Santosh Trophy: Mizoram stun Kerala 1-0

Mizoram upset Kerala 1-0 to move into the quarterfinals of the 64th Santosh Trophy inter-state football competition here Wednesday.

Beikhokhei struck the winner in the 63rd minute by skillfully foxing two rival defenders and then played well with Lalhlimthra to finish off with a firm right footer that ended the campaign of five-time winners Kerala.

Kerala looked lacklustre as Mizoram dominated the show at the Salt Lake Stadium for the major part of the game.

The Mizos could have gone ahead in the later stages of the opening session, but David Lalrinmuana's power-packed left footer found the crosspiece in the way.

Mizoram will play Tamil Nadu in their maiden quarterfinal game.

On Thursday, title holders Goa will lock horns with Karnataka, while Services will take on Punjab in quarterfinal exchanges.
READ MORE - Santosh Trophy: Mizoram stun Kerala 1-0

Mizoram move to QF

Kolkata, Jul 28 : Mizoram stunned Kerala 1-0 to advance into the last eight of Santosh Trophy by a second half goal from Bekhikhei at Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Wednesday.

East Bengal's striker Bekhokhei right footed volley from a right flank cross did all the magic in the 62nd minute against Kerala in the last prequarterfinal game to take Mizoram into the quarter final for the first time in 64th edition of senior national football championship.

The resurgent northeast side, who surprised Indian Railways in the previous qualifying play when mideo Lalrinfela scored the winner had set date with five times winners Kerala.

A pre-match favourites Kerala after conceding the goal tried their best but wall erected by the Mizo defence was too tight to crack in the remaining 28 minutes.

Mizoram will now face another southern state Tamil Nadu on July 30.

Kerala, a twelve time finalists, were looked clueless after conceding the goal and faltered everytime when they moved for final killing. Kerala after an impressive win against Uttarakhand in their opening encounter, went on to hammer Himachal Pradesh 10-0 before giving some football lessons to Assam in their final group league encounter with a facile 5-2 victory to see them through to prequarter finals.

Mizoram's move to last eight was a saga with 1-3 down to Orissa, fought back brilliantly trouncing Bihar 10-0 before upsetting Railways by a solitary goal.

Mizoram's some individual talents in the form of Churchill Brothers winger Lalrinfela, F.Lalrinpuia, East Bengal striker Beikhokhei and Dempo midfielder Jerry Zirsanga combining well to undo soccer giants Kerala for the first time.

In the first quarter finals play Goa will take on Karnataka, and Services play against Punjab on Thursday.
READ MORE - Mizoram move to QF

Delhi escape to a narrow victory

Kolkata, July 28 : Delhi did it the hard way. Sitting pretty on a 2-0 lead, courtesy a brace by Hindustan FC striker Tuishim Mashangva and a Santosh Trophy quarterfinal berth seemingly within grasp, they bungled big time. Ranjit Thapa’s boys let rivals Chhattisgarh claw back into the match, draw level and show enough enterprise to outplay Delhi. When the match went into extra-time and into the penalty shootout, it appeared Chhattisgarh were favourites to win.

However, there was another twist to the tale. Chhattisgarh failed to score off the first two kicks and could not recover a second time.

The tiebreaker gave Delhi goalkeeper Pronoy Roy a chance to make amends for lapses during regulation time. Roy made an excellent save to deny Chhattisgarh playmaker Wasim Raja with the first shot.

Delhi now join Bengal, Tamil Nadu and the winners of Kerala and Mizoram, who play on Wednesday, in the quarter-final group league.

Delhi shot into the lead when Mashangva, midfielder Zenith Genius, headed in off a flag-kick. The 21-year-old pounced on a loose ball in a goalmouth melee. His second strike, off another header, was better. Mashangva cleverly headed the ball over an advancing goalkeeper from a long clearance by the Delhi deep defence.

