Mohammedan Sporting in trouble over players’ registration for the CFL; wants the opener to be postponed
Mohammedan Sporting Club has requested the IFA to postpone the team’s opening match in the forthcoming CFL Premier Division scheduled on 29th June against Peerless Sports Club. The reason is Fifa’s ban on the club’s registration process for the footballers. The ban has been imposed after a couple of footballers including the foreigners lodged a complaint for not being cleared of their dues of contracted money in the last season. The club’s vice-president Qamaruddin when asked about the issue revealed, “It is not our fault. Our partner made two-year or three-year contracts with many footballers. Not only that, several footballers were overpriced and some of them moved to Fifa after not being cleared of their dues. Naturally, now responsibility has come over us. We need nearly Rs 30 Lakhs now to clear the dues and lift the ban. We will do that but need a little bit of time. That is why, we have requested the IFA to defer our opening match against Peerless SC. We have seven senior footballers who are training with the team. But if we cannot complete their registration then the team for the CFL will be weak.” However, IFA secretary Anirban Dutta, commenting on the issue, informed they have not yet received any such request letter. They will think over the matter after receiving the letter.
Maloy Makes It Possible; His Academy Ties Up with Iconic Marcelo Academy
Pratyusha Jana : Two under-12 footballers from Bengal have been selected to join the prestigious Marcelo Academy 12 in Brazil, run by legendary World Cup-winning footballer Marcelo. The boys are scheduled to leave for Marcelo academy to Brazil in 2027. Hailing from Bengal and rising through dedication and passion, international coach Maloy Sengupta, the founder of Andheri Football Academy in Mumbai, has sheer determination for grassroots football development. The two footballers, Deepan Roy from Bankura and Hussian Abbas from Park Circus, both trained under Sengupta at AFA and are now set to join the elite training setup in Brazil. The opportunity emerged as AFA recently participated in the prestigious Go Cup in Brazil. The youth teams had the opportunity to face teams like AC Milan, Liverpool, etc. Reflecting on the experience, Coach Sengupta remarked, “They have to understand the pressure of international football. This will build their strength—nothing else. From the competitors, they will learn new strategies and continue to develop themselves.” The parents of the two selected prodigies, Deepan and Hussian, are delighted for their sons. They have thoroughly expressed their gratitude for AFA and Sengupta. While Deepan’s mother stated, “My child is learning to understand his strengths and weaknesses, and the academy has to be the best choice we made. They are getting international exposure and also ravaging competition, which is helping them.” The AFA has become the home of aspiring, promising footballers, with several students practicing professional football in various prestigious clubs overseas. Sengupta’s vision, however, couldn’t be bound to Mumbai. He currently has shifted his focus to expanding his academy for the development of the tribal footballers. Maloy Sengupta has successfully closed a deal to inaugurate another wing of AFA in North Bengal—Buxa, Alipurduar. This wing will nurture young talents for the tribal communities. “I don’t want to limit football to one state. There is so much remarkable talent in this region. I want them to thrive in Indian football—they are the future of Indian football,” said Sengupta.
Sujata remembers the coaches she played under before her first match as a full-time coach in men’s football!
Sudeep Pakrashi: Ahead of her maiden CFL Premier Division match as a full-time coach Sujata remembers the coaches she played under. The first-ever female coach in the men’s CFL Premier Division this season sounded quite cautious before her South Samity start their campaign in the CFL Premier Division this season on 28th June against Sreebhumi FC. The former India international who has been a successful coach in Indian women’s football so far, was with Southern Samity also in the last season but not as a full-time coach. CFL 2025 is going to be her maiden assignment as a full-time coach. Sujata while speaking to Parallel Sports revealed, “The footballers are mostly, young below 25 years although a couple of experienced including William Lalnunfela, who once played for Mohun Bagan have joined the squad. Still, I would say our team consist of the energetic young boys mainly.” When asked about the style of guiding she applies to the boys, Sujata who guided Sreebhumi FC women’s team to reach the third spot in the elite IWL last season, divulged, “My style of coaching is a blend of all those ingredients that I gained from my playing career. Several former coaches are there whose coaching methods have benefitted me. I remember Debu Mukherjee’s name at the beginning of my career. I learned the basics of the game from him. Then after entering the professional world of football, I gained a lot from coaches like Kuntala Ghosh Dastider, and Harjinder Singh. Even as an assistant coach of the national team, I learned many parts of coaching from Vivek Nagul. So, now, my coaching style is a new one that consists of the methods of three famous and experienced coaches.” After almost a three-week extensive training at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium ground and a five-day residential camp at Naihati Stadium, Sujata is expecting Southern Samity will qualify for the ‘super-six’ phase. When asked about the team spirit, Sujata said, “The five-day residential preparatory camp at Naihati Stadium must have helped the footballers to build up a bonding and I hope that will be reflected in the matches.”
Rishabh Pant warned for showing dissent to the umpire at Headingley
India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant who had a wonderful stint with the bat, scoring two centuries in the ongoing Headingley Test, was officially reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of the fifth day’s play on Tuesday for his on-field conduct during England’s first innings in the match. Pant was found guilty of having breached Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match.” The 27-year-old was also handed one demerit point for the incident involving an argument with the umpire. In the 61st over of England’s innings, when Harry Brook and Ben Stokes were batting, Pant was seen having a discussion with the umpires regarding the condition of the ball. “When the umpires refused to change the ball after checking it with the ball gauge, the wicket-keeper showed his dissent by throwing the ball on the ground in front of the umpires,” the ICC said in its statement. The charges were reported to ICC’s Elite Panel match referee, Richie Richardson, by the on-field umpires, Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, along with the third umpire, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, and the fourth umpire, Mike Burns.
