Group A - Kerala XI , Air India , BN Railway , MEG Banglore
Group B - Lajong FC , Southern Samity , Indian Army , Mumabi FC
group b sounds more interesting with 2 i-league teams and a 2nd div team in the line up...
i think if kerala 11 are good they can at least get past group stage if not further
madras is old name of chennai so they may change it to chennai sappers fc ...if happen would be good news for football lovers from chennai
Bangalore or Chennai, does not matter. Both those cities need clubs, they have stadiums and a lot of youth involvement so with proper management and proper marketing I think a Chennai Sappers FC or Bangalore Sappers FC can work.
But first lets see if MEG Bangalore is interested. Hope they are.
An article I read sometime back on MEG. An alternate view regarding office teams...
It cannot be more ironic, even shocking. Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre, the city’s senior division football league champions, have been denied entry into the I-League 2nd division, while runners-up KGF Academy (BEML) are taking part. HAL, which finished third, also figure in the 1st division having qualified the previous year.
MEG won the right to play by bagging the senior division title. But as the second division national league approached, they received a letter from the All India Football Federation stating that they cannot participate in the tournament. Reason? They are not a commercial entity. This is a FIFA and AFC requirement which has been accepted without any argument by authorities in the country to the huge disappointment of sports circles in the defence sector.
There are any number of defence units in the city, state and the country which have supported football for ages. They have produced some outstanding footballers who served the state and the country with distinction. But perhaps, not any more.
Again in 2007, the AIFF allowed an Army XI to take part in the second division league despite the fact that it was not a club side at all.
This decision to bar such teams from climbing up the ladder can have far-reaching consequences as these units will think twice before floating football teams. That will deprive job and career opportunities to aspiring footballers. Their families will suffer in the long run.
Professionalism is only in name for not all clubs even in the first division satisfy stipulations. None of them own a stadium and all their home venues are nothing but stadiums owned by the state association and the state government. The football authorities like AIFF, AFC and FIFA prefer to look the other way and allow them to take part but cite flimsy reasons to keep MEG away. It even owns a stadium with seating capacity for at least 20,000. Safety and security of players and spectators is guaranteed as it is situated inside their sprawling complex.
“Yes, we did our best to convince them but they did not agree. We received a letter from AIFF saying that we are not a commercial entity, we will not be allowed to take part. It was very disappointing as we were preparing for the tournament and hoped to make it to the first division,” said MEG coach Shaji.
“I only hope something is done about it as defence teams cannot become commercial entities but still have better training and match facilities than many other private club,” Shaji said. The likes of Thangaraj, Shyam Thapa, Ranjit Thapa, Amar Bahadur, Bhupinder Singh Rawat, Ethiraj, G Krishnappa, Madhavan, Ravi Kumar, and Stanley Rosario to mention a few emerged from the ranks of defence units.
The KSFA is only following directives without even a murmur of protest. Defence units in the city deserve a lot more from the authorities.
An article I read sometime back on MEG. An alternate view regarding office teams...
It cannot be more ironic, even shocking. Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre, the city’s senior division football league champions, have been denied entry into the I-League 2nd division, while runners-up KGF Academy (BEML) are taking part. HAL, which finished third, also figure in the 1st division having qualified the previous year.
MEG won the right to play by bagging the senior division title. But as the second division national league approached, they received a letter from the All India Football Federation stating that they cannot participate in the tournament. Reason? They are not a commercial entity. This is a FIFA and AFC requirement which has been accepted without any argument by authorities in the country to the huge disappointment of sports circles in the defence sector.
There are any number of defence units in the city, state and the country which have supported football for ages. They have produced some outstanding footballers who served the state and the country with distinction. But perhaps, not any more.
Again in 2007, the AIFF allowed an Army XI to take part in the second division league despite the fact that it was not a club side at all.
This decision to bar such teams from climbing up the ladder can have far-reaching consequences as these units will think twice before floating football teams. That will deprive job and career opportunities to aspiring footballers. Their families will suffer in the long run.
Professionalism is only in name for not all clubs even in the first division satisfy stipulations. None of them own a stadium and all their home venues are nothing but stadiums owned by the state association and the state government. The football authorities like AIFF, AFC and FIFA prefer to look the other way and allow them to take part but cite flimsy reasons to keep MEG away. It even owns a stadium with seating capacity for at least 20,000. Safety and security of players and spectators is guaranteed as it is situated inside their sprawling complex.
“Yes, we did our best to convince them but they did not agree. We received a letter from AIFF saying that we are not a commercial entity, we will not be allowed to take part. It was very disappointing as we were preparing for the tournament and hoped to make it to the first division,” said MEG coach Shaji.
“I only hope something is done about it as defence teams cannot become commercial entities but still have better training and match facilities than many other private club,” Shaji said. The likes of Thangaraj, Shyam Thapa, Ranjit Thapa, Amar Bahadur, Bhupinder Singh Rawat, Ethiraj, G Krishnappa, Madhavan, Ravi Kumar, and Stanley Rosario to mention a few emerged from the ranks of defence units.
The KSFA is only following directives without even a murmur of protest. Defence units in the city deserve a lot more from the authorities.
