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[BangaloreaN]

Official Emblem launched for FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017




The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 unveiled the Official Emblem for what will be the country’s first international football event. The ceremony at Goa’s Marriott Hotel was attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Praful Patel, Chairman of the LOC and of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
“It is clear for all to see how football has already been making huge strides in India,” said FIFA President Infantino, “but there is still so much room for growth, and the FIFA U-17 World Cup can be an ideal catalyst to develop the sport even further and across the whole country. This is an exceptional opportunity to combine two of FIFA’s core missions: to organise tournaments and to promote football development.”
Fittingly launched during the AFC U-16 Championship, which also serves as the first set of qualifiers for next year’s tournament, the emblem of the first-ever FIFA tournament in India was designed as a celebration of the country’s richness and diversity of cultures, with the main elements of the Indian Ocean, the banyan tree, the kite and the starburst, which is an interpretation of the Ashoka Chakra, an integral part of the national identity.
Each of these elements has been selected for its deep significance in the culture of the country. The Indian Ocean that serves as the base of the emblem is an integral part of the subcontinent. The banyan tree is the national tree of India, deeply rooted in the culture and ethos of the country and under which rural communities traditionally gather to take all major decisions in its shade.
The kite is the symbol of freedom and fun. Popular across the country, it represents the soaring aspirations of India’s young and vibrant democracy. Finally, the starburst that sits on the top of the emblem evokes festivity and celebration, representing all the festivals that grace this multicultural country and making a statement that the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be a new festival for all calendars.
Shaped like the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy, the emblem combines the global look of the beautiful game with a quintessentially Indian feel. It represents what the tournament stands for.
Talking about the launch, Patel said, “This is a historic occasion for India and the AIFF. Hosting our first FIFA tournament will change the way football is seen in our country forever.”
Tournament Director of the LOC, Javier Ceppi added, “This is a very important landmark for our event, as we now have a very distinct image. With the Emblem Launch, we will go out to the masses and make sure that the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 is seen across the nation as another festival in our calendar of celebrations: the festival of football. We really have to make this fantastic opportunity count.”
The FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 will be held in six venues across the country during October 2017.

[Perumthachan]

On shelves from today. Autobio of Johan Cruyff.
Booked my copy through Amazon.

[baadshahmian]

AFC semi final bengaluru trail jdt 1-2 on aggregate....

[BangaloreaN]

AFC semi final bengaluru trail jdt 1-2 on aggregate....

3 - 1 lead in the match, 5 minutes to go.

[baadshahmian]

bengaluru fc becomes first indian team to enter afc finals

[BangaloreaN]

[BangaloreaN]

Bengaluru FC creates history, becomes first Indian club to reach AFC Cup finals


Bengaluru FC players celebrates after scoring a goal against Johor Darul TA'ZIM . (PTI Photo)

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India captain Sunil Chhetri led Bengaluru FC to a historic AFC Cup final by scripting an inspiring 3-1 win over defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim with his stunning double strike in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Bengaluru made it to the final by virtue of superior aggregate goal difference of 4-2. The first leg in Malaysia ended in a 1-1 draw.
It is a historic day for Indian football as no club from the country has ever made it to the summit clash of the prestigious second-tier continental tournament.
After the Malaysian team went ahead with Shafiq Rahim’s 11th minute goal, Chhetri struck the equaliser in the 41st minute and put the side ahead in the 67th minute. Bengaluru’s win was sealed when Spanish defender Juan Antonio González Fernández found the back of the net in the 75th minute.
In front of a packed stadium, the hosts, who trailed 0-1 till the 41st minute, saw their skipper rising to the occasion as he nodded home a Eugenson Lyngdoh flag kick. Chhetri evaded the defence and timed his jump to perfection to bring the ‘Blues’ back in the match.
However, the defining moment came in the second half when Chhetri made space for himself from 30-yards and took a crack with his in-step to slot home, beating the outstretched hands of custodian Izham.
Lyngdoh who had a dream night at the centre of the park also had a hand in the final goal which shut the defending champions out of the contest.
An indirect free kick was beautifully swerved into the 18-yard box as the lanky Juanan outjumped the defensive melee to place the delivery to perfection as the fans went into delirium.

