Page 8 - Indian Football Team

AIFF re-appoints Dennerby as women's team coach ahead of Olympic Qualifiers

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Monday re-appointed Swede Thomas Dennerby as the national women's team head coach ahead of the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, even though its technical committee had recommended Gokulam Kerala's Anthony Andrews. On July 13, the technical committee of the AIFF under the legendary IM Vijayan as the chairman, had recommended Andrews, who guided Gokulam Kerala FC to back-to-back Indian Women's League (IWL) titles in the last two seasons, to succeed Dennerby whose earlier contract had ended in March. But, it is learnt that many players in the national team wanted Dennerby's continuation and had requested for the same to the AIFF. Dennerby was in charge of the national team in the first round of Olympic qualifiers, against Kyrgyzstan on April 4 and 7 -- which India won -- before leaving. He is now at the helm again for the second round of the Olympic qualifiers in October. Andrews will also remain in the set-up as he was named as the coach, w

Indian football team enters sub-100 FIFA ranking for first time after 2018

The Indian men's football team on Thursday achieved sub-100 FIFA ranking for the first time since 2018 as it moved up one spot to 99th after its SAFF Championship triumph. India had beaten strong teams Lebanon and Kuwait on penalty shoot-out in the semifinal and final respectively in the SAFF Championships in Bengaluru earlier this month. Lebanon also gained two places to be just below India at 100th spot while Kuwait moved up four places to be at 137th in the latest FIFA chart issued on Thursday. West Asian countries Lebanon and Kuwait were invited in the SAFF Championships to ensure strong competition in the tournament. India now have 1208.69 points. India's best FIFA ranking was 94th, attained in 1996. The country had also reached 99th spot in 1993 and 96th in 2017 and 2018. It was placed at 100th last month. Overall, world champions Argentina continued to be at the top, followed by France, Brazil, England and Belgium. In Asia, Japan led the chart at 20th spot, followed by Ir

Chhetri wants to face Iran, Japan; backs Stimac's 4-week Asian Cup camp

Indian captain Sunil Chhetri on Sunday backed head coach Igor Stimac's demand for a four-week camp before the Asian Cup early next year, saying the team needs to have enough preparation time to face the best sides in the continent. The 38-year-old Chhetri, who will be playing his last Asian Cup in Doha (January 12 to February 10), also pitched for at least one international friendly match against a top-seven ranked country in Asia such as Iran, Japan or Saudi Arabia before the continental showpiece. "We are going to face Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in the Asian Cup (group matches), that is why Stimac (as well as goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu) have spoken about long camps. We need it, and I really hope we get it," Chhetri said in a virtual media interaction. "When you go to the national camp, there are injuries to players and they come with different mental levels from their respective clubs. You need to take care of all these, and to do that, you need more time," he said, ...

This team fights, no matter where and against which team: Sunil Chhetri

Inspirational Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri on Thursday attributed the country's SAFF Championships triumph to the fighting spirit of the team while also lauding the support of the home fans. India fought hard against two strong West Asian countries in Lebanon and Kuwait to beat them in penalty shootouts in the semifinal and final respectively and lift the title for the ninth time at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The two teams were invited for the south Asian regional tournament to make it more competitive. "One thing I can tell you about this team is (that) we fight," Chhetri, who was named the most valuable player of the tournament, said in a video uploaded on his Twitter handle. "No matter what, we fight. No matter where we are playing, we fight. And no matter who we are playing with, we fight. We always do that," said Chhetri, who turns 39 next month. Chhetri played all the 120 minutes in both the semifinal and the final. He scored in the penalty

PM Modi, Thakur congratulate football team on SAFF Championship victory

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian football team after their triumph in the SAFF Championship final against Kuwait.Indian team clinched the SAFF Championship title in a penalty shootout as the game ended in a scoreline of 4-4 at the Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium on Tuesday."India crowned champions, yet again! The Blue Tigers reign supreme at the #SAFFChampionship2023! Congrats to our players. The Indian Team's remarkable journey, powered by the determination and tenacity of these athletes, will continue to inspire upcoming sportspersons," PM Modi tweeted.Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur also took to his Twitter handle to congratulate the Indian team for their victory."We have done it again! Kudos to the #BlueTigers for holding their nerve in such a gripping encounter with Kuwait in the final & giving a scintillating performance to clinch the #SAFFChampionship for a record th time. India is thrilled on your victory, keep shining!" Thakur wrote in his ...

SAFF Cup Final: India win their ninth title, beat Kuwait 5-4 on penalties

Indian football team lifted its nith South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship trophy after the Igor Stimac-managed side beat Kuwait 5-4 on penalties. The regulation time finished 1-1

SAFF Cup Final: India up against Kuwait for ninth sub-continental title

India will be playing their 13th SAFF Championship (Cup) final and hoping to get to the ninth title when the Blue Tigers take on Kuwait on July 04 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru

SAFF C'ship: India in final post thrilling penalty shoot-out vs Lebanon

In a very tense SAFF Championship semi-final, which involved six yellow cards and a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner, India went past Lebanon. They will meet Kuwait in final

SAFF Championship: Lebanon tops Group B, will face India in the semifinal

Lebanon set up a semifinal clash against hosts India with a 1-0 win over Maldives in a Group B match of the SAFF Championship here on Wednesday. Skipper Hassan Maatouk struck the all-important goal with his curling freekick in the 24th minute. Lebanon have topped the group with an all-win record in the four-team group. Lebanon will take on India in the battle for the summit clash on Saturday. The two teams met recently in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar, where India emerged the winners. The Maldives, ranked 154 in the FIFA Men's rankings, were hoping to punch above its weight by winning against Lebanon, whom they have never beaten in previously. Having already sealed their last-four berth, Lebanon head coach Aleksandar Ilic rested a few of his regular players including Karim Darwich. Lebanon started the match on a positive note, keeping plenty of possession and trying to stretch the Maldives defence. The deadlock was finally broken when Lebanon was awarded

