Football extravaganza in Guwahati

Assam and the North-East perhaps got the biggest soccer tournament till date with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) deciding to allot Guwahati the ONGC National 2nd Division Football League. Six top football teams of the country namely — Mohammedan Spotring Club,  Vasco FC, Mumbai FC, Chirag United, Pune FC and Indian Bank FC are the six teams currently fighting it out in Guwahati for a berth in the top 1st division I league where 10 teams get the chance to battle it out for national supremacy. Of the six teams, the top four will qualify for the I league. “From next year we are also increasing the number of teams in the 1st division I league to 12 from 10,’’ informed Anil Kamath of AIFF at Guwahati.

While ONGC are the official sponsors, Zee Sports have the marketing and telecast rights of this 2nd div league. Blowing with the trend of T20 cricket, AIFF and Zee roped in the Saregama Lil Champs finalists-champion Anamika Chowdhury alongwith Tanmay and Rohanpreet to regale the players and the audience alike in the opening of the tournament and make the whole show more attractive and crowd pulling.

The opening day itself saw one of the most exciting matches with  Md Sporting facing Mumbai FC.The two teams were in the same group in the preliminary round of the competition at Kolhapur where Md Sporting had tasted victory after akeenly fought contest. But in Ghy, it was Mumbai FC who turned the table and came out 1-0 victorious after another well fought game through the 13th minute goal by their foreign recruit Felix Aboyage.The Mumbai Club is yet to celebrate its first anniversary but it has already given enough indication that they are the emerging soccer superpower of the country.Much responsibility of their success goes to the coach manager duo of David Booth from England and manager ,Henry Menezes, a former national custodian. While Booth seems satisfied with the performance of his players lately, Menezes is hopeful that their good performance will draw in big corporate houses as sponsors of the club. The Club was launched last year  with the backing of the Essel group.

The fancied Md Sporting Club on the other hand looks too much dependant on their captain Mike  Okero.Shabbir ALI , Coach of the tram is not thoroughly satisfied with the performance of the team so far but is also equally not satisfied with the level of the refereeing. Another top class coach present in this tornament is Bernard Mcneally from Ireland  who played for Ireland in the Mexico World Club of 2006. But his presence doesn’t seem to have made any improvement in the fortunes or quality of soccer of the Pune team.

Of the 5 rounds, 2 rounds have been completed and it is the Kolkata team of Chirag United  and Mumbai FC who are on the top of the table with 2 clean wins . The Chirag midfield has co-ordinated brilliantly with the forward line up till now with very good performances from Sasthi Duley, Gouranga Dutta and forign recruit Theodore Sundey Wrobeh, who netted a hat-trick against Pune FC. The most notable performer from the Mumbai team has been captain Noel Wilson in the midfield who has effectively co-ordinated the whole team around him. Vasco and Md Sporting have 1-1 win loss record while Pune and Indian Bank are yet to register any wins.

Work on making it inhabitable for the endangered species is going on fast in the infamous sanctuary which has lost all of its tiger population.

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