[BangaloreaN]

Bengaluru FC create history, reach AFC Cup final after beating Johor Darul 3-1







The Hindu
Bengaluru FC team members celebrate after winning the AFC Cup semifinal against Johor Darul Ta’zim, in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

Bengaluru made it to the final by virtue of superior aggregate goal difference of 4-2. The first leg in Malaysia ended in a 1-1 draw.

Bengaluru FC beat Johor Darul Ta’zim 3-1 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday to become the first Indian club ever to enter the final of the AFC Cup.
A brace from the outstanding Sunil Chhetri and a goal from Spaniard Juan Gonzalez completed a come-from-behind win which is certain to rank among the very best the club has had in three-year-long existence. It will meet Iraq’s Air Force Club in the final on November 5 in Doha, Qatar.
Prior to the match coach Albert Roca had asked his side to be brave and on the day the team showed its class which should thrill the coach. In spite of having an away goal advantage, BFC was the aggressor. The first goal for Johor in the 11th minute — which negated BFC’s advantage — was completely against the wind.
A counter-attack started by Kunalan Subramaniam from the mid-field ended with the captain Safiq Rahim heading the ball into the net. That BFC let Johor through on goal without any resistance would irk Roca.
Goalie Amrinder Singh too didn’t cover himself in glory — in trying to push the ball over the bar, he just pushed it closer to the goal mouth.
But it did nothing to slow the home side down. On 18 minutes, Rino Anto had a shot punched away by the Johor goalie Mohd Tarimi. Ten minutes later Chhetri hit the bar from a move which started with a fine corner from Eugeneson Lyngdoh, went back and forth across the goal before falling to Chhetri.
Equaliser
The equaliser came with a third such opportunity in the 40th minute when Chhetri rose majestically to head the ball across into the top left corner off another fine ball from Eugeneson.
The second half played out similarly with Johor continuing to sit back. On the few occasions it had the ball, it gave it away immediately. From one such situation, C.K. Vineeth found himself with the ball high up the pitch and squared it to Chhetri. After having appeared to mis-control it a bit, Chhetri cut in from the left to unleash a screamer from just outside the penalty box to put Bengaluru ahead.
The I-League champion had one foot in the final. Centre-back Juan, on 76 minutes, dragged the other across the line when he scored off a free-kick from Eugeneson.
The result: Bengaluru FC 3 (Chhetri 40, 67, Juan 76) bt Johor Darul Ta’zim 1 (Safiq Rahim 11).
Aggregate 4-2.

[BangaloreaN]