Delhi however lost its rhythm in the middle. Roy conceded five minutes after running in. Mohammad M. Siddique cut in from the right and with Roy covering the near post, squeezed the ball between the goalie and the upright. The goal gave Chhattisgarh a new lease of life and they virtually laid siege on Delhi. Chhattisgarh drew level in the 79th minute, off a corner-kick.
READ MORE - Delhi escape to a narrow victory

Tough fight expected during junior football semis

The Chandigarh Football Association will conduct both semi-finals of the onging 9th Junior National Girls Under-19 Football Championship on Wednesday at the Punjab Engineering College Grounds in Chandigarh. Earlier, the CFA had announced that the semi-finals and final would be played at the Sector 17 Football Stadium. However, the final will be played at the Sector 17 Football Stadium on July 30.

“Due to rains there is lot of water-logging which has left the Sector 17 Football Stadium ground soft and slippery. If both semi-finals are played there, the ground would not be fit for the final. Consequently, the technical committee decided that only the final match should be played at the Sector 17 Football Stadium,” said CFA secretary Rakesh Bakshi.

Meanwhile, last year’s runners-up and Group B champions Manipur will meet Group A runners-up Sikkim in the first semi-final at 7 a.m. The Manipur team looks a well-balanced side. In five matches they have played, two in the preliminary cluster round and three in the quarter-final league, Manipur have scored 39 goals and conceded only one. On Monday, Manipur upset defending champions Orissa by 2-1 to top their group.

Sikkim are expected to give them a good fight. Sikkim have played six matches, including three in the preliminary cluster round programme. They netted 43 goals and conceded two.

Teams:Manipur: O Roshini Devi, S Meera Devi, L Ashalata Devi, Ch. Basanthi Devi, H Bijaya Devi, T Premi Devi, Ph Bina Devi, N Monteshori Chanu, S Rinaroy Devi, E Bindiyarani Devi, Jotimala Devi, K Rameshori Devi, W Radharani Devi, Th Keinakumar Devi, S Tejibala Devi, Chim Chim Serto Aimol and Th Umabati Devi.

Sikkim:Yanghbnla Bhutia, Bhoj KUmari Subba, Ash Maya Subba, Phurp Dolma Bhutia, Dawkit Lepcha, Lako Phuti Bhutia, Nim Doma Bhuita, Parbitra Limboo, Anita Rai, Mongmit Lepcha, Nima Lhamu Bhutia, Bingina Rai, Dhan Kumari Sharma, Treaza Lepcha, Som Rani Rai, Tshering Doma Lepcha, Sujata Rai and Phutey Bhutia.

Meanwhile, in the evening session, five-time champions Orissa will meet Haryana in the second semi-final match. Group A leaders Haryana are featuring in the final for the first time. With an all-win record lion-hearted Haryana played five matches and scored maximum number of 46 goals and conceded only one. Out of five matches they have played so far, Orissa have won five with convencing margins before going down fighting to their arch rivals Manipur by 1-2 in the quarter-final league.

Teams:Orissa Sita Sharma, Phulamani Tudu, Pravasini Parida, Rashmita Patra, Mamita Behera, Pratima Minz, Janjali Sahu, Jabamani Soren, Deogi Murmu, Lochana Munda, Sasmita Ghatuary, Madhusmita Barik, Sushama Kangadi, Kunti Kumari Lakara, Manisha Tirkey, Laxmi Tudu and Swarna Mayee Samal.

Haryana: Raveena, Riya Arya, Priya, Reena, Pooja, Sonia, Taruna, Manpreet Kaur, Preeti, Seema, Priyanka Kaushik, Ritu Rani, Shalu, Kavita, Monika, Nisha, Laxmi and Komal Rani.
READ MORE - Tough fight expected during junior football semis

Manipur rout Orissa to seal semis spot

Football
A football match between Maharashtra and West Bengal in progress during 9th Junior National Football Championship at PEC ground in Chandigarh.
Last year's runners-up Manipur shocked defending champions Orissa by 2-1 in the hotly-contested quarter-final league match in the Ninth Junior National Girls Under-19 Football Championship being hosted by the Chandigarh Football Association at the Punjab Engineering College grounds on Monday.

With this well-deserved victory, Manipur emerged group B leaders with an all-win record. It was their third successive win and collected nine full points while Orissa finished runners-up with six points with two victories and one defeat. In another inconsequential group B fixture, West Bengal got the better of Maharashtra by 3-1 with Putta Karmakar performing a fine hat-trick in Bengal's win. West Bengal completed their quarter-final league programme with three points from one win and two defeats. Maharashtra finished at the bottom without any point.

