Seven Sisters Love Football: August 2011

Why the EPL title will stay in Manchester

New Delhi: Manchester 13, London 3.
On a weekend when Samir Nasri finally made his debut for Manchester City, the gulf between the club he left and the one he chose could not have been highlighted more starkly.
Manchester City may be trying to buy their way to the top, but if a team can afford to leave Carlos Tevez on the bench and still rack up five goals with ease against a side that played in the Champions League last season, the signs are ominous for their rivals.

Rooney scored a hat-trick as United mauled Arsenal 8-2

City have addressed some of the problems they faced last season, adding the creativity to go with manager Roberto Mancini's surprisingly new attacking mindset, while increasing the depth of an already-formidable squad. David Silva continues to impress, Edin Dzeko is starting to show the form that persuaded City to pay 27 million Pounds for the Bosnian striker, while Sergio Aguero and Nasri seem to be showing none of the troubles usually faced by players settling into a new team. Against Tottenham on Sunday, Nasri provided the assists for two of Dzeko's goals, while Aguero also got his third goal in just his third league game.
More significant, though, was their impressive attacking display in the 5-1 victory - City's biggest-ever win at White Hart Lane - following their convincing wins in the first two games of the season. They have the wealth, they have the players, they have the manager who led Inter Milan to three league titles in a row - City are certainly going to mount a real title challenge this season and Alex Ferguson knows it.
But anything their 'noisy neighbours' can do, Manchester United can do better. As if the 8-2 demolition of Arsenal was not enough, Ferguson will derive even more pleasure from the fact that the astounding victory took the limelight away from a real statement of intent by City.
The Scot has time and again built winning teams at Old Trafford, combining astute buys in the transfer market with young talent coming through the ranks. Ashley Young, Tom Cleverely and Danny Welbeck represent the success of that policy, while one could be forgiven for not realizing that United were missing first-choice defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Javier Hernandez started on the bench, while last season's topscorer Dimitar Berbatov stayed on it - United are only going to get stronger.
In contrast, Arsene Wenger left Manchester facing the biggest crisis of his 15-year career at Arsenal. "I'm comfortable with where we are," said the Frenchman before the start of the game. After seeing his side mercilessly torn apart by the team they are supposed to challenge, one suspects even the normally-stubborn Wenger will be forced to accept the increasing gulf between the erstwhile rivals.
Even injuries and suspensions cannot justify the bare bones to which the Arsenal squad has been reduced. None of the back four that started against United deserves a place in an Arsenal side, while Wenger has just three days left to find acceptable replacements for Cesc Fabregas and Nasri. The rethinking and rebuilding will have to take place soon though, or else Arsenal could be in real danger of finishing out of the top four this season.
It's been a tough start to the season for their local rivals Spurs, with resounding defeats to the Manchester clubs in their first two games. Harry Redknapp has his own injury problems to deal with, while Chelsea's prolonged and public pursuit of key man Luka Modric has not helped matters. Even with Emmanuel Adebayor and the possible additions of Scott Parker or Lassana Diarra though, Spurs face a tough battle to return to the Champions League next season.
The only London side that can reasonably think of breaking the Manchester charge is Chelsea. However, the Blues have been unimpressive in their first three games against relatively weaker opponents, with much of the problems of last season still in evidence. At least new signing Juan Mata got a goal on debut though, which already equals the tally of a certain other Spaniard in the squad after 11 league games. He might also add some much-needed inventiveness to an ageing squad that is in urgent need of a creative injection - It might be too much to expect Andre Villas-Boas to win the title in his first year.
It's early days yet, but if the first three games are anything to go by, the Premier League title will stay in Manchester this season.

Lionel Messi wins UEFA Best Player in Europe award

The best player in Europe, FC Barcelona's Argentinean forward Lionel Messi, left, who holds his trophy poses with UEFA President Michel Platini, during the UEFA Champions League draw, at the Grimaldi Forum, in Monaco - AP
Lionel Messi has won the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe award for the 2010-11 season.
Messi beat his Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid in a poll of journalists from across Europe.
Argentina forward Messi scored 53 goals as he and Xavi led Barcelona to the Champions League and Spanish titles.
A panel of 53 journalists drawn from each of UEFA's member nations voted ahead of the draw for this season's Champions League group stage.
UEFA created the honor after "France Football" magazine combined its traditional European award with FIFA's world player prize.
Messi won that award in January when Xavi placed third.

Alex Ferguson ends BBC boycott

Manchester: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has finally decided to lift his ban on the BBC.
The Scot began to snub the broadcaster in 2004 over some allegations that were made against his son, Jason, who was at the time working as a football agent.
The Premier League had also released a statement to the effect that they would offer any help necessary towards an amicable resolution between Sir Alex and the BBC.
The Scot began to snub the broadcaster in 2004 over allegations that were made against his son.

But following a meeting with the organisation's director general, Mark Thomson, and BBC North director Peter Salmon, the 69-year-old has ended his boycott.

"Sir Alex Ferguson and the BBC have decided to put behind them the difficulties which led to Sir Alex feeling unable to appear on BBC programmes," reads a statement on the club's official website.
"This follows a meeting between Sir Alex and the BBC’s director general, Mark Thompson, and BBC North director Peter Salmon, and the issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.
"Sir Alex will now make himself available to the BBC for Match of the Day, Radio 5 Live and other outlets, as agreed.
"No further comment will be made by either party on this issue."

Baichung, thank you for the memories

New Delhi: I once worked with a senior British journalist, who assumed that as a sports buff I will also be an English Premier League fan. 'What's your team?', he asked me at our first meeting, expecting to hear Liverpool as an answer. It was pretty evident he was a Liverpool fan. In fact, it was difficult to guess whether you were sitting in his office in a media house or at Anfield. I thought for a minute and then said, 'East Bengal', much to his surprise, even a touch of anger as if I was mocking him.
But truth be told, my club was East Bengal and my player was, is, and will remain Baichung Bhutia. But Bhutia is not just my player, he is 'my player' to most Indians who have followed him and seen him guide Indian football for the past two decades. Arguably one of the greatest footballers India has ever produced, Bhutia was one of the torchbearers of Indian football in the international arena and his decision to call time on his international career makes me sad.
I first read about Bhutia in the papers when he was making waves in the 1992 Subroto Cup, but saw his game only when he had signed up with East Bengal in 1993. Those were the days when you could catch the domestic tournaments like the IFA Shield, the Durand Cup and the Santosh Tropy on Doordarshan. He was a player who gave you hope. His enthusiasm shone through, so much so that our evening sport of choice in a city like Delhi shifted from cricket to football. After all, he was a 16-year-old we could connect with.

