Fans group Mariners@Bangalore celebrates Mohun Bagan Day

Mariners@Bangalore, fans group from the Garden City celebrated Mohun Bagan Day today at the Play Mania sports facility, next to the Bellandur Lake. 

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, is the National Sports Club of India. Mohun Bagan was established in 15 August 1889, however, the most important day in the club calendar is 29th July celebrated every year as Mohun Bagan Day. On 29th July, 1911 the football team lifted the IFA Shield for the first time in 1911 defeating the British. 

Austin Town boy, Noel Wilson, former Mohun Bagan player (04-06) was the chief guest for the event. Noel took few hours of his busy Sunday to bless the occasion. Sporting a smart green and maroon color, Noel played a 6-a-side game with the Mariners@Bangalore members. Later in a celebration, Noel was felicitated by the group, speaking proudly of fans of his former club, he said that it is one of the best phase of his life when we was wearing Mohun Bagan jersey. 

After hanging boots a couple of season back, Noel has shown interest in coaching, he has recently completed an AFC certification. 

Hero ISL a project for development of Indian Football: Jeff Slack

AIFF Media

The two-day Central Domestic Player Draft of the inaugural Hero Indian Super League concluded successfully here today (Wednesday July 23, 2014) with each ISL Clubs going for different player selection strategies, thus forming their Indian player line-up. 

Forty-two Players were up for grabs at the start of Day Two with Team Goa and North East United FC picking from their pre-selected pool of Players.
Former Indian National Team Captain Climax Lawrence was picked up by Atletico de Kolkata while his former National Team midfield duo of Steven Dias and NP Pradeep were picked up by Delhi Dynamos FC and Team Bengaluru respectively. 

The tension and the intensity increased as the Draft proceedings advanced into the final rounds with the Club representatives engaging in intense calculations in finalizing their squad. 

Over Fifteen Players who have represented the Indian National Team in the last three years and 12 Players from various Indian age-group National sides were drafted by the Clubs on Day 2 of the Hero Indian Super League.
This was the first time in the history of Indian Football that such a novel Player Draft system was executed and with promises of many more to come in the near future, all for the popularization, betterment and development of Indian Football. 

At the successful conclusion of the two-day gathering, Senior Vice-President, IMG Global Football Development, Jefferson Slack said that it was very “fulfilling to see this happen.” 

“It’s so fulfilling to see the realization of the vision and hard work. This is also a step to inspire young Indians not only to follow but also to play the sport as this is a project for the development of Indian Football,” he said.
Former Indian National Captain Bhaichung Bhutia insisted it has been a “learning process” for him. 

“Summarising the Teams as they have been picked, it’s difficult for me to pick up a favourite,” he stated. 

“It’s impressive to note that each of the Clubs have gone for different strategies while player selection. The entire process has been a great learning one for me. I look forward to see new talent emerging and maturing through Indian Super League while playing with other iconic players,” he added.
Following are the 8 Clubs Indian Player line-up with today’s selection:

Delhi Dynamos FC: Adil Khan, Manish Bhargav, Govin Singh, Jagroop Singh, Steven Dias, Anwar Ali, Manandeep Singh.
Day 1 (Francis Fernandes, Robert Lalthamuana, Naoba Singh, Shylo Malswamtluanga, Shouvik Ghosh, Shouvik Chakraborty, Munmun Lugun.)

Atletico de Kolkata: Sanju Pradhan, Kinshuk Debnath, Lester Fernandes, Subhasish Roychowdhury, Baljit Sahni, Climax Lawrence, Mohanraj Nallappan.
Day 1 (Cavin Lobo, Arnab Mondal, Denzil Franco, Rakesh Masih, Mohammed Rafique, Mohammed Rafi, Biswajit Saha).

Team Bengaluru: Abhishek Das, Jayesh Rane, Abhijit Mondal, Anthony Barbosa, Dane Pereira, NP Pradeep, Jaison Vales.
Day 1 (Harmanjot Khabra, Dhanachandra Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Gouramangi Singh, Shilton Paul, Denson Devadas, Khelemba Meitei).

Kerala Blasters FC: Avinabo Bag, Sandip Nandy, CS Sabeeth, Luis Barreto, Milagres Gonsalves, Ramandeep Singh, Renedy Singh.
Day 1 (Mehtab Hussain, Sandesh Jhingan, Ishfaq Ahmed, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Sushant Matthew, Godwin Franco).

