newsletter AIFF-JFA MOU FEBRUARY 28, 2015 Nicolai is U-17 WC Coach Page 3 Women Camp in Dadri Page 5 FIFA honour for Kushal Das Page 3 Page 1

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1 newsletter FEBRUARY 28, 2015 Nicolai is U-17 WC Coach Page 3 FIFA honour for Kushal Das Page 3 Women Camp in Dadri Page 5 AIFF-JFA MOU Page 1

2 AIFF SIGNS HISTORIC MOU WITH JFA From the GS Desk We have signed a very significant Memorandum of Understanding with the Japan Football Association which will intensify the football cooperation and strengthen the relations between AIFF and JFA. It was an honour to have Japan s Ambassador to India Mr. Yagi Takeshi and Mr. Daini Kuniya, President, JFA for the signing ceremony along with our own AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel. The tie-up has paved the way for an exchange of knowledge on operating the Football Academy through Friendly matches between Academy Teams and invitation to Academy Teams to the Tournaments in each Country. Furthermore, we will soon be having a Japanese Head Coach for our Women s National Team. We have also appointed Nicolai Adam as the Head Coach of the Indian U-17 National Team for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. I wish him all the best in his venture and look forward for the young guns to play competitively in the 2017 FIFA U17 WC. From my personal front, it was an honour to have been inducted by FIFA in the U-17 World Cup Organising Committee. It was very good experience to have attended the Meeting on the forthcoming U-17 World Cups at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich where I had met Mr. Joseph Blatter and other FIFA Officials. March stays significant for us as we play Nepal in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 of WC My best wishes to the boys and our new Coach Stephen Constantine. Warm regards, Kushal Das All India Football Federation (AIFF) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Japan Football Federation at a snazzy Hotel in the Capital on February 24. The MOU intends to intensify the football cooperation and strengthen the relations between AIFF and JFA. Mr. Praful Patel, President, All India Football Federation who signed on the dotted lines with his Japanese counterpart Mr. Daini Kuniya, President, Japan Football Federation felt the agreement would help to improve the better the game in India. I am honored that the JFA has taken this decision to have an MOU with us. We have a long road ahead and I am very grateful to our Japanese friends for this deal. Mr. Yagi Takeshi, Japanese Ambassador to India who was also present on the occasion added: I would like to congratulate JFA and AIFF on the signing of the MOU today. There are around 20 Japanese Football Players in India and that shows how long our cooperation with India has been, he stated. Mr. Daini Kuniya, President of JFA emphasized that the partnership will be very valuable and it will contribute to deepen the friendship and trust nurturing Football. We are quite impressed with the rapid popularity increase of Football in India, he pronounced. Mr. Patel maintained that India is learning from a Nation which has itself set an example. With their cooperation we can also achieve what they have done. This is an actual MOU where we are intending to utilize the strengths of each other and take Indian Football forward. There will be exchange of Players and technicalities. Japan is one of the best examples for Indian Football to follow. The reason is that not long back Japan were not one of the powerhouses in Football but since then they have build themselves and are now among the best Teams in Asia. India have been awarded the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and this will be one of the many steps taken in the direction of improving the game in India. We will be bidding for Club World Cup and the U-20 World Cup, he said. As per the MOU, both the Federations would also exchange knowledge on Coach Education, Grassroots and also revitalizing Women s Football in India. The agreement paves the way for a Japanese Head Coach for the Indian Senior Women National Team soon. Furthermore, there would also be an exchange of knowledge on operating the Football Academy through Friendly matches between Academy Teams of both the Nations and invitation to Academy Teams to the Tournaments in each Country. 1