Baichung Bhutia calls time on his international career on Wednesday.

Getty Images

When in 1995 he quit East Bengal to join JCT, there was heartbreak. How could Baichung leave my team? Seeing your favourite player not play for your favourite team is a difficult thing to see. And for two years I had to live with it. And what a season he had. Not only did he win the National Football League with JCT, he was the top scorer of the League and was named the 1996 Indian Player of the Year.
But soon enough in 1997 he was back at East Bengal for his second stint. In 1999, he left to play in the second division club in England, Bury FC. With no access to their live games, the papers were the only source of information. His stint with them lasted three years and by the time he returned to India in 2002, I was already a sports reporter and was eagerly waiting to meet with Bhutia and do my first interview with him.
And then disaster struck. Bhutia signed up with Mohun Bagan.
If the move to JCT in 1995 had left me with a heartbreak, his signing up with Bagan in 2002 was like an unbelievable blow. It was almost a betrayal. He too must have realised that and he came back home to East Bengal in 2003. On the sports desk that year, I tracked the ASEAN Cup as Bhutia found the back of the net on nine occasions, five of them in a 6-0 rout of the Philippine Army FC. East Bengal won the final against Tero Sasana 3-1.
Thereafter, Bhutia and East Bengal had a golden run. He scored 12 goals in the 2003-04 season, nine in the 2004-05 season and then 12 again in the 2005-06 season, a performance that won him the 'Player of the National Football League' award.
But in 2006, he went back to Bagan. But after three years at the club and scoring goals by the dozen for them, the Club questioned his committment when he took time out to participate in the television show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. A six-month suspension was followed by a legal wrangle and despite his "homecoming" to East Bengal in 2009 on a one-year contract, injury laid him low for the season.
During all these years of following the game and the man, I never had the opportunity of meeting him. I was not a football reporter, I was only a follower.
But on August 13, 2008 all of that changed. It was the final of the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. India took on Tajikistan at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi and hammered them 4-1. It was a stupendous victory and for a country devoid of much success at the international level, it was a huge success. After the presentation ceremony, the players were waiting just outside the foyer and I walked up to Baichung Bhutia, shook his hand, spoke a few words, and then went into a complete tizzy as he gave me a hug.
It was a moment from a script I never had thought I would be part of. But I was. And I was there as a fan. It was a moment that will stay with me forever, along with all his on-field exploits. And now with Bhutia calling time on his international career, a lifetime of Indian football is coming to an end. True, he will continue to play for his club, but with injuries taking a toll there's no knowing how long that stint will be.
But for now, Baichung Bhutia thank you for giving the game hope in India. Thank you for the memories.

Indian Football: Profiling The Future – Pune FC Wonder-Quartet

In the sixth edition of “Profiling The Future” Series, TheHardTackle brings you an interesting feature, not only on a single player but on four young footballers from the Pune FC Youth Academy. The “Awesome-Foursome:, as they are commonly referred to as in the PFC Youth circle, can make it big not only for their club but also for the nation as well. When TheHardTackle’s correspondents, Chetan Zawar and Amod Kulkarni, visited the PFC Academy at Mamurdi in Pune on a refreshing Saturday Morning to profile the future, they got an opportunity to watch these kids live in action in a practice game and the talented kids did show some glimpse of their potential to mesmerize them.

1) F LALREMPUIA
Position : Central Midfielder
Age : 17 years
Birth State : Mizoram
Coming from a very modest family background, this 17 year old lad from Mizoram is touted as the next big thing from the Pune Football Club Youth Academy. If his coaches, Ranjan Choudury and Gift Raikhan are to be believed, then Lalrempuia is ready to step up into PFC senior team and can also play straight up in the I-League this season. His ball control and dribbling skills are unbelievable according to the coaches. Lalrempuia was spotted by PFC scouting team during the Subroto Cup last year and he is seizing the opportunity to train under the able guidance of Mr. Ranjan Chowdhury since then.
Lalrempuia’s favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo and he is a supporter of Manchester United Football Club.
*****

2) KARTHIK G
Position : Central Midfielder
Age : 17 Years
Birth State : Tamil Nadu
Chennai born Karthik G began playing football at a young age of six after watching his cousin brothers play in the colony. Having then represented Karnataka U-16 team, he was selected by the scouts to be trained at the PFC academy. His composure on the ball and the ability to open up the defense are quite incredible. The Pune FC coaching team believes that if he can continue developing at the same pace, Karthik will be donning the national jersey sooner than the later.
Karthik idolizes Pune FC and former India captain Shanmugam Venkatesh and is a true Red Devil at heart.
*****

3) DAVID LALBIAKZARA
Position : Midfielder / Left Winger
Age : 18 years
Birth State : Mizoram
Eighteen year old David, a versatile talent, is a product of Mohun Bagan-SAIL Academy. Although he is a midfielder, he has the ability to double up as a left winger as well. He hails from Mizoram and started playing football at a tender age of five. David has represented school, district and then state age group team before he was spotted by Shillong Lajong recruiters. He represented Shillong Lajong at age group level and then went to the Mohun Bagan Academy to fine tune his skill-set. David’s expertise in delivering inch-perfect set-pieces is one of the best qualities of his game.
He is a supporter of English Premiership club Chelsea and his favorite player is Brazilian Neymar.
*****

4) NIKHIL KADAM
Position : Left Winger
Age : 18 years
Birth State : Maharashtra
Kolhapur born Nikhil Kadam is almost a local lad studying in Krida Probhodini Pune. Having been spotted during the Subroto Cup, Nikhil was immediately recruited by the Pune FC academy. He is one of the most hardworking youngster in Pune FC youth squad. Nikhil prefers to play on the left wing, although he is equally competent to step in a left back’s role as well. According to PFC Academy coach Ranjan Chowdhury, his pace and crossing ability are the hallmark of his game.
His favorite player is Lionel Messi and he supports Spanish giants FC Barcelona.
*****
Coming from different parts of the country, F. Lalrempuia, Karthik G, David Lalbiakzara and Nikhil Kadam have one thing in common – all of them want to play football for India more than anything else. We hope these young guns make it large and live their dream of playing for the Indian National Team soon.

