Anto brace helps Karnataka thrash Andhra 5-2

After conceding an early goal via penalty, Karnataka responded aggressively by pumping 5 goals against Andhra, and registered their second straight won in Santosh Trophy South Zone leg played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. 

Junior India International Anto Xavier look to be in prime form scoring brace in both matches. 

Karnataka’s might will be tested in the coming two matches against Tamil Nadu and Kerala, they play their next match against Tamil Nadu on Saturday, February 1.

Bengaluru FC sign Versatile Midfielder Vineeth

Bengaluru FC Media

Bengaluru FC on Thursday announced the signing of versatile midfielder CK Vineeth from United Sports Club on a deal that runs through the end of the season. Dubbed as serious title contenders after an impressive debut season that sees them atop the table, Bengaluru’s shoring up of their midfield with the signing is a statement of intent. The youngster trained with the team at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Thursday. 

Twenty-five-year-old Vineeth’s first tryst with the I-League was in the 2010-11 season where he scored on debut for Viva Kerala. In the League’s 2012-13 edition, he ended up as highest Indian scorer with seven goals. 

“I am absolutely pleased to sign for Bengaluru FC. Everyone is seeing what the club is doing and the chance to be a part of something this exciting was difficult to turn down. I spoke to a lot of people before taking the decision and all of them had only nice things to say. I also dropped by and had a small run down of the way things at the club are done and I was totally impressed. I also had managed a word with Sunil Chhetri and he spoke highly of the club,” said the Kannur-born lad who started his football with stints at Chennai Customs and Kerala State Electricity Board. 

Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood was pleased with the club’s latest acquisition. “We are very happy and pleased to have Vineeth on board. He is a player we have been tracking for a while now and someone who had a good last season in the I-League. I’m sure he will be a good addition to the squad and will give us genuine competition for places as he can cover a number of roles. Hopefully, with our methods and standards, we will improve him as an individual and get him back in the national squad,” said Westwood. 

Santosh Trophy: South Zone Fixture and Points Table

Points Table

Fixture 

• January 26, 2014: Tamil Nadu 1 Vs Kerala 0 
• January 26, 2014: Andhra Pradesh 5 Vs 0 Andaman & Nicobar
• January 28, 2014: Karnataka 12 (Ngurilal Hmar-3', 13', 62'], Don Bosco-37', 60', 69', Xavier Anto-38', 46', Spephen-28', 33'], Xavier-74', Gopi-76') Vs Andaman & Nicobar 0 
• January 28, 2014: Kerala 3 (P Ushman-33', 71', R Kannan-79') Vs Andhra Pradesh 1 (Syed Khaleel-59')
• January 30, 2014: Karnataka 5 (Anto Xavier-20', 51', Don Bosco-29', Xavier Vijaykumar-62', Vignesh-69') Vs Andhra Pradesh 2 (Mouzzam-16', Syed Khaleel-79')
• January 30, 2014: Andaman & Nicobar 1 (Shibu Bernard-42') Vs Tamil Nadu 10 (A Reegan-15', 53', Santha Kumar-29', K Sathish-32', Vikram Vishwas Patil-59', S Karthik-81', Ameeruddin-82', 88', 93', Charles Anandraj-87')
• February 1, 2014: Karnataka 1 (Prakash B) Vs Tamil Nadu 1 
• February 1, 2014: Andaman Nicobar 0 Vs Kerala 17 
• February 3, 2014: Karnataka 2 Vs Kerala 3 
• February 3, 2014: Andhra Pradesh 0 Vs Tamil Nadu 4 

[2013-14] C Division knock-out football tourney

32 teams are in fray for C Division tournament organized by BDFA. Competition kicks off today 2 pm, at BUFC National College ground, Basavangudi. 

This knock-out football tournament will be played for 30 minutes each half, followed by penalty shoot-out if the match ends in a draw. 