SAFF Championship: Sahal, Mahesh make mark for Team India in the tournament

Amid the loud cheers that have often been reserved for talismanic Sunil Chhetri, two young footballers were quietly making their mark during India's SAFF Championship campaign so far. It's not that Sahal Abdul Samad and Mahesh Singh are unfamiliar names to Indian football afficionados, but they validated their potential to carry forward a rich legacy in Indian football. The duo were particularly impressive against a gritty Nepal whom India beat 2-0 Saturday night at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium to book a semifinal berth. Nepal had erected a defensive hurdle in front of India for a good one hour and the home side needed a moment of inspiration to break free. It came in the 61st minute. Mahesh made a run through the left flank and made a pass to Sahal, who pushed the ball back to the former around a Nepalese defender, setting him free. With oodles of space to work with, Mahesh sent the ball to an unmarked Chhetri inside the box with a laser-guided cross and the Indian captain was nev

SAFF Championship: India beat spirited Nepal 2-0 to qualify for semifinals

Captain Sunil Chhetri found the target yet again as India beat a spirited Nepal 2-0 in their second group match to book a berth in the SAFF Championship semifinals here on Saturday. Chhetri (61st minute) scored his fourth goal of the tournament before Mahesh Singh (70th) struck to notch up the home side's second consecutive win. India had beaten Pakistan 4-0 in their opening match on Wednesday with Chhetri scoring a hat-trick. Chhetri (91 goals from 139 matches) had already become the second most prolific scorer among Asians -- after Ali Daei (109 from 148 matches) of Iran -- and third among active players in the world. He is the most prolific goal-getter among active Asian players. With six points from two wins, India qualified for the semifinals from Group A along with Kuwait (also six points), who beat Pakistan 4-0 earlier in the day for their second victory. India play Kuwait on June 27 to decide the group winner. Nepal and Pakistan are out of the reckoning for a semifinal spo

India wins Intercontinental Cup 2023, Odisha CM announces Rs 1 crore reward

India wins Intercontinental Cup for the second time, defeating Lebanon by 2-0 last night at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar. The Odisha CM announced Rs 1 crore reward to the Indian team.

Sky's the limit and a long way to go for Sandesh Jhingan after 50 caps

On March 12, 2015, 21-year-old Sandesh Jhingan stepped onto the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium pitch in Guwahati wearing the blue of India for the first time.

Sunil Chhetri announces wife's pregnancy after scoring 86th goal for India

Sunil Chhetri pleasantly surprised fans when he announced his wife's pregnancy after scoring his 86th international goal. India enter Intercontinental Cup 2023 final with 1-0 win over Vanuatu

AIFF chief wants restructuring of I-League for survival of smaller clubs

All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran "personally" feels that the I-League needs restructuring so that smaller clubs can survive by cutting down their players' travel and accommodation cost. Prabhakaran said he will propose a dialogue between the top brass and other stakeholders. He said if the money spent on logistics is reduced, clubs with less budget will survive and that will also help in the I-League having more teams across the country. "I-League is increasingly reaching to new geography and we need to capture new clubs, besides the old ones. The clubs should not put 80 per cent of their money to logistics. Currently, it's only 20 per cent which is going to football, the remaining is going for logistics. It can't be like this," Prabhakaran told PTI. "We have to see how we can reduce the cost of operation of clubs. The idea is not to reduce the budget, but that budget should not be used as cost for flying and for hotel. It could be used for t

India clears Pakistan football team's participation in SAFF Cup: AIFF

The Indian government has cleared the Pakistan football team's participation in the SAFF Cup in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 4, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Thursday. AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran said India has "done its part" by clearing Pakistan's participation in the eight-nation regional tournament and it's now up to the neighbouring country to complete the formalities. "Yes, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs and Sports Ministry all have cleared (Pakistan's participation)," Prabhakaran told PTI. "We have done our part. We welcome them (Pakistan). All the participating countries have got visa clearance. They have to do their part of the visa formalities." India and Pakistan are in the same group and they face each other on June 21 in their campaign opener. This is the first time in five years that the two neighbouring countries would be playing against each other. The last time India took on Pakistan on the football field

Supreme Court appoints ex-apex court judge to finalise AIFF constitution

The Supreme Court on Tuesday appointed former apex court judge Justice L. Nageswara Rao to take over the task of finalising the draft constitution of the All India Football Federation (AIFF)

Must resolve issues relating to All India Football Federation: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it must bring the curtain down on issues plaguing the All India Football Federation (AIFF), including the objections raised to certain aspects of its draft constitution. "We must now bring the finality...I mean the curtain down on the issue related to the federation (AIFF)," a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said. The bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, asked senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, assisting it as an amicus curiae (friend of the court), to have a meeting with the counsels of all stakeholders and find out key objections to the draft constitution of AIFF. "We will list it for hearing after the hearing of the Constitution bench concludes, the bench said. The amicus said everybody will have some kind of objections. Responding to the query of the bench as to who is heading the AIFF currently after the elections, the amicus said Kalyan Chaubey, a former goalkeeper from West Bengal, is the ...

AFC Asian Cup 2027: India withdraws bid, to focus on grassroots development

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has officially withdrawn its bid to host the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in India, the AIFF and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) jointly notified on Monday

Ballon d'Or 2022: Live streaming, timing, nomination list, and more

Indian football fans can watch the live telecast of Ballon d'Or, which will be available in the early hours of Tuesday