finalise. After a meeting between the IFA officials and the clubs of Kolkata Premier League on Thursday, IFA officials are in a mood to organise the prestigious tournament before I League, which is scheduled on the first week of January 2021. The final decision regarding the organization of IFA Shield will be finalised within a few days.



Mohammedan Sporting Club and Southern Samity are the teams of the Kolkata Premier League who are interested to participate in the tournament. The two big clubs of Kolkata, SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan will not going to participate as they will be busy in ISL in December. IFA is planning to organise the tournament with Kolkata Premier division clubs along with some top clubs of other states.

DIEGO MARADONA UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL BRAIN SURGERY

4.10.20: The legendary footballer Diego Maradona has undergone successful brain surgery, after he was hospitalised at Argentina.

The Argentine legend admitted in a clinic at La Plata, Argentina on Monday suffering from anemia and dehydration, as informed by Dr Leopoldo Luque.

After a series of tests it was observed that an accumulation of blood between a membrane and his brain. He was transferred to the Olivos Clinic in Buenos Aries to undergo surgery on a sub dural hematoma.

Diego Maradona's neurosurgeon and personal physician Leopoldo Luque said, "I was able to evacuate the hematoma successfully and Diego tolerated the surgery very well. The steps now are observation, but it is controlled. It will depend on how he does. It is not highly complex, but it is still brain surgery."

FIFA INTRODUCES COURSE IN CLUB MANAGEMENT

FIFA MEDIA-03.10.20: As the world of football evolves and faces unprecedented challenges at all levels, FIFA is launching the Diploma in Club Management, which aims to provide club executives from all around the world with the latest practical know-how and insights from leading football industry experts.

The diploma is in line with FIFA’s objective of creating a more balanced ecosystem by sharing the necessary tools and expertise in order to increase the number of clubs from every region of the world that are able to compete at the highest level.

The programme will analyse the latest trends, including best practices, across the following key areas: leadership and management, club operations and stadium management, sporting and youth academies, governance and legal matters, marketing and communication, and finance.

The diploma will kick off with online classes next March and conclude in January 2022. Subject to travel restrictions, in-person classes are scheduled to take place from 9 to 12 September 2021 and from 13 to 16 January 2022 in London and Zurich respectively.

Further details on the inaugural edition of the FIFA Diploma in Club Management are available here. The admission form is already available on legal.fifa.com and applications will be accepted until 6 January 2021.