Fixtures

Phase 2

Round 1

• February 20, 2014, 2 pm: South India 0 Vs BOSCH 7 (Suresh-5', Arun-12', 13', 33', Bijoy-15', Pratap-22', 35')
• February 20, 2014, 3.30 pm: Hindu Socials Vs 515 ABWS
  Hindu Socials did not turn up, 515 ABWS got walk over
• February 21, 2014, 2 pm: Blitz 2 (Mithun-40', Pradeep-56') Vs Rabbani 1 (Abdul-17')
• February 21, 2014, 3.30 pm: Rebels 2 (Adam-38', Pradeep-54' [own goal]) Vs Vijaya Nagar 0  
• February 28, 2014, 2 pm: Jolly Brothers 0[2] (tie breaker- Naveen, Bhadri) Vs Konkan 0[4] (tie breaker- Pandian, Likith, Kiran, Anup)
  *match postponed on February 22 owing to unavailability of the ground
• February 27, 2014, 3.30 pm: Thamarai Kannan 1[4] (Varun [Manjunath, Karthick, Arunkumar, Joshi]) Vs Navarathna 1[2] (Darshan [Muragaraj, Devananda])  
  *February 22 match postponed owing to unavailability of the ground

Round 2

• February 24, 2014, 2 pm: Young Challengers 4 (Karthick-2', Prem-7', Manimaran-21', Mahesh Devaiah-49') Vs Active Union 0 
• February 24, 2014, 3.30 pm: Sarvagna Nagar 1 (Bhargov-28') Vs BOSCH 2 (Murali-37', Pratap-59') [Winner of South India Vs BOSCH] 
• February 25, 2014, 2 pm: Gorkha Boys 3 (Samartha-24', Anand-25', Abhishek-55') Vs Red United 0 
• February 25, 2014, 3.30 pm: Young Gems 0 Vs JJ FC 3 (Prathicks-40', Akash-43', 50')
• February 26, 2014, 2 pm: 515 ABWS 0 (Winner of Hindu Socials Vs 515 ABWS) Vs La Masia 3 (Raghu-12', Royan-19', Sujay-27') 
• February 26, 2014, 3.30 pm: Young Boys 1 (Naresh-45') Vs Royals 2 (Shin-20', Satish-56')
• February 27, 2014, 2 pm: Vinayaka 0[4] (Nayamed, Naresh, Shivakumar, Vishnu) Vs Shining Stars 0[5] (Adarsh, Prakash, Ganesh, Babu, Thiru)
• February 27, 2014, 3.30 pm: Blitz (Winner of Blitz Vs Rabbani) Vs Phantom 
• February 28, 2014, 2 pm: BTM 1 (Gautam-21') Vs Rebels (Winner of Rebels Vs Vijaya Nagar) 0
• February 28, 2014, 3.30 pm: Rovers 6 (Salomon-10', Simon-13', Lokesh-16', Manigandan-18', Dhanpal-20', Vishnu-26') Vs Young Blues 0 
• March 1, 2014, 2 pm: Misaka (w/o) Vs Muslim Heroes
  March 1, 2014, 3.30 pm: Sporting Youths 0 Vs Konkan - Winner of Jolly Brothers Vs Konkan 3 (Sujan-40', Pandian-55, Aslam-58')
• March 3, 2014, 2 pm: Young Dynamos 1 (Suji-49') Vs Bangalore Gunners 2 (Prathip-23', Vijay-32')
• March 3, 2014, 3.30 pm: Young Muslims Vs Bangalore Reds (w/o) 
• March 4, 2014, 2 pm: Maharaja Socials 0 Vs Tornado 3 (Naheed-24', 60', Purnesh-52')
• March 4, 2014, 3.30 pm: Thamarai Kannan 0 (Winner of Thamarai Kannan Vs Navarathna Vs  Hampi Nagar 3 (Rohit-17', Sidharath-44', 60')

Phase 1

Pre-Quarterfinal 

• February 10, 2014, 2 pm: Bangalore Boys 2 (Prashanth-29' Harish-48') Vs Indirangar 3 (Pradeep-4', 44', Jamsheed-25')
• February 10, 2014, 3.30 pm: East West 1 (Chandu-36') Vs City Club 3 (Shanker-13', Praveen-17', Chetan-42')
• February 11, 2014, 2 pm: Parikrma 2 (Santhosh-38; Prashanth-52') Vs IISC 1 (Ramiz-23')
• February 11, 2014, 3.30 pm: Indian Knights 1[5] (Joy- 61' [P], Arun, Ananth, Aju, Surjith, Rickson) Vs Binny 1[3] (Satish-42', Rajesh, Subhas, Satish) 