3 PROMISE OF A BETTER TOMORROW I HAVEN T YET DECIDED ON MY CAPTAIN Stephen Constantine preferred to hit the bush and not walk past it in his first Official Media Interaction since taking over as the Head Coach of the Indian National Team. I am very excited to be here in India. There is a lot of work left but I promise you that I am up for it. I will do everything I can to improve us. Constantine s first assignment for India is against Nepal on February 12 and 17 In Guwahati and Kathmandu respectively in the World Cup Qualifiers Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1. We will work hard to win those games. I can promise you that we will give everything on the field. Off course the matches will be difficult as Nepal is a Nation with a tough mentality but if we work hard, we can increase our chances of success in those matches. Referring to a question, the National Coach quipped: I haven t yet decided on my Captain. I will work with my boys and then decide on my Captain. Constantine also proposed a scouting network and declared that e wanted to set up a scouting system. My mission is to setup a successful scouting network. I want to touch everything. I want my system to look at every State Leagues, National level Tournaments, Universities. I am sure that there are hundreds of Players in India. Constantine also pointed out that things have bettered for India in terms of popularity after the conclusion of inaugural edition of the Hero Indian Super League. ISL has proved that Indian love Football as much as they love their Cricket. We need to take it from there and do justice to that. Indian Players get to learn a lot from the experience of foreigners. For example training with the likes of Mikael Silvestre and others is an experience and a learning process in itself. Constantine also elaborated that he was happy to have his former Captain, Shanmugam Vekatesh on board as the Assistant Coach for the National Team. India drawn to play Nepal India have been drawn to play against Nepal in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. The draw was held at the AFC Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on February 10. The matches would be held on a home and away format with India first playing at home on March 12. The return leg is slated for March 17, The match will be the first one for National Coach Stephen Constantine since he took over the job as Indian Senior Team s National Coach for the second time. Speaking exclusively to Indian National Coach Stephen Constantine mentioned that it will be a difficult game. 2

4 Kushal Das inducted in U-17 WC Organising Committee Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation was inducted into the FIFA U-17 World Cup Organising Committee in a FIFA Meeting in Zurich. The next edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup is to be held in Chile in 2015 with the following edition slated to be held in India in All India Football Federation President Mr. Praful Patel congratulated Mr. Kushal Das over the same. Congratulations to #KushalDas, General Secretary, #AIFF, for becoming a member of 2017 #FIFA U-17#WorldCup Organizing Committee Mr. Patel tweeted from his official Meanwhile, Mr. Das said it was a very good experience to have attended the Meeting on the forthcoming U-17 World Cups at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich. Speaking to on the achievement, Mr. Das stated: It is certainly a rich experience to have been inducted in the Organising Committee of the U-17 World Cup. There were a lot of learnings Nicolai Adam appointed Head Coach for U-17 WC All India Football Federation confirms Mr. Nicolai Adam s appointment as the Head Coach of the U-17 National Team for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.Mr. Adam, an UEFA Pro Licence holder is presently working as the Head Coach of the U-19 National Team of Azerbaijan and will take charge from April 1, Nicolai has also served as the National Coach for the U-16 and U-17 National Teams of Azerbaizan and has guided the U-19 National Team to the Elite Group of UEFA. He has also worked as the International Football Development Advisor of the German Football Association (DFB) and was the UEFA Head of Coach Education in Azerbaijan. A German by birth has also completed his Masters Degree in Sports Science with specialization in performance diagnostics and injury prevention. after listening to the presentation for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, I am confident, it will help us immensely. FIFA President Mr. Joseph S Blatter also attended the Meeting which was organised keeping an eye on the 2015 U-17 World Cup which is slated to be held in Chile. Besides Mr. Das also made a brief presentation on the impact and the structure of the 2017 U-17 World Cup which is to be held in India. It was in December 2013 that India had won the bid to hold the mega event. Qatar League Team visits FH Mr. David McVeigh, the Head of Business Planning and Club Licensing, Qatar Stars League visited AIFF Headquarters, Football House, in the Capital on Tuesday for a brief interaction which primarily focused on the knowledge sharing between the two Countries top-flight Football Leagues - the QSL and the Hero I-League, respectively. David, also the Director of Corporate Planning of the QSL, reflected on a range of topics -- right from the inception of the Qatar Stars League, the journey so far, their various milestones, and so on. And he also found out quite a few similarities between Qatari Football and Indian Football. Indian Football is somewhat similar to Qatari Football. Both of us are still developing at the Club level professionally, administratively, and technically. I can see the Indian Clubs following a similar path of professionalization as that of Qatar and I think in the next few years they will be leaving the AFC Cup Competition behind and competing on a bigger stage like the AFC Champions League. The technical standards of the Players are improving, and the AIFF, along with the hero I-League have been working hard to put into place good development policies and procedures which will give these players the opportunity to identify talent and put the right Coaches in place as well to train that talent, David, who has also worked with the UEFA, told He also gave an insight into the knowledge sharing plans between the respective Countries top-flight Football Leagues and said that the Qatar Football Association are more than happy to suggest and receive insights from each other. 3

