Winner FC Goa players say playing in ACL-2 helps them grow stronger
FC Goa defended their title in the Super Cup, edging past East Bengal 6-5 in a dramatic penalty shoot-out at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Sunday evening after 90 minutes and then an additional 30 minutes ended goalless. In their third Super Cup triumph, FC Goa were fortunate as East Bengal missed two key shoot-outs in the tie-breaker through Mohammed Rashid and PV Vishnu. Sahil Tavora struck the winner for Goa in the tie-breaker. While speaking to the official broadcaster of the tournament, FC Goa’s two key footballers Sahil Tavora and Spanish captain Borja Herreira who won third Super Cup title, twice for FC Goa and the first one for East Bengal, revealed that playing against the stronger teams in the ACL-2 has helped to grow stronger, both psychologically and physically. “We knew how to handle the pressure of the final. East Bengal dished out a brave show also. They dominated us in the first session, while we fought back in the second half and also during the additional 30 minutes. But we did not give up,” said team captain Borja after the match. Coach Manolo Marquez also emphasised his boys’ fighting spirit despite the embarrassing situation, currently going on in Indian football. “We have been training for the last five months, obviously for the preparation for ACL-2. But it was difficult for us to keep motivating the footballers, especially the team’s foreigners, amidst the ongoing stalemate in India’s domestic football. So, from that point of view, I am happy to have seen the boys’ mental strength and fighting spirit in the final,” stated Marquez.
Amidst refusal to ISL, IWL gets a bidder for this season!
Amidst the stalemate when ISL is stuggling to have a bidder, Indian Women’s League, the AIFF-organized franchise-based women’s football’s league has at least received single bid from Capri Sports in response to its tender to monetize the commercial rights of the first and second divisions of the Indian Women’s League (IWL) for five years. The bid comes in the wake of a failed tender for the top-tier men’s football tournament, Indian Super League (ISL). The AIFF’s three-member Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) will now examine the documents and is likely to make an announcement in the next 48 hours. The bidder has already made an investment in women’s football and recently acquired Rudra FC, now named Warriorz FC, which takes part in the Mumbai Football Association-organized Women’s Premier League, with former India captain Aditi Chauhan as the mentor. The AIFF is also likely to consider the ‘conflict of interest’ issue while allowing Capri Sports to join the IWL as the major investor. The AIFF had stipulated in its RFP that the bidder should have a net worth of Rs 30 crore at the close of the 2024-25 financial year. The selected bidder will have to pay Rs 3 Crore annually to the AIFF as ‘governance and development’ fees. The next edition of the IWL will be played in two phases, with the opening phase being held centrally in Bengal between 20th December and 6th January next year. The league will take a break to allow the national teams to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup, AFC U-17 Asian Cup and AFC U-20 Asian Cup, before the second phase kicks off on 20th April.
Amidst Bengal’s 9-0 humiliation, Malati Munda’s national call-up is the gain
Bengal girls suffered a humiliating 9-0 defeat at the hands of fancied Manipur in the Dr. Talimeren AO junior national girls’ football final held at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday morning. Mira Chanu, who scored a hat-trick, received the man-of-the-match award, while Radima Debi also struck a hat-trick, Thokchom scored a brace, and Pushpa Rani Debi scored once for the winners. Amidst the misery, Bengal had the only consolation that their striker Malati Munda had been selected in the under-17 national preparatory camp. Even in the final, Bengal scored the goal first in the final courtesy of Malati Mumnda, but that was canceled due to an offside decision. According to Bengal coach Rinku Ghosh, the key reason behind such an embarrassing score-line was central defender Kaberi Roy’s exit in the early session following a knee injury. “Kaberi was consistent throughout the tournament. She had to be replaced after I found she was limping. With her exit, our whole defensive organization crashed, and Manipur’s attacks flooded into our box,” explained. Ghosh mentioned another point, adding, “We have been playing matches every alternative day, while Manipur got more than a week’s rest before the final. Our girls received only eight days of training, while Manipur took almost a month of preparation before heading to Andhra Pradesh. The girls said after the match that they were exhausted.”