Round 2 

• February 5, 2014, 2 pm: Bangalore Boys 1[4] (Joseph-33' [Joseph, Parmesh, David, Prakash]) Vs Bangalore Warriors 1[2] (Arvind-59' [Arvind, Loithkumar])
• February 5, 2014, 3.30 pm: Indirangar 0[5] (Ravi, Umapathy, Praveen, Avinash, Pradep Augstin) Vs Triveni 0[4] ( S Ramesh, A Anandraj, N Shisikumar, Sourv Kiran Sarkar)
• February 6, 2014, 2 pm: Vivekananda 0 Vs East West 6 (Sumukh-8', 23', 43', Chandan-27', Govinda-51', Chandu-55')
• February 6, 2014, 3.30 pm: R S Associate 1[2] (Andrew-33' [Sunil, Andrew]) Vs City Club 1[4] (Prajwal-5' [Amar, Praveen, Sankalp, Prajwal])
• February 7, 2014, 2 pm: Parikrma 2 (Chongminlun-56' Santhosh J-57') Vs United FC 0 
• February 7, 2014, 3.30 pm: Goans 2 (Atlee-14', Rohit Carlo-33') Vs IISC 3 (Ajay-12', Rameez-20', Vignesh-33')
• February 8, 2014, 2 pm: Veterans 1[4] (Yogesh-20' [tie-breaker-Ronald, Mohan, Charan, sudden-death-Prasanth]) Vs Indian Knights 1[5] (Arun-13' [tie-breaker-Sonu, Aju, Benjamin, sudden-death-Surjith, Hashim]) 
• February 8, 2014, 3.30 pm: Binny 1 (Satish-37') Vs Bangalore Blues 0 

Round 1

• January 27, 2014, 2 pm: Yellow 1 (Mikumar-25') Vs Warriors 5 (Bharthidasan-29', 37', Loitakumar-30', Karthickmani-46', Arvind-56') 
• January 27, 2014, 3.30 pm: Bangalore Boys 2 (Harishkumar-27', Mukesh-50') Vs Devanahalli 0 
• January 28, 2014, 2 pm: Indiranagar 3 (Jamshad-2' and 47', Ravi-58') Vs Kempe Gowda 1 (Sharath-12')
• January 28, 2014, 3.30 pm: Triveni 1 (Bharathkumar-24') Vs Bangalore Youngsters 0 
• January 29, 2014, 2 pm: Bharat Matha 2 (Rahul-40', 47') Vs Vivekananda 7 (Michel-4',16', 20', 50', Prabhakar-55', 56', Varun-48') 
• January 29, 2014, 3.30 pm: Bagalkunte FC 0 Vs East West 3 (Vaseem-17', Sumukh-34', 39')
• January 30, 2014, 2 pm: R S Associates 7 (Thagu-2', 28', Sunil M-11', Srinivasa-17', Ango-20', 26', Shyamkumar-44') Vs Excelsiors 0
• January 30, 2014, 3.30 pm: City Club 3 (Praveen-7', Chetan-8', Sankalp-50') Vs EXLR8 2 (Shappan-17', Sandeep-22')
• January 31, 2014, 2 pm: Ambedkar 0 Vs Parikrma 5 (Nehminlen-10', 55', Sunil-28', Santosh S-40', Benney-51') 
• January 31, 2014, 3.30 pm: United FC 2 (Avinash H-38', Kiran M-44') Vs C2 FC 1 (Rakesh-55')
• February 1, 2014, 2 pm: ITC Vs Goans ITC did not turn up, Goans  got walk over
• February 1, 2014, 3.30 pm: IISC vs ECD
  ECD did not turn up, IISC got walk over
• February 3, 2014, 2 pm: Indian Knights 3 (Hashim-2', 10', 19') Vs Rangers 1 (Henry-3') 
• February 3, 2014, 3.30 pm: Sunesa 2[4] (Charles-20', 40' [Shivaprasad, Charles, M Jones, Jude Felix]) Vs Veterans 2[5] (Francies-15',28' [Vishnu, Charan, Mohan, Francies, Ronald])
• February 4, 2014, 2 pm: Bangalore Blues 4 (Vigneswaran-11', 53', Satish-39', Rajesh-58') Vs Crescent 0 
• February 4, 2014, 3.30 pm: Binny 3 (Harish-3', Deepan-15', Jeswin-59') Vs Mohd. Sporting 1 (A G Aiyanna-26')

Xavier to lead Karnataka’s charge in Santosh Trophy, face Andaman & Nicobar on Tuesday

The 20-strong squad of Karnataka left for Chennai yesterday to participate in

the 68^TH Santosh Trophy. The team is led by illustrious Xavier Vijaykumar and will be playing their South zone qualifiers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. 

