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Stadium has been selected for the India vs. Iran WCQ:
"BENGALURU: India will begin their campaign in the 2018 World Cup football qualifiers with two matches in Bengaluru and New Delhi scheduled from next month.
India, who figure in Group D, will begin their campaign against Oman on June 11 at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here with the match listed for a 7 pm start. The Garden City will also host the second match - the high-profile fixture against Iran on September 8. "
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/47243044.cms
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^^ damn, that is some kitsch architecture in the backgroundComment
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India have released their squad list for the upcoming WCQ. They have called up one foreign based GK who plays in the Norwegian first division. The 21yr old who was signed by a Brazilian club was not included:
"Head Coach Constantine Announces India's 38-Man Preliminary Squad for Second Round of 2018 World Cup Asian Qualifiers
By Binayak Khatri May 20, 2015 15:33 IST 4 4Share on linkedin
India football team head coach Stephen Constantine is looking forward toAIFF's official website
India national football team head coach Stephen Constantine has announced the 38-man preliminary squad for the upcoming second round of the 2018 World Cup Asian qualifiers.
The Blues Tigers, who recorded a 2-0 (aggregate) win over Nepal in the first round of the AFC 2018 World Cup qualifiers, have been drawn in Group D, where they will now face Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam in the second round of the qualifying stages.
The 38-man preliminary squad will be trimmed to 26 players after the end of the 2014/15 Hero I-League campaign on 31 May.
The final 26-man squad along with the coaching staff will then be reporting to the training camp in Bangalore on 3 June, where they will be practicing for their first qualifying fixture against Oman on 11 June at the Shree Kanteerava Stadium
"We have selected a group of Players that have impressed for their respective Clubs in the last two-three months," Constantine told AIFF's official website. "The list would be brought down to 26 for the preparatory Camp."
"We are on the platform where we wanted to be. We are now competing against the best Teams in Asia and it's the stage for the best Teams to compete against each other," he added.
Here is the complete list of the 38-man preliminary squad announced by Constantine:
Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul (Salgaocar SC), Arindam Bhattacharya (Kalyani Bharat FC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Stabaek FC), Sanjiban Ghosh (Mumbai FC).
Defenders: Rino Anto, Lalchhuanmawia (both Bengaluru FC), Reagan Singh, Lalhmangaihsanga (both Royal Wahingdoh FC), Pritam Kotal, Dhanachandra Singh (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Robert Lalthlamuana, Arnab Mondal, Gurwinder Singh (all Kingfisher East Bengal), Sandesh Jhingan (Sporting Clube de Goa), Augustin Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Aiborlang Khongjee (Shillong Lajong FC).
Midfielders: Cavin Lobo, Md. Rafique (Kingfisher East Bengal), Eugenson Lyngdoh, CK Vineeth (both Bengaluru FC), Godwin Franco, Jackichand Singh, Saityasen Singh (all Royal Wahingdoh FC), Sehnaj Singh (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Dhanapal Ganesh (Pune FC), Mandar Rao Dessai, Francis Fernandes, Germanpreet Singh (all Dempo SC), Harmanjot Singh Khabra (Kingfisher East Bengal), Rowlin Borges (Sporting Clube de Goa) Bikash Jairu (Salgaocar SC).
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh (Both Bengaluru FC), Holicharan Narzary (Dempo SC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (McDowell Mohun Bagan), Thongkhosien Haokip (Pune FC), Sumit Passi (Sporting Clube de Goa), Lalchhawnkima (Royal Wahingdoh FC)."
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/football-he...nd-2018-633088Comment
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^^^ India's coach, Stephen Constantine started his senior career @ Pennsylvania Stoners
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"Le Guen picks four new U22 players
26/05/2015
(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) With an eye to the future Oman football coach Paul Le Guen has called up four players from the national U22 team for the opening FIFA World Cup Group D qualifier against India on June 11.
The other teams in the group are fancied Iran Turkmenistan and Guam.
Le Guen has picked strikers Yaseen al Shiyadi of Suwaiq Saud al Farsi and Ahmed al Siyabi of Sur along with midfielder Mohammed al Nagashi also from Sur in the 26-member squad that was unveiled ahead of the team's domestic camp which begins on Tuesday.
Oman's last competitive outing was at the Asian Cup in Australia in January and the French coach has reposed faith in most of the players as he picked 15 from the 23 that failed to advance to the knockout stage in Asian Cup.
Out of the eight dropped defender and former captain Hassan Mudhaffar has retired from international football after leading his club Al Arouba to a domestic double “ OPL title and HM's Cup recently. The remaining seven players are Suleiman al Breiki and Mazin al Kasbi (goalkeepers) Jaber al Owaisi and Amer al Shatri (defenders) Mohammed al Siyabi Said al Ruzaiqi and Yaqoob al Qasmi (strikers).
Experienced midfielder Hussain al Hadhri and talented Fahd al Jalboobi have been recalled along with striker Abdulrehman al Ghassani. Also making a comeback into the team are defender Fahd Naseeb and goalkeeper Faiz al Rusheidi.
