While some members attended the meeting physically at Football House, others joined the meeting via video conferencing. Senior Vice President Mr. Subrata Dutta, AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das, and a host of other members attended the meeting in person.

Leave of absence was granted to Vice-Presidents Mr. Subash Chopra, Mr. Larsing Ming, Mr. KMI Mather; and members — Mr. Gulab Chauhan and Mr. Jessiah Villavarayer.

Mr. Chirag Tanna, General Manager, FSDL attended the meeting as an invitee.

The Committee condoled the demise of former Olympians, footballers and administrators, and observed a minute’s silence bowing their heads as a mark of respect for the departed souls.

“Indian football will miss them as they were all stalwarts who inspired several generations and played such a huge role in scripting a golden age for Indian Football. May I put on record our gratitude, sympathy and condolences to all their families. Our prayers are always with them, and we pray for the departed souls to rest in peace,” Mr. Patel averred.

The President also put on record his congratulations to the AIFF administration for “having done some exceptional work during these difficult times.”

“We have had our Leagues which were run simultaneously and successfully in a bubble. Unfortunately, we could not afford multiple venues as we had to follow safety protocols. But, we managed the competitions successfully,” he stated.

Referring to the forthcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, Mr. Patel explained: “Though we always like to broad base such tournaments across the country, unfortunately due to the pandemic situation as we were in the danger of losing the hosting rights for the tournament, we planned to host it within the bubble in and around the Mumbai region. That allows us access to an adequate number of training pitches, and the three stadiums in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune.”

Mr. Abhishek Yadav, Deputy General Secretary, AIFF, also Director National Teams apprised the committee about the calendar of the several National teams. “The Senior women’s team have also kicked-off their preparatory camp for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 in Jamshedpur with support from the Government of Jharkhand,” Yadav informed.

Mr. Abhishek also updated the Committee about the ongoing National Centre of Excellence, Kolkata, the first phase of which is to be completed by the end of this year, followed by a soft launch.

Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO Leagues, informed that the Hero I-League will kick-off in December. “The number of matches have increased and the League will get over by first-week of April 2022,” Mr. Dhar said. “The Hero I-League Qualifiers will kick-off under the bubble in Bengaluru from October first week. We have had 29 teams from 19 states contesting for the 10 spots in the HIL qualifiers.”

The committee also congratulated Gokulam Kerala FC for being the first Indian women’s club to qualify for the AFC Women’s Club Championship pilot project to be held in Jordan. “The qualification to the Hero IWL will be through the state leagues, and State Associations are supposed to complete their state leagues by January 15, 2022.”

Meanwhile, the inaugural AIFF Club Futsal Championship is to be held from November 1-13 in Shillong.

The committee, in unison, also ratified the implementation of a minimum criteria for all State Associations to nominate teams for the subsequent 2nd division/HIL qualifiers, and also the HIWL.

Based on the recommendation of the AIFF Medical Committee, the Ex. Co have asked former junior Indian International footballer Anwar Ali to produce an affidavit claiming full responsibility, along with details of the medical precautions to be taken by him, and his prospective club to make him eligible to play competitive football.

The Committee also lauded the efforts of the AIFF Secretariat to implement the training compensation, which will financially reward the clubs/academies nurturing talent between the age of 12-21. There will also be a share of the admin fee to the state and districts.

Meanwhile, owing to the pandemic situation, the competition calendar of 2020-21 has been brought forward to 2021-22. The National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy zonal rounds will be held from November 21, 2021, while the final round is slated to be held from January 5, 2022 onwards.

In addition, the Women’s Senior National Football Championship will be held from November 2021 onwards.

CREDITS- AIFF MEDIA

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New Delhi: The All India Football Federation President Mr Praful Patel along with the AIFF’s General Secretary Mr Kushal Das met the Indian U-17 World Cup Squad on the sidelines of a training session at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Capital today (July 24, 2017).

Speaking on the occasion, AIFF President Praful Patel said, “You boys are the team for the future and the whole nation will be supporting you.”

“The whole country is watching you boys, this is the time to put in the hard work and make yourself and the nation proud,” he stated.

“Play on the pitch as lions. Play without being tensed and without any pressure”, Praful Patel added.

Praful Patel’s inspirational words left the Indian Colts enamoured and the boys thanked the AIFF President for his unparalleled support.

“Patel-sir lifted our spirits high. His words left us all charged up and we will work hard to make every Indian proud in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 India”, said Sanjeev Stalin.

“It was a special moment for us when we met him (Mr Patel) and as always he left all of us inspired with his words”, added Prabhsukhan Gill.

India has been drawn in Group A of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 India along with USA, Colombia and Ghana. The FIFA U-17 World Cup India  2017 kicks-off from October 06, 2017.

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Team FC Goa introduces its marquee coach Zico and marquee player Robert Pires

The Adidas team kit unveiled at the ceremony

Mumbai 23 September 2014: The good, healthy buzz about FC Goa just got even better.
FC Goa today introduced its marquee coach, Zico and marquee player Robert Pires at a well-attended ceremony at the Palladium Hotel in Mumbai. Present at the ceremony were Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founding Chairperson, Football Sports Development and Mr. Praful Patel, President, AIFF along with the owners  Mr. Venugopal N Dhoot, Mr. Dattaraj V. Salgaocar and Mr. Shrinivas V. Dempo. FC Goa’s first ‘friend’ actor Varun Dhawan was also present.