Karnataka start their campaign against minnows Andaman & Nicobar on Tuesday, January 28. The other teams in their group include, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and previous edition runners-up Kerala. 

The team seems to be having a mix of experience and youth, after missing last two edition of Santosh, captain Xavier Vijaykumar males a comeback. Junior international Anto Xavier is a new inclusion, however, owing to a last-minute call to the national Under-22 team, management could not include former Indian Arrows boys defender Shankar and medio Deepak Prakash. 

Shankar has recently signed for Bengaluru FC and Deepak is plying his trade in Hindustan Eagles. 

Team 

Goal Keeper: Thomas, (DSK Shivajians), Razzak (HAL), Fayaz (Mangalore Dist.)

Defender: Prakash B, Jai Kumar (HAL), Chetan (Income Tax), Lokesh C (CIL), Arun Pondey (HAL), Nikhil (CIL), Imran (Chirtradurga Dist.)

Midfielder: Ngurilal Hmar (MEG), Don Bosco (BFC), Vignesh (Hindustaqn Eagles), Anto Xavier, (Student Union), Karthigyean (HAL), Tiken Singh (BEML), Xavier Vijayakumar (CAPTAIN-HAL)

Striker: Gopi (HAL), Stephen (Hindustan Eagles, Nanda (RWF), Vinu (Mangalore Dist.)

Manager - S Krishanaji Rao

Technical Director - R Thyagaraj

Coach - Aslam Khan

GK Coach - SS Shahi 

MUFC India 2014: Bengaluru FC lads falter at the last hurdle, finish runners up

Bengaluru FC Media

The Bengaluru FC Colts’ brilliant run in the Manchester United Premier Cup came to an end with a heartbreaking 3-1 defeat in extra time to BMSC Manipur in the All-India final played at the Balewadi Sports Complex, in Pune, on Friday. 

The under-15s impressed through the tournament but were undone by some slack defending when it mattered the most. Bengaluru earned their place in the final beating Mohammedan Sporting 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the semifinal after the teams were tied 2-2 after regulation time. 

The junior Blues began the final on all the right notes, shooting to a 10^th minute lead when Lokesh headed in a Shelton Paul cross. It would also be the first time BMSC had conceded a goal in the tournament. However, the lead was short-lived after BFC ’keeper Bill Clinton erroneously judged a BMSC freekick, letting it bounce over him into the goal. The Manipur team kept possession for most of the game, frustrating Bengaluru’s attempts of searching out a winner. 

The final went into extra time when BMSC struck in the 12^th minute of the first period, again from a BFC error. Receiving a pass from the ’keeper, right-back Prashanth was soon dispossessed and a pass later, Manipur scored their second. BMSC put the matter beyond Bengaluru’s reach with a third in the second period of extra time to lift the Cup. 

Clinton’s heroics under the bar in the shootout against Mohammedan where he pulled off three fantastic saves, earned him the goalkeeper of tournament award. 

“BFC has a defined and clear youth development philosophy and program and the results achieved here are a result of a lot hard work going into adhering to a training program and demanding high standards from the players. We have a good supply line developing in various age groups and hope to see these super colts play for the BFC at the highest level in the years to come,” said Richard Hood, head of youth development, Bengaluru FC. 

MUFC India 2014: Bengaluru FC colts crowned zonal champions

Bengaluru FC Media

The Bengaluru FC under-15s were crowned champions of the south-west zone of the Manchester United Premier Cup – India leg - with a 1-0 defeat of Dempo SC at the Balewadi Stadium, in Pune, on Wednesday. Pradeep R smashed home a scorching strike in the 32nd minute to hand the BFC colts zonal honors.

Opting for a cautious approach to the final, Dempo crowded their half, frustrating Bengaluru FC attempts that were being broken down frequently. But it took a moment of magic from Pradeep to seal an important win for BFC. The lead in hand, Bengaluru were content playing the possession game in an attempt to kill the encounter. 