Manipur and Orissa joined Haryana and Sikkim in semi-finals. After a day's rest on Tuesday, Manipur are pitted against Group A runners-up Sikkim at 7 a.m. and Group A winners Haryana will face Orissa in the second semi-final at 4 p.m. According to Chandigarh Football Association secretary, the semi-finals and final will be played at the Sector 17 Football Stadium. Rated as the 'best match' of the tournament so far, Orissa and Manipur dished out top class football to enthrall the spectators. A sizable number of Manipur supporters turned up at the venue to cheer up their team. They clapped for every save by the goalkeeper O Roshini Devi or the attack by the Manipur strikers. Matching in all departments of the game, both teams did initial probings before Manipur drew the first blood in the 24th minute.

A cross from the right flank was punched by Orissa goalkeeper Sita Sharma. The ball travelled to Y Premi Devi who scored in a flash to gladden the hearts of the Manipur supporters.

On crossing over, Orissa were able to neutralise the lead in the 47th minute. An eye-pleasing electrifying move between Deogi Murmu and Jabamani Soren saw the last named getting the better of a defender before beating advancing goalkeeper O Roshini Devi. Manipur defender H Bijaya Devi tried to make a goalline save in vain. Manipur went all out and earned a corner in the 62nd minute. Kamala Devi took the corner and Ph Bina Devi caught the Orissa defence on the wrong foot with a well-directed shot. Manipur gained a sweet revenge against Orissa who had beaten them in the final last year. At the adjacent ground, West Bengal beat Maharashtra by 3-1. For Bengal Puta Karmakar held the spotlight by scoring in the 20th, 47th and 73rd minutes and in the process performed a three-in-a-row feat. For Maharashtra Ameeta netted the lone goal in the 80+3 minutes.

Semifinals on Wednesday: Manipur vs Sikkim (7 a.m.) and Haryana vs Orissa ( 4 p.m.) at Sector 17 Football Stadium.
READ MORE - Manipur rout Orissa to seal semis spot

Kerala oust Assam from Santosh Trophy

GUWAHATI, July 27 - A draw against Kerala would have put Assam in the pre-quarterfinals of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy.

But in the last match of Cluster VII former champions Kerala handed Assam a 5-2 drubbing and sent packing from the championship.

Earlier Assam beat Himachal Pradesh 10-0 and Uttarakhand 7-0.

On the other hand Kerala recorded a 3-1 victory against Uttarakhand and 10-0 win against Himachal Pradesh.

But in the crucial match Assam boys failed to deliver and went down meekly. For Kerala Javed, Justin Stephen, Sakeer MP, Bijesh Ben and Subair KP were the scorers while Akum Ao and Jilendra Brahma struck for Assam.
READ MORE - Kerala oust Assam from Santosh Trophy

Punjab beats Manipur; enters last eight

Amitabha Das Sharma
Intense Pursuit: Manipur's Nilkumar Singh (left) tries to dribble past Punjab's Gurwinder Singh in the Santosh Trophy on Thursday. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish
Intense Pursuit: Manipur's Nilkumar Singh (left) tries to dribble past Punjab's Gurwinder Singh in the Santosh Trophy on Thursday. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish
Punjab beat Manipur 6-4 (2-2) in the tie-breaker in a pre-quarterfinal match at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Thursday and reached the quarterfinal league of the Santosh Trophy.
The regulation 90 minutes saw both sides locked 1-1 while the situation was repeated in the 30 minutes of extra-time which ended 2-2. The tie-breaker finally broke the deadlock with the Punjab custodian Paramjit Singh making a couple of saves to see his team through to the next stage.
For Punjab Harpreet Singh, Parveen Kumar, Randeep Singh and Gurpreet Singh found the target, while Manipur custodian Lalit Thapa blocked the attempt of Balwant Singh. On its turns Manipur found only Samananda Singh and Syed Farid finding the goal while the shots of Naoba Singh and Subhas Singh were saved by Paramjit, who made it 4-2 for Punjab in the tie-breakers.
Kerala posts win
Former champion Kerala, after a shaky start, got past rookie Uttarakhand 3-1 in a cluster VII encounter of the 64th senior National championship for the Santosh Trophy here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Thursday. In another match of the same cluster, Assam blanked Himachal Pradesh 10-0.
In cluster VIII, Railways downed Bihar 7-1 while Orissa got the better of Mizoram 3-1 to complete the day's league fixtures.
Kerala players found it difficult to adapt to the artificial surface, but soon after dominated proceedings in midfield with good passing skills.
Kerala had the first taste of attack in the 25th minute when Sakeer rattled the crossbar off a rasping long-ranger. The former champion shot into lead when substitute N. Sumesh made the most of a goalkeeping error by Uttarakhand's Naveen Chetri. Uttarakhand equalised in the 58th minute when Veer Singh Negi volleyed home a floater from the right. But Kerala fought back when Sakeer found the mark off a corner in the 65th minute. Substitute Javed made it 3-1, nodding home a cross from the right by Justin Stephen.