source: http://www.thehardtackle.com

Bhaichung to Call Time on International Career

Former India captain and the poster boy of Indian football for the major part of the last two decades, Bhaichung Bhutia is set to announce his international retirement on Wednesday bringing to an end an illustrious 16-year career. According to reliable sources, the 34-year-old Bhaichung, known as the 'Sikkimese Sniper' for his shooting skills, will announce his walk into international football sunset during a press conference at the AIFF Headquarters here. Speculation has been rife on the imminent retirement of the talismanic striker, who pulled out of India Under-23 side's tour of England where they will play against Pakistan and England Under-23 next month. He has been struggling with injury in the past one year and could only play for just 15 minutes in the Asian Cup in Qatar in January, the most prestigious event India has ever taken part in the last 27 years. He was dropped from the Indian squad selected for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and the preparatory matches, a move which he took into his strides but to complain for not showing the courtesy of at least informing him of that. Bhaichung, however, is likely to continue to play for his club United Sikkim FC which he founded with an aim to make it become a top side in the country. The club failed to qualify for the I-League this season but he will be keen to take the side to the Federation Cup main round, the qualifiers of which will begin on September 8. Bhaichung had captained India for more than 10 years and has scored 43 international goals, more than any other footballer of the country. He is also the only Indian and one among few international players to have played more then 100 matches for his country. Under him, India won the South Asian Football Federation Championships thrice, two Nehru Cup titles (in 2007 and 2009) and the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup which gave India the right to play in the Asian Cup this year for the first time after 1984.

Classy Mancheter United beat Tottenham 3-0

Manchester: Manchester United secured a 3-0 victory over Tottenham in their first game of the season at Old Trafford, thanks to second half goals from Danny Welbeck, Anderson and Wayne Rooney.
Welbeck repaid the faith shown in him by Sir Alex Ferguson since the start of the season, with the 20-year-old influential in both United's first two goals, whilst Rooney grabbed his second of the campaign to cap off a fine evening for the Premier League champions.
Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to name a new look backline following injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in last week's clash at West Brom, with Phil Jones and Jonny Evans slotting in at centre-back, whilst Patrice Evra returned to the team at left-back in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up.

Brad Friedel was handed his competitive debut for Tottenham, replacing Heurelho Gomes in goal, as Harry Redknapp stuck with the same outfield XI that demolished Hearts 5-0 in Thursday's Europa League tie, with Croatian midfielder Luka Modric once again a notable absence.
The home side got off to lively start, with Younes Kaboul called into action to prevent Danny Welbeck latching on to Ashley Young's low cross, whilst Rafael van der Vaart’s casual loss of possession in the middle of his own half led to an early chance for Wayne Rooney, only for the striker to tamely header Nani's cross into the arms of Friedel.
Indeed the American was forced into action first in the battle of keepers, diving agilely to save Tom Cleverley's well struck effort from the edge of the box that had seemed destined for the bottom right hand corner of his goal.
Not until just before the half hour mark did United threaten again, with Rooney's dinked cross finding Ashley Young in the box, who peeled off Benoit Assou-Ekotto well, only to see his looped header just evade the top right hand corner of the Tottenham goal.
The visitor’s were limited to shots from distance, with David de Gea overcoming the barrage of mid-week criticism and dealing comfortably with efforts from Gareth Bale and Van der Vaart, as the Spaniard instead shifted the focus onto his impressive distribution.
Referee Lee Probert did well to calm a potential flash point between Nani and Kaboul after the winger caught the Frenchman with an outstretched leg, before bringing to a close a half which was void of any real moments of note.
Vedran Corluka replaced Kyle Walker at half time reportedly due to illness, although the 21-year-old had been consistently exposed at right-back throughout the first 45 minutes.
Harry Redknapp's side enjoyed a dominant spell of possession early in the second half, but again lacked the vision and incisiveness to make it count in the final third, with United instead once again peppering the Spur’s goalmouth with shots from Young, Anderson and Rooney in succession.
The deadlock was finally broken after 60 minutes, when Tom Cleverley's fierce cross was met in the air by Welbeck, who drifted in between the Tottenham centre-backs unmarked and guided the ball into the left hand corner of Friedel's goal.
Rooney then went close to doubling the host's lead five minutes later from a free-kick on the edge of the box, before Welbeck audaciously attempted an over head kick as the ball bounced loosely in the area, only for Friedel to be on hand twice to thwart both attempts at goal.
Phil Jones was then on hand to stifle Bale as the Welshman looked to pull the trigger in the opposition box, before De Gea's quick distribution found Young as United were straight back onto the counter-attack.
The ball eventually found its way to Anderson, who fed the ball through to Welbeck in the box, who in turn played a delightful back heeled pass into the path of Anderson that wrong-footed both Michael Dawson and Friedel, with the Brazilian sweeping the ball into the back of the net to give the home side a two-goal advantage.
Spurs were then unlucky not to take advantage of a questionable moment from De Gea, who failed to collect Corluka’s cross whilst under pressure from substitute Roman Pavyluchenko, with Defoe lashing his effort off the left hand post after the ball landed at his feet.
Rooney was on hand to add a third after 87 minutes, rising well to meet Ryan Gigg's cross and nod the ball into the back of the net to cap a convincing display from the current Premier League champions.
The victory puts Ferguson's side level on points with Wolves and rivals Manchester City, with all three sides enjoying a perfect start to the season.

Depleted Arsenal face tough Liverpool

London: Grappling with injuries, suspensions and departing players, Arsenal faces a tough early challenge in its Premier League campaign with the visit of Liverpool on Saturday.
A disappointing draw in its first league game has been coupled with captain Cesc Fabregas finally moving to Barcelona and the expected departure of midfielder Samir Nasri to Manchester City. Arsenal's chase for a first trophy since 2005 has also taken an early hit with defenders Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou joining midfielder Jack Wilshere on the sidelines by picking up hamstring injuries in Tuesday's 1-0 victory over Udinese in the first leg of their Champions League playoff.
Against Liverpool, Arsenal also has to cope without striker Gervinho and midfielder Alex Song after they were suspended over offenses committed in the opener at Newcastle.