However, Bengaluru’s biggest test will be on Friday when they take on Mohammedan Sporting in the semis of the All India final. Dempo and BMSC Manipur will battle it out in the second semifinal. 

“We are delighted that all the hard work over the months is paying off. The boys are enjoying their football and are following instructions to the tee. However, they must realize that the job is only half done. There is another Cup at stake,” said coach Saksham Kakkar. 

Earlier in the day, Bengaluru FC needed a 22nd minute strike from Shelton Paul to see off DFA Ernakulum. BFC play their semifinal at the Balewadi Stadium at 9 am. 

Chidi’ brace knocks Bengaluru FC out of Federation Cup

Report: AIFF Media 

Pic: Bengaluru FC Media 

Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh notched an opportunistic second-half double to knock Airtel I-League leaders Bengaluru FC out of the 35th Federation Cup here at the MDSC Stadium in Manjeri. 

Bengaluru FC and India Captain Sunil Chhetri and Australian striker Bengaluru FC failed to convert second-half penalties while Chidi made merry off a goalkeeping gaffe for his first and a powerful long ranger for his second. The win propelled East Bengal to four points from three matches while Bengaluru FC remained rooted to the same number of points from three outings. 

Sporting Clube de Goa advanced from Group B with six points and will now play Dempo in the second semifinal on Thursday, January 23, 2014. In the other semifinal, Mohun Bagan will play Churchill Brothers on the same day. Both the matches will be played at the JLNS stadium in Kochi. 

With Sporting Clube getting the better of Rangdajied United in the first kickoff of the day, Bengaluru FC needed a win to progress to the last-four stages and on the other hand the defending champions had only pride to play for. 

Both the teams went for glory from the very beginning of the match. In the 7th minute East Bengal’s Japanese playmaker Ryuji Sueoka failed to connect a delightful cross from Shylo Malsawmtlunga. 

Chidi combined well with Shylo three minutes later to get behind the Bengaluru FC defense but his powerful left-footer sailed over the bar.

Bengaluru FC thought they had their noses in front when Sean Rooney nodded in from close but the Australian’s goal was disallowed because one of his teammates was in an offside position. 

The Airtel I-League leaders had another good chance to take the lead when Captain Chhetri swept in a low cross for Rooney who miscued his header.

The best chance of the first half came to East Bengal just at the stroke of halftime. Chidi Edeh latched on to an unconvincing clearance by Bengaluru FC and let loose a stinging effort that fizzed inches over. 

After the break though, it was all East Bengal as they capitalized on two penalty misses by Bengaluru FC. 

First it was Sunil who was brought down by Arnab Mondal after the latter failed to clear the ball in defense and the India Captain latched onto his mistake and darted forward inside the box. 

But he was tripped by a backtracking Arnab which led a penalty. Much to the despair of the full house who was cheering Sunil every time he had possession, the Indian Captain hit his spot kick straight at Gurpreet Singh.

Hardly had Bengaluru FC regrouped from the penalty miss, their custodian Pawan Kumar let in a regulation save from Chidi’s 30-yard jab at goal. The ball rolled into the net beneath the outstretched arms of Pawan.

Chidi scored again few minutes later, letting loose a rasping 30-yard right-footer from Moga’s deflected attempt. 

Sean Rooney capped a bad in office for Bengaluru FC’s when he muffed his effort wide from the spot after earning the penalty. 

East Bengal could have walked away with a three goal win had Moga's effort from a free kick not come off the crosspiece.

MUFC India 2014: Bengaluru FC boys notch second win

Bengaluru FC Media

The Bengaluru FC under-15s made it two wins in as many games beating Mumbai FC U-15 1-0 at the Manchester United Premier Cup being played at the Balewadi Stadium, in Pune, on Monday. The BFC colts had scored a comprehensive 4-1 over Salgaocar on Sunday and now have only one league encounter left. 

Bengaluru took the lead in the 12^th minute when, off a counter, Pradeep R slotted home from a well strung move. Mumbai FC searched hard for the equaliser but the BFC defence put on a solid show with clinical tackles and timely clearances. 

“It was a tough game to be honest, extremely physical. Prashanth played a great pass through and all I had to do was put the ball in calmly. This goal and win is for the club and all we need to do is put our heads down and complete the task we have come here to accomplish,” said scorer Pradeep.