Big win for Assam Rifles

Assam Rifles striker Akum scored a double hat-trick to guide the team to a huge win against Himachal Pradesh at the Mohun Bagan ground. Bulu Zigdung scored a brace while Chirod Das and S. Warry accounted for a goal each to complete the tally.
The results:Pre-quarterfinals: Punjab 6 (2) (Balraj Singh, Amandeep Batra) bt Manipur 4 (2) (W. Ngouba Singh, Reisangmi Vashum) in tie-breakers. Cluster VII: Kerala 3 (Sumesh. N., Sakeer M.P., Javed O.K.) bt Uttarakhand 1 (Veer Singh Negi); Assam 10 (Akum Ao 6, Bulu Zigdung 2, S.Warry, Chirod Das) bt Himachal Pradesh 0. Cluster VIII: Railways 7 (Anthony Soren 3, S. Fridde 2, Suresh Kumar, Mohammad Moazzam) bt Bihar 1(Jiten Lomar); Orissa 3 (Sheikh Mustaqim 2, Maheswar Das) bt Mizoram 1 (Zaidumawaia Hmar).
READ MORE - Punjab beats Manipur; enters last eight

Karnataka move into quarters; easy for Delhi

Ngurneilal Hmar struck an extra-time winner to power Karnataka into the quarterfinals of 64th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy here on Wednesday.

The Madras Engineering Group striker netted home in the 92nd minute as Karnataka edged Maharashtra 1-0 in the pre-quarterfinal fixture at the Yuba Bharati Kriranga.In a cluster V match, Delhi beat Arunachal Pradesh 3-1 to begin their campaign on a winning note.
Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim also got off to winning starts in their respective cluster matches at different venues.

Former HASC midfielder Bhuvan Joshi opened Delhi’s account with a 19th minute goal. After the break, Delhi scored through Vikash Rawat (53rd), but Arunachal Pradesh pulled one back through Bamin Tatung, who slammed home in the 71st minute to make it 2-1.
However, Tuishim Nashangua sealed the issue for Delhi scoring nine minutes from time to earn three points.

In another match of the same cluster, Madhya Pradesh blanked Uttar Pradesh 3-0 with a brace from Tushar Chaudhary (76th, 82nd) and Irfan Zaman Khan’s penalty kick in the 20th minute. In a cluster VI opener at YBK, Sikkim kicked off their campaign in style thrashing Haryana 4-0.
READ MORE - Karnataka move into quarters; easy for Delhi

Santosh Trophy: Punjab, Manipur in prequarters

Amandeep Singh fired a hat-trick as Punjab whipped Gujarat 10-1 to move into the prequarterfinals, where they will take on Manipur in the 64th Santosh Trophy national soccer competition here Tuesday.
Manipur got past Jammu and Kashmir 2-0 to make it to Thursday's round of 16 battle.
In cluster III, Punjab dominated proceedings at the Mohun Bagan ground all through and opened up a massive 6-1 lead at half time. The eight time champions rode on double strikes from Parveen Kumar and Balwant Singh while the other scorers included Rahul Batra, Ravinder Singh and Gurwinder Singh.
Gujarat's only goal came from Sutaj Thapa.
In cluster IV, Jotin Singh and Lalemlemnganga Singh found the target for Manipur at the Kharda stadium.
The inconsequential cluster III encounter at the Howrah Stadium saw Nagaland pulverize Pondicherry 6-0.
Sakutenjen struck a hattrick, while Nandiabonang, Dilierio and Yapang got solitary goals for the winners.
READ MORE - Santosh Trophy: Punjab, Manipur in prequarters

64th Santosh Trophy: Day Five Round Up

Clusters I & II are decided as Karnataka and Maharashtra storm into pre-quarters....

