30 Federation Cup Football

NE Zone qualifying round begins on Sep 25:

New Delhi, Sep 22: The Northeast Zone qualifying round of the 30th Federation Cup football tournament begins on September 25 in Tripura with FC Kukikawan (Mizoram) taking on ASEB (Assam) in the opening match.

Next day, Khliehriat West Club of Meghalaya play North Imphal Sports Association of Manipur.

The qualifiers, introduced under the newly changed format to spread the game across the country on the lines of England's FA Cup, will provide a national platform to newcomers.

The 26 teams have been divided into five zones -- South, East, North-East, North and West -- in the first round and the winner of each group will join the 12 second division I-League teams in the next round of qualifiers.

The first round of qualifiers end on October 26. The 17 clubs will be divided into four groups and the winners of each group will move into the main round where they will be joined by the 12 I-League sides.

In the main round to be played on a league basis, the 16 teams will be divided into four groups and winners of each group will make it to the semi-finals.
Zonal Qualifying Round Fixtures:
North East Zone: Venue (Tripura)
25.9.08: Match 1: FC Kukikawan (Mizoram) Vs ASEB (Assam)
26.9.08: Match 2: Khliehriat West Club (Meghalaya) Vs North Imphal Sports Association
27.9.08: Match 3: Ageya Chalo (Tripura) Vs Winner of Match 1
28.9.08: Match 3: Winner of Match 2 Vs Winner of Match 3

South Zone: Venue (Pondicherry)
23.9.08: Match 1: Sathiyabama (Pondicherry) Vs ICF (Tamil Nadu)

24.9.08: Match 2: Titanium (Kerala) Vs BEML (Karnataka)
26.9.08: Match 3: Winner of Match 1 Vs Winner of Match 2
East Zone: Venue: Rajendra Stadium, Siwan, Bihar
25.9.08: Match 1: SEC Railways (Chhattisgarh) Vs Peerless (IFA)

26.9.08: Match 2: Rail SC (Jharkhand ) Vs SBI (Orissa)
28.9.08: Match 3: Raj Milk Vs Winner Match 2
28.9.08: Match 4: Winner of Match 1 Vs Winner of Match 3
West Zone : Venue (Home & Away)
Group A: 7th Oct 08: Match 1: SESA Goa Vs Gujarat Police (Venue: Goa)

12th Oct 08: Match 2: Gujarat Police Vs SESA Goa (Venue: Gujarat)
Group B: 7th Oct 08: Match 1: BMFC Vs Lions Club (Venue: Maharashtra)

12th Oct 08: Match 2: Lions Club Vs BMFC (Venue: Madhya Pradesh)
20th Oct 08: Match 3: Winner A Vs Winner B Venue (Gujarat/Goa)
26th Oct 08: Match 4: Winner B Vs Winner A (Venue: Maharashtra/Madhya Pradesh)
North Zone: Venue (Gurgaon)
5th Oct 08: Match 1: Raghav Club Vs Him Club
5th Oct 08: Match 2: UP Police Vs Chandigarh FC
6th Oct 08: Match 3: Uttarakhand Police Vs INFC Delhi
6th Oct 08: Match 4: RCF Kapurthala Vs J&K Bank
7th Oct 08: Match 5: Winner of Match 1 Vs Winner of Match No 2
8th Oct 08: Match 6: Winner of Match 3 Vs Winner of Match No 4
10th Oct 08: Match 7: Winner of Match 5 Vs Winner of Match No 6

Bodoland Martyrs’ Gold Cup

Sporting tips from top coach:

Kokrajhar, Dec. 21: Mohammedan Sporting Club coach Sabir Ali has asked Assam to “invest in youth” if it wants to improve the standard of football.

The piece of advice came after Ali’s team won the 8th Bodoland Martyrs’ Gold Cup in Kokrajhar on Tuesday.

“Although we have won the trophy, we need to keep improving. Teams from Assam have been playing well and can pose a challenge if they focus on youth at the grassroots. The OIL team is good; ASEB is good as well. The football grounds are great and Assam is the only state that is hosting so many tournaments,” he said.

On Mohammedan Sporting’s performance in the Gold Cup, he said: “We were 10 players in the second half of the final. That made it difficult for us but we prevailed.”

Ali praised the organisers and the people of Kokrajhar for their support.

“We enjoyed our stay here. The spectators were supportive, though I was surprised to see so few people on the ground. I am thankful to the crowd and the organising committee for their support.”

This is the second time that Mohammedan Sporting have won the Bodoland Martyrs’ Gold Cup. They won the fifth edition of the meet in 2004.

The champion team went home with Rs 50,000 and the gold cup, while the runners-up received Rs 25,000 and a trophy.

Posted On: The Telegraph

Assam Club Football Championship

OIL to play ASEB in final:

Deragaon, Dec 21: Oil India Limited (OIL), Duliajan, will lock horns with ASEB, Guwahati in the summit clash of the 12th Assam Club Football Championship at Bokakhat on Sunday.

In the second semi-final of the championship at Bokakhat on Friday, OIL outshot Food Corporation of India, Guwahati, by an aggregate of 5-2 goals via tie-breaker.

In the regulation time, the match was locked 1-1 and in the penalty shoot out OIL fired four on the target against FCI’s one.

Mintu Boro put OIL ahead in the ninth minute off a flag kick taken by Marlanki Suting. But in the second session Aroanjit Brahma restored parity with a header off a floater from Thomson Langthasa in the 67th minute.