The junior Blues take on Gujarat on Wednesday morning in a 9 am kick off and victory would send them to the semifinal to be played on January 22.

Bengaluru FC meets East Bengal in a virtual ‘quarter-final’

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC take on East Bengal in what promises to be nothing short of an electric clash in a final group stage game of the Federation Cup to be played at the MDSC Stadium, in Manjeri, Kerala, on Tuesday. 

Bengaluru FC’s 1-1 draw with Rangdajied United following Sporting Clube de Goa’s 2-1 defeat of East Bengal on Saturday threw Group B wide open and any of the four teams could seal a semifinal berth tomorrow. Ashley Westwood’s boys lead the table with 4 points while Sporting Clube sit second with three. Rangdajied’s two draws leave them on 2 points while East Bengal, with 1 point, could still be in the reckoning. 

But while the permutations, combinations and number crunching could go on, the Blues know that a win against East Bengal would deem all calculations redundant. “It’s a game we are looking forward to. We’ve had a good start to the tournament and are on top of the table with a win and a draw. But the way the tournament has unfolded, everyone needs a win in the last round to ensure qualification. It is going to be a good game to participate in and for us, it is a quarterfinal in theory,” said Westwood on the eve of the big game.

The clubs have played each other twice in the League with East Bengal coming out trumps both times and Armando Colaco’s boys will surely look back on those results as a confidence booster for Tuesday’s big fixture. The Kolkata club were left to rue a bunch of missed chances in the loss against Sporting but with the lifeline handed after the Bengaluru-Rangdajied draw, would look to up their finishing. 

Westwood, however, hopes his team can come up with a good performance like they have most times this season. “We are well aware of East Bengal’s capabilities as we have played them twice this season. It will be a very entertaining game and hopefully, the lads can reproduce the performance levels that they have shown through the season this far,” said Westwood. 

The game kicks off at 7.30 pm. 

MUFC India 2014: Bengaluru FC boys thrash Salgaocar 4-1

The Bengaluru FC under-15s kicked Off Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) campaign With a commanding win over Salgaocar under-15 at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune, on Sunday. Prashanth R turned up with a brace while Pradeep R and Shashidharan scored a goal each in the rout.

BFC took the lead in as early as the 6th minute from a swift counter where, after stringing three passes, Pradeep struck from a rebound after his initial shot was saved by the ’keeper. Bengaluru doubled the lead in the 22nd minute when Shashidharan set up Prashanth for his first of the day.

The junior Blues had a lion’s share of the possession and used the flanks with good effect and reaped a third goal for the effort. This time, roles were reversed, with Prashanth setting up Shashidharan to make it 3-0 before scoring the fourth goal himself in the 29th minute.

Salgaocar did manage to pull one back in the 32nd minute that ended up being nothing but a consolation. “The boys were paired against a tough opposition in Salgaocar but we have been preparing well for the last four months. The energy and intensity the team played with was encouraging. But we now have a task at hand as early as tomorrow and we are focusing on that game,” said coach Saksham Kakkar. 

Bengaluru FC take on Mumbai FC on Monday at 12 pm. 

Bengaluru FC in Nike Manchester United Premier Cup 2014

Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC), a global youth football tournament kick started its 2014 India leg few days back. The groups are divided in different zones - North-East, South-West, and so on. 


Fixtures of the South-West zone started from Sunday, January 19 in Pune and will go on till January 22. Also, Pune will host the MUPC India 2014 finals. The winner will represent India in the regional finals in Thailand.

Bengaluru FC is placed in Group B along with Salgaonkar, Mumbai FC, Gujarat FC. 

Group B

• Sunday, January 19, 2 pm: Bengaluru FC 4 (Prashanth R-[2], Pradeep R, Shashidharan) vs Salgaonkar 1 
• Monday, January 20, 12 pm: Bengaluru FC 1 (Pradeep R) vs Mumbai FC 0 
• Tuesday, January 21, 9 am: Bengaluru FC 2  vs Gujarat FC 0 

Semi-final

• Wednesday, January 22, 9 am: Bengaluru FC 1 Vs DFA Academy, Ernakulam 0

Zonal Final

• Wednesday, January 22, 9 am: Bengaluru FC 1 Vs Dempo 0 

Referees seminar stresses on the fitness aspect of match officials

Former FIFA referee Col (Retd) Goutam Kar and head of the Referees Department of AIFF spoke on the policies and practices adopted by FIFA and AIFF for the development of referees and improving the standard of referees in Karnataka.