By Anselm Noronha

Jharkhand 1-6 Karnataka

Karnataka had won their first match against Meghalaya and beat Jharkhand 6-1 to make it through to the pre-quarter finals from Cluster I. Jharkhand, on the other hand, lost both their matches while Meghalaya fell short of victory in one of the two games.

In the match between Jharkhand and Karnataka, on Monday, it was all quare with a goal each from either sides until the latter banged in five more. Ravindra Singh scored Jharkhand's only goal in reply to Xavier Vijay Kumar's opening goal a minute after the half hour mark. But Karnataka then completed a wipeout through R.C. Prakash, J. Murali, J. Satish Kumar and a brace by Ngurneila.


Cluster II

Chandigarh 1-2 Andhra Pradesh

Andra's defeat to Cluster favourites Maharashtra was what eluded the former an entry to the next round of the Santosh Trophy. Andra Pradesh finished with six points in their bag, but they now have to pack up their travel bags too despite their win against Chandigarh.

Duty Kumar Mahto and W. Vijay Kumar found the back of the net for Andra Pradesh while Harkeert Singh managed to pull one back for Chandigarh in the match between the two teams, on Monday.

Maharashtra 4-1 Tripura

Maharashtra meanwhile lived up to their expectations and topped the group to earn a ticket into the pre-quarters of the tournament.

Anees Koralyadan's brace besides a goal each from Darren Caldeira and Surojit Bose were more than enough to help Maharastra gain the victor's tag against Tripura who tried but managed to score only one goal through Kiran Chetri. Maharashtra will now face Karnataka on July 21 in the pre-quarters, at Barasat Stadium.
READ MORE - 64th Santosh Trophy: Day Five Round Up

64th Santosh Trophy: Day One Round Up

The 64th edition of the prestigious tournament kicked off on Thursday….

Santosh Trophy Logo, India
Santosh Trophy Logo, India

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Cluster I

Karnataka 1-0 Meghalaya
Venue: Khardah Ground


Karnataka opened their campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Meghalaya. The only goal of the game was scored in the 89th minute by Don Bosco and it gave the South Indian state a winning start.

Cluster II

Maharashtra 4-0 Chandigarh
Venue: Howrah Stadium

Maharashtra started with a blast by thrashing Chandigarh 4-0. Surojit Bose bagged a brace while his team mates Ruben D’Souza and Alex Ambrose scored one each. The result will surely give Maharashtra a lot of confidence for the remaining two matches of the cluster.

Tripura 1-2 Andhra Pradesh
Venue: Barasat Stadium


The other game of Cluster II saw Tripura and Andhra Pradesh go head to head. The latter won it in the end by the margin of 2-1. Fajjal broke the deadlock for Andhra in the 6th minute and W.Vijay Kumar doubled their advantage four minutes later. Tripura pulled one back in the 73rd minute through Liton Majumdar but it proved to be a consolation goal in the end.
READ MORE - 64th Santosh Trophy: Day One Round Up

Karnataka run into Meghalaya in opener

Karnataka will look to get off to a winning start against Meghalaya when the 64th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2009-10 kicks off with the preliminary round at different veunes here Thursday.

Hosts Bengal will aim at ending their 11-year title drought while defending champions Goa will look to defend their crown.

Bengal along with Goa and semifinalists Tamil Nadu and Services have been directly seeded into the last eight stage.

Thirty-two teams will participate in the Santosh Trophy with 28 unseeded teams divided into eight clusters where they will play round-robin league in each cluster.

