INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

    

Jackichand Singh – The Rising Star of Indian Football

After decades in hibernation, the footballing giant called India is finally waking up from its deep slumber. The sudden upsurge has seen an incredible pool of young and talented footballers cropping up all over the country. A certain 23-year old Manipuri right winger, Jackichand Singh, is one of the frontrunners in this horde of players.

Named after the famous Jackie Chan, Jackichand Singh is no less of a fighter as is evident when he gives it his all on the pitch. The hot prospect who idolizes Zinedine Zidane from France and Renedy Singh from his home nation, India, plays for Royal Wahingdoh in the Hero I-League and was far and away their standout performer. Scoring 5 goals from the wings in 18 appearances, Jackichand was one of the best players in the league in 2015, and he was adjudged the ‘Hero of the I-League’ for the season. The dynamic wideman is about to take the next step in his career by being a part of the Hero ISL’s 2nd edition.

Owing to his fantastic performances and his immense potential, Jackichand will be one of only ten players to be going up for the first ever Hero ISL Player Auction in the second season of the ISL. When asked about the upcoming auctions and the chance to play in the ISL, he said, “I am very excited that my performance this season has enabled me to be part of the auction. I am raring to do well, quite gung ho about the opportunity to learn from the best players around me. I am not too worried about which team I will end up with, but looking positively ahead to give my very best to the team that picks me. It’s a new experience to be with new team mates, new coaches, a new setup and it’s a challenge that I am going to relish.”

Jackichand’s favourite celebrity team owner in the ISL is the evergreen Sachin Tendulkar who owns Kerala Blasters, but was also honest when he said that the playing style of Chennayin FC or FC Goa would be best suited for him. He also believes that the top scorer of the previous season, Elano Blumer (8 goals) was the most influential of all marquee players. “Elano for Chennaiyin really stood out as the pick of the foreigners. He was a real team player and goal threat,” he said.

Jackichand Singh will go into the Hero ISL Player Auction along with 9 other players on 10th July, 2015. It will be interesting to see where he does eventually land up, with a lot of teams expected to be vying for his signature.

Indian Coaches Hail FIFA Elite Course As ‘Platform To Evolve’

NEW DELHI: Evolution is an important component in the intrinsic composition of any Football Coach. It not only helps to tune with the dynamic scenarios of World Football but also enables him to adapt with the volatility of the 90 minutes which often boils down to that one decision, that one substitution, that change of tactics, all of which could make or break a Team’s season.

In this quest of evolution and transition, 31 Club Coaches including the likes of Armando Colaco, Derrick Pereira, Sanjoy Sen, Thangboi Singto, Santosh Kashyap and Savio Medeira – ranging from the Hero I-League to the Second Division participated in the FIFA Elite Course which was held in Margao, Goa from June 18-June 22, 2015.

The FIFA Elite Course acted as a feeder of Modern day Elite Coaching in Club Football, which included topics like tactics, system and philosophies. The Course also acted as a platform to brush up some of the fundamentals of the game, whilst acting as a catalyst to the evolving breed of Indian Coaches.

This year’s FIFA Elite Course was conducted by Jochen Figge from Germany, who besides being a FIFA Instructor is also a technical Member of the DFB. Over the years,Figge has also coached several National Teams namely Guinea, Zambia, Trinidad & Tobago and Ethiopia, and has also being actively involved in several development Programmes both for FIFA and DFB.

Talking exclusively to www.the-aiff.com, McDowell Mohun Bagan’s Head Coach Sanjoy Sen, who led the Green and Maroon brigade to their first ever Hero I-League Trophy, expressed the gravity of the Word evolution in a Coach’s dictionary.

“Every Coach has to evolve with every passing game. And the inability to do so will render you from winning matches. We must adapt with the ever-changing scenarios in World Football and this Course has enabled us to do just that.”

“It is imperative for Coaches to learn, from anything and everything in the Footballing cosmology. Coaches are like Teachers, and the common dividend amongst both is knowledge. If knowledge is absent, both will perish,” he added.

With Indian Football on an upward spiral, Indian Coaches have to also adjust to the high level of competition present within the game, which was evident in the this year’s Hero I-League wherein the relegation and title battle, both perspired on the last Match day.

Royal Wahingdoh’s Santosh Kashyap, who successfully navigated the Shillong based Team to a third place in their first season in the Hero I-league, elucidated the importance of FIFA Elite Courses.

“Courses such as these help you a lot, as they tend to evolve you as a Coach and also brush up some of the important fundamentals that sometimes you oversee,” he maintained.

“Also this gives us an opportunity to learn from some of the best in the business and adapt likewise,” Kashyap added.

“We know that the competition within the Hero I-League is immensely on the rise and to be at par with that. You have to learn. This Course offers us just that.

“This is an excellent initiative from AIFF,” echoed Shillong Lajong’s Head Coach Thangboi Singto, who was also one of the Participants. “I believe we will go back with more knowledge and as better Coaches,” he quipped.

“Every Coach has to grow in the Footballing World. Every Coach has to hone his skills, increase his potential and ability. All of this is possible only if you are hungry to learn as a Coach,” opined Salgaocar’s Head Coach Derrick Pereira.

“A Coach should be willing to garner Footballing knowledge, if he has to succeed in the position. The Course has been received as a welcomed commodity by every one of us. We thank FIFA for organizing it”, he quipped.

Juxtaposing a Coach against a Player, one of the most successful Coaches in the Indian Football, Armando Colaco, who lead Dempo SC to five League titles said: “A Coach should be as hungry as a Player to learn, evolve, perform and be the best. It goes with saying that a Coach has to lead his troops by example.”

