Indian football remained in a state of terminal decline after experiencing arguably its darkest phase in a year marked by severe administrative crisis, court hearings, financial issues, absence of domestic leagues, and a steep decline in performance of the senior men's team.
India have slumped to 142 in the FIFA rankings -- their lowest in nearly a decade.
Mariano Dias has signed for Churchill Brothers as head coach for the upcoming season in place of Carlos Pareira.
The I-League on Saturday suffered another jolt with Shillong-based Royal Wahingdoh deciding not to play in the upcoming season, citing 'lack of proper roadmap for the league' and financial inviability, thereby becoming the third club to pull out of the nation's top football competition.
While the venue for the senior national team is fixed, a lot also depends on the state governments as far as organising the camps for the U-16 outfit and U-17 women's side are are concerned.
After spending two seasons with the team as player, Australia's two-time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting will take over as head coach of Mumbai Indians for the eighth season of the Indian Premier League. He will replace John Wright, who was the team's coach for Season 6 and 7.
Switzerland may get a taste of their own medicine on Saturday when they meet an Albania side featuring several players who benefited from the highly-acclaimed Swiss youth set-up. Loyalties will be divided in a fascinating Group A clash which, for the first time in the European Championship, will have brothers on opposing sides in Granit and Taulant Xhaka. Both are of Albanian heritage and were born in Basel but Granit will line up for Switzerland and older brother Taulant, provided he recovers from a thigh injury, for their opponents. In all, nine members of Albania's 23-man squad had the right to play for Switzerland, and six members of the Swiss squad could have opted for Albania.
Indian football team coach Wim Koevermans's contract will be extended till the end of next year's Asian Games in October, the AIFF's technical committee, headed by former captain Bhaichung Bhutia, decided in New Delhi on Monday.
Very impressed with India's tearaway quick Umesh Yadav, legendary West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts feels he is the "first genuine" pacer from the country but needs to be a tad more aggressive.
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