While Arsenal was held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday at St. James' Park, Liverpool also had a disappointing start to the season with a 1-1 home draw against Sunderland.
But it is Arsenal's resources that are most stretched after an offseason outlay of barely 20 million pounds ($33 million) on Ivory Coast striker Gervinho and teenage winger Alex Chamberlain.
By contrast, Liverpool, which has American owners like Arsenal, spent around 50 million pounds over the offseason on top of an outlay of almost 60 million pounds in the January transfer window.
But Arsenal's players are expecting owner Stan Kroenke to strengthen the squad in the final two weeks of this transfer window.
"The players sometimes think, 'What's going on?' We've had a couple of injuries and we have to hope they are not too bad," winger Theo Walcott said. "We have got a fairly big squad but we don't want the squad to get lower and lower. ... I'm sure the boss has got players coming in.
"I don't know, but if you sell one of your best players, I'm sure he's got some options coming in."
After five years at Arsenal, Walcott can be considered a veteran of the team.
"I was the oldest player on the table for dinner at Newcastle at 22 years old," the England winger said. "This team has always been known for being so young but we cannot use that excuse anymore. We need to win something and that's the most important thing.
"It is important to have a mixture of experience and young players but the boss knows what he is doing. He has some great players that he has picked up and we didn't know where they came from."
It was not only Arsenal and Liverpool that experienced a lackluster start to the season, with Andre Villas-Boas' reign as Chelsea manager starting with a 0-0 draw at Stoke.
The 2010 champions will host West Bromwich Albion in Saturday's late match without goalkeeper Petr Cech, who has been ruled out for three to four weeks after injuring his knee in training.
"He fell awkwardly with his weight on top of him," Villas-Boas said.
Hilario is set to play in Cech's absence.
The only expected title contenders to start the season with wins were Manchester rivals United and City.
City's victory was the most emphatic, with Sergio Aguero scoring twice on his debut as Swansea was routed 4-0 on Monday. City makes the short trip on Sunday to Bolton, which also started the season with a 4-0 win at Queens Park Rangers.
"The start was really good and I want to keep like this. It was nice," Aguero said. "I had a chance to play a little bit and I enjoyed it."
United also brought in a player from Atletico Madrid in the offseason, but goalkeeper David de Gea has experienced a more troublesome start to life in England.
The Spaniard was criticized after conceding twice in the Community Shield against City and he was also considered to be at fault for West Bromwich's goal on Sunday, although Alex Ferguson's side recovered to win 2-1.
"Alex will work his magic and the staff will work their magic, and he will be one of the great players by the end of the season," said former United great Bobby Charlton, a club director.
De Gea's next test is in the Monday night match against Tottenham, which is yet to play this season after its opener against Everton was canceled due to security issues following the London riots.
In Saturday's other matches, Newcastle is at Sunderland for a northeast derby, Aston Villa hosts Blackburn, Queens Park Rangers travels to Everton and Swansea faces Wigan in the first Premier League match to be played in Wales.
On Sunday, Norwich hosts Stoke and Fulham is at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Messi’s late winner helps Barcelona win Spanish Super Cup

Barcelona: Majestic Lionel Messi volleyed a late winner as Barcelona beat arch-rivals Real Madrid 3-2 in a fiery Spanish Super Cup second leg on Wednesday to secure a 5-4 aggregate victory after the match ended with a mass brawl that saw three players sent off.
The Argentine World Player of the Year capped another marvellous performance with an unstoppable volley to claim the first silverware of the season before the trouble erupted.
Tempers boiled over on the touchline after debutant Cesc Fabregas was hacked down by Marcelo and the Brazilian defender, Mesut Ozil of Real and Barca’s David Villa were all dismissed.

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi from Argentina scores his goal. Andres Kudacki/AP Photo

Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored the winning goal against Real Madrid. Andres Kudacki/AP Photo
Messi had set up Andres Iniesta for the first goal in the 15th minute and, after Cristiano Ronaldo had quickly equalised, he scampered through to grab the second just before the break. Karim Benzema put Real level again with nine minutes remaining but the irrepressible Messi guided Barca to victory with another piece of magic that had the crowd in raptures.
Pep Guardiola fielded the side that won the Champions League final last May, which meant new signing Fabregas from Arsenal started on the bench, but Real bossed the opening minutes.
The visitors pushed up on Barca from the start and Ronaldo stung Victor Valdes’s hands inside the first minute as they harried and hustled their hosts all over the pitch.
Frightening Pace
The game was being played at a frightening pace when Messi picked up the ball in midfield and played the darting Iniesta straight through the middle with a perfectly weighted pass.
The Spanish international dinked the ball past the advancing Iker Casillas in a one-on-one to open the scoring, but Real quickly levelled when Barca struggled to clear a corner and Karim Benzema’s shot was diverted in by Ronaldo.
Casillas and Valdes each pulled off impressive saves on two occasions but it was Messi again who proved the difference.
When a corner was not properly cleared on the edge of the Real area, the Argentine chested the ball down to Gerard Pique.
The Barca defender back-heeled a delightful return pass to his flying team mate, who picked his way past two defenders and deftly lifted the ball over Casillas.
The second half failed to live up to the first as petty niggles interrupted the flow of the game, until Benzema pounced on a loose ball in the Barca area and struck the equaliser.
Guardiola then threw on Fabregas but it was Messi who provided the final breakthrough, feeding Adriano Correia out wide and then connecting with his low cross to smash home the winner inside the near post.
For Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile the victory means he has joined the club on a winning note, just three days after completing his move from Arsenal.

Barcelona after winning the Spanish Super Cup. AP
The 24-year-old Spanish World Cup winner came on for Pedro in the 82nd minute, just after Real had equalised at 2-2. ”I’m very pleased. It’s a great start winning and with such positive sensations,” Fabregas told Spanish state television as Barca’s players paraded the trophy around the Nou Camp.
Fabregas returned to the club he left in 2003 on Monday after one of the most drawn out transfer sagas in recent years, when he completed a move which could cost Barca up to 39 million euros ($56 million).
Having only won two trophies in his eight years with Arsenal, the 2004 league title and the 2005 FA Cup, Fabregas has now won his first piece of silverware in a Barca shirt after only three days.
At the end of Wednesday night’s game, Fabregas, who had not had much chance to contribute to the action, was hacked down by Marcelo near the two dugouts.
A huge touchline melee between the Barca and Real Madrid squads ended with Marcelo, his Real team mate Mesut Ozil and Barca’s David Villa all being sent off.
“Football is very competitive, they are two of the biggest teams in the world, and the rivalry is great,” he added with a shrug.
“These are things that always happen in football.”
Reuters

Is Arsenal a second-rung club now?