Team Mumbai: Rohit Mirza, Ishan Debnath, Nadong Bhutia, Asif Kottiyal, Peter Costa, Lalrinfela, Sushil Kumar Singh.
Day 1 (Subrata Paul, Lalrindika Ralte, Syed Rahim Nabi, Raju Gaikwad, Subash Singh, Ram Malik, Deepak Mondal).

Team Pune: Deepak Devrani, Tapan Maity, Arindam Bhattacharya, Anupam Sarkar, Pratik Shinde, Lalit Thapa, Mehrajuddin Wadoo.
Day 1 (Lenny Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Ashutosh Mehta, Joaquim Abranches, Pritam Kotal, Manish Maithani, Israil Gurung).

Team Goa: Mandar Rao Desai, Romeo Fernandes, Peter Carvalho, Holicharan Narzary, Pronay Halder, Prabir Das, Rowlison Rodrigues.
Day 1 (Laxmikant Kattimani, Debabrata Roy, Gabriel Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Jewel Raja Shaikh, Alwyn George, Narayan Das). 

North East United FC: Pritam Kumar Singh, Milan Singh, Robin Gurung, Alen Deory, Redeem Tlang, Seminlen Doungel, David Ngaihte.
Day 1 (Kunzang Bhutia, Jibon Singh, Durga Boro, Aibor Khongjee, Zodingliana Ralte, TP Rehnesh, Boithang Haokip).

Bengaluru FC forms technical tie-up with Sun Group for ISL

A close look at the picture of day 1 of Central Domestic Player Draft of the Hero ISL would reveal that the two gentlemen on the right side are none other than Bengaluru FC COO Mustafa Ghouse and chief consultant Mandar Tamhane. 

So, what are they doing here? 

JSW, on Tuesday, announced that they would be getting into a technical tie-up with Sun Group's Bangalore team of the Indian Super League (ISL) for the inaugural season. 

“The tie-up is purely a technical one and does not involve players and coaching staff from Bengaluru FC. The second year could see us getting involved in a much bigger way. This is in line with JSW’s endeavour to promote Indian football,” said Mustafa Ghouse, COO of Bengaluru FC.

Hero Indian Super League: Team Bengaluru rope in Gouramangi, Jeje, Shilton in day one

AIFF Media 

The first day of Central Domestic Player Draft of the Hero Indian Super League held today, July 22, 2014 witnessed the Clubs going all out for the big names of Indian Football. Seven rounds of the Central Draft were held on Day 1, at the plush Palladium Hotel in Mumbai with last seven round due on Wednesday, July 23.

The Draft proceedings saw the participating six Club officials engage in a lot of permutations and discussion before making the final selection of their choice. It also spoke volumes about the interest and days of planning each Clubs had done ahead of the Draft and the interest the new concept in Indian Football is generating. Overall, twenty six Players who have donned the Indian National Team jersey in the last three years were drafted in by the Clubs on Day 1.

National Team midfielder Lenny Rodrigues was the first to be drafted in by Team Pune while his National Team partner in the midfield, ‘double cylinder’ Mehtab Hossain will travel down south to play for Kochi Blasters FC in inaugural edition of Hero Indian Super League. This will be the first time both Lenny and Mehtab would be seen displaying their trade for clubs outside of their hometowns, Goa and Kolkata respectively.

National Team veteran Gouramangi Singh was drafted in by Team Bengaluru who also picked up 2013 AIFF Young Player of the Year Awardee, striker Jeje Lalpekhlua.

Besides, ‘Spiderman’ Subrata Paul was drafted in by Team Mumbai while Francis Fernandes will travel North to play for Delhi Dynamos FC.

At the end of the seven rounds of Draft Day 1, the list of the drafted Players by each of the eight Hero Indian Super League clubs stay as follows:

Team Pune: Lenny Rodrigues, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Ashutosh Mehta, Joaquim Abranches, Pritam Kotal, Manish Maithani, Israil Gurung.

Team Mumbai: Subrata Paul, Lalrindika Ralte, Syed Rahim Nabi, Raju Gaikwad, Subash Singh, Ram Malik, Deepak Mondal.

Kerala Blasters FC: Mehtab Hussain, Sandesh Jhingan, Ishfaq Ahmed, Gurwinder Singh, Nirmal Chettri, Sushant Matthew, Godwin Franco.

