MBSG crash out of the Super Cup losing to FC Goa in the semifinal
Mohun Bgan Super Giants crashed out of the Super Cup, losing to aggressive FC Goa by 1-3 goals in the semifinal at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Brison Fernandes drew first blood for the Goan outfit. The scoreline was leveled by Suhail Bhat in the 23rd minute. Then Iker Guarrotxena gave the lead for FC Goa in the 51st minute from a spot-kick and Borja Herrera sealed the opposition’s fate scoring in the 58th minute. FCG began the game on a more aggressive note, making its intentions clear with hard tackles and sliding challenges in the final third. The constant pressure finally paid off when it won a corner in the 20th minute. Borja Herrera played the ball short on the right before getting it back and curling it into a dangerous area. ISL’s Emerging Player of the Season, Brison Fernandes, did just enough to get ahead of Abhishek Suryavashi and get the slightest of touches to send the ball into the back of the net. The lead, however, lasted just three minutes after Ashique Kuruniyan left his marker in the dust on the left before playing a low pass into the six-yard box, where Suhail Bhat had an easy finish. FCG restored its lead six minutes into the second half when Dejan Drazic was brought down by Dheeraj inside the penalty box. Iker Guarrotxena stepped up to the spot and smashed the ball into the middle of the goal. Seven minutes later, Dheeraj had another moment to forget when Borja swung the ball into a crowded penalty area and caught the goalkeeper off his line, curling it into the top-left corner to secure a healthy lead.
Supreme Court halts MRA negotiations, declares AIFF’s present body an ‘interim’, and asks for a fresh election
The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, instructed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to refrain from making any major policy decisions, including negotiations to extend the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) with its marketing partners, till fresh elections are held. The SC bench, involving Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi, observed that all further negotiations for the MRA should be conducted by the new committee that would take over once the elections are held as per the apex court’s directive. The court concluded the hearing of all stakeholders on the AIFF constitution amendment case, which began in 2017. The hearing began on 25th March and spanned over 11 hours, involving extensive debates with all stakeholders, including AIFF’s state associations, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the marketing partners and the sports ministry. After hearing all arguments and submissions the SC bench reserved its judgment and a date for the verdict would be informed to the stakeholders in several weeks’ time, possibly once the courts begin proceedings on 14th July after being on a break for 26th May. It marks a significant moment in Indian football’s governance. During the proceedings, Amicus Curiae Gopal Shankarnaryan addressed the ongoing discussions between the AIFF and FSDL regarding the extension of their 15-year MRA agreement that ends in December. The court identified the Kalyan Chaubey-presided current AIFF governing committee as an interim body and emphasized that under the model code of conduct for elections, the federation must not take any key decisions until the final order is issued. The elections would be conducted once the bench approves the constitution, a draft of which prepared by Justice L Nageswara Rao, is already in possession of the apex court. After the issuance of these directives, the AIFF awards night scheduled for 2nd May in Bhubaneswar, could lose its luster as one of the executive committee members expressed second thoughts on attending to avoid contempt of court. However, the AIFF’s acting secretary M. Satyanarayan could not be contacted for his comments on the decision.
A footballer of Bengaluru FC Under-11 academy passes away on Wednesday
Ronald Earnest D’Grassa, a 10-year-old boy who was one of the footballers of Bengaluru FC’s under-11 coaching program, passed away all on a sudden on Wednesday morning. The club has expressed condolence through their social media post stating, ‘BFC family is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of its U11 Academy player, Ronald Ernest D’Grassa. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones in this moment of grief.’ Avinash Urs, head of BFC’s youth development program including the Under-11 coaching program could not be contacted. Former India international and presently a coach, Raman Vijayan has heard about the unfortunate incident. He commented, “I have no detailed information about the incident as I am in Chennai. But passing of a 10-year-old boy is extremely painful.” Even, Vinith Venkatesh, winner of BFC’s emerging footballer of the season got shocked when heard about the incident. He commented, “I heard about the incident. But I do not know how it happened. It is so painful and unfortunate that I cannot say anymore. May his soul rest in peace!”
Magnus Carlsen shows off incredible memory by recreating 26-piece position after 2-second glance at chess board!
Tales of Magnus Carlsen’s memory have always been part of chess folklore. There are stories of how by the time he was six, he had memorised the flags and names of over 200 countries of the world. Now, in a recent video, he has shown off his impressive memorisation skills by recreating a 26-piece position on the chessboard after looking at it for just two seconds. In the video, posted online by the chess app Take Take Take, Magnus Carlsen is given memory tests by grandmaster David Howell, who allows Carlsen various time limits — 60 seconds, 30 secs, 15 secs, 10, 5 and then finally two seconds — to look at a position before asking him to recreate the position on the board in a minute. On each occasion, there are 26 pieces on the board. The position that Carlsen was asked to recreate after looking at the board for just two seconds had appeared during Bobby Fischer’s game against Donald Byrne in 1956 when Fischer was just 13. Carlsen not just recreated the position but then also started to play out the next moves that were played in the game with almost full accuracy. Significantly, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky reminded chess fans that he hasn’t forgotten about the jeans controversy, and took another dig at Carlsen. He wrote, “Now a serious question – as we get back to review the dress code for FIDE events this year. Carlsen was recently in action at the Grenke Chess Freestyle Open 2025, where he came out on top with a perfect 9/9 score. Posting a photo of the Grenke prize ceremony, Sutovsky questioned the dress code of the top GMs on the stage, along with Jan Henric Buettner.
Now Kashmir awaits a franchise-based football league this year
Sudeep Pakrashi After the franchise-based football league in Kerala, Kashmir is now waiting for the launch of a similar franchise-based football league. Following an initiative from a Kashmir-based corporate house, an independent body is set to be built-up which will conduct the franchise-based football league under the supervision of J&K Sports Council. Considering plans so far, the League named Kashmir Super League (KSL) is likely to be staged in June where six to eight teams are expected to participate. Even plans have also been made to conduct an auction with the footballers. It is believed that Kashmir-based leading corporate houses like Khyber Group of Hotels, and Arko Group have shown a desire to buy teams for the KSL and they are willing to conduct the League every year. It is also learned that presently the independent body which will have the former international footballers from Kashmir also is trying to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the League as most of the state’s prominent footballers are working at the state government’s different departments. That is why the organizers have put an option of roping foreign footballers as well as prominent footballers from other states if they fail to get NOCs for most of the state footballers. The KSL will help the football in Kashmir to encourage the state’s young potential footballers to remain in the state and earn a worthy amount of money by playing in KSL. These potential young footballers generally try to play outside the valley once dishing out impressive performances for the state and get offers from outside. Incidentally, the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council has already been nurturing grassroots talent, with officials highlighting the trials as part of broader efforts to elevate football in the region.