Barcelona's Fabregas kisses the Barcelona emblem on his jersey during his presentation at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona. Reuters.

By Ashish Magotra

Almost no one was surprised to see Cesc Faberegas leave Arsenal and join Barcelona; mainly because the transfer saga had gone on for so long that it was starting to edge into soap opera territory. At some point, you expected it to happen.
But like a soap opera, just before something important was about to be said, Arsenal and Barcelona would take a break and leave us hanging. This went on for a long time and which is why, when it finally happened, most of us just said, ‘Thank God, it’s over,’ yawned, and moved on.
Now, we can get on with life. And with the English Premiership in full swing, Febregas should soon be forgotten. But at Arsenal that seems unlikely because past great are only forgotten when the current lot performs consistently and wins games. The Gunners, the current lot, will face a struggle doing that.

Barcelona's Fabregas kisses the Barcelona emblem on his jersey during his presentation at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona. Reuters.
The Arsenal management wasn’t even able to extract the right price for Fabregas, a fact that was acknowledged by manager Arsene Wenger. Vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu said Barca paid 29 million euros (25.19 million pounds) for the 24-year-old and that five million more would be payable if the side won two La Liga titles and one Champions League with him in the squad. To put things into perspective that’s lesser than what Manchester City paid for Sergei Aguero.
They still have talent but they don’t have the men to bring that talent together as a cohesive unit; as a unit that can strike fear into the opposition. Fabregas is gone, Nasri is on his way out and for perhaps the first time in years, there is talk that Arsene Wenger will be on his way out as well… all going out, nothing of any real quality coming in.
They’d like to believe that a new era is beginning at Arsenal but the truth of the matter is that the prospects aren’t very good. Manchester United have got stronger in the off-season, as have Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham. Arsenal, on the other hand, has regressed.
Beautiful football, without sense or purpose, can also be useless football and expect Arsenal to play a lot of that this season. They don’t have the right men to pull the strings.
Arsenal, right now, isn’t a team that wins trophies. It is a team that pick players young, recognises their talent, polishes them and then watches them conveniently make their way to greener pastures. One of the main reasons for that happening is that you cannot be recognised as a big club unless you win trophies.
Arsenal hasn’t won anything recently and looks unlikely to break that drought anytime soon. So why would any world class talent want to make his way to the Emirates Stadium? Why?
Wenger’s got almost 30m Euros more at his disposal and he needs midfield reinforcements fast. Most Arsenal fans would like to see some decisive action now – big deals and quality players. Wenger has been admired for his ability to get young, talented players but right now, he needs to spend all the money he has at his disposal.
This isn’t time to rebuild; there isn’t enough time for that. This is the time to go out there and make your presence felt. Do it now or be prepared to settle into the second rung of the Premiership. The other clubs are ambitious and if Arsenal don’t show that same quality, they will be left behind.

Manchester United hot favourites for EPL title

Manchester United legend Roy Keane is convinced that Sir Alex Ferguson’s team will retain the Premier League “comfortably”

London: With EPL new season starting soon, former stars are convinced Old Trafford remains the hot place to be once again. ManU legend Roy Keane is convinced who starts as favourites again. " Sir Alex Ferguson said the other day the league's getting tougher. But I don't think so. If United are really at it, which they will be, they'll win it comfortably," the Sun quoted Keane, as saying.

"Even last year when United were slipping up, no team was strong enough to take advantage of it," he added.

The 40-year-old further dismissed talk of United lacking enough experience following the retirements of Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.

"United have bought well. People talk about losing experience and I appreciate that Van der Sar, Neville and Scholes have all retired. But they have good young players coming through -- and Wayne Rooney can play better than he did last season," Keane said.

"When you look at the players they have left behind, they have Vidic, Rio, Darren Fletcher -- these are all international players. And Giggsy is still there, too. United don't let players go unless they know they have players coming through to replace them," he added.
Ex-Manchester United star Gary Neville has told old rivals Liverpool that their desperate 21-year wait for the title is set to continue. Neville knows all about the longing, as Manchester United took 26 years to secure its first title in 1992-93.

Neville, 36, who hung up his boots last season, said: "Liverpool are getting to that point where they need that success now. The club demands it. Going back to 1992-3, you just become very desperate and very wanting. You become needy."

The Sun further quoted him, as saying: "You feel like it's a goal, it's a challenge, rather than something to get excited about. You can see exactly what Kenny Dalglish is trying to do there. He has brought an identity back to the club. Whether they can go on and win the title... I''m not sure whether that will happen this season." (ANI)

Chelsea step up their hunt for Neymar

Chelsea has stepped up their pursuit of Brazilian strike ace Neymar. Blues coach Roberto di Matteo watched the 19-year-old play for his country against Germany in Stuttgart. Chelsea are long-term admirers of the Santos star, who has a 40-million-pound release clause in his contract.

But they face stiff competition from former Stamford Bridge boss Jose Mourinho, now in charge of Real Madrid. Manchester City, Barcelona and Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala are also Neymar fans. Di Matteo''s report will determine Chelsea's next move, the Sun reports.

Meanwhile, Manchester City are ready to sign Italian winger Alessio Cerci if they fail to land Arsenal's Samir Nasri. According to the Sun, coach Roberto Mancini has confirmed he wants a right winger and central midfielder to complete his summer spending.

Nasri is City's top target with the transfer deadline in three weeks'' time. But talks are progressing slowly and City are aware Gunners have registered Nasri for their Champions League qualifier against Udinese.

The FA Cup winners would be happy to call Arsenal's bluff knowing they could get their man much cheaper in January - or for nothing next summer.

If both players do join City it would push Shaun Wright-Phillips closer to the Eastlands exit as Bolton, Wigan, Stoke and Sunderland are queuing up to sign the winger.

City are also keeping a close eye on developments at Inter Milan with Carlos Treves's future still up in the air. The Italians are weighing up an offer to sell striker Samuel Eton's to ambitious Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. That could help them finance a serious bid to sign Tevez.

Source: ANI

Barca players believe Fabregas is on his way

Barcelona: Barcelona defenders Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol believe Cesc Fabregas' transfer to the Spanish club from Arsenal is imminent.