Team Bengaluru: Harmanjot Khabra, Dhanachandra Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Gouramangi Singh, Shilton Paul, Denson Devadas, Khelemba Meitei.

Atletico de Kolkata: Cavin Lobo, Arnab Mondal, Denzil Franco, Rakesh Masih, Mohammed Rafique, Mohammed Rafi, Biswajit Saha.

Delhi Dynamos FC: Francis Fernandes, Robert Lalthamuana, Naoba Singh, Shylo Malswamtluanga, Shouvik Ghosh, Shouvik Chakraborty, Munmun Lugun.

Team Goa: Laxmikant Kattimani, Debabrata Roy, Gabriel Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Jewel Raja Shaikh, Alwyn George, Narayan Das.

North East United FC: Kunzang Bhutia, Jibon Singh, Durga Boro, Aibor Khongjee, Zodingliana Ralte, TP Rehnesh, Boithang Haokip. 

Chhetri, Robin, Siam, and Shankar leave for Czech Republic with Indian squad

AIFF Media

A 25-member Indian squad left for Czech Republic for a 19-day exposure tour for preparation for the forthcoming Incheon Asian Games. The Team would be back on August 8, 2014. 

Four Players from the original 29-member squad – Deepak Devrani, Shouvik Ghosh, Sanjay Balmuchu, and Romeo Fernandes who were practicing under National Coach Wim Koevermans have been released from the camp and didn’t travel to Czech Republic.

The Indian squad will play three matches during the period against three different Clubs -- Senco Doubravka, FK Most and TJ Domazlice. The Team will be based in Pilsen. 

Furthermore, the squad will also be travelling to China for another exposure Tour from August 25-September 8 where they would be playing two matches against Shanghai FC and JiangSu. 

Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh, and Francis Fernandes are the three Senior Players who are part of the squad. The rest of the squad comprise of U-23 players.

The 25-member squad presently which travelled to Czech Republic is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Amrinder Singh, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh.
DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Salam Singh, Narayan Das
MIDFIELDERS: Pronoy Halder, Rowlin Borges, Clifton Dias, Alwyn George, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Dhanpal Ganesh, Milan Singh
FORWARDS: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Alesh Sawant, Mandar Rao Desai  

Bengaluru begin their pre-season training

BFC Media 

Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood said his team is unfazed by the pressures of their title defence as the I-League champions kicked-off their pre-season training at the Bangalore Football Stadium, in Bangalore, on Friday. 

The team, including the four new signings, went through a light session and Westwood stressed the need to get the boys to the standards the coaching staff has set for them, this season. “We are looking forward to the season and cannot wait to get started. We’ve only been away four weeks but it feels like ages. We have valuable additions and will stress on setting a platform for the coming season,” said Westwood. 

While Bengaluru FC may not have shopped for the more famous names in the summer, Westwood believes the new signings bring with them just what the club needs. “In Lalchhuanmawia, we have a left-back who is athletic, has ability, a good left foot and more importantly will be serious completion for Keegan (Pereira). Eugeneson (Lyngdoh), in the midfield, has played well against us and is good with both feet while Udanta (Kumam) – for me – is one of the best young players in the country. He is a rough diamond and will learn things here.” 

The gaffer believes the inclusions will create competition within the team for places in the starting XI. “We need genuine competition. Look at the German team. They would have made two or three changes and you wouldn’t even notice. It is important to create an environment like that.” 

The biggest signing for Bengaluru FC this season was that of marquee player and former England under-20 skipper, Joshua Walker. The Englishman replaced Liberian John Menyongar – a move that raised a few eyebrows given the impact the latter had on Bengaluru’s title triumph. But Westwood put the questions and doubts to rest. “Menyongar was a No.10 – an attacking midfielder. But we had to get him to adapt in a role that suited our style of play. With Josh, he is more naturally suited to play in that position. He has a good range of passing. While both have their own strengths, Josh ticks a few more boxes than Menyongar. Also, he is ten years younger than Menyongar and at this club, we have our eye on the future.” 

“But I have always maintained that we have to respect what Menyongar did for this club. If we could have had five foreign players, he would still be at the club. I’m sure Manchester United wanted to keep Rio Ferdinand and Chelsea, Ashley Cole. But that’s football – you have to evolve and improve. You can’t stand still.” 

Apart from defending their I-League title, Bengaluru FC will compete in the AFC Cup and Westwood says the team will definitely have a plan. “We are going to go into Asia which means coming across teams with different styles. We’ll work with different combinations and situations and that’s what pre-season is for,” concluded Westwood. 

