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Durand Cup 2024: Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal FC Drawn In Same Group

admin — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:35:49 +0000

Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and their archrivals East Bengal FC, the two finalists from the previous edition, have been drawn together in the same group as the group stage draw for the upcoming Durand Cup 2024 was unveiled on Thursday. The 24 teams from the ISL, I-League, international teams, and teams from the Armed Forces will fight it out in Asia’s oldest football tournament, scheduled to commence on July 27. Notably, international teams will also feature with Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC and Bangladesh Army Football Team, both returning from the previous edition.

This year, Jamshedpur and Shillong join Kokrajhar and Kolkata as host cities, with each hosting group stage fixtures. Kolkata, the main venue, will host three groups, while Jamshedpur, Shillong, and Kokrajhar will each host one group.

The tournament will follow a round-robin league format with knockout stages, culminating in the final at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. In total, 43 matches will be played and the top teams from each group, along with the two best second-placed teams, will advance to the knockout phase.

Here are the groups for Durand Cup 2024:

Group A (Kolkata): Mohun Bagan SG, East Bengal FC, Indian Air Force FT, Downtown Heroes FC

Group B (Kolkata): Bengaluru FC, Inter Kashi FC, Indian Navy FT, Mohammedan SC

Group C (Kolkata): Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC, CISF Protectors FT

Group D (Jamshedpur): Jamshedpur FC, Chennaiyin FC, Indian Army FT, Bangladesh Army FT

Group E (Kokrajhar): Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Bodoland FC, BSF FT

Group F (Shillong): FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Shillong Lajong FC, Tribhuvan Army FC

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Jamshedpur, Shillong To Be New Venues For Durand Cup Beginning In Kolkata On July 27

admin — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:21:30 +0000

File image of Mohun Bagan players Anirudh Thapa and Jason Cummings.© X (Twitter)

Domestic season opener Durand Cup football tournament will be held from July 27 to August 31 across four venues with Indian Super League, I-League and other invitational teams competing in it. The 133rd edition of the Asia’s oldest tournament will have 43 matches to be played in a round-robin league-cum-knockout format, with the opening match and the final scheduled at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata. The 24 participating teams will be divided into six groups. Eight teams — group toppers and two best second-placed sides — will qualify for the knockout stage.

Like last year, international teams are expected to participate this year too, the organisers said on Tuesday.

Continuing with its commitment to spread the tournament further into the East and North-East, two new cities — Jamshedpur and Shillong — have been added as host venues this year.

Matches will be held in Kokrajhar in Assam for the second consecutive year, besides Kolkata, which has been a host for the last five years.

Kolkata will host three groups while Kokrajhar, Shillong and Jamshedpur will host one group each.

ISL side Mohun Bagan Super Giant are the defending champions, having won the tournament for a record 17th time, the most by any team.

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AIFF Urges Indian Super League Clubs To Release Asian Games-bound Footballers

admin — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 13:30:07 +0000

The All India Football Federation has urged the 10 Indian Super League franchises to release players selected for the upcoming Asian Games, keeping the “national interest in mind”. The Hangzhou-bound 22-member Indian men’s squad has six players from Bengaluru FC, three from Mumbai City FC, while FC Goa, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Odisha FC, Kerala Blasters have two each. Punjab FC, Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad have one each.

The Indian Super League start on on September 21, while the Asian Games begin a day after on September 23 in Hangzhou, China.

“We very much understand that this Asian Games is outside the FIFA window, and you are not obliged to release the players,” AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran wrote in a letter to the 10 ISL clubs.

“But we all have the responsibility towards the country to make India proud… As Indians we are obliged to make sacrifices for the country and, in this process, you have to take a decision by releasing the players considering the National interest in mind.” Making a special exemption, the Sports Ministry allowed both the men’s and women’s teams participation in the Asian Games, marking their return at the continental showpiece after nine years.

“We are hopeful that you will release these players in time for the full strength of team to be in Asian Games and stand with the country during the Asian Games,” Prabhakaran stated.

“We sincerely hope that you will stand with the country and make available these players which would be hailed by all the citizens of India.

“Your decision will take our beautiful game to the next level. We look forward for your cooperation and support in taking Indian football forward and your one step to release the players to be part of Asian Games will once again demonstrate our collaboration in shaping the future of football in India,” he added.

The Indian men’s team, ranked 99 in the FIFA rankings, is the second-best ranked team in Group A behind hosts China (No. 80). Myanmar (160) and Bangladesh (189) are the other two teams.

A total of 23 teams have been divided into six groups — five with four each and one (group D) with three.

Top two teams of each group and four best third-placed teams across all groups will make the pre-quarterfinals.

The Igor Stimac-coached side will begin its campaign against hosts China on September 19, followed by the matches against Bangladesh (September 21) and Myanmar (September 24).

The Indian men’s football team had won gold medals at the New Delhi 1951 and Jakarta 1962 Asian Games, while clinching a bronze at Bangkok 1970.

The 2023 Hangzhou Games will be the 16th Asian Games appearance for the Indian men’s team.

Indian Squad Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Bengaluru), Gurmeet Singh (Hyderabad), Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (FC Goa).

Defenders: Anwar Ali, Ashish Rai (Mohun Bagan), Sandesh Jhingan (FC Goa), Narender Gahlot (Odisha FC), Lalchungnunga (East Bengal), Akash Mishra (Mumbai City), Roshan Singh (Bengaluru FC).

Midfielders: Rahul KP, Jeakson Singh (both Kerala Blasters), Suresh Singh Wangjam (Bengaluru), Apuia Ralte (Mumbai City), Amarjit Singh Kiyam (Punjab), Naorem Mahesh Singh (East Bengal).

