Maharshtra kick off Santosh Trophy campaign against rivals Goa today

Maharashtra will kick off their Santosh trophy campaign with a tough first opening game against Goa today. The West Zone qualifying round is held at Rajkot in Gujarat. The home side got off to a good start with a 5-1 thrashing of Diu & Daman yesterday, but all eyes will be on the game between Maharashtra & Goa, which are arguably the two best teams in the group.
Maharashtra announced their squad for the Santosh trophy last week which included eleven players from Mumbai, five players from Nagpur, two from Pune and one each from Aurangabad and Kolhapur.
The Maharashtra team will be coached by ONGC coach Caetino Pinho from Mumbai, while he will be assisted by Sameer Shaikh of Pune. Nagpur’s Iqbal Kashmiri is the team manager who will have Mumbai’s Dharmesh Patel for assistance.’
Maharashtra’s side reflects the coach’s confidence in his side as there six players from ONGC, including goalkeeper Ubaid C.K, striker Kailash Patil and Sachin Gawas. The team is led by Air India’s Vijit Shetty. He is accompanied by his team mated Siddharth Nayak and Praveen Sharma of Air India.
Today’s game with Goa will go a long way in deciding who will top the West Zone Qualifying charts, giving these two heavyweights an opportunity to set an early marker.
Maharashtra has won the Santosh trophy four times in their history while they are second only to West Bengal in terms of appearances in the final round with 15 appearances.
Maharashtra’s credentials will be put to a stern test when they face Goa later today at Rajkot.
Team: Ubaid C.K., Chetan Dawdhariya, Sachin Gawas, Omkar Singh, Vivek Kaira, Floyd Dharmai, Nitesh Munde, Vijith Shetty, Siddarth Nayak, Kailash Patil, Praveen Sharma (Mumbai); Mohd. Shafique, Shahbaz Pathan, Shakti Singh Thakur, Karan Atwal, Amol Yadav (Nagpur); Raviraj Kurne, Sandesh Gadkari (Pune); Mohd. Arif (Aurangabad); Jay Kumar Patil (Kolhapur).
Coach: Caitano Pinho (Mumbai), Asst. Coach: Mr. Sameer Shaikh (Pune), Manager: Iqbal Kashmiri (Nagpur), Asst. Manager: Dharmesh Patel (Mumbai).
Fixtures (West Zone qualifying round)
Jan 10: Gujarat vs Daman & Diu
Jan 11: Maharashtra vs Goa
Jan 12: Gujarat vs Madhya Pradesh
Jan 13: Daman & Diu vs Goa
Jan 15: Maharashtra vs Madhya Pradesh
Jan 16: Gujarat vs Goa
Jan 17: Madhya Pradesh vs Daman & Diu
Jan 18: Maharashtra vs Gujarat
Jan 19: Goa vs Madhya Pradesh
Jan 20: Daman & Diu vs Maharashtra
The top 2 teams from the group will qualify for the final round.
Feature / MFA / Youth Football
D’souza Football Academy leaves a strong mark in MFA Award Nights for YPL 2023-24 season
D’souza Football Academy has once again solidified its position as a leading force in Mumbai’s youth football scene picking up 17 nominations and 3 wins in Individual award categories during…
MFA / MFA Elite Premier League
Mumbai Premier League 2024-25: A Season in Numbers
The Mumbai Premier League (MPL) 2024-25 concluded in spectacular fashion with India On Track FC (IoT FC) dethroning the defending champions MYJ-GM on the final day, ending an exhilarating season…
Game on! BigHit presents Bundesliga Dream India Nationals head to Mumbai
The second edition of BigHit presents Bundesliga Dream India U13 & U15 National Finals, in association with The Football League, is ready to bring the heat to the Palava Football…
Iker Guarrotxena hat-trick powers FC Goa into Kalinga Super Cup quarter-finals
FC Goa marched into the quarter-finals of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 with a dominant 3-0 win over Gokulam Kerala FC courtesy of Iker Guarrotxena hat-trick. Spanish midfielder Iker Guarrotxena…
Punjab FC announces squad for Kalinga Super Cup ahead of their match against Odisha FC
Punjab FC, announced their squad for the Kalinga Super Cup ahead of their Round of 16 match against Odisha FC which will be played tomorrow at the Kalinga Stadium in…
Indian football mourns the loss of lives in Pahalgam terrorist attack
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) expressed condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack. A minute silence was observed in the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 in remembrance On…
Kalinga Super Cup: Chhangte’s Magic, Jamshedpur’s Steel, and Ajaraie’s Hat-trick Headline Round of 16 Blitz!
From Lallianzuala Chhangte’s dazzling captain’s display for a vengeful Mumbai City to Alaeddine Ajaraie’s sensational hat-trick in NorthEast United’s emphatic victory, and Jamshedpur FC’s composed dismantling of Hyderabad, the knockout…
South United FC Announces Trials in Pune for their Residential Academy in Bangalore
South United Football Club has announced its next set of trials for its new Residential Academy, which will be held in Pune. The trials will take place at the Club’s…
Corporate Football / MFA Elite Corporate League / Trials
Bank of India announces open trial for Mumbai Corporate League Campaign
Bank of India is set to make its mark in the Mumbai Corporate League and is looking for exceptional football talent to bolster its squad. The trial is scheduled for…
India Khelo Football Workshop returns to Mumbai for its 4th Season
The Indian Khelo Football (IKF) Workshop returns to Mumbai this September, bringing with it an exceptional platform for aspiring footballers to showcase their skills and seize opportunities that could transform…
MFA / Mumbai Super League / Trials
Somaiya FC announces trials for the upcoming 2024-25 Season
Somaiya FC, having secured a commendable 5th position in the MFA Super Division last season, has announced open trials as they gear up for upcoming season. The team, known for…
VR Academy to conduct trials for 2024-25 Season
Mumbai based VR Academy has announced trials for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The club is looking for talented young players to join our esteemed academy and participate in various competitive…
MH ORANJE FC U-17 Trials for the Upcoming Season
With a proud legacy of nurturing talent and achieving excellence, Maharashtra Oranje FC has recently made waves with appearances in I-League 2, securing a remarkable runner-up position in the fiercely…
Football School of India announce trials for Young Talents
Football School of India (FSI) has announced trials for young football enthusiasts in the upcoming week of June. A golden opportunity for aspiring players to showcase their talents and potentially…
Mumbai Super League club Charkop FC to conduct open trials for upcoming Season
Calling all aspiring football stars! Charkop FC, a MFA super division club based in Charkop, Kandivali, is set to conduct Open Trials for the upcoming season. About Charkop FC: In…
Academy / Football Academy / Trials
Mumbai 42 Football Academy to conduct trials for Youth players
Newly established Mumbai 42 Football Academy will be conducting trials for young footballers in the upcoming week.
SSE BFC to conduct trials for U9 to U17 age group players
SSE BFC Soccer School will be conducting fresh trials this month for players aged below 17 to be part of their football program SSE BFC Soccer Schools is a football…