They both sent messages on Twitter saying the deal is almost done, while goalkeeper Victor Valdes said in a news conference he expected it to be finalized later Friday.
Puyol tweeted "welcome home ... great to have you here," while Pique wrote: "We have him here!"
"I think that the deal is practically confirmed -- I'm certain he will come and he will be with us," Valdes said in a news conference. "I can't imagine (Barcelona without Fabregas) but as you know anything can happen in football. I think he will be signed in a matter of hours."
Arsenal is currently considering an offer for the 24-year-old Fabregas from the Spanish and European champions, who have tried to bring the Spain midfielder back to his boyhood club since 2009.
Spanish reports put the last offer at about C40 million ($57 million) including variables.Fabregas left for Arsenal in September 2003 and became the Gunners' youngest ever starter one month later at age 16.
Fabregas, who won the 2010 World Cup and 2008 European Championship with Spain, has scored 57 goals in 303 appearances and won one league title and the FA Cup with Arsenal.

Indian football team to leave for West Indies tomorrow

New Delhi/Kolkata, Aug 12 (PTI) The Indian football team will leave for the West Indies tour tomorrow with a stopover in riot-hit London where the Indian High Commission will make arrangements for their security, a top national federation official said today. The All India Football Federation had deferred the departure of the team by a day due to security concerns at the British capital which has been engulfed in riots for the past few days. The team was earlier supposed to stay overnight in London but under the revised travel schedule they won't be staying at the British capital and would be transported from one airport to another with the Indian High Commission making security arrangements. The team leaves Delhi tomorrow for Kolkata where they board a flight to Dubai at 8.30pm en route to London. In London, they will be transported from Heathrow to Gatwick Airport from where they will fly to the Caribbeans. "Indian team will leave tomorrow and they will land in Heathrow from where they will go to Gatwick to catch a flight to Barbados. Indian High Commission will oversee the security arrangements there in view of the prevailing situation," AIFF Vice-President Subrata Dutta told reporters in Kolkata. India are scheduled to play three friendlies against Caribbean Island countries from August 17 to 24 but the AIFF made changes in the schedule as well as the opponents. Earlier, the AIFF had said that India would open their tour with a match against Barbados but in a release today it said the first friendly will be against St Kitts and Nevis on August 17. The second and third matches will be against Guyana (Aug 21) and Trinidad and Tobago (Aug 24). According to earlier statements, India were to play Trinidad and Tobago on August 21 and Guyana on August 24.

Dynamo tame FCI 3-1

A moment from the match between FCI and Dynamo at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. Picture by UB Photos
Super League
Guwahati, Aug. 10: Dynamo Club battled the slush to outplay FCI Sports Club 3-1 in a match of the RG Baruah GSA Super Division Football League at Nehru Stadium here today.
Having already booked a berth in the championship leg, Dynamo would have pumped in more goals had the ground been dry, as the FCI forward line looked relatively weak and short on firepower. A heavy afternoon shower had rendered the ground slushy.
Dynamo opened account in the 10th minute after agile Akhil Baroi headed a through pass from Onyebi Nandos Ogbonna into the goal. Seven minutes later, a deft pass from Akhil was connected to perfection by striker Tarak Das, who was a tad fortunate to catch the goalkeeper off-balance as the latter slipped and helplessly saw the ball roll into the net.
After dominating the first half, Dynamo started afresh after the lemon break. However, the FCI men combined well and were apparently desperate to reduce the margin. After synchronising in the midfield, the FCI men however could not utilise the chances that came their way. But luck finally smiled on them as a long ranger by Lanjik Rongmei caught Dynamo goalkeeper Mantu Mallik unawares in the 66th minute.
The match finally livened up but Dynamo kept the heat on near the opposition goalmouth and in the 70th minute, the fleet-footed Akhil showed his class as he connected a pass from captain Abraham Goodluck for a decisive 3-1 lead. In the 85th minute, FCI suffered another setback when they were reduced to 10 men as Teker Hmar committed a foul on Ezekiel Sunday and was shown the red card.
Meanwhile, favourites Navajyoti Club thrashed Chandmari Sports Club by 5-0 goals in a match of the Jibeswar Goswami ‘A’ Division Football League here today.

East Bengal introduce players with much fanfare

Tolgay Ozebe with a model, at the CC&FC, on Monday. A Telegraph picture
Calcutta: Rivals beware! East Bengal striker Tolgay Ozebe promises to net more goals than he scored last season. “I have become more lethal. Mark my words…” the Australian said during the introduction of the players at the CC&FC, on Monday.
The gala function had a liberal doze of glamour too but it was the dapper Australian, who was the cynosure of all eyes.
No sooner the eemcee announced the name “Tolgay Ozebeeeee”, there was a staccato of whistles and deafening applauses all around.
And as he walked onto the stage with a model, the man seemed to be enjoying every bit of the attention.
“I took my time to adjust. But once I got into the groove, there was no stopping me. Now, I know the Indian style of football. So, this season, people can expect more goals from me,” said Tolgay.
The Australian is without doubt the best signing by East Bengal in recent years and is extremely popular with the fans. Why not? After all he scored 38 goals in his 27 appearances and played a stellar role in the red and gold brigade’s success last season.
According to Tolgay he owed his goals to his teammates. “I have a brilliant understanding with the teammates. The goals I scored was all because of my colleagues,” the striker said. East Bengal, for the record, retained most of the players. And Tolgay feels this is a huge plus for the team.
“This is a positive sign for us. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This is one of the vital aspects in building a team,” he said.
The new faces who will don the East Bengal colours are Branco Cardozo (Chirag United) and Khangtang Paite (Churchill Brothers) while Raju Gaikwad, Gurpreet Singh and Abhishek Das will return from Indian Arrows.
East Bengal coach Trevor James Morgan sounded happy with the side. “I have total faith in my team… I hope the new recruits will get accustomed quickly,” the British coach said.
Meanwhile, Morgan will get a new assistant in Alvito D’Cunha. The club’s ambassador Alvito, who was bogged down by injuries for the last couple of seasons, will also play if the situation demands.
“I am very happy to work under Morgan. He is a great motivator and a tactician. We owe much of our success to him,” the Goan said.
The Squad
Goalkeepers: Sandip Nandi, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Abhra Mondal (captain), Jayanta Pal, Debjit Majumdar
Defenders: Ravinder Singh, Saumik Dey, Robert Lalthlamuana, Uga Okpara, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chetri, Sunil Kumar Thakur, Raju Gaikwad, Sunil Kumar, Naoba Singh, Abhishek Das, Saikat Saha Roy
Midfielders: Alvito D’Cunha, B Beokhokhei, Khangtang Paite, Milan Singh, Mehtab Hossain, Penn Orji, R Vashum, Charan Rai, Subodh Kumar, Sushant Matthew, Sanju Pradhan, Harmanjyot Singh Khabra
Forwards: Tolgay Ozebe, Robin Singh, Branco Cardozo, Baljit Sahni, Biswarup Deb, Budiram Tudu.
Coach: Trevor James Morgan
Assistant coaches: Ranjan Chowdhury and Alvito D’Cunha
Goalkeeping coach: Atanu Bhattacharya.