This time, the premier tournament will lose a bit of sheen with 30 national team players training in Portugal for the Asian Cup to be held in Doha, Qatar from January 7-29 next year.
In the opening day’s fixtures, Karnataka will take on Meghalaya at Khardah in cluster one, while in cluster two, Maharashtra will fight Chandigarh (Howrah Stadium) and Tripura will lock horns with Andhra Pradesh (Barasat) to kick off the tournament.

The winners of each cluster will then battle it out in the knock-out pre-quarterfinal stage for a place in the quarterfinal league.

From quarterfinal league onwards, the tournament will be held on the artificial turf of the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake. The quarterfinal league will be held from July 29 to August 4 while the semifinals will be played on August 6.
READ MORE - Karnataka run into Meghalaya in opener

Manipur hope to beat Punjab


The Santosh Trophy team before its departure from Imphal on Wednesday. Telegraph picture
Imphal, July 15 : Manipur is hoping for an exhilarating performance against Punjab to keep their hopes alive in the 64th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2010 to be played in Calcutta from tomorrow.

Manipur have been grouped along with Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan in cluster IV in the preliminary round and if they emerge triumphant, they are likely to face strong contenders Punjab from cluster III in the prequarter-final encounter.
The 20-member Santosh Trophy team left today on three different flights from Imphal.
The first batch left at 9am while the last group left this evening. All Manipur Football Association president A. Santoshkumar Sing flagged off the team.
Though many football lovers are keeping their fingers crossed for the success of the side, team coach L. Nandakumar Singh said he had firm belief in the capability of his young and energetic boys. The team, he added, was confident and eager to begin.
Fans here feel that Manipur stand a fair chance in the game especially as they are grouped against Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan in the preliminary round, which they should able to defeat.
Manipur will take on Rajasthan in their first match on Friday.
Football meet
The Imphal West District Football Association will hold the 11th S. Birendra Singh Super Division Football League and 16th L. Sangita Devi First Division Football League from the last week of July.
Players: The Imphal East District Football Association has asked all its affiliated grassroots school units to send five players for preparation for the 11th Junior Girls’ Inter-District Football Tournament to be played at DSA Kakching ground.
READ MORE - Manipur hope to beat Punjab

Why FIFA says no to tech

fifa1.jpg
FIFA 2010
CAPE TOWN: High profile sports like rugby, tennis, cricket and basketball have seamlessly embraced technology to aid referees and linesmen, so why doesn't football?

The short answer is that Sepp Blatter and the FIFA hierarchy are from the old school and reluctant to dilute the human factor that has governed the game for so long.

UEFA president Michel Platini is in complete agreement, arguing that video replays would interrupt the flow of the game.

Their defiant stance is in sharp contrast to many other sports that have adapted to the modern age. For example, basketball referees use replay systems to make sure players are shooting within the time allotted by the shot clock, while in cricket, a third umpire, with access to TV replays, has been successfully adopted FIFA's position has again been brought into focus at the World Cup with a series of bad decisions sparking renewed calls for change.

Blatter awoke to headlines like, "Soccer must leave the Stone Age" and "FIFA fossil Blatter needs to be buried" after Frank Lampard's perfectly good goal was ruled out in England's 4-1 mauling by Germany.

Replays showed the ball was clearly over the line. Just hours later, Argentina's opening goal in their last 16 clash with Mexico was allowed to stand despite Carlos Tevez being in an offside position.

England coach Fabio Capello made clear how he felt. "It's incredible that in a time of technology, the referees aren't capable of deciding if there has been a goal or not," said the Italian.

England captain Steven Gerrard also called on FIFA to look at goal-line technology. "FIFA will have to look at that because I looked across at the linesman and he was by the edge of the area so how can he see if that's over the line or not."

While many of the referees and linesmen at the World Cup have been praised for their fitness and keeping their cards in their pockets, Sunday's howlers were just the latest in a string of questionable calls.

One of the most high-profile came when Mali's Koman Coulibaly disallowed Maurice Edu's goal for the United States in the 85th minute of their 2-2 draw with Slovenia, denying them a vital win.

French referee Stephane Lannoy also came under fire for sending off Brazil's Kaka against the Ivory Coast, while he allowed Luis Fabiano's second goal to stand despite a clear double handball.

Supporters of technology will say this mistakes could have been avoided. Football authorities have trialled goal-line technology before, but the International Football Association Board ruled it out in March.