The Indian Super League club has already triggered a whirlwind of interest when it signed on a genuine Brazilian legend and three-time World Cupper Arthur Antunes Coimbra fondly known as Zico as its marquee coach. Zico has begun putting the FC Goa lads through the motions at team training sessions and is gearing for the first season of the ISL.

Virat Kohli-Co-owner of FC Goa, Varun Dhavan-FC Goa’s First Friend, Zico- Coach and Robert Pires Marquee Player

Former French international and Arsenal star Robert Pires, FC Goa’s marquee player was formally unveiled to the audience at the ceremony. Very few football aficionados would need an introduction to the star, who has been a part of the World Cup and Euro Cup winning squads for France and has won several club triumphs for Arsenal.

The Adidas team kit was also unveiled at the ceremony. Talking about the team kit, Tushar Goculdas, Brand Director, adidas India said, “adidas is the number one football brand in the world and we are excited to partner with FC Goa, the team representing one of the most passionate centres of football in India. The team is supported by a strong backbone, with owners having great footballing heritage, Virat- a world class athlete and passionate football fan and Zico, one of the greatest artists of the beautiful game. We are even more excited to unveil the team kit today, which has been created by our global design team and beautifully captures the essence of Goa. The team jersey will be available to FC Goa fans to buy in a few weeks.”

The big highlight at the event was the formal announcement of Virat Kohli, one of India’s finest contemporary cricketers, as the brand ambassador and co-owner of FC Goa. Kohli brings with him dynamism, grit and an unbridled energy, which are the elements that form the core of FC Goa.

Said Virat Kohli of his involvement in team FC Goa, “”FC Goa is going to be very competitive in the upcoming ISL. And the expertise and experience of stalwarts like Zico and Pires will further strengthen the already strong DNA that the team possesses, thanks to the Salgaocar, Dempo and Videcon  Groups’ involvement. I am very excited to be a part of this franchise in what definitely looks like a breakthrough for Football as a Sport in India”

Said Zico of his move to India, “There is a huge responsibility placed on my shoulders and I will do justice to it. I know expectations are high. I am motivated to take on this role of coach to FC Goa. Thank you for a wonderful welcome to India.”

Added Frenchman Robert Pires “I’m excited to play for FC Goa at the inaugural season of the ISL. I look forward to my time in Goa and India and to contribute positively to the development of football in the country.”

Mr. Venugopal N. Doot, Chairman of the Board, Videocon Industries, agreed saying, “These are exciting times for me and my partners Dattaraj Salgaocar and Shrinivas Dempo, who have shared a common dream – to make a valuable contribution to Indian football and elevate the standards of the sport in the country”.

Mr. Shrinivas Dempo Chairman and Managing Director of Dempo Group of Companies, said “The enthusiasm and interest in the sport is what drives us to invest in it. Football has always come before everything else. We are now looking forward to elevating the sport of football to a whole new level. ISL has provided us with the unique opportunity to create this change and infuse fresh enthusiasm into the sport.”

Added Mr. Dattaraj V. Salgaocar Managing Director of V M Salgaocar and Company, “ We have supported football for over five decades. The arrival and support of these two global football icons on the Indian footballing turf, marks the beginning of a glittering era for the ‘Beautiful Game’ in India.  The team embodies the spirit of Joga Bonito, playing the beautiful game the way it should be played – with pace, power and passion. That’s what team FC Goa will bring to the ISL”?

Said Varun Dhawan, “The moment I got to know about the ISL I wanted to be a part of it. I love football and it’s wonderful to see so much talent and enthusiasm around the sport”.
FC Goa will kick off the first game of the Indian Super League against Chennaiyin FC  at home on October 16. Other teams in the Indian Super League include Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin FC, Mumbai City FC, FC Pune City, Delhi Dynamos, Atletico de Kolkata and North East United.

The FC Goa Squad: Laxmikant Kattimani, Debabrata Roy, Gabriel Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Shaikh Jewel Raja, Alwyn George, Narayan Das, Prabir Das, Mandar Rao Dessai, Romeo Fernandes, Peter Carvalho, Holicharan Narzary, PronayHalder, Rowilson Rodrigues, Miguel Pereira Herlien, MiroslavSlepicka, Youness Bengelloun, Bruno Pinheiro, Edgar Marcelino, Gregory Arnoli, Jan Seda and Robert Pires.

About FC Goa: Launched on August 26, 2014, FC Goa is Goa’s premier football club competing in the Hero Indian Super League, India’s top tier football league. Owned by Mr Venugopal Dhoot, Mr Dattaraj Salgaocar, Mr Shrinivas Dempo and Mr. Virat Kohli, it has its home ground at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, South Goa.

About the Indian Super League: The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) tournament is organized under the aegis of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It is currently contested by eight teams from across India, played on a league basis (home and away games). The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals and the winners of the double leg semi-finals will play in the finals. There will be 56 league matches and five knock-out matches held between October 13 and December 20, 2014.

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/fcgoaofficial  
Twitter: @fcgoaofficial 

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