Skipper's goals, grit lead Bengaluru to glory


On Wednesday night, soon after the conclusion of an electrifying football match at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, Sunil Chhetri walked into the press room to a huge round of applause from all the journalists present.
Chhetri had just inspired Bengaluru FC to become the first Indian club to reach the AFC Cup final. He had bust a gut in doing so, covering each blade of grass, dripping blood, sweat and tears. He energized standing team-mates, picked up fallen ones, boomed forward, tracked back, and scored two of the most memorable goals of his career. For 90 minutes, he had transcended mere numbers and statistics.
Bengaluru FCOn Wednesday night, the Kanteerava Stadium was enveloped in a sea of blue hours before kick-off. A month back, Bengaluru began a new reign under Spanish coach Albert Roca with an impressive win against Tampines Rovers, but unrest in the city meant that match was played behind closed doors. Now, on their biggest night, they finally had the voice of 20000 delirious fans spurring them on. Later, match won, Chhetri and Roca thanked the supporters and acknowledged their role in the win. "It's my first experience with a crowd like this," Roca said. Chhetri immediately stepped in: "This is a guy who has worked at FC Barcelona. When he says he has never experienced a crowd like this, you know just how it was tonight."
Anticipation for this contest had been sky high. In the days leading up to the semifinals, posters of Chhetri urging fans to come and shout for the team could be found everywhere - on streets, walls, hotels and restaurants.
Chhetri is not merely the face of Bengaluru. His influence extends well beyond his contributions on the field; he is a leader, in every sense of the term, capable of inspiring those besides him. When the Bengaluru players came out for their warm-ups, Chhetri was the first to wave to the crowd, and he was rewarded with an emphatic roar. When the line-ups were being announced, his name again got the maximum cheers. Chhetri himself has not been in the best of form leading into this game, missing a host of chances against Tampines in particular, but the crowd sensed something special was in the offing.
For 10 minutes, the noise was deafening at the Kanteerava. Every minute without a Johor goal was a minute Bengaluru - with the away-goal advantage - were closer to creating history. Then it suddenly went off script as Johor scored.
Chhetri was the first to pick the ball from the net and take it back to the centre circle. He wasn't about to immediately surrender, not when within touching distance of the grand prize.
He chugged along, his engine intact. It only needed one moment of magic or genius to turn the game on its head. Patience would be key. Bengaluru had all the possession and dominated the half, but the ball just would not go in. The crowd's frustration grew, but thankfully for them, their captain on the field was unnerved. His game so far had been flawless, making incisive runs, winning the flick-ons, and bringing others into play with his hold-up.
Bengaluru FCAll half, Chhetri was a level above the other 21 players on the field. Five minutes from half time he rose again, to meet Eugeneson Lyngdoh's corner. Johor's defence looked equipped to deal with the set-piece, but this was Chhetri's moment and he glanced the header into the far corner.
Chhetri wheeled away in celebration. The score-line read 2-2 on aggregate, but Chhetri knew the significance of his goal. It didn't merely raised the volume at the stadium again, it seemed to have completely sucked out what little confidence Johor had till then.
Chhetri and Bengaluru came out for the second half with new-found vigour, and more tempo and purpose to their game. Vineeth set his captain up for a great chance early in the half, but Chhetri blasted it high and wide. "Man, Chhetri! You can't waste that, you're better than that," screamed a fan to the left of the press box.
The response came in the 67th minute when Chhetri, after exchanging passes with Vineeth, cut past one defender, then another, and, still outside the box, curled the ball into the top corner of the net. Johor's keeper Izham Tarmizi had no chance. If his first goal sucker-punched Dohor, the second was a potential knockout.
Bengaluru scented that their opponents were down, and immediately went for the kill; centre-back Juan Antonio headed home from a Lyngdoh free-kick soon after to add more gloss to the party.
When the referee blew the final whistle Chhetri did not immediately celebrate. He knew he owed the fans a debt, and, with his team-mates, proceeded to thank them all in a lap of honour around the stadium.
Their final bow was, fittingly, below the banner that reads "Let's create history together".
Together, they all did.