It followed cameras being placed on goal posts and electronic chips inserted in the ball to determine if it had crossed the goal line, similar to the HawkEye technology used in tennis and cricket.

They have also tested using two additional referees, in the Europa League, to prevent mistakes, with that experiment is still being analysed. How long they can keep football as one of the last sports to adopt the latest technology remains to be seen.

But the ageing Blatter appears to be in no hurry to change. "No matter which technology is applied, at the end of the day a decision will have to be taken by a human being," he said recently.

"This being the case, why remove the responsibility from the referee to give it to someone else?"

FIFA's official spokesman Nicolas Maingot reiterated the stance on Monday. "We will not open any debate on refereeing decisions at the daily media briefing, this is not the place for this and you will appreciate that I am not competent to do that," Maingot said.
READ MORE - Why FIFA says no to tech

Manipur team named


A moment from the trial match in Imphal on Wednesday. Telegraph picture
Imphal, July 8 : Manipur today finally named the 20-member team that will represent the state in the 64th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy to be held in Calcutta from July 15.
All the 12 outstation players requisitioned for the meet found their place in the team along with eight local footballers chosen from a list of 41.
The final list was made after assessing a friendly match between outstation and local players yesterday under the watchful eyes of the coaches and officials.
Manipur coach L. Nandakumar Singh said he was happy with the team and felt that the young lot chosen this time would play well and bring glory for Manipur. The players, he said, had a positive frame of mind and were raring to go.
Though rain had hampered the camp somewhat, it had nonetheless benefited the home players with the wholesome presence of outstation professional.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Lalit Thapa, Basant Singh, N. Thoi Singh,
Defenders: Th. Naoba Singh, Samananda Singh, Syed Farid, Raju Singh, W. Ngouba Singh, Ajitkumar Singh,
Midfielders: R. Vashum, Bisheshor Singh, Ajitkumar Singh, Charan Rai, N. Bengkok Singh, Nabachandra Singh, Ibotomba Singh.
Forwards: Subash Singh, Jotin Singh, I. Nilakumar Singh and Ksh. Malemnganba Meitei.
READ MORE - Manipur team named

Maradona will not be sacked by Argentina


Maradona comes to terms with Argentina's exit


Argentina FA president Julio Grondona says Diego Maradona is the one to decide if he continues as Argentina national team boss.
The South American team were eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday when they crashed 4-0 against Germany.
Maradona has not spoken about his future in the position since he returned to Argentina last Sunday.
However, Grondona said: "Maradona is the only person in the country who can do whatever he wants. He still has a contract with us, so it's up to him."
His first assistant Alejandro Mancuso said: "Knowing Diego as I do, I don't think he will step down.
"We can't throw out all the good things we've done up to now. We've grown up a lot as a group.
"We know the players and how each of them reacts to a negative situation. If he decides to stay, we have to start working right away."
READ MORE - Maradona will not be sacked by Argentina

Germany, Spain face each other in mouthwatering semi-final clash

Durban: Leave it to the Germans to make things interesting.

Spain has gone out of its way to downplay the rematch of the 2008 European Championship title game in Wednesday night`s World Cup semifinal, refusing to even acknowledge the grudge match factor.

Not Germany`s Lukas Podolski.

"We want revenge for 2008," Podolski said Tuesday night. "When you are in a final you want to win. We still think about that defeat, and it still hurts. We want to reach the final and we`ll do all we can to achieve that."

Spain ended a 44-year major title drought with its 1-0 victory over Germany two years ago — a win that wasn`t nearly as close as the score indicated. But Germany is a far different team now — in age and in attitude.

Youngsters such as Mesut Oezil, Sami Khedira and Thomas Mueller have given Germany the speed and sharpness it lacked in 2008. Despite their youth — with an average age under 25, this is the second-youngest team Germany has ever sent to a World Cup — the Germans are playing with discipline and a seamless chemistry that makes their plays unfold like a symphony.

Their spacing in the midfield is awe-inspiring, their passing so exquisite it almost looks as if the ball is on an invisible wire from one player`s foot to another`s. As for the defense, it`s simply scary. Whenever Argentina`s Lionel Messi or Carlos Tevez appeared on the verge of doing something in the quarterfinal, German defenders swarmed around to force a turnover or a bad shot.