His talk on the seminar primarily focused on the following aspects: 

• Grassroot referees 
• Women referees
• Clarification of referees
• Training of Referees
• Assessment and grading of referees

Also, Col. Kar stressed on the fitness aspect of referees and training of young referees besides training the trainer. 

Referees of other districts too attended the seminar. 

Bengaluru FC head to Federation Cup sans pressure

Bengaluru FC Media 

Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood played down any talk of pressure as his League-leading team leave for Kerala on Monday to play what will be their first ever appearance in the Federation Cup. Playing its league games in the town of Manjeri, Bengaluru FC are placed in Group B – dubbed the group of death – alongside East Bengal, Sporting Clube de Goa and Rangdajied United. 

See Bengaluru FC's fixture here - http://www.gcsstars.com/2013/08/federation-cup-in-january-bengaluru-fc.html 

Sitting pretty on top of the table after 15 rounds, Westwood is certain that positions on the League table will not be an indicator for success at the Federation Cup. “While there is a league stage, it’s as good as a knock out right from the first game. You lose one and it sets you back by a long way. It doesn’t matter what position you are on the table in the I-League then,” said Westwood at an interaction with the media. 

Bengaluru ended the year with a 2-1 win at home against Salgaocar before earning a week off that Westwood believes was good rest for his team. “We’ve come back rejuvenated and spent this time off from competitive games to train and conduct tests on the boys. All this should surely give us an edge in the tournament. I hope we can carry forward our momentum we have built in the League, through the Federation Cup.” 

The club has roped in sports conditioning expert Malcolm Purchase and goalkeeper coach Ali Uzunhasanoglu in a bid to build on the impressive foundations laid since Bengaluru FC’s inception in July last year.  

On the players front, Bengaluru skipper and striker Sunil Chhetri seems to have embraced his new position on the left and has the numbers to back him up. At nine goals, he is the leading scorer in the League and Chhetri hopes the club’s League success translates to the games in Kerala. The club’s Australian import, Sean Rooney, too has been in fine form and much will depend on the midfield marshaled by the experienced John Menyongar. Central defender Johnson, who took a nasty hit on the cheek in the Salgaocar game that led to him being substituted, is completely fit. 

Echoing similar sentiments as that of Westwood, Chhetri admitted there was absolutely no pressure to deliver. “If we start doing the math, we put ourselves under pressure and no one on the team wants that. A big reason why we are leading the League table is because we play every game with zero pressure. We leave all the thinking to the fantastic coaching staff we have at the club. Our job is only to execute,” said Chhetri. 

Seminar for Karnataka Referees

Karnataka State Football Association along with the Referees Committee will be conducting a seminar for the referees of Karnataka on Saturday, January 11, 11.30 am at the Bangalore Football Stadium.

The seminar will be conducted by former FIFA referee, Col (Rtd) Goutam Kar . Currently, Col Kar heads the Referees Department of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

In this seminar, Col. Kar will talk on the Policies and Practices adopted for development of football officials and officiating in India. KSFA President, AR Khaleel will inaugurate the seminar. 

Mohun Bagan Vs East Bengal Fans Derby at Namma-Bengaluru

Past few weeks have been pretty dull in Footabll in Bangalore, no local leagues, I-league is paused for a while, and even Federation Cup is yet to start. 

But here’s something exciting…

Mad fans from the football-crazy Koltata, the proudest supporters of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will be playing a Fans Derby right here at Namma Bengaluru. 

The best part is that just after few hours of Fans Derby the actual Derby match will be played in Kolkata when Mohun Bagan lock horns with East Bengal at the Calcutta Football League. 

So come with your friends, support, and see your favorite team winning the Fan Derby. 

Match commences sharp 8.30 am, Saturday, November 11, at Kicks on Grass, Bellandur, off. Outer Ring Road, near Bangalore Central Mall. 

