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.
Seventy thousand fans cheered wildly as world soccer boss Joseph Blatter went round the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in an open jeep.
With the nagging hamstring injury sustained in the AFC Challenge Cup healed, a fit-again Baichung Bhuita is raring to go full throttle when his team Mohun Bagan opens its I-League campaign against minnows Mumbai FC on Saturday.
Teams that were considered underdogs going into the tournament, held their own against more fancied teams and came away with favourable results.
The Chinese team scored a 1-0 victory and entered the semi-finals of the IFA shield Football Tournament.
The governing football body has made it mandatory for all clubs to have a team doctor on board.
Edeh Chidi scored a brace as Mohun Bagan scored a comfortable 3-1 win over Salgaocar Sports Club to register their third win in the I-League at Nehru Stadium in Margao on Saturday.
Bhaichung Bhutia said 'unsporting play' by Subrata Paul led to Cristiano Junior's death.
Brazilian striker Cristiano Junior collapsed during the finals of the Federation Cup Football Championship after being fouled by Mohun Bagan goalkeeper.
They beat Churchill Brothers 1-0 in a quarter-final battle between Goa teams.
Legendary German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn took his final bow from competitive soccer before a capacity 1.20 lakh crowd at Yuva Bharati Krirangan as Bayern Munich decimated Mohun Bagan 3-0 in a friendly in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Oliver Kahn is looking forward to play in front of capacity crowd at the Salt Lake stadium when Bayern Munich take on Mohun Bagan in a friendly.
East Bengal are likely play an exhibiton match against top English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur nine days before their arch rivals Mohun Bagan take on the German club Bayern Munich at Salt Lake stadium on May 27.
A Chidi Edeh strike against the run of play was enough for Goa's Dempo Sports Club to claim their maiden Super Cup title as they beat Kolkata's East Bengal by a solitary goal in Gurgaon on Wednesday.
Dempo SC produced an aesthetic brand of football to win the first I-League title.
World football governing body FIFA on Thursday sought an update from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on the current scenario in India to which the national federation reiterated its stance that it would resolve the impasse surrounding an unified league in a two-three year window.
A stout defending and a couple of good saves by keeper Arnab Das Sarma of Air-India denied Dempo full points as both settled for a goalless draw in the 15th round of ONGC-I-league played at Nehru stadium in Margao on Tuesday.
Mumbai City FC beat FC Goa 6-5 penalties to reach the ISL final
Bengaluru FC now have the possibility of facing another Indian side in Mohun Bagan at the group stage of the AFC Cup.
Ending the logjam persisting for 42 days in the wake of the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar hospital, the agitating medics withdrew the 'cease work' after holding a march to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office in Salt Lake in Kolkata from the state health department's headquarters, where they had been demonstrating for over a week.
A hat-trick by Brazilian striker Eduardo de'Silva powered JCT Phagwara to a 3-1 victory over East Bengal in the I-league Football Championship in Kolkata on Friday night. Eduwardo scored in the 43rd, 67th and 82nd minutes while East Bengal struck in the 50th minute through Edmilson, also a Brazilian.
An 86th minute goal by substitute Milagres Gonsalves helped Salgaocar hold Mumbai's Air India to a 1-1 draw in their second round match of the ONGC I-League, at the Nehru stadium, Fatorda, Goa, on Thursday.
A 4-0 victory earned the Delhi team a meeting with Garhwal Heroes in the Durand Cup football tournament qualifiers.
Nitin Pradhan's late goal gave the Kolkata side their second victory in three match in the National Football League.
Mohammedan Sporting taking on former champions Mohun Bagan in the inaugural match at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.
The 113-year-old club plans to raise funds through an Initial Public Offering.
Among them are 12 from NFL champions East Bengal.
..reject the idea to give ACL slot to ISL; while Bhutia urges to Indian football stakeholders: Drop your egos, work together
In the semi-finals, Indian Airlines beat Punjab and Sind Bank via the tie-breaker, while BSF got the better of Indian Oil.
Images from the soccer matches played across Europe on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday.
Unbeaten East Bengal hold the edge in the National League match.
The match between Mohun Bagan and Tollygunge Agragami has been postponed to March 6, while the AIFF has also rescheduled the matches of Goa's Sporting Club de Goa.
Dudu Omagbemi's hat-trick helped Sporting Clube de Goa score an emphatic 4-1 victory over Fransa in the eighth round of the NFL.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the National Football League with a call to make India a major soccer power in the world.
The defending champions take on arch-rivals Mohun Bagan in inaugural match of the ninth National Football League.
In the semi-finals, Dempo beat Mohun Bagan while JCT got the better of Sporting Clube de Goa.
All India Football Federation decided to treat him leniently as he is a young player.
The Mohun Bagan goalkeeper said he felt terribly bad at the tragic death of Cristiano Junior.
