CFA League: Pravitto brace gives Indian Bank title
In keeping with their consistent form right through the CFA Senior Division League, Indian Bank cruised to a 3-0 win over second-placed Hindustan Eagles to seal the title at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday.
As a result, the Syed Sabir Pasha-coached outfit remained unbeaten in the league, finishing with 29 points from 11 matches. Eagles, facing a must-win situation, ended with 23 points. The bankmen also broke their title drought of 11 years.
Playing in hot and sultry conditions at 2pm in the afternoon, Indian Bank took little time in hitting top gear. They took the lead in the 14th minute after Elavarasan was brought down by Eagles’ Ugo inside the box. From the resultant penalty, Kapongo Ilunga Patient had no trouble in finding the back of the net and notching up his 13th goal of the campaign.
While Indian Bank continued in a similar vein even after the opening goal, Eagles couldn’t exert any real pressure on their opponents. The champions-in-waiting were duly rewarded when Pravitto, one of the best young players on show, doubled their lead just before half-time with a glancing header.
Although diminutive in stature, Pravitto’s prowess in the air was clear to see as he made it 3-0 in favour of Indian Bank in the 58th minute with another powerful header off a corner from Sikkim’s O Lepcha.
"We were strong in all departments and never let Hindustan Eagles find their groove. They weren’t able to create chances and dominate us. Overall, it was a difficult season for us, but the boys stood up to the challenge and never complained. At the start of the season, our aim was to avoid relegation. Chennai City and Viva Chennai were clear favourites for the title. The way the season has turned out has been surprising for us too," Indian Bank coach Syed Sabir Pasha said.
ICF, Chennai United relegated: Meanwhile, ICF were relegated to the First Division after a 1-5 thrashing at the hands of Chennai FC. They could have still avoided the drop provided Southern Railway, who were on 8 points going into their match, also suffered a defeat. The men from Railway, however, posted a 2-1 win against RBI. Chennai United had been relegated earlier.
All you need to know about the league structure in Meghalaya
The four-tier league system in Meghalaya ensures a steady supply of raw talent to it's state team and the premier division clubs...
In 2009, Shillong Lajong became the first ever club from North-East to participate in I-League, the top flight football league in India. From the next year onwards the Shillong Sports Association (SSA) would organise the Shillong Premier League (SPL) the flagship league cum knock-out tournament in Meghalaya.
The four football giants of Meghalaya - Shillong Lajong FC, Royal Wahingdoh FC, Rangdajied United FC, and Langsning FC - ply their trade in this league.
History of SPL
The first season of the SPL kicked-off in 2010.
An instant hit among the masses, the first edition of the MPL saw packed houses at the Polo Grounds in Shillong. It was a full house everytime clubs like Langsning, Lajong, Rangdajied, Wahingdoh, or Meghalaya Police FC took to the pitch.
Royal Wahingdoh became champions for the first three editions from 2010-2012. Rangdajied broke their winning streak in 2013 when they won their solitary SPL title. From 2014-2016, Shillong Lajong went on to win three successive titles.
Langsning are the reigning champions.
Format & Venue
Eight teams play each other twice in dual round-robin league system.
After 14 rounds, the top four teams progress to the semi-finals. The semi-finals are played between the first-placed and second-placed team, which is known as the qualifier. The winner books its slot directly into the final. The loser willl get another crack for the remaining final spot where it will play against the winner of the third and fourth placed team, similar to the Inidan Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament.
All the matches are played at the Polo Ground in Shillong. The bottom two teams are relegated to the First Division League.
District Leagues
In the first division district league, ten teams participate. It is a single leg league where each team faces each other only once. The top two teams gain direct promotion to the SPL. Whereas, the bottom two gets relegated to second division.
The Second Division consists of 14 teams where they are divided into two groups. The top two from each cluster go on to play at the knock-out stage. The bottom placed team from both groups gets relegated to third division.
In the third division there are around 28-30 teams. They are further divided into four to five groups. The SSA have decided that from 2019, they are going to limit the participation in the third division to 16 teams and the rest will go on to form the fourth division.
"The fourth division will be an U-20 League. No clubs will be allowed to register any players above the age of 20. This is a firm decision that SSA has taken and we will stick to it. We had three clubs participating in I-League which has come down to one. We want to change this. So we are focussing more on youth leagues. It is already mandatory for the premier division clubs to maintain a U-18 team so that youth development is not hampered," says Bah Bor Diengdoh, president of the Meghalaya Football Association.