Nani strikes twice in Man U’s Community Shield win

Wembley, England: Manchester United beat Manchester City 3-2 in the Community Shield on Sunday, rallying behind Nani’s two goals in the traditional opener to the English soccer season.
Nani completed the Premier League champion’s great comeback by scoring the winner in the fourth minute of injury time. The Portuguese winger stripped City captain Vincent Kompany of the ball near midfield, ran unchallenged into the penalty area and rounded goalkeeper Joe Hart to score.

The victorious Manchester United team with the trophy. Sang Tan/AP

“We all believe until the last minute, and the attitude of the lads in the second half was that everyone believed we could score,” Nani said. “It is good to play against Man City and win like that. I think our fans today will be so proud of us. It is a beautiful day to enjoy.”
United trailed 0-2 after goals by Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko despite dominating possession. United got back in the game when Chris Smalling tapped in Ashley Young’s 52nd-minute free kick. Seven minutes later, Nani lifted the ball over goalkeeper Joe Hart.
City seemed happy to settle for a penalty-kick shootout until Nani struck again before a Wembley crowd of 77,169.
“I tried to chip it but the keeper stayed on his feet,” Nani said. “So at the last second I changed my mind,” Nani said.
Lescott was perhaps City’s best player in a game littered with yellow cards and rash tackles. He blocked a close shot by Smalling on the line and deflected a free kick by Nani past the post before he headed in David Silva’s free kick in the 38th minute.
City manager Roberto Mancini made sure his players returned to the field to applaud their victorious opponents.
“It is correct,” Mancini said. “It is right because they won. But we are happy because we played this game and we want to play this game every year if possible.”

Leap of faith

A line began to snake its way out of the Ambedkar Stadium. For 71 minutes, these fans had endured a non-stop downpour and packed the roofless stands almost to capacity, despite knowing that India had little chance of upturning a 3-0 first leg deficit and pipping UAE to the third round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. With the home side 2-0 down and 5-0 behind on aggregate, they finally lifted their sodden selves off the concrete steps. Just as the queue began to disappear into the darkness of the staircase landing, however, it stopped and wavered. On the pitch, Jeje Lalpekhlua hovered in mid-air, leaping to meet a cross from Lalrindika Ralte. The striker’s glancing header rippled the net at the far corner. The line turned back.

Maybe — the fans now thought — we can still get something out of this. In the end, India did: a 2-2 draw achieved in injury time. The celebrations on the marsh-like pitch weren’t those of a side exiting the World Cup qualifiers at an early stage and on the verge of slipping six places down the FIFA rankings to 153. Instead, they seemed to reflect a realisation among the players that they could compete with a side like the UAE, ranked 44 places above them.

Of the 13 players who took the field against UAE, four — Jeje, Ralte, Raju Gaikwad and Jewel Raja Shaikh — had also played for India’s under-23s against Qatar a month before. They had lost 4-2 on aggregate, but came closer to going through than the scoreline indicated. The 1-1 draw in the second leg at Pune’s Balewadi Stadium could have been 3-1, if not for a missed penalty in the first half and a spurned one-on-one in the second.

Signs of progress

Like the seniors — who played with nine men for over two-thirds of the first leg — the kids too had excuses to fall back on. This might not sound like much, but having excuses after defeat separates Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, to provide a cricketing analogy, from associate nations like Canada and the Netherlands. Becoming the footballing equivalent of Test cricket’s whipping boys is, at this point, the extent of India’s ambition. While even that remains a distant dream, there are signs of progress.

The attitude of the younger players — most of them toughened by a year at the Indian Arrows, the AIFF’s developmental squad in the I-League — has impressed a number of seniors.

“Some wonderful young talents like Raju Gaikwad, Laxmikant Kattimani and Jewel Raja have arrived in Indian football and their biggest plus point is that they don’t have any inferiority complex,” says goalkeeper Subrata Paul. “Seniors like me, Sunil Chhetri, Climax Lawrence, Samir Naik are always there to guide them. They are all good listeners and quick learners.”

It also helps that the Indian team prepares much better for competitive matches than before. Prior to the two-legged tie against UAE, India had a three-week camp at Delhi followed by friendlies against Maldives and Qatar.

“Going abroad for training and practice matches was almost unthinkable even five-six years ago,” says Chhetri. “We lost all our group league matches in the Asian Cup, but playing against some of the world’s best players certainly helped. And more international matches mean we can now take on any top Asian team without fear.”

A lot more exposure

Over the next few weeks, India — despite not having any competitive fixtures to look forward to for a while — will travel to the Caribbean to gain more exposure. “We will play four matches there against quality sides like Jamaica, Barbados and others,” says Paul. “These are sides that provide players to European leagues. So it would be a real opportunity for us to make a mark.”

Things were quite different a decade ago. When India — a talented side containing the likes of IM Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri and Baichung Bhutia in his prime — defeated UAE 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Bangalore in 2001 with minimal preparation. “We didn’t play any international friendlies then,” says Deepak Mondal, a mainstay of India’s backline for over a decade. “We just had a camp of around 15-20 days. It was under coach Stephen Constantine (2002-05) that we started playing friendlies. And after Bob Houghton arrived, we did it more often. It was totally different then compared to now. Even the facilities we had weren’t as good.”

Not that the current lot enjoy world class facilities, of course. Two days before their home leg, the Indian team trained on a school ground, with a cricket pitch in the middle. Chhetri’s time at the Kansas City Wizards showed him the gulf that still remains to be bridged. “There is no comparison. In Kansas, they have their separate training ground, top-class gym, and everything that footballers need,” says the 26-year-old striker. “Here in India, we barely have a proper football pitch. Most I-League clubs don’t have their own grounds.”

It isn’t just infrastructure that needs a makeover. It took the formation of the Indian Arrows for talents like Jeje and Jewel Raja Shaikh to get regular playing time and show their wares. A reserve or youth-team league would be an ideal stepping-stone for young talent, but only a handful of clubs have invested in youth development.

