As Pele readies to awaken the 'sleeping giant of football' with his presence, Rediff.com lists some lesser known facts from the legend's life. Read on and be amazed...
In a historic first for international football, seven women officials have been picked as support referees for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India, which kicks off on October 6.
Former Indian cricket captain and co-owner of Atletico de Kolkata Sourav Ganguly on Monday said the presence of eminent foreign players in the Indian Super League (ISL) will help the Indian players raise their playing standards and improve Indian football in the years to come.
'You have to have a good coach to direct you on the right path.' 'I had Arsene and Pep in my professional career, but I was lucky to have good coaches in my younger days.'
Former Manchester United and Mumbai City forward, Uruguay's Diego Forlan and La Liga's managing director for India, Jose Antonio Cachaza discussed ways for India to become a footballing powerhouse. Norma Godinho/Rediff.com sat in as the duo discussed Indian football and the Spanish League's new India tie-up.
Brazil Under-17 football team coach Carlos Amadeu wants to reclaim the FIFA U-17 World Cup title after a hiatus of 14 years at the majestic Saltlake Stadium, Kolkata, on October 28.
Three under-14 boys, two from Pandua SBS High School, Kolkata and the other from CRPF High School, Delhi, were chosen at the end of the Mahindra Youth Football Challenge at Bangalore on Friday to undergo a 10-day training at Scottish football club Celtic in Glasgow in August.
Indian football's traditional clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal on Saturday joined hands to declare an unofficial war against Indian Super League (ISL), threatening to disrupt the cash-rich event if their three-point demand is not met with.
Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan kicked off their AFC Cup football campaign with a commanding 5-2 victory over Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of the Maldives in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Bengaluru FC submit bid as ITB submission deadline ends.
A four-member delegation from Manchester United, led by Director of Football Allan Dawson, met the red-and-gold club officials
'We have played just two matches, and we have played well, that too against two powerful teams. It gives us that added motivation and confidence that in football, anything is possible'
Newly-bought Pune IPL franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka ruled out any conflict of interest over former India captain Sourav Ganguly's co-ownership of Indian Super League franchise Atletico de Kolkata and his team.
Maradona was worshipped like a god for his genius with the ball.
The Kolkata-based franchise, partly owned by La Liga club Atletico de Madrid for the first three seasons, had earlier this month split from the Spanish club.
All the action that transpired on and off the football field
India were on Friday drawn with two-time champions Ghana, United States and Colombia in a tough Group A of the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.
National football coach Stephen Constantine may have ruled Michael Chopra out from representing India but the British PIO today said he's not lost hope and was waiting the 53-year-old's exit. Hitting out at the India coach, the Kerala Blasters forward said: "Stephen Constantine can say whatever he wants. Personally, it's not a problem for me. Well has he achieved anything in the game as a player? No." There had been reports that All India Football Federation may not be too keen to extend Constantine's contract that gets over in February, a month before the Asian Cup qualifiers begin.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and while the participating nations are waiting with bated breath for kick-off, India cannot be kept away from all the football frenzy. Rediff.com let's you catch a few glimpses of the football mania that has cast a spell on Indian footy fans.
Having created a buzz with their 1.5 kilometre long floor art during Durga Puja, the fine arts students of West Bengal are all set to create a gorgeous 'Rangoli' keeping Under-17 World Cup theme in mind, during the final, in Kolkata, on October 28.
Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan dedicated the team's second Indian Premier League triumph to his youngest son AbRam.
Defending champions Atletico de Kolkata came from a goal down to beat Chennaiyin FC 2-1 and jump to the second spot in the Indian Super League football tournament, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
Kerala Blasters and Sachin Tendulkar may have parted ways but the cricket legend will always remain an intrinsic part of the club, coach David James said on Friday.
Even a rump Air India could not hope to get away with the shoddy service and scrappy fare for which I paid nearly two lakh, complains Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
In one of the biggest achievements in Indian football history, unheralded Aizawl FC on Sunday lifted the I-League crown after they held Shillong Lajong 1-1 in a tense match in Shillong.
All the 23 players of leading Goan football club Churchill Brothers flying on a SpiceJet plane from Goa to Kolkata on Tuesday were offloaded at Mumbai airport after three of them allegedly misbehaved with an airhostess and some cabin crew members.
A roundup of the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day matches played on Tuesday.
A day before the U-17 FIFA world cup kicks off in Delhi, environment NGO Greenpeace said today the level of coarse air pollutants PM10 "far exceeded" the safe levels in the host cities of the tournament last October.
Indian Super League is set to be held behind closed doors from November to March. This was discussed during a meeting between the ISL organsiers Football Sports Development Ltd. (FSDL) and club representatives on Monday.
Real Kashmir FC face defending champions Chennai City FC in their first I-League home match of the season on Thursday in the first big sporting event in the Kashmir Valley since it became a union territory. The abrogation of Article 370 and the ensuing lockdown in the valley in August had raised security concerns, but Real Kashmir have made elaborate arrangements since then, allaying the fears of the visiting teams.
Mohammedan Sporting have opted against playing in the second division of the I-League and also pulled out of the Durand Cup football tournament, beginning October 28, apparently due to financial crisis.
Tawang wears its history -- and also its present -- with ease. The flourishing town, with restaurants selling everything from noodles to dosas and locals returning home to new business prospects, shows little sign of the tension building up at the border about 40 km away to the north.
'When I signed, I only knew that East Bengal are a big club with great history. I have no idea about ISL or any other tournament. I came here because East Bengal are a big club'.
Hero ISL received, in its third edition, a total viewership of 216 million as compared to around 207 million last year. One of the highlights of the season was the sharp increase in rural India viewership registering a cumulative figure of 101 million, indicating the widespread appeal of the sport.
..reject the idea to give ACL slot to ISL; while Bhutia urges to Indian football stakeholders: Drop your egos, work together
The draw enabled Mohammedan Sporting end their run of defeats in the National Football League.
The Mumbai terror attack has cast a shadow over Diego Maradona's two-day trip to Kolkata, even as the organisers claim the iconic Argentine football star's country visit is very much on.
Though a bid cannot be expected from either of the two Kolkata giants just because the document has been taken up for consideration, this is a sign that both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are easing their stance against the IMG-Reliance owned league.
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As the football fever grips the nation, a replica of the World Cup trophy has been carved entirely out of sweets in the western Indian city of Kolkata.