All you need to know about the league structure in Tamil Nadu
Surprisingly Tamil Nadu does not have a state league but does have a thriving football scene in several cities..
When Chennai City FC were awarded a spot in the I-League in the 2017 edition, they became the first team from the state of Tamil Nadu in over a decade to play top-flight football. Indian Bank used to be a part of the National Football League (NFL) but in the I-League era, no club from the state had managed to qualify.
Now, with the emergence of two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC and Chennai City, who are still in the I-League, the footballing scenario in the state projects a positive outlook.
So what is the league structure like in Tamil Nadu? Interestingly, Tamil Nadu Football Association (TFA) does not have a state league. The major leagues in the state happen in districts like Chennai, Madurai etc.
History of CFA Senior Division!
Chennai is one of the few places in the state with a thriving district league. There are five divisions under the Chennai Football Association (CFA), with the CFA Senior Division being the top-most league, followed by four lower tiers.
The CFA Senior division has a rich history to it. It has been running for a long time (even before independence) under the stewardship of CFA and continues to be a credible platform for young footballers from the area.
In fact, the CFA Senior division is the only properly-organised league in the state. Even then, they have run into controversies like in the 2016 season where the eventual winners Chennai City FC were docked points for fielding ineligible players and the matter was then dragged into court. Interestingly, it is still unclear as to who were the champions in that edition.
Chennai City FC, who field their reserve team in the competition, did clinch the championship in 2017, however. The current champions are Indian Bank, a former NFL team, who bagged the 2018 title last week.
From around 32 districts in the state but a proper league only takes place in a few.
Format & Venue
There are 12 teams which participate in the CFA Senior Division. Four of them are private teams like Viva Chennai and Chennai City FC while the rest are institutional teams like the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) or the Indian Bank.
The teams play each other once in a round-robin league format and the side with the most points is declared the winner.
All the games are played at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai, also known as the Marina Arena when it acts as the home for ISL side Chennaiyin FC.
The tournament is held in a very short of span of time, normally during the months of March and April every year.
District Leagues
Though it is mandatory for every district association under the TFA to conduct a league of its own, it happens regularly in only a few districts in the state like Chennai, Madurai etc.
There have been accusations that the TFA has very little role or control over the leagues in the state with no common league or competition being held. There used to be a Champions Trophy which featured the best six teams from Chennai's league and the best teams from other parts of the state. But the tournament has been long discontinued.
Even the CFA has come under fire in recent times for scheduling the CFA Senior Division games at 2:00 pm in the afternoon in the scorching heat of Chennai because it had to complete the tournament in a small window between when the ISL finished in mid-March to April 29th.
The CFA stated they were asked to complete the tournament before the said date by the TFA and had no choice but to go for such inhuman scheduling. However, many onlookers feel CFA should not make a mockery of the only real league in the state by adopting such haphazard measures. It is worth noting that the league has in the past produced players like Dhanpal Ganesh, Michael Soosairaj, Sinivasan Pandiyan etc who are all in the ISL bandwagon now.
Football in cities like Chennai, Mumbai , Kolkata existed even before states were formed in present shape. City Football is in better shape then state league.
Football
in Chennai came to light on an organized basis in the shape of a
tournament started at Madras first by the Madras Gymkhana Club in the
year 1895. Mostly regimental units like Queens Own Regiment, Lancashire
Fusiliers Pachaiyappa’s football club and many more local teams
participated in the tournament. Thus the game got into the minds of
Local folk, who developed on scientific lines with skill and imagination
with bare foot and mesmerized the tough military men. The first Indian
team to break the ice and lift the Madras Gymkhana Trophy was the
Pachaiyappa’s Football Club.
Madras Football
Association was formed on 18th October 1933 at a meeting held at the Old
Engineering College Ground, Chepauk. Madras Football Association League
championship was started in 1934. Pachaiyappas Football Club won the
inaugural 1934-35 League Championship. A number of open knock-out
tournaments sponsored by member clubs in Madras and the Districts
gradually came into existence to give a further fillip to the game
throughout the undivided State of Madras, including the present Andhra,
Telengana and Kerala States.
In the year 1978 with
the formation of Madras City Clubs in to separate Association named as
Madras Football Association and a central controlling body for all the
District, christening it as “Tamilnadu Football Association” was
formed. Nomenclature of Madras Football Association was changed as
“Chennai Football Association” in the year 1996. Chennai Football
Association has 96 Members Clubs on its roll, which earlier had 120
Member Clubs. Chennai Football Association conducts about 450 league
matches for its Member Clubs, dividing them in to Senior, I to IV
Division, apart from conducting league/matches for the Schools and
Colleges.