Bengaluru FC tie up with PUMA as official kit sponsor

Bengaluru FC Media 


PUMA has officially announced their association with the fastest growing team in the I-League, Bengaluru FC. PUMA will mark its foray into Indian football as the official kit sponsor for Bengaluru FC for the 2014/2015 I-League season. Always looking at inculcating fitness at the grass root level, PUMA will be supplying the club with match and training playing kits for not only the senior squad but for the club's junior squad as well.  

The playing kits will feature PUMA’s Dry Cell technology that incorporates highly functional materials to keep the players dry by superior moisture management which draw sweat away from skin, enabling quicker evaporation; contrast piping on the sides and ergonomic design for function as well as comfort.

Talking about the association, Parth Jindal, CEO Bengaluru FC opined- “Bengaluru FC is very proud of this association. In many ways, BFC and PUMA have a lot in common – young, dynamic and growing brands. We look forward to providing our fan and players with the best the footballing world have to offer and through this alliance with Puma, we believe we are doing just that.”

PUMA India MD, Rajiv Mehta said, “We are very excited to announce our first ever association with a football club in India and are even more excited to be associated with a club like Bengaluru FC.  BFC is one of India's best managed clubs and we look forward to growing bigger and better with them. With this association we hope to make waves in the Indian football world together"

Cementing its commitment to football, PUMA recently associated with international football club Arsenal and super star Mario Balotelli. With the new association with BFC, PUMA is firmly cementing itself as a serious player in the football world.

The BFC home and away replica jerseys will be available for fans to purchase at select PUMA stores in Bangalore from October, 2014.

Former Rangdajied skipper Lyngdoh joins Bengaluru FC

After bringing aboard former England under-20 skipper Josh Walker, Bengaluru FC, on Tuesday, announced three new additions to the squad for the 2014-15 season. Rangdajied United’s midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Shillong Lajong’s left back Lalchhuanmawia, and Tata Football Amademy’s eighteen-year-old striker Udanta Kumam have been signed on one year deals. 

Lyngdoh (27) played a pivotal role in Shillong club Rangdajied United’s late surge to beat the drop last season while Lalchhuanmawia (25), who started his professional career with JCT, spent three seasons with Shillong Lajong before signing for Bengaluru.

“It’s a great feeling to be part of a champion team. I was up against Bengaluru FC last season and the football they played was very attractive. There is the challenge of defending the title this season though, and I am happy to be part of it,” said Lalchhuanmawia who comes from Mizoram. 

Lyngdoh, who like Lalchhuanmawia, was at Lajong before the switch to Rangdajied where he captained the team, said he was ecstatic at signing with Bengaluru. “I played here last season and the atmosphere was special. I’ve also heard from many quarters about how BFC are going about doing things to change the way club football functions in the country and I wanted to be part of it.” 

The signing of talented Kumam reiterates the club’s stand in providing youngsters with a pedestal. The lad from Manipur has graduated from the Tata Football Academy where he spent four years. He finished as top scorer with 9 goals in TFA’s I-League under-19 title triumph last season. 

“Eugeneson had an impressive season at Rangdajied and he had good games when up against us. As for Lalchhuanmawia, he is an attacking left-back and will seamlessly blend into the BFC style of play while Udanta brings with him raw talent and pace. We genuinely feel that the three players could soon make the leap to the big stage,” said assistant coach, Pradhyum Reddy. 

Indian Post releases special stamp and cover on Bangalore Football

Commemorating the celebration of FIFA World Cup 2014, M S Ramanujan, Chief Postmaster General, Karnataka Circle, Indian Postal Services today released a special stamp on Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) along with a cover exhibiting the picture of Bangalore Football Stadium.

One of the most memorable days of the state and district football association. Several football enthusiasts and philatelists attended the function. 

Raman Vijayan and Manivannan clears AFC A-Certificate Course

Eleven candidates including former India international and coach of the Bangalore Super Division team South United Raman Vijayan and have passed the AFC A-Certificate Course which was held in Kolkata from March 14 to April 9, 2014. 

In the pro-pass category, coach of another Bangalore Super Division team ADE, Manivannan cleared his course. 


Twenty Candidates had appeared in the course which was conducted by Mr. Vincent Subramanium from Singapore and Lim Kim Chon of Malaysia.