“This Course has enabled everyone of us to gain knowledge from the best in the business,” he added. “It is necessary for Coaches to evolve with the trends in modern Football, as the inability of it will act as a clog for the Team.”

In tune with Colaco, Savio Medeira explained: “A Coach should act as a beacon of hope for the Players. And that is only possible if the Coach gets favorable results, and to get results one has to adapt, learn and evolve.”

“It is imperative as a Coach to learn. And this Course has acted as a great chapter of learning. I thank everyone involved in this Course, the AIFF, FIFA, for conducting this,” Savio added.

The list of Coaches who attended the Course stay as follows:

Derrick Pereira, Mariano Dias, Mario Soares, Anthony Levino Pereira, Mateus Costa, Norbert Gonsalves, Mahesh Lotlicar, Sanjoy Sen, Sankarlal Chakraborty, Santosh Kashyap, Stanley Rozario, Satyabrata Bhowmick, Thangboi Singto, Oscar Bruzon, Vivek Nagul, Shakti Chauhan, Abhijoy Basu, Surinder Singh, Priya PV, Chitra Gangadharan, Godfred Periera, Armando Colaco, Tarun Roy, Caetano Pinho, Savio Medeira , Goutam Ghosh, Sajid Yousuf, Hilal Rasool, Ananta Ghosh, Sujit Chakraborty, Gift Raikhan.

We aim to popularise Football among girls, states O'Donell

MUMBAI: All India Football Federation kicked-off the first ever FIFA Live Your Goals at the new-look Cooperage in Mumbai on Sunday (June 28, 2015).

The Programme which aims to extend the outreach of Women’s Football in India while “fostering interest amongst the young generation” engaged more than 200 girls in Footballing activities through Grassroots festivities.

Speaking on the occasion, AIFF Technical Director Scott O’ Donell said: “FIFA has designed the Live Your Goals campaign to boost Women’s Football. 22 Countries are already initiating this Programme and it is time that we initiated it to strengthen our Women’s Football.”

“This is one of the many steps taken to raise the profile of Women’s Football in India,” he added. “The objective of Live Your Goals is to introduce and popularise Football among young girls.”

Building up to the FIFA Live Your Goals, All India Football Federation launched a Grassroots Session for 26 participants from the Indian National Women’s Team and WIFA, in which 126 kids participated and interacted with their role models like Bembem Devi.

“It’s a bonus to have the National Women’s Team as Coaches as they are the role models for many kids and the kids gain from their expertise in the game,” O’Donell echoed. “Veterans like Bembem Devi inspire the young generation to get in the game of Football. We want to try and attract more Women Coaches and this Grassroots Session is one of the many steps taken towards that.”

More than 200 kids participated in the launch of the FIFA Live Your Goals through various Footballing activities and festivities which continued throughout the day, thus, enabling the young crop to learn from the best in the business.

“It is great to see young girls involved in the project. And kudos to the parents for developing the passion in them,” O’Donell further added.

Meanwhile, Henry Menezes, WIFA, CEO maintained the “campaign has given girls a chance to come and play Football.”

“Going ahead, we are going to propose a Grassroots League for both Women’s and Men,” Henry pronounced. “We have chalked out a detailed roadmap for Maharashtra with AIFF’s help and this has been one of the many steps taken in a positive direction,” Menezes informed.

Going forward, the FIFA Live Your Goals aims to envelop India through various Football festivals and activities. The AIFF has already lined up 7 more Festivals, with the recent one launching in the Capital in November 2015.

“We aim to bring girls out of their closet and give them a chance to play Football. That is our objective,” O’Donell stated. “This is not once in a while thing. It is here to stay for a long period of time.”

Salgaocar FC Appoint Malky Thomson As Head Coach For Season 2015-16

Goa: Salgaocar FC are delighted to announce the signing of Scottish gaffer, Malcolm Thomson, fondly known as Malky, as their new Head coach for the upcoming season.

Malky brings to the table a wealth of coaching experience having worked with clubs such as Celtic, Rangers, Blackpool FC, Birmingham City, Limerick, Dundee United and Inverness.

Speaking about his appointment, the 48-year old remarked, “I am looking to build on the great work that Salgaocar FC has done in the past. I am looking forward to coming over soon and adding value to the coaches, players and staff at the club. I have read and been told that Salgaocar FC is one of the most professional teams in India with a long history.”

“I am really looking forward to the challenge. India is a developing football nation and it should be a very exciting challenge,’ he added.

“I do know Darryl Duffy who is playing at Salgaocar FC and he has said only good things about the club,’ he concluded.

Coincidentally Malky has worked in Asia previously having had a stint with Al Ahli in Dubai and is looking to return to the continent`.

Salgaocar FC General Secretary, Mr. Adlear D’Cruz welcoming the Scot remarked, “We are delighted to have someone with Malky’s experience join us and we wish him a successful tenure at the club.”

“Malky will add so much to what we are trying to do here at Salgaocar FC,” he added.

Last year, the club worked systematically towards following a philosophy that extended from the senior team all the way down to the juniors. The U-19s played several pre-season friendlies against the senior team and the results were there for all to see with Salgaocar FC having made a near clean sweep of the State Association (GFA) titles, having won 5 of the 7 trophies on offer across the senior and junior teams, in addition to claiming the Durand Cup that was played on Goan soil for the first time in it’s prestigious 127 year history.

Malky is expected to arrive in Goa by mid-July to take over the reins from Derrick Pereira whose 2-year contract at the club ended this summer.