Football legends Ryan Giggs and Hernan Crespo led from the front in Mumbai 5's and Kolkata 5's identical 4-2 wins over Chennai and Goa respectively, in the inaugural Premier Futsal League that got off to a grand start at the floodlight Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium in Chennai on Friday.
Spain's Javier Siverio produced the solitary goal as East Bengal beat Punjab FC 1-0 in the final Group A game to qualify for the knockout stages of the Durand Cup in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The IPL-style football league has gone ahead full guns blazing to show their presence. The idea is finally coming together. Mumbai's D Y Patil Stadium is scheduled to host the opening match of the inaugural IMG-Reliance league that commences from January 18 next year.
Sunil Chhetri was once again the man of the moment as he struck a brace to inspire India to a 2-0 win over Cambodia in the third round of qualifying for next year's Asian Cup.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
An ambitious project to awaken a sleeping giant of Asian soccer looks like confirming Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's famous remark that India pricks up its ears only when comparisons with China are made. With China embarked on a multi-billion dollar mission to become a soccer superpower by 2050, India looks set to follow suit with its own plan to raise its status in the game to match its burgeoning economic power. Come October, India, most famously described as soccer's sleeping giant by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in soccer-related activities.
Chennaiyin FC stormed into the final of the Indian Super League football on 4-2 aggregate against defending champions Atletico de Kolkata despite losing the semi-final second leg 1-2.
Either Jeddah or Riyadh will host Santosh knockouts for 3 years, says AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey
FC Goa became the second Hero Indian Super League side to book their place in the play-offs after a convincing 3-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC in Margao Monday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
The draw, Goa's sixth on the trot, helped the Gaurs climb to the third spot on the table.
NorthEast United FC advanced to the quarterfinals of the Durand Cup football tournament after a convincing 3-1 victory over Downtown Heroes in Guwahati on Sunday.
Amid the buzz surrounding what has been termed a game-changer for Indian football, Brazilian legend Zico says the 158-ranked nation's hopes of scaling greater heights in the world sport depends solely on the local players' "mentality" and their "ability" to develop.
Denied for 86 minutes, Chhetri put India ahead with a brilliant free-kick from just over 20 yards, taking only a couple of steps before unleashing his shot straight into the right corner of the net beating Afghanistan's goalkeeper.
He spoke to Rediff.com's Laxmi Negi on why ISL could prove to be a much-needed shot in the arm for Indian football and how it attracted him back to India.
The upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be held in the country next month could lead to a massive interest in football if the event gets good exposure in the media, said Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
The coveted Durand Cup trophy received a grand welcome with two retired Army officers showing their daredevilry by jumping from Kolkata's tallest building -- The 42 -- a 65-floor, 260-metre landmark
Legendary Sachin Tendulkar feels that Indian Super League has begun on the right note and the 'fantastic start' on Sunday would be a huge boost towards changing the face of the game in the country.
The Indian Super League giants said they have raised the issue with the 'relevant authorities'.
The 50-year-old lavished praise on French forward Kylian Mbappe, who scored four goals in the summit clash but still ended on the losing side.
A narrow 1-0 win was not enough for a desperate Mumbai City FC who were knocked out by FC Goa 5-2 on aggregate in the Hero Indian Super League semi-final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Margao, on Tuesday.
Defending champions Chennaiyin FC rallied from one-goal deficit to play out a 1-1 draw against Atletico de Kolkata in their Indian Super League football match in Chennai.
'We tried to keep him, but there is nothing we can do'
LSG do not have to fret so much about the mathematical scenarios as a win would be enough for them to seal their back-to-back playoff berth.
Chaubey, a former goalkeeper for big clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, welcomed Bhutia in the executive committee as a co-opted member.
Leander Paes feels India will find it tough in singles but the country can hope to win a medal in the Asian Games
Shastri reminisced the first day of the IPL.
The harum-scarum-ness of Kaala is astounding, exclaims Deepa Gahlot.
Both sides created chances in the first half but it was SCEB who converted them and deservedly headed into the break with a two-goal cushion.
The 'sleeping giant' woke up to a new dawn with the Indian Super League putting Indian football on the global map, but the national team continued to paint a grim picture, plummeting to its worst-ever rankings in an eventful year for the sport.
India's biggest football draw -- clash between bitter foes Mohun Bagan and East Bengal -- was on Wednesday called off here after a no-show from the former team in the Calcutta Football League Premier Division. East Bengal had turned up for the match at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium but Mohun Bagan stood firm on their decision as match referee Pranjan Banerjee waited for 30 minutes before calling it off, and declaring the red-and-gold winners.
Roy Krishna powered ATK Mohun Bagan to a 3-1 win over SC East Bengal
A stoppage-time goal by Ishan Pandita helped FC Goa pull off a thrilling 3-3 draw against Mumbai City FC
Wanindu Hasaranga's wicket celebrations is inspired by his favourite footballer -- Neymar of Brazil and PSG.
Announcing the window for the 24-team championship, which includes India as hosts, Tournament Director Javier Cepii told a media conference in Mumbai that the D Y Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai is among the four centres, which has been given provisional approval to host matches in the 23-day event.
Indian fans wait for Messi's '2011 Tendulkar moment'
Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg and Spanish World Cupper Luis Garcia will be the centre of attention when Mumbai City FC kick off the inaugural Indian Super League football tournament on October 12 at Atletico de Kolkata, in a tournament that will feature 61 games spread across 70 days.
It's good news for football-crazy fans of the city. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and his teammates will play a FIFA official international friendly against Venezuela at Salt Lake's Yuba Bharati Krirangan on September 2.
Ashwal Rai, who is leading Kolkata Thunderbolts in the upcoming Prime Volleyball League, believes ace cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandy and KL Rahul can be very good volleyball players.
'The CoA (which is running the show in AIFF after the suspension of president Praful Patel) must go deep into this appalling incident and find out who all are responsible behind it. There are many scams waiting to see the light of the day.'