FIFA-Interpol Workshop in Delhi to enlighten on evils of match manipulation

AIFF Media Team

A FIFA-Interpol Workshop on Tackling Match Fixing and Corruption in Football will be held from January 15-16, 2013 in New Delhi. The Workshop is part of FIFA-Interpol Training, Education and Prevention initiative and is being partnered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Besides representatives from FIFA, Interpol -- the World’s largest Police Organisation, and CBI, the Workshop and would also be attended by representatives from Delhi Police. Officials from Mumbai Police have also been invited for the same. 

Furthermore, representatives from All India Football Federation (AIFF), International Cricket Council (ICC), Football Club owners would also be present along with representatives from the Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs. 

Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran, FIFA Development Officer for South and Central Asia who is coordinating the two-day meet said the priority stays to “educate all stakeholders.” 

“FIFA has a partnership with Interpol since 2011 and the focus is to put into place the preventive measures and educate all the stakeholders and key players about the menace of match manipulations. We intend to engage all the law enforcing agencies in the act,” Dr. Prabhakaran told www.the-aiff.com. 

“I need to complement All India Football Federation for being proactive and coming on board for bringing this initiative to India,” he added. 

“A Partnership development meeting involving the key stakeholders of Football and Law Enforcement Agencies would also be held at the end of Workshop,” Dr. Prabhakaran informed. “This Group will be taking the discussion forward and put in place the framework and continue the process of educating all about the manipulation and related issues.” 

As part of the Program, the two-day Workshop will throw light on various match-fixing scenarios and the links involved in it. A separate session will be devoted on Interpol demonstrating as how to combat ‘Match-fixing.’
The tool available in the fight against corruption in sport including identifying key stakeholders, importance of information collection and sharing, training and education and how to overcome barriers and motivate key factors will furthermore be explained.

[PICS] Welcome Malcolm and Ali - Bengaluru FCs performance and goalkeeping session

Purchase conducting a jump test

John Menyongar goes through the jump test

Ali Uzunhasanoglu shares a few pointers with Pawan Kumar

Sports performance coach Malcolm Purchase (first from left) and GK coach Ali Uzunhasanoglu interact with the goalkeepers

Sports performance coach Malcolm Purchase (first from left) and GK coach Ali Uzunhasanoglu interact with the goalkeepers

Bengaluru FC add experienced English flavor to team

Bengaluru FC press release 

I-League leaders bring aboard experienced sports performance and goalkeeping coaches in Malcolm Purchase (49) and Ali Uzunhasanoglu (53) till the end of the current season. The duo bring with them tremendous experience from England which will play a big role in Bengaluru FC’s already stellar debut season. 

While Purchase has been in the sports performance and nutrition field for the last three decades that include two decades with UK Athletics, Turkish Uzunhasanoglu has been coaching in the United Kingdom for the last twenty years. 

“I had a few offers in England, one of them from a Premier League club. But I gave Ashley (Westwood) my word and I wouldn't come here if I couldn't make a difference,” said Purchase who started out with Wrexham FC while his last club in England was Wolverhampton Wanderers. Purchase has been in Bangalore for the last six weeks and hasn't wasted time conducting new age tests on the boys along with bringing about a change in the dietary habits. “Everything used at Bengaluru FC is EPL standard. All the equipment for testing is up there with the best.” On asked what he makes of the players, Purchase says that he has worked on some imbalances things are only looking up. “We are still two or three levels away from where we want to on the fitness front,” he said.

Uzunhasanoglu, on the other hand, has spent 15 years as a player in Turkey before marriage took him to England where he had been coaching all the while. He began with Scarborough FC in the Third Division in the 1996-97 season and after stints at few more clubs, spent a the 2012-13 season with Preston North End FC before coming to Bengaluru FC. 

Among the many goalkeepers he has dealt with across divisions in English football, a notable student of Uzunhasanoglu is current Premier League side Norwich City’s goalkeeper John Ruddy. “I trained John when he was fifteen for three years at Cambridge United FC.” 

Like Purchase, Uzunhasanoglu too had worked with Westwood earlier and had no hesitation in accepting the chance to come to India. “I wanted to experience what coaching in India would be like and so I’m here.” Though barely a week-old with the team, Uzunhasanoglu is impressed with the work ethic of the goalkeepers. “They listen to instructions which is a very important aspect. I have to work on a few technical aspects with them and we will see what April brings. One thing is for sure, If I can’t help them, I will walk away,” he said.