The following is the list of successful Candidates who passed the Course.

Passed Candidates: Raman Vijayan, Langam Chaoba Devi, Prasanta Chakrabarty, Kundan Chandra, Sankarlal Chakraborty, Subroto Dutta, Mridul Kanti Banerjee, Arun Saha, E.S. Shyam, Tarun Dey and Biswajit Bhattacharya.

Pro-Pass Candidate: D. Manivannan

Bengaluru FC sign former English U-20 captain and EPL player Josh Walker

BFC Media  

Bengaluru FC, on Monday, named English midfielder Joshua Walker as their marquee signing for the coming season. Walker’s credentials include captaining the national team’s under-16, 17 and 20 sides, turning out for Middlesbrough in the English Premier League and scoring against Bayern Munich in a UEFA Cup Round of 32 game while on loan with Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen in 2008. He was also skipper of the England team in their under-20 World Cup campaign in 2009. The club have signed him on a one-year deal. 

The big catch in Walker means Bengaluru FC have completed their list of the stipulated four foreigners for the season after striker Sean Rooney and the central defensive pair of John Johnson and  Curtis Osano signed new deals with the I-League champions. 

“I am very excited to start this chapter of my career with the champions of India. I’ve been with John Johnson at Middlesbrough and he has only nice things to say about his stint with Bengaluru FC. I am also looking forward to play under Ashley Westwood. I cannot wait to get there and play in front of the amazing fans of the club of whom I have heard much about,” said Walker.
Walker began his career at Middlesbrough where he progressed through the youth system before making his first-team debut for the club in 2006. His four-year spell at Middlesbrough included loan spells to Bournemouth, Northampton Town, Rotherham United and Aberdeen. 

Walker spent last season with Conference Premier team Gateshead for whom he scored 5 times in 30 appearances.  

Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood said he was pleased with the club’s latest acquisition and that he had no doubt about the impact Walker would have in the team’s title defence. “Joshua is a talented player, comfortable with both feet and has a great attitude. He will fit in seamlessly into our scheme of things. There’s a fair number of clubs in England that were chasing his signature and it says a lot that we, at Bengaluru FC, have made him our player. Getting him also means we have been able to abide by the AIFF’s rule of signing a marquee player,” said Westwood. 

Ammolya included in the probables list for the Incheon Asian Games

AIFF Media 

Karnataka state Women’s football skipper Ammolya Kamal finds herself in a list of 35 probables. Also featuring in the standbyes list is Karnataka’s Paromita Sit. 

The preparatory camp for the Indian Women’s Team for the forthcoming Incheon Asian Games will kick-off in Mumbai from July 11 to August 25, 2014. The Camp would be followed by an international exposure tour to China from August 25 to September 10 from where the squad would be advancing to Incheon for the Asian Games. 

Head Coach Tarun Roy has named a list of 35 probables for the camp in Mumbai. The list, however, would later be cut down to chopped to 18 for the Asian Games.

Roy who was an AIFF scout in the Senior Women’s National Championships held in Assam highlighted about the “quality” within the squad.

“I was very much impressed with the overall quality of the Players. During the course of the preparatory camp, I will be paying emphasis on improving the fitness levels of the squad,” said Roy.

“We need to fine-tune some aspects and can never afford to shift away from AIFF’s philosophy. My aim is to bring down the AFC Ranking of the Indian Women’s Team to single digit,” he further stated.

At present, the Indian Women are ranked 11 at the AFC level.

The list of 35 Probables is as follows: 

GOALKEEPERS: Okram Roshni Devi (Manipur), Aditi Chauhan (Delhi), Tikina Samal (Orissa), Pushpa Tirkey (Jharkhand).

DEFENDERS: Romi Devi, Radharani Devi, Umapati Devi (all from Manipur), Ashalata Devi (Delhi), Suprava Samal (Railways), Tuli Goon (West Bengal), Lako Bhutia (Sikkim), Nirmala (Haryana), Sumitra Marandi (Jharkhand).  

MIDFIELDERS: Kamala Devi (Railways), Premi Devi, Bembem Devi, Mandakini Devi (all from Manipur), Supriya Routray, Manisa Panna, Montesori Chanu (all from Railways), Ammolya Kamal (Karnataka), Swati Rawat (Delhi), Neha Kumari (Bihar), Dorothi Oriya (Assam), Margaret Castanha (Goa), Manpreet Kaur (Railways), Indumathi Kathiresan (Pondicherry).