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rohit Danu, Siva Sakthi Narayanan (all Bengaluru), Rahim Ali (Chennaiyin), Aniket Jadhav (Odisha), Vikram Partap Singh (Mumbai).

Head Coach: Igor Stimac.

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Alleged Incidents Of Racism Mar East Bengal’s Durand Cup Semifinal Win, AIFF Promises ‘Strict Action’

admin — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 18:24:03 +0000

East Bengal’s remarkable victory against NorthEast United FC in the Durand Cup semifinal was overshadowed by allegations of racism, with the visiting team fans reporting instances of racial slurs and being targeted with stones and slippers during the match. The 16-time champions exhibited one of the greatest comebacks as they overturned a two-goal deficit in the last two minutes and secured a thrilling 5-3 victory in penalties to make the Durand Cup final after 19 years.

However, the scenes that unfolded after the match painted a grim picture as the NEUFC fans, numbering about 100-odd, claimed that the supporters of the Red and Gold brigade aimed projectiles and slurs at them. The match witnessed an attendance of about 22,000-plus spectators.

Such was the condition that immediate intervention by the Indian Army and local police was required to ensure safe exit of NorthEast United FC supporters.

However there has been no official complaint regarding the alleged incident as yet.

The All India Football Federation secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran, however, has promised action.

“Saddened to read this. We will take up this matter. We have a zero tolerance on this. We have to do everything possible to completely eliminate these kinds of issues from Indian football,” Prabhakaran posted on his social media platform ‘X’, formerly twitter.

Both the the teams, meanwhile, have condemned the alleged incident.

“NorthEast United FC are deeply disturbed by the recent incident of racism, hooliganism & violence directed towards some of our fans during the Durand Cup semi-final match against East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Tuesday. Racism has no place in football, or in any aspect of life, and we unequivocally condemn such behaviour,” NEUFC said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our fans are an integral part of our team, and we stand united against any form of discrimination. We have already brought this matter to the attention of the tournament organisers, and the local officials.

“We’d like to thank the Indian Army and the local police officials for taking swift action against the perpetrators. We are also grateful to them for providing adequate protection to our fans and escorting them to their desired location.” East Bengal added: “East Bengal FC condemns all forms of racism. there is no room for discrimination in football, a sport that unites people.” Indian Army, who are the organisers of Asia’s oldest tournament, is yet to come out with any statement.

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Nandhakumar Sekar Does Star Turn As East Bengal Enter Durand Cup Final

admin — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 15:30:25 +0000

Nandhakumar Sekar turned out to be East Bengal’s darling once again as the red-and-gold defeated NorthEast United FC 5-3 in penalty shootout in a dramatic turnaround to make the Durand Cup final after 19 years. With one minute left on the clock, it was Nandhakumar’s header (90 7th) that helped East Bengal make a dramatic turnaround as they came back from being 0-2 down to make it 2-2 and force a penalty shoot-out. Nandhakumar then sealed the issue in the penalty shoot-out after Cleiton Silva, Saul Crespo, Borja Herrera and Naorem Mahesh converted their chances. Brazilian Ibson De Melo, Gani Ahmmed Nigam and Pragyan Gogoi scored for the Highlanders and it was their third attempt that proved decisive.

First it was Parthiv Gogoi’s shot saved by Prabhsukhan Siingh Gill and had to retaken, and this time the crosspiece came to East Bengal’s rescue.

This was 16-time champions East Bengal’s first Durand Cup final appearance since 2004.

Another derby is not ruled out in the final as East Bengal await the winners of Mohun Bagan and FC Goa, slated to play the second Durand Cup semifinal on Thursday.

The Highlanders, who also enjoyed a better record against East Bengal in their six exchanges in the Indian Super League, dominated the proceedings for more than one-hour where they raced to 2-0 lead.

The Carles Cuadrat-coached side looked listless and a shadow of their stunning derby win over Mohun Bagan. The glimmer of hope came in the 77th minute.

A brilliant run into the box by Saul Crespo set up Naorem Mahesh Singh on the edge of the box as his shot on the target was guided into his own goal by Soraisham Dinesh Singh of NorthEast United FC.

The 27-year-old Tamil Nadu lad, whose goal in the Kolkata derby 17 years ago had ended their eight-match losing streak against Mohun Bagan, was once again in the thick of things in the fag-end of the match.

Having missed two back-to-back chances around the 90th minute, Nandhakumar made amends in the eight minutes of second-half injury time.

In front of a 20,000-plus partisan crowd, little known Manipuri lad Konsam Phalguni Singh was the unexpected hero for NorthEast United FC, who raced to a 2-0 lead over home favourites East Bengal against the run of play inside the one-hour mark.

An inch-perfect right footed cross in the first half first created the opener for Miguel Zabaco in the 22nd minute.

The 28-year-old, who is set for an Indian Super League debut this season, returned to give him a commanding 2-0 lead with a superb left-footed finish to the far post after cutting in from the right.

Despite East Bengal having more shots on target and greater possession, NorthEast United FC skilfully thwarted clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities for their opponents.

East Bengal’s best opportunity in the first half arrived in the 39th minute when Mandar crossed a long ball from the left wing. However, Javier Siverio’s headed attempt was too high to find the net.

This encounter marked the sixth time these teams have faced each other with East Bengal having secured just one victory.

NorthEast United FC enjoyed dominance over East Bengal, winning three matches against them, while sharing points twice. Before this, East Bengal had won one match over the NE rivals. PTI TAP KHS KHS

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