Chhetri double takes Bengaluru into AFC Cup final


Captain Sunil Chhetri scored a brace of goals as he helped Bengaluru FC come back from 1-0 down to beat reigning champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) of Malaysia 3-1 in the second leg of the AFC Cup semi-final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday. Juan Antonio scored the other goal for Bengaluru, while JDT captain Safiq Rahim had scored the first goal of the match. Bengaluru's 4-2 aggregate win made them the first Indian club to advance to an AFC competition final.
Conceding a goal in the 11th minute spurred Bengaluru into mounting a memorable fightback. In the 17th minute Nishu Kumar converted a good spell of possession from the left flank into a corner. From the Eugeneson Lyngdoh corner, John Johnson got a strong header in which was saved by goalkeeper Izham Tarmizi, and the resultant ball fell to Nishu, whose shot was also easily saved by Izham. Bengaluru's first clear opening came in the 28th minute, when Lyngdoh's corner took a touch off Juan Antonio's head and fell for Chhetri. The Bengaluru captain's first shot was saved by Izham and the resultant ball came back to him, but this time his shot grazed the crossbar and flew over the goal.
The hosts' persistence eventually paid off in the 41st minute when a Chhetri shot took a deflection off Marcos Antonio and went for a corner. Lyngdoh sent in a perfectly weighted corner, which was headed into the near post by Chhetri.
JDT began the second half in earnest, with Amirulhadi Zainal looking to work a one-two with Safiq early in the 48th minute. Safiq found himself in a good position to go for a goal in the 59th minute, but failed to keep his shot on target. At the other end, Lyngdoh was working tirelessly, and kept right-back Kunanlan Subramaniam on his toes, outpacing his marker to meet a ball slopped through by Chhetri, but only winning a corner due to some quick work from Izham. A minute later, Chhetri found himself in space just outside the box after getting the ball from CK Vineeth, and he curled the ball into Izham's top right corner to put Bengaluru ahead for the first time on the night.
Lyngdoh then provided two moments of inspiration, first chasing what looked like a lost cause down the baseline to cut a ball back for Chhetri, but his attempt at completing a hat-trick was blocked by Marcos Antonio. Three minutes later, Lyngdoh floated in a free kick that was met by Juan Antonio perfectly, as the Spaniard scored his first goal in Bengaluru colours to put his team 4-2 ahead on aggregate.
From thereon, it was always going to be difficult for the champions to come back, though substitute Amarhan Eldstal tried a snapshot from inside the box in the 83rd minute and Mohammad Safee Sali tried his luck from distance in injury time, but both were comfortably thwarted by Amrinder Singh.
The match had started with Bengaluru coach Albert Roca making just one change in the starting XI from the team that started the away leg in Johor Bahru, with left-back Nishu replacing Salam Ranjan Singh. In contrast, Mario Gomez was forced to effect a few changes in the JDT side -- primarily due to suspensions to strikers Martin Lucero and Jorge Diaz -- opting to bring in an extra defensive player in Kunanlan, and midfielder Amirul and veteran striker Safee in to what appeared to be a more conservative 5-4-1 formation.
The first 10 minutes were dominated by Bengaluru, both in intent as well as possession. Vineeth was seen chasing every back pass towards goalkeeper Izham, while Chhetri, Lyngdoh, Nishu and right-back Rino Anto were all looking to get involved in movements forward.
It was JDT who drew first blood against the run of play though, as Safiq picked up a ball in midfield in the 11th minute and put a splendid through-ball for Safee, who pulled away from the chasing defenders, before unleashing a powerful right-footer. Amrinder in goal punched the ball up rather than collecting and the venom in the shot took it over his head and towards goal, where Safiq followed up and headed his team into a lead.
The semi-final win maintains Roca's unbeaten record as coach of Bengaluru FC, with all four matches having come in the knockout stages of the 2016 AFC Cup. His fifth match as coach will come on November 5 when Bengaluru will face Iraq's Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Air Force Club), with the venue for the final to be decided by a draw.

[BangaloreaN]

U-17 World Cup: Kochi first Indian city to get Fifa nod to host tournament

Kochi: Kochi on Wednesday became the first Indian city to be officially declared as one of the venues for hosting the 2017 Fifa U-17 World Cup after it received a green signal from a high-level delegation of football's world body.
Kochi has got Fifa's nod to host the U-17 World Cup next year.



After visiting the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium earlier on Wednesday, a 23-member high-level delegation comprising experts from Fifa and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) ratified Kochi as the venue for next year's mega event.
"Based on what we have seen and based on all the works we have done with the government of Kerala, with the Kerala Football Association, with all the different stakeholders here in Kochi, we are extremely pleased to announce that Kochi has been ratified as a venue for Fifa U-17 World Cup. Congratulations!" announced tournament director of the LOC, Javier Ceppi at a press conference.
He said the decision to ratify Kochi as a venue has been taken after discussing it with all the stakeholders.
"There are a few things that need to be completed, few things that need to be done. We would keep monitoring closely, would closely work with the government of Kerala to make sure that all the readiness is there and all the compliance is there for the World Cup," Ceppi said.
The tournament director said a lot of work has been put in areas people generally don't see.
"From sewage facilities to toilets, it's all been taken care of really well and that for me is very commendable. State government now needs to focus on finishing the work at the stadium and especially the training sites within very tight deadlines, but overall it is commendable how the venue has shaped up," he said.
Tracy Lu, project lead, Fifa U-17 World Cup 2017, said the preparations at one of the footballing hotbeds of India was fit for this stature.
"We are extremely happy with the progress we see here; from our last inspection a lot of development already taking place and that's extremely encouraging. The dressing rooms, for instances have been renovated and a lot of other construction work has been initiated. I believe thus that it would make for a terrific World Cup venue," Lu said.
Besides Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the team also visited the prospective training grounds in Kochi – Parade Ground; Fort Kochi Veli Football Ground, Maharaja College Ground and Government Boys High School, Panampilly Nagar.
"The onus is now on the state government to complete all works on those sites before end of March 2017," the delegation said.
The delegation will visit Navi Mumbai on Thursday.