March 09, 2012 – Kerala XI vs Air India FC – 06:30PM
March 10, 2012 – Mumbai FC vs Army XI – 06:45 PM
March 11, 2012 – Air India vs MEG Bangalore – 04:45 PM
March 11, 2012 – Kerala XI vs BN Railways – 06:45 PM
March 12, 2012 – Shillong Lajong FC vs Mumbai FC – 06:45 PM
March 13, 2012 – BN Railways vs Air India FC – 04:45 PM
March 13, 2012 – MEG Bangalore vs Kerala XI – 06:45 PM
March 14, 2012 – Shillong Lajong FC cs Army XI – 04:45 PM
March 14, 2012 – Southern Samity vs Mumbai FC – 06:45 PM
March 15, 2012 – MEG Bangalore vs BN Railways – 04:45 PM
March 16, 2012 -Southern Samity vs Shillong Lajong FC – 06:45 PM
March 17, 2012 – Army XI vs Southern Samity -04:45 PM
March 17, 2012 – Semi Final 1 – 06:45 PM
March 18, 2012 – Semi Final 2 – 06:45 PM
March 20, 2012 – Final – 06:45 PM
Comments
group b sounds more interesting with 2 i-league teams and a 2nd div team in the line up...
i think if kerala 11 are good they can at least get past group stage if not further
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Engineer_Group
Hmmmmm, Bangalore Sappers FC. If they make that there name (along with proper management we could have a good thing here.
Bangalore or Chennai, does not matter. Both those cities need clubs, they have stadiums and a lot of youth involvement so with proper management and proper marketing I think a Chennai Sappers FC or Bangalore Sappers FC can work.
But first lets see if MEG Bangalore is interested. Hope they are.
It cannot be more ironic, even shocking. Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre, the city’s senior division football league champions, have been denied entry into the I-League 2nd division, while runners-up KGF Academy (BEML) are taking part. HAL, which finished third, also figure in the 1st division having qualified the previous year.
MEG won the right to play by bagging the senior division title. But as the second division national league approached, they received a letter from the All India Football Federation stating that they cannot participate in the tournament. Reason? They are not a commercial entity. This is a FIFA and AFC requirement which has been accepted without any argument by authorities in the country to the huge disappointment of sports circles in the defence sector.
There are any number of defence units in the city, state and the country which have supported football for ages. They have produced some outstanding footballers who served the state and the country with distinction. But perhaps, not any more.
Again in 2007, the AIFF allowed an Army XI to take part in the second division league despite the fact that it was not a club side at all.
This decision to bar such teams from climbing up the ladder can have far-reaching consequences as these units will think twice before floating football teams. That will deprive job and career opportunities to aspiring footballers. Their families will suffer in the long run.
Professionalism is only in name for not all clubs even in the first division satisfy stipulations. None of them own a stadium and all their home venues are nothing but stadiums owned by the state association and the state government. The football authorities like AIFF, AFC and FIFA prefer to look the other way and allow them to take part but cite flimsy reasons to keep MEG away. It even owns a stadium with seating capacity for at least 20,000. Safety and security of players and spectators is guaranteed as it is situated inside their sprawling complex.
“Yes, we did our best to convince them but they did not agree. We received a letter from AIFF saying that we are not a commercial entity, we will not be allowed to take part. It was very disappointing as we were preparing for the tournament and hoped to make it to the first division,” said MEG coach Shaji.
“I only hope something is done about it as defence teams cannot become commercial entities but still have better training and match facilities than many other private club,” Shaji said. The likes of Thangaraj, Shyam Thapa, Ranjit Thapa, Amar Bahadur, Bhupinder Singh Rawat, Ethiraj, G Krishnappa, Madhavan, Ravi Kumar, and Stanley Rosario to mention a few emerged from the ranks of defence units.
The KSFA is only following directives without even a murmur of protest. Defence units in the city deserve a lot more from the authorities.
http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/Defence-units-suffer-body-blow/365208.html
Honestly I think the whole process was a sham. Not even Delhi United FC were allowed in the league!
March 09, 2012 – Kerala XI vs Air India FC – 06:30PM
March 10, 2012 – Mumbai FC vs Army XI – 06:45 PM
March 11, 2012 – Air India vs MEG Bangalore – 04:45 PM
March 11, 2012 – Kerala XI vs BN Railways – 06:45 PM
March 12, 2012 – Shillong Lajong FC vs Mumbai FC – 06:45 PM
March 13, 2012 – BN Railways vs Air India FC – 04:45 PM
March 13, 2012 – MEG Bangalore vs Kerala XI – 06:45 PM
March 14, 2012 – Shillong Lajong FC cs Army XI – 04:45 PM
March 14, 2012 – Southern Samity vs Mumbai FC – 06:45 PM
March 15, 2012 – MEG Bangalore vs BN Railways – 04:45 PM
March 16, 2012 -Southern Samity vs Shillong Lajong FC – 06:45 PM
March 17, 2012 – Army XI vs Southern Samity -04:45 PM
March 17, 2012 – Semi Final 1 – 06:45 PM
March 18, 2012 – Semi Final 2 – 06:45 PM
March 20, 2012 – Final – 06:45 PM