Good thing about this year tournament is they are conducting both man and woman 7ns tournament side by side, women matches start at 7 and mans match at 8, 100 rs is ticket you get a house free with it, if you win the house you get a Suzuki gixxer + more exiting prizes for getting likes highest on selfis and correct predications for every match. Ticket includs both man and woman match. There is also live streem I think on there Facebook page buts its not of great quality.
Comments
CFA League: Pravitto brace gives Indian Bank title
As a result, the Syed Sabir Pasha-coached outfit remained unbeaten in the league, finishing with 29 points from 11 matches. Eagles, facing a must-win situation, ended with 23 points. The bankmen also broke their title drought of 11 years.
Playing in hot and sultry conditions at 2pm in the afternoon, Indian Bank took little time in hitting top gear. They took the lead in the 14th minute after Elavarasan was brought down by Eagles’ Ugo inside the box. From the resultant penalty, Kapongo Ilunga Patient had no trouble in finding the back of the net and notching up his 13th goal of the campaign.
Although diminutive in stature, Pravitto’s prowess in the air was clear to see as he made it 3-0 in favour of Indian Bank in the 58th minute with another powerful header off a corner from Sikkim’s O Lepcha.
"We were strong in all departments and never let Hindustan Eagles find their groove. They weren’t able to create chances and dominate us. Overall, it was a difficult season for us, but the boys stood up to the challenge and never complained. At the start of the season, our aim was to avoid relegation. Chennai City and Viva Chennai were clear favourites for the title. The way the season has turned out has been surprising for us too," Indian Bank coach Syed Sabir Pasha said.
ICF, Chennai United relegated: Meanwhile, ICF were relegated to the First Division after a 1-5 thrashing at the hands of Chennai FC. They could have still avoided the drop provided Southern Railway, who were on 8 points going into their match, also suffered a defeat. The men from Railway, however, posted a 2-1 win against RBI. Chennai United had been relegated earlier.
All you need to know about the league structure in Meghalaya
In 2009, Shillong Lajong became the first ever club from North-East to participate in I-League, the top flight football league in India. From the next year onwards the Shillong Sports Association (SSA) would organise the Shillong Premier League (SPL) the flagship league cum knock-out tournament in Meghalaya.
The four football giants of Meghalaya - Shillong Lajong FC, Royal Wahingdoh FC, Rangdajied United FC, and Langsning FC - ply their trade in this league.
History of SPL
The first season of the SPL kicked-off in 2010.
An instant hit among the masses, the first edition of the MPL saw packed houses at the Polo Grounds in Shillong. It was a full house everytime clubs like Langsning, Lajong, Rangdajied, Wahingdoh, or Meghalaya Police FC took to the pitch.
Royal Wahingdoh became champions for the first three editions from 2010-2012. Rangdajied broke their winning streak in 2013 when they won their solitary SPL title. From 2014-2016, Shillong Lajong went on to win three successive titles.
Langsning are the reigning champions.
Format & Venue
Eight teams play each other twice in dual round-robin league system.
After 14 rounds, the top four teams progress to the semi-finals. The semi-finals are played between the first-placed and second-placed team, which is known as the qualifier. The winner books its slot directly into the final. The loser willl get another crack for the remaining final spot where it will play against the winner of the third and fourth placed team, similar to the Inidan Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament.
All the matches are played at the Polo Ground in Shillong. The bottom two teams are relegated to the First Division League.
District Leagues
In the first division district league, ten teams participate. It is a single leg league where each team faces each other only once. The top two teams gain direct promotion to the SPL. Whereas, the bottom two gets relegated to second division.
The Second Division consists of 14 teams where they are divided into two groups. The top two from each cluster go on to play at the knock-out stage. The bottom placed team from both groups gets relegated to third division.
In the third division there are around 28-30 teams. They are further divided into four to five groups. The SSA have decided that from 2019, they are going to limit the participation in the third division to 16 teams and the rest will go on to form the fourth division.
"The fourth division will be an U-20 League. No clubs will be allowed to register any players above the age of 20. This is a firm decision that SSA has taken and we will stick to it. We had three clubs participating in I-League which has come down to one. We want to change this. So we are focussing more on youth leagues. It is already mandatory for the premier division clubs to maintain a U-18 team so that youth development is not hampered," says Bah Bor Diengdoh, president of the Meghalaya Football Association.
