After his inspirational showing in India's AFC Challenge Cup triumph fetched him the most valuable player award in the tournament, it came as no surprise when the All India Football Federation named Baichung Bhutia the country's player of the year at their Annual General Meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. The India and Mohun Bagan skipper, who first won the award in 1995, is the only player after I M Vijayan to win it twice.
His late goal enabled the defending champions beat Churchill Brothers in the National Football League.
In the ASEAN tournament, twelve teams from South and East Asia are pooled in four groups.
But East Bengal, the ace striker's club, will not oblige.
Perak FC edged out Serawak 4-3 on aggregate in the Malaysia Cup football tournament.
India are placed alongside Singapore, Oman and Japan for the Azian zone round.
The ace striker is not among the 32 players named for the national coaching camp, starting August 4 in Kolkata, in preparation for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia on August 16.
India captain Baichung Bhutia rued the missed chances in the SAFF Cup 2-1 semi-final victory over Bhutan on Wednesday. In Saturday's final, India meet Maldives, who got the better of Sri Lanka 1-0 in the other semi-final.
The ace striker took his international goal tally to 44 after scoring in the ASEAN championship match against Persita Tangerang.
India's skipper has two yellow cards and will miss the crucial match at the Asian Games today.
Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 1-0 in a closely-fought match of the IFA Premier Division\nFootball League in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Having missed the IFA Shield and Durand Cup, Baichung Bhutia said he is not fully fit and will take some time to settle down when he dons the East Bengal jersey in the I-League.
Chief coach Stephen Constantine expressed confidence that the team would retain the LG Cup it won in 2002.
Bhaichung said he is proud to represent Sikkim at the 13th edition of Sustainable Fashion Day.
The former India captain says he will consider contesting for the president of AIFF in the future.
Can Baichung Bhutia's Hamro Sikkim party pose a challenge to Pawan Chamling who has not lost an election in 24 years?
Star footballer Baichung Bhutia on winning season three of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and more.
Defending champions India sans star striker Baichung Bhutia failed to impress as they went down 0-1 to Syria in their inconsequential last round-robin match of the Nehru Cup international football tournament in New Delhi, on Saturday. Having already qualified for Monday's final against the same opponents, India rested Bhutia, who had received a yellow card in the tournament opener against Lebanon.
Praful Patel, said that he has absolutely no interest in holding any position in the national football body
Fit-again striker Sunil Chhetri converted a penalty as the Indian football team wound up its Barcelona training tour on a winning note, beating Spanish third division side FC Santboia by a solitary goal in their fourth and final friendly game, High Performance Sports at the outskirts of Barcelona on Wednesday night.
Baichung Bhutia's goal game Mohun Bagan a 1-0 victory in the Kolkata Football League.
'We want more and more teams to join the I-League and ISL. With this, the two competitions will get stronger. We need more teams so that more players get chances'
'I hail from Sikkim and have strived to make a mark on the national scene. Generally whatever happens in the North-East remains confined to those parts. People from there are hard working and courteous. Only those who have visited and experienced their hospitality will relate to it,' says football star Baichung Bhutia.
Goals from N P Pradeep, Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chetri and Sushil Kumar Singh gave India a 4-0 victory in the SAFF Championship opener at Maldives National Stadium in Male on Tuesday.
Pitted against Bharatiya Janata Party's S S Ahluwalia who has the backing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Trinamool Congress nominee Baichung Bhutia said the real issue in Darjeeling hills was not a separate state, but lack of development.
It may not have been football, but it was certainly 'match of the day'.
The Indian football team beat Recreativo Agueda to register its first victory, after a draw, on its tour of Portugal.
Skipper Baichung Bhutia's injury is the only worry for India on the eve of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifier.
Alvito D'Cunha scored a brace in a 2-0 win over West Bengal Police in the Kolkata League.
The Indian team takes on North Korea in Pyongyang on March 20.
With Euro 2012 round the corner, Chhetri tells Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi that he has his money riding on Spain winning the tournament.
Ron Dennis is ready to buy the 27-year-old out of his BMW-Williams contract for an immediate switch in 2004.
Ace footballer Baichung Bhutia and swimmer Bula Chowdhury were named for the Padma Shri while the late Edmund Hillary, the first to scale Mt Everest, will get the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
Baichung Bhutia and Kiran Bedi's refusal notwithstanding, the Olympic torch relay continues to draw celebrities, with sharpshooters Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Abhinav Bindra joining the April 17 run with the flame. According to a statement from Samsung, the Olympic torch relay partner, sprint queen P T Usha, powerlifter Rajinder Singh Rahelu, actor Sagarika Ghatge of Chak De! India fame and sarod player Ayaan Ali Khan will also join the run.
Striker Mike Okoro, Baichung Bhutia and Alvito D'Cunha scored goals.\n\n\n\n
Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra speaks about fashion trends, films and how the recession hit his business.
With doubts looming over skipper Baichung Bhutia's availability and taking into account their unimpressive outings in the friendly matches, India face a daunting task in their bid to make an impact in the Asian Cup football tournament which kicks off on Friday.
A depleted Mohun Bagan, without skipper Baichung Bhutia, suffered a 0-4 drubbing at the hands of Al Karamah in their last AFC Cup Group D match and ended their season on a disappointing note, in Howrah, on Tuesday. Bagan ended their AFC Cup campaign, losing all their six matches and conceding 19 goals.
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