In the tie-breaker, Manoj Gayari, Marlanki Suting, Durga Boro and Biplab Sonowal were the successful shooters for the winning team while for FCI only Hemanta Kumar Brahma could hit the target.

Source: The Assam Tribune

Assam Club Football Championship

ASEB through to final:

Dergaon, Dec 20: Defending champions ASEB entered the final of the Assam Club Football Championship defeating Assam Rifles 7-6 in sudden death at Bokakhat on Thursday.

In a keenly contested first semi-final, no team could break the deadlock in the regulation time.

The ASEB midfielders Priyo Kumar Singh and Abuan Gonmei performed superbly and their tactical efforts paid dividends.

Both the players lorded the middle third of the pitch and they not only foiled the Rifles attack, led by Akum Ao at the midfield, but also initiated several well planned moves.

Akum and Omana Autlan tried their hearts out to break the ASEB defence but they were virtually bottled up by Birendra Narzary, Mitradev Swargiary and Suresh Das.

In the highly volatile match, referee Debashis Mazumdar had to book as many as five Assam Rifles and three ASEB players.

For ASEB Kamal Chetry, Zico Zoram Sanga, Abun Gonmei, Parikhit Rabha, Birendra Narzary, Mitradev Swargiary and Suresh Das were the successful shooters in the penalty shootout while for Rifles K Naoba, Singh, P Singh, Ajit Kumar Singh, Santa Singh, Akum Ao and Omana Autlan hit the target.

FCI Guwahati will play OIL in the second semi-final on Friday.

Posted On: The Assam Tribune

Bodoland Martyrs’ Gold Cup Football

Mohammedan Sporting rally to beat ASEB:

Kokrajhar, Dec 12: Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting rallied to beat ASEB Sports Club, Guwahati, 7-5 in the tie-breaker in a quarter-final match of the Bodoland Martyrs’ Gold Cup Football Tournament here on Wednesday.

In regulation time the match ended 2-2 draw.

Trailing 0-2 till the 53rd minute, the Kolkata outfit staged a tremendous fight back and leveled scores in the 58th minute.

Aikdo Sangha and Abuan Gonkmei were the scorers for the Guwahati team while M Ali and Kulu Thangan restored parity by scoring two snap goals.

In the penalty shoot out, Mohammedan Sporting converted all the shots while ASEB could hit the target only thrice.

Source: The Assam Tribune

Martyrs' Gold Cup Football

OIL enter semi-finals:

Kokrajhar, Dec 11: Oil India Limited Duliajan entered the semi-final of Bodoland Martyrs Gold Cup Football Championship 2007 defeating Green Valley of Guwahati 2-0 here on Tuesday.

Striker Raju Sarkar netted the first goal in the 69th minute of the game, while Jayanta Basumatary pumped in another goal for OIL in the 72 minute.

Md Sporting Club will take on ASEB, Guwahati, on Wednesday.

Source: The Assam Tribune

56th Bordoloi Trophy

Nov 20 Results (Group B Quarter-final League):
(Last Quarter-final League tie at Nehru Stadium):
Assam State Electricity Board Sports Club (Guwahati) vs Abahani Limited (Dhaka) 0-0

Semi-final line-up:
Nov 21: Port Authority of Thailand (Bangkok) vs Oil India Limited (Duliajan)
Nov 22: Abahani Limited (Dhaka) vs Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (Mumbai)

Other Quarter-final Results:
Nov 19 (Group A Quarter-final League):
Port Authority of Thailand (Bangkok) vs Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (Mumbai)
Scorers: For Port Authority: Niroot Kamsawad (53rd); For ONGC: Lalmuan Puia (88th)

Nov 18 (Group B Quarter-final League):
Abahani Limited (Dhaka) vs Oil India Ltd. (Duliajan) 2-0
Scorers: Mohd Shaifur Rahman (35th, 59th)

Nov 17 (Group A Quarter-final):
Port Authority vs Food Corporation of India 9Guwahati) 7-0
Scorers: Weerapong Sripech (13th), Khanueng Buransuk (26th), Ekachai Preechakul (43rd), Pitipong Kuldilok (44th), Wittava Nontalee (53rd), Nirongrit Samonpan (58th), Nirot Kamsawad (85th)

Nov 16 (Group B Quarter-final):
Oil India Limited (Duliajan) vs ASEB Sports Club (Guwahati) 1-0
Scorer: Marlanki Suting (53)

Nov 15 (Group A Quarter-final):
ONGC (Mumbai) vs FCI Sports Club (Guwahati) 2-0
Scorers: Jatin Bist (13), Kaushik Bose (76)

Quarter-finalist teams:
Group A: Port Authority (Bangkok), FCISC (Guwahati), ONGC (Mumbai)
Group B: Abahani (Dhaka), OIL (Duliajan), ASEB (Guwahati)

Promising Assam footballer injured in accident:

Guwahati: Sarbananda Sonowal, a promising football player of the city based Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) Sports Club, was injured in a freak mishap at their Ulubari camp on Wednesday.

Sarbananda, the highest scorer of the GSA super division football league this season, received the injury at his left leg and the tendon at the back of his ankle was severed.

He was immediately rushed to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital where he was left unattended for several hours. The ASEB officials shifted him to a private nursing home where the doctors had to perform a major operation.

Source: The Assam Tribune