All you need to know about the league structure in Tamil Nadu
When Chennai City FC were awarded a spot in the I-League in the 2017 edition, they became the first team from the state of Tamil Nadu in over a decade to play top-flight football. Indian Bank used to be a part of the National Football League (NFL) but in the I-League era, no club from the state had managed to qualify.
Now, with the emergence of two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC and Chennai City, who are still in the I-League, the footballing scenario in the state projects a positive outlook.
So what is the league structure like in Tamil Nadu? Interestingly, Tamil Nadu Football Association (TFA) does not have a state league. The major leagues in the state happen in districts like Chennai, Madurai etc.
History of CFA Senior Division!
Chennai is one of the few places in the state with a thriving district league. There are five divisions under the Chennai Football Association (CFA), with the CFA Senior Division being the top-most league, followed by four lower tiers.
The CFA Senior division has a rich history to it. It has been running for a long time (even before independence) under the stewardship of CFA and continues to be a credible platform for young footballers from the area.
In fact, the CFA Senior division is the only properly-organised league in the state. Even then, they have run into controversies like in the 2016 season where the eventual winners Chennai City FC were docked points for fielding ineligible players and the matter was then dragged into court. Interestingly, it is still unclear as to who were the champions in that edition.
Chennai City FC, who field their reserve team in the competition, did clinch the championship in 2017, however. The current champions are Indian Bank, a former NFL team, who bagged the 2018 title last week.
From around 32 districts in the state but a proper league only takes place in a few.
Format & Venue
There are 12 teams which participate in the CFA Senior Division. Four of them are private teams like Viva Chennai and Chennai City FC while the rest are institutional teams like the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) or the Indian Bank.
The teams play each other once in a round-robin league format and the side with the most points is declared the winner.
All the games are played at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai, also known as the Marina Arena when it acts as the home for ISL side Chennaiyin FC.
The tournament is held in a very short of span of time, normally during the months of March and April every year.
District Leagues
Though it is mandatory for every district association under the TFA to conduct a league of its own, it happens regularly in only a few districts in the state like Chennai, Madurai etc.
There have been accusations that the TFA has very little role or control over the leagues in the state with no common league or competition being held. There used to be a Champions Trophy which featured the best six teams from Chennai's league and the best teams from other parts of the state. But the tournament has been long discontinued.
Even the CFA has come under fire in recent times for scheduling the CFA Senior Division games at 2:00 pm in the afternoon in the scorching heat of Chennai because it had to complete the tournament in a small window between when the ISL finished in mid-March to April 29th.
The CFA stated they were asked to complete the tournament before the said date by the TFA and had no choice but to go for such inhuman scheduling. However, many onlookers feel CFA should not make a mockery of the only real league in the state by adopting such haphazard measures. It is worth noting that the league has in the past produced players like Dhanpal Ganesh, Michael Soosairaj, Sinivasan Pandiyan etc who are all in the ISL bandwagon now.
History of Chennai Football Association
http://www.cfa.net.in/aboutus.php
Football in Chennai came to light on an organized basis in the shape of a tournament started at Madras first by the Madras Gymkhana Club in the year 1895. Mostly regimental units like Queens Own Regiment, Lancashire Fusiliers Pachaiyappa’s football club and many more local teams participated in the tournament. Thus the game got into the minds of Local folk, who developed on scientific lines with skill and imagination with bare foot and mesmerized the tough military men. The first Indian team to break the ice and lift the Madras Gymkhana Trophy was the Pachaiyappa’s Football Club.
Madras Football Association was formed on 18th October 1933 at a meeting held at the Old Engineering College Ground, Chepauk. Madras Football Association League championship was started in 1934. Pachaiyappas Football Club won the inaugural 1934-35 League Championship. A number of open knock-out tournaments sponsored by member clubs in Madras and the Districts gradually came into existence to give a further fillip to the game throughout the undivided State of Madras, including the present Andhra, Telengana and Kerala States.
In the year 1978 with the formation of Madras City Clubs in to separate Association named as Madras Football Association and a central controlling body for all the District, christening it as “Tamilnadu Football Association” was formed. Nomenclature of Madras Football Association was changed as “Chennai Football Association” in the year 1996. Chennai Football Association has 96 Members Clubs on its roll, which earlier had 120 Member Clubs. Chennai Football Association conducts about 450 league matches for its Member Clubs, dividing them in to Senior, I to IV Division, apart from conducting league/matches for the Schools and Colleges.