And when Germany is on the counterattack, look out.

"In 2008, my team may not have been as consistent," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "We were fluctuating a little bit in terms of the quality, and might not have had the quality at all positions compared to the team we have today. The players we have now are incredibly skilled technically and tactically.”

"Our flow is clearly superior to what we had in 2008."

It shows.

Germany made old rivals England and Argentina look downright silly in their knockout round games, routing them by a combined score of 8-1 to reach a third straight World Cup semifinal. Miroslav Klose has regained his old form and, with two goals against Argentina, moved into a tie with Gerd Mueller for second place on the all-time scoring list.
The Germans are also showing an appealing swagger. Before playing Argentina in what`s fast becoming one of the nastiest World Cup rivalries around, the Germans accused the Argentines of being disrespectful hotheads.

"Self-confidence is always a good thing," Podolski said. "If you are self-confident, you can play much more strongly. We were very convincing in our win against England, and we had a lot of pressure there, too."

But Spain is a more formidable foe than England.

More formidable, even, than Argentina.
The Spanish have lost all of two games since November 2006. David Villa has five goals — tied for most in the tournament with the Netherlands` Wesley Sneijder, and Spain`s defense hasn`t allowed a goal in the knockout stage.

Spain hasn`t had quite the same flair that it did at Euro 2008. It was stunned by Switzerland in the group stage, and needed a late goal from Villa to beat Paraguay 1-0 in the quarters after both teams had penalty kicks saved.

But Spain is winning, and that`s all that matters at this point in the World Cup.

Spain also caught a break Tuesday, when Cesc Fabregas was able to work out with the rest of the team. Fabregas had taken a ball off the exact spot where his leg was broken in March during practice Monday night, but tests ruled out any bone injuries and coach Vicente del Bosque said he`s available for the game.

"I don`t think there are favorites at this stage," Andres Iniesta said. "What they say about us, we can also say the same thing about them. You can say they are a great team, a team that has players of a very, very high level. For that, it will be a well-deserved semifinal."

The winner earns the right to play the Netherlands in Sunday`s final at Soccer City. The Dutch beat Uruguay 3-2 on Tuesday in the other semifinal.
READ MORE - Germany, Spain face each other in mouthwatering semi-final clash

Under-16 football tournament to spot talent

NEW DELHI - To promote football and identify promising talent, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in partnership with Coca-Cola India kicked off the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy (MIHT) under-16 tournament Tuesday.

This year, 16 young and promising footballers identified from MIHT attended the ‘Coca-Cola International 2010 Football Camp’ in South Africa during the FIFA World Cup June 15-20.

The tournament has been extended to 75 cities involving over 40,000 young footballers from 1,500 schools from this year.

“We received an overwhelming response for MIHT in 2009 and are proud to take the initiative to the next level by organizing it in a bigger way,” said AIFF general secretary Alberto Colaco.

Atul Singh, president and CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said: “The initiative will identify young players for the national under-16 sub junior football team.”
READ MORE - Under-16 football tournament to spot talent

Netherlands Beats Uruguay In World Cup Semifinals

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- A Dutch treat: The Netherlands is in the World Cup final.
Long wasteful with its soccer talent, the Netherlands sure has has found the right touch in this tournament.
Dutch stars Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben scored three minutes apart in the second half as the Netherlands beat Uruguay 3-2 Tuesday night to advance to their first championship match since losing in 1978 to Argentina.
Winners of all six games in South Africa, the Oranje will face either Germany or Spain in Sunday's title game at Soccer City in Johannesburg. The Netherlands lost its other appearance in the final, to West Germany in 1974. [Article continues below.]

Netherlands 3rd Goal (72nd minute):

Netherlands 2nd Goal (69th minute):

Uruguay Ties Game (40th minute):

Netherlands Strikes First (17th minute):

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Wish I Was There!
Netherlands' national football team players gather together prior to the start of the 2010 World Cup semi-final football match Uruguay vs. Netherlands on July 6, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town.
READ MORE - Netherlands Beats Uruguay In World Cup Semifinals