FORWARDS: Parmeshwori Devi, Rinaroy Devi, Dangmei Grace, Bala Devi (all from Manipur), Jyoti Burrett (Delhi), Pinky Magar, Sasmita Malik (both from Ralways), Jabamani Soren (Orissa).

STANDBYES: Durva Vahia (Goalkeeper-Maharashtra), Paromita Sit (Midfielder-Karnataka), Kavita Devi (Froward-Haryana), Gita Das (Forward-West Bengal), Nandhini Munusamy (Forward- Tamil Nadu). 

Shankar and Manju pen new one-year deal at Bengaluru FC

Bengaluru FC, on Tuesday, announced that they would be retaining five players from their championship-winning team by handing them new one-year deals. The club has also converted two loan signings from last season into year-long moves for the coming season.

Central defender NS Manju and Shankar S have been signed on one-year deals. Influential winger Beikhokhei Beingaichho and right-back Rino Anto, who has had an impressive season himself, have both penned new deals as have midfielder Darren Caldeira, CK Vineeth and keeper Soram Poirei too have been signed on one-year deals.

“I am thrilled to have extended my stay at Bengaluru FC. Last season was special for the club and me personally. I have gained so much as a player and in extending my stay at the club, I will only improve this season,” said Anto, who coach Ashley Westwood has often touted as the best right-back in the country.

Beingaichho was a revelation last season providing close to a dozen assists playing on the wing. He even scored a dramatic last-minute winner against Sporting Clube de Goa to ensure that Bengaluru FC finish the season with a win.

Westwood said the retaining of the players was important for the club’s coming season. “We are very pleased to have secured the signatures of the players who have all played their part in us being successful last season. It was important for the club to retain the core strength of the team in a bid to remain consistent. In my opinion, we need a few small additions to the squad to improve us but the general feeling in the club has always been to work together as a team, set standards and improve,” said Westwood.  

Preparatory camp for Incheon Asian Games begins in Bangalore

AIFF Media 

The Indian Team’s Preparatory Camp for the Incheon Asian Games kicks-off in Bangalore from July 1, Tuesday. The boys who are assembling in Bangalore on the day would commence training under National Coach Wim Koevermans from July 2.

The Camp in Bangalore kicks-off a Preparatory process of two and half months where the squad would also be proceeding to a two-week exposure tour to Europe besides another exposure Tour in the Far East from mid-August.

In addition, there are two matches with Pakistan U-23 Team on August 17, 2014 and 20, 2014 in Bangalore as part of a Friendly Series.

National Coach Wim Koevermans feels he would be able to “work on Teamwork and Football fitness” during the period.

“It’s good to have the boys for two and a half months. We will be able to build on Teamwork and the Football fitness as well,” told Wim. “We will also be able to work on the manner and style we want to play,” he added.

Besides the Friendly Series against Pakistan, the Team would also be playing a number of Friendly matches against Club sides in Europe and even the Far East.

“This Preparatory Camp is no different from the Senior Team’s Preparatory Camp,” Koevermans stated. “All the boys play in the I-League and it’s a nice opportunity for me to learn and understand how they train and perform. At the same time, it’s also an opportunity for them as there is a good pool who could make their way into the Senior National Team,” he maintained.

“Exposure Tours stay pertinent as we build up for big Events. We want to play outside India as we won’t get that good an opposition in India. The boys need to play against different styles, learn about strong opposition and build on from there,” Koevermans opined.

Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and Francis Fernandes are the three Senior Players who have been named in the squad. The rest of the squad comprise of U-23 Players.

The 30-member squad for the Camp in Bangalore is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Ravi Kumar, Kamaljit Singh.

DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Keenan Almeida, Deepak Devrani, Joyner Lourenco, Shankar Sampingiraj, Sandesh Jhingan, Sanjay Balmuchu, Salam Singh, Narayan Das, Shouvik Ghosh.

MIDFIELDERS: Pronoy Halder, Rowlin Borges, Clifton Dias, Alwyn George, Siam Hangal, Lalrindika Ralte, Dhanpal Ganesh, Milan Singh.

FORWRADS: Francis Fernandes (Senior Player), Romeo Fernandez, Seiminlen Doungel, Sunil Chhetri (Senior Player), Robin Singh (Senior Player), Haokip Thongkoshim, Alesh Sawant, Mandar Rao Desai.