“Pune FC, Salgaocar and Vasco — these three clubs have a good youth development programme for players aged from 12 to 20. They look after the boys well,” says Brazilian playmaker Beto, who recently switched allegiance from Dempo to Churchill Brothers. “Otherwise, a lot of Indian players tend to start between 16 and 18.”

Two years ago, Beto and compatriot Barreto, the Mohun Bagan striker, started the Brasil Futebol Academia in Goa, where children under 12 develop their skills and awareness by playing futsal, before graduating to the football pitch. “We’ve been here for a long time, and seen a lot of talent go waste,” says Beto. “We didn’t want to leave without making a contribution.”

But even the combined contributions of all the major academies in the country — including the Tata Football Academy, the Sesa Academy in Goa and the Mohun Bagan-SAIL Academy — are barely plugging the gap. “It isn’t enough,” says Beto. “In Brazil, there’s an academy in every village.”

Big hurdles

The biggest hurdle that prevents investment in youth development or in better infrastructure is a lack of belief that there is a big enough fan-base for Indian football — it is this, in the long term, that will help generate returns.

There isn’t any lack of love for football as such, as evidenced by the proliferation of replica Barcelona and Liverpool jerseys on the streets, or the sheer numbers of Indian fans who watched the 2010 World Cup. And so, there’s little doubt whether stadiums would fill up if Argentina plays a friendly or if Blackburn Rovers come visiting. But can Indian football fill stadiums, or generate significant TV audiences?

There is one theory that non-stop access to the Messis and Rooneys on TV has drawn audiences away from their local stadiums. Some, however, believe that there’s a certain amount of reverse-osmosis in play as well.

“People sometimes blame European football for taking the attention away from the I-League and the national team, but the global game has helped local football tremendously,” says Atishay Agarwal, the editor of 90 Minutes, an Indian, football-only magazine launched last month. “Although fans usually become fans by following the international game, at some stage they do get curious about Indian football and where our country stands in the sport, and things begin from there.”

The turnout for the India-UAE game — or for most other India matches in recent years — would support Agarwal’s theory. But the I-League has struggled to draw crowds, except in a few centres. It isn’t clear how much of this is down to apathy, and how much has to do with scheduling — who would watch afternoon matches on weekdays? — and poor marketing on the part of clubs and the AIFF. Last season, the league went without a broadcast partner. At the end of the season, JCT FC disbanded.

Exciting times

Amidst this gloom, a couple of interesting developments showed the existence of a sizeable fan-base waiting to be tapped. Pune FC and Shillong’s Lajong FC launched their own channels — the former on YouTube, the latter on free-to-air television — to broadcast highlights and feature shows on their clubs. Since its launch last October, PFC TV has generated over 30,000 upload views. “Last year, PFC TV was among the hundred most subscribed YouTube channels in India,” says Chirag Tanna, Pune FC’s director of operations. “This season, we’ve made it fully HD.”

Pune FC have also made an effort to reach out to the local community, organising tournaments at the inter-school and inter-corporate levels. They also invite schools to attend their matches. “On average, I’d say we have around 700 schoolkids coming to watch each of our games,” says Tanna. These efforts have certainly helped attract a new generation of fans. At the time of writing, Pune FC’s official Facebook page has generated 26,080 ‘likes’, the highest among I-League clubs — East Bengal (15,544) and Mohun Bagan (12,975) are distant second and third.

It’s quite a triumph for a club with no history, from a non-traditional football centre. Somewhere in these defiantly out-of-the-box methods lies a clue for Indian football.

(With inputs from Shamik Chakrabarty)

FCI hold ASEB to goalless draw

A moment from the match between FCI (in yellow) and ASEB at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. Picture by UB Photos

Super League

Guwahati, Aug 2 : FCI Sports Club held favourites ASEB Sports Club to a goalless draw in the RG Baruah GSA Super Division Football League, 2011 at Nehru Stadium here today.
The powermen were lacklustre in the first half.
FCI gained the upper hand in the first 45 minutes, though ASEB made the odd moves that didn’t threaten goalkeeper Gobinda Boro.
The fleet-footed Teker Hmar came close to scoring one for FCI in the 30th minute, as he dribbled past three defenders only to stumble at the goalmouth.
The second half saw the powermen lift their game somewhat but paid the price of holding on to the ball for too long. Their best chance came in the 51st minute, when Chayaram Basumatary headed one airborne straight on to the woodwork while Sibra Narzary shot one wide four minutes later.
In the 78th minute, ASEB goalkeeper Daoga Brahma brought substitute David March Goyari down in the danger zone to concede a penalty. Goalkeeper Gobinda Boro, however, blocked N. Momocha Singh’s shot, as he dived to his right.
The powermen, who lost their first game, survived a scare but have their backs to the wall in the league.
In a match of the Jibeswar Goswami A-Division Football League, Nabajyoti Club outclassed City Police 2-0.

Nagaland Football Assn inks MoU for Premium Football league

Kohima, Aug 1 : The Nagaland Football Association (NFA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Sports Management Company 442 Management to conduct the Nagalands first State Premium Football League.

The MoU was signed by NFA president Atuo Mezhur and the Managing Partner of 442 Management Asalie Peseyie here this evening. Addressing a press conference after signing of memorandum Mr Mezhur informed that the terms of the agreement (MoU) is for one year. However, if both the parties satisfactorilly agreed, the MoU will be extended for another year.

The 442 Management will arrange formation of new football clubs, associations and unions in various districts to participate in the Nagaland State Premium Football League.

He said when the proposal had come from 442 Management, the delighted NFA accepted, however, it took months to study properly and as a result the MOU was signed today. Mr Mezhur said that football is a very popular game in Nagaland.

However, there is not a single professional footballer in the state. He hoped that with the introduction of State Premium League, Nagaland will be able to produce professional football players to compete in the national and international arena.

Replying to the query, 442 Managements Managing Partner Yudang Ao informed that the 442 Management was a concept some of the sports lovers and organisers of Nagaland with their past experiences for years.

However, it came to existence only last year and had taken up various Sports Management Events to develop sports and games among the younger generation and make the state a sport tourist destination.

He hoped that they will able to begin the State Premium Football League sometime in November next after completion of registration of the new clubs and unions and it will able to attract a good number of teams from every district of the state.