5 AIFF Awards presented at FICCI House Mrs. Jyotsna Suri, President FICCI and Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF presented the 2014 AIFF Award for the Best Woman Footballer to Bala Devi as the Indian Football Awards were presented at the FICCI House in the Capital on February 13 evening. National Women s Team Striker Bala Devi scored 47 goals in 2014 including 18 goals in International Football. Bala is the second Women Player to receive the prestigious Award with Oinam Bembem Devi having won it earlier on both occasions. Six more AIFF Awards were also presented on the occasion including the 2014 AIFF Player of the Year Award which was won by National Team Captain Sunil Chhetri. Chhetri was voted the winner by the I-League Coaches and this is the fourth time he received it having earlier won it in 2007, 2011 and In the process he surpassed the legendary IM Vijayan who won the Award, thrice. Furthermore, Sandesh Jhingan, the winner of the 2014 Emerging Player of the Year. FIFA Referee Santosh Kumar was awarded the 2014 AIFF Award for Best Referee while Sappam Kennedy received the 2014 AIFF Award for the Best Assistant Referee. AWARDS AT A GLANCE 2014 AIFF Player of the Year: Sunil Chhetri 2014 AIFF Women s Footballer of the Year: Bala Devi 2014 Emerging Player of the Year: Sandesh Jhingan 2014 AIFF Award for Best Referee: Santosh Kumar 2014 AIFF Award for Best Assistant Referee: Sappam Kennedy AIFF Award for Best Grassroots Development Programme: WIFA AIFF Award for long time contribution to Indian Football: ONGC 4

6 FIFA.COM features National Coach Stephen Constantine FIFA.com spoke to Indian National Coach Stephen Constantine after India were drawn to face Nepal in the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of the 12 sides, take on Nepal. The game will mean a return to Nepal for India s coach Stephen Constantine, who coached the Gorkhalis over a decade ago. The write-up on m=2/news=asia-ready-for-first-step-on-road-to-russia html?intcmp=fifacom_hp_module_news stay as follows: The draw for the first round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers threw up some intriguing ties, as the 12 lowest-ranked Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams discovered who they will face in their first step on the road to Russia. The headline match sees India, the team ranked highest in the Indian Women train hard for Olympic Qualifiers The Indian Women s Senior National Team Preparatory Camp for the forthcoming Women s Olympic Qualifiers Round 1 kicked-off at the Shiv Nadar University, Dadri, Uttar Pradesh from Feburary 12. The Camp continues till March 9. I think it s going to be a very difficult draw for both teams, Constantine said, speaking exclusively to FIFA.com. India haven t done very well in the past few years, and Nepal have made good strides forward, so it will be difficult. At this point in time, there isn t a favourite, both teams are quite evenly matched and it will depend on who can make the home advantage count. We have the first leg at home, that s always nice. You know what you ve got to do and when you go into the other game you know what you need to do to try and keep it. (Excerpts from The Women s Olympic Qualifiers Round 1 are slated to kick-off from March 9. India who have been drawn in Group A along with Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bahrain, begin their campaign against Bahrain on March 11. The Championship will be played in Maldalay, Myanmar. India s fixtures: March 9: India vs Bahrain March 11: India vs Sri Lanka March 13: India vs Myanmar. The 33-member squad is as follows: Goalkeepers: Roshini Devi (Manipur), Anjana Saikia (Assam), Elangbam Panthoi Chanu (Manipur), Tikina Samal (Orissa), Durva Vahia (Maharashtra). Defenders: Ashem Romi Devi (Manipur), Loitongbam Ashalata Devi (Delhi/Railways), Suprava Samal (Orissa/Railways), Gurumayum Radharani Devi (Manipur), Sumitra Marandi (Jharkhand), Thokchom Umapati Devi (Manipur). Midfielders: Yumlembam Premi Devi (Manipur), Manisha Panna (Orissa), Nikhila Thumbayil (Kerala), Nameirakpam Montessori Chanu (Railways), Oinam Bembem Devi (Manipur), M. Margaret Devi (Manipur), Paromita Sit (Karnataka), M. Mandakni Devi ( Manipur), Manpreet Kaur (Haryana/ Railways), Indumathi Kathiresan (Pondicherry), Lako Phutia Bhutia (Sikkim), Yumnam Kamala Devi (Railways), Supriya Routray (Orissa/Railways). Forwards: Ngangom Bala Devi (Manipur), Sangeeta Basfore (IFA), Sasmita Malik (Orissa/ Railways), Dangmei Grace (Manipur), Jyoti Burret (Delhi), Salam Rinaroy Devi (Manipur), Irom Prameshwari Devi (Manipur), Pyari Xaxa (Orissa), Sanju (Haryana). HEAD COACH: Sajid Dar. 5