Bhaichung Bhutia and I M Vijayan were there, the fans too were there, and the magnet that drew them all into the Mumbai Football Arena for India's Intercontinental Cup game against Kenya was Sunil Chhetri.
Stimac is also grappling with injuries to few of his key players. Defensive midfielder Jeakson Singh, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder early last month, was named among the 50 probables but he is uncertain to be in the final 26.
CK Vineeth showed his predatory skills with double strike in the extra time as Bengaluru FC beat Mohun Bagan 2-0 to win the 38th Federation Cup football tournament.
The Indian football team's 13-match unbeaten run ended as it lost 1-2 to an attacking Kyrgyzstan
After Central defender Harpreet Singh headed the first one in the 37th minute, two goals in two minutes immediately after resumption took the issue beyond Yemen's reach.
The Indian U-14 Girls' team landed safely in New Delhi from an earthquake struck Kathmandu on Sunday.
The U-17 World Cup, the first-ever FIFA competition to be hosted by India, launched the Twitter handle -- @FIFAHindi to cater to football fans in the most widely spoken language in the country.
'If we are in the first 10, you are giving yourself a realistic chance to play against the best in Asia and then you always have the answer to how much you have to achieve more'
Sunil Chhetri said the players should enjoy the tournament once they have prepared well for it.
Indian football team's downward spiral in the FIFA rankings continued as it slipped five places to 172nd in the latest chart, on Thursday.
The Indian football team continued to paint a grim picture as they are languishing down at 156th spot in the latest FIFA rankings.
Farukh Choudhary and skipper Sunil Chhetri struck in the second half to guide India to a 2-1 victory over Nepal in their second International friendly, in Kathmandu, on Sunday.
Relegated in their debut season, Aizawl FC were readmitted to make up the numbers when Goan clubs fell out with the All India Football Federation over the I-League and Indian Super League merger issue. They made the opportunity count by winning the I-League in only their second season to script a rare and incredible story in present-day Indian football.
Chhetri scored his 62nd international goal to equal Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo's goal tally
Stranded in Srinagar for more than a month due to the coronavirus-forced national lockdown, Real Kashmir FC head coach David Robertson and his family will finally return to Scotland on Thursday, ending an anxious wait to attend to his sick mother. Robertson, his wife Kim, son Mason, who plays for the club, and three support staff reached Jammu on Wednesday by an official bus of RKFC which left Srinagar early in the morning. They will fly back home in a British Airways flight from Amritsar on Thursday afternoon.
The prolific striker became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals, in his 87th match, when he reduced the margin in the dying minutes as India went down 1-2 to Guam in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Aizawl FC stunned I-League champions Bengaluru FC 2-1 in their maiden match of the Federation Cup football tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, in Aizawl, on Saturday.
Star striker Sunil Chhetri is among a 28-strong Indian probable squad announced for the 2018 soccer World Cup preliminary qualifying round matches against Iran and Turkmenistan.
Striker C K Vineeth struck a second-half goal as Bengaluru Football Club beat new entrant Aizawl FC by a solitary goal in an I-League match in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Sunil Chhetri equalled the iconic Lionel Messi with his 80th international strike as an inspired India blanked Nepal 3-0 for their eighth SAFF Championship title, in Male, on Saturday. India extended their domination in the regional tournament thanks to second half goals from Chhetri (49th minute), Suresh Singh (50th) and Sahal Abdul Samad (90th).
Indian football was a picture of good health with a 10-man under-20 outfit's triumph over Argentina
FIFA is set to shift India's Under-17 World Cup matches from Mumbai to Delhi as the apex soccer body has taken the host government's request 'very seriously'.
In a heart-warming tribute to his former teammate, Franco Fortunato recalls that "The team that won the Gold Medal in the 1962 Asian Games was a fantastic bunch. But Chuni was above all. He was a treat to watch. He was pure entertainment, a complete package. He was our captain, our darling".
According to Jhingan, not being able to play in the ISL or international matches would have been more frustrating for him.
The Indian team may not have won medals but the youngsters have won the hearts of everyone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the FIFA Under- 17 World Cup during his monthly radio programme.
India's vast size and diversity posed as obstacles in the initial preparatory stage, but having crossed the hurdles, FIFA's head of events Jaime Yarza has promised to deliver a 'magnificent' U-17 World Cup football.
'This is the tournament we play for. We get to rub our shoulders against best in Asia which we don't get many times'
India ended their campaign in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup when they went down 0-4 to a superior and physical Ghana in their third Group A match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Capital in New Delhi on Thursday.
Buoyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support to the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in the country next year, Tournament Director Javier Ceppi said the government's involvement in the prestigious event will play a major role towards creating a "football revolution" in India. The Local Organising Committee set up by All India Football Federation is working in tandem with the government to ensure that the event turns out to be a massive success. While inaugurating a multipurpose sports complex in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, PM Modi said that the opportunity of hosting a FIFA World Cup will be a big boost for the youth especially the sports lovers in India.
The India U-17 women's team began the three-nation football tournament on a disastrous note, going down 0-3 to Sweden
The city of Kolkata will turn into the headquarters of FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 as well as the main broadcasting centre to cater stories of the entire tournament to 209 countries, FIFA Head of Events Jaime Yarza Said on Thursday during his visit to Kolkata. After meeting the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat Nabanna, Yarza told reporters that they were happy with the venues and other infrastructure in the city to conduct the tournament successfully. Expressing satisfaction over the work done at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Yarza said that the venue would turn into a top venue of the U-17 World Cup.
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Rising high on Prosenjit Chakborty's hat-trick, India registered 8-1 victory against Bhutan in their third match of the U-16 AFC Qualifiers in Kuwait City on Friday night.
India have been clubbed in Group E along with Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and Syria for next year's qualifiers of the Asian Football Confederation Under-23 Championship 2016.
While the Indian women's football team holds the 60th position in the FIFA rankings, the men's team ranks 100.
Indian football sensation Sunil Chhetri has signed with newly unveiled Bengaluru Football Club (BFC) and the main reason is the club's English manager Ashley Westwood.
Having endured a topsy-turvy start to their campaign before a fine turnaround, seven-time champions India start as title favourites when they take on first-time finalists Nepal in the summit clash of the SAFF Championships, in Male, on Saturday.
Indian football team has turned into a decent home side but it is in desperate need for away games, says inspirational skipper Sunil Chhetri, who feels the next target for the country should be a top-10 place in Asia so that the big guns invite them over.
Indian football head coach Igor Stimac hailed Sunil Chhetri, saying the talismanic captain was one of those who "glorified" Indian football with his dedication in the 15 years of his illustrious career. The 35-year-old Chhetri on Friday became only the second Indian after legendary Bhaichung Bhutia to complete 15 years in Indian jersey.
Indian national football team slumped to its worst-ever FIFA rankings, 171, in the 209-nation chart.