Le Guen said on Monday that he chose a settled squad comprising 'the core of players that were there at the Asian Cup as he was not ashamed of the team's performance in Australia'.
'We had a tough group that comprised the eventual finalists - Australia and South Korea. Australia went on to win the title. We did try our best' he said.
Le Guen said 'it is time to pick the core of players that will take us ahead in future' and this is the reason for the inclusion of four U22 players. "This is the start of the next chapter in our journey and we are all excited about what lies ahead over the next few months" he said.
Second favourite
"We are eager in our desire to make an impact in the qualifiers and aim to top the group which is a challenging task. Iran undoubtedly is the favourite but we are second favourite. Our immediate task is to get full points against India in Bengaluru and take it from there. We need to top the group or finish as the second best to have a chance to qualify into the next round. It is not going to be easy but we have to give our best' said Le Guen.
The eight group winners and the four best runners-up (total 12 teams) from the 40 teams will advance to the 2019 Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
Pitch in India a worry
Oman's preparations for the India match will see the Red Warriors' take on Bahrain in Muscat on May 30 and then host Syria on June 5 in two friendlies.
The team travels to India on June 8 to acclimatise to the weather condition but more importantly according to Le Guen 'get used to the uneven pitch' of Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
'The team manager Mohammed al Alawi had visited the stadium and is worried about the state of pitch in Bengaluru. In fact even the Indian coach Stephen Constantine has expressed his concern about the pitch condition to Mohammed' said Le Guen.
The Frenchman said after the India match the focus will be to prepare the team in the best shape for back-to-back games in September.
'I will request the OFA to begin the OPL next season in the first week of August so that the players are physically fit for the two games' he said.
Asked if they could reschedule the OPLstart the CEO of the OPL Sheikh Shabib al Hosni told Muscat Daily that they are yet to finalise the schedule for next season but 'will be open if there is any such request in the interest of the national team.'
Oman plays Turkmenistan on September 3 and is scheduled to travel to Guam for the match on September 8. It has been learned that the Oman Football Association (OFA) is trying to reschedule the game against Guam to either Muscat or another venue closer in view of the long distance and travel time needed to reach Guam.
Unfazed by critics
Le Guen who has come under severe criticism from certain quarters of football fraternity admitted that he 'felt the pressure' but was open for it if it is a fair criticism.
There had been calls to sack him after the Asian Cup result but the Frenchman said 'I think we did a decent job in a group that had the tournament's finalists. For me the most
important thing is to do my best and ensure the players give their best.'
'The fact that we had a good World Cup qualification run raised the expectations at the Asian Cup. But if we see the quality of players from Australia and South Korea and the clubs they play for in Europe we will understand the gap between them and our players and our league' he said.
'My philosophy is not to give up and I always respect my contract. In the past there have been instances when I had offers but as I was bound by Oman contract I refused them. I will continue to serve my contract and hope to get good results' said Le Guen.
Meanwhile Le Guen's technical staff has been boosted by the inclusion of former star Badr al Maimani who has been drafted in to work with the national team according to Khamis al Balushi the OFA media manager."
http://menafn.com/1094225936/Le-Guen...ew-U22-playersComment
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"Guam captain leads proud Matao into new erahttp://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=...a-2609034.htmlComment
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India squad has been released:
"Constantine Selects 26-Member Indian Football Squad for FIFA Qualifiers
India play their first match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on June 11 while the next match against Guam will be played in Guam on June 16.
Reported by: Indo-Asian News Service Last updated on Friday, 05 June, 2015 18:28 IST
New Delhi: The Indian national football squad left the capital city for a preparatory camp in Bengaluru ahead of its 2018 FIFA World Cup preliminary qualification matches against Oman and Guam.
The squad conducted training sessions at the Ambedkar Stadium here before proceeding to Bengaluru.
India play their first match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on June 11 while the next match against Guam will be played in Guam on June 16.
India have been clubbed in Group D of the qualifiers along with Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam.
Coach Stephen Constantine chose a 26-member squad for the two matches from an initial list of 38 players.
The squad:
Goalkeepers
Subrata Pal (Salgaocar FC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Stabaek FC, Norway), Sanjiban Ghosh (Mumbai FC), Laishram Prem Kumar Singh (Royal Wahingdoh FC)
Defenders
Rino Anto, Lalchhuanmawia (both Bengaluru FC), Reagan Singh (Royal Wahingdoh FC), L. Dhanachandra Singh (Mohun Bagan AC), Arnab Mondal, Gurwinder Singh (both East Bengal Club), Sandesh Jhingan (Sporting Clube de Goa), Augustin Fernandes (Salgaocar SC)
Midfielders
Cavin Lobo, Mohammed Rafique (both East Bengal Club), Eugeneson Lyngdoh, C.K. Vineeth (both Bengaluru FC), Jackichand Singh, Saityasen Singh (both Royal Wahingdoh FC), Sehnaj Singh (Mohun Bagan AC), Dhanapal Ganesh (Pune FC), Mandar Rao Dessai, Francis Fernandes (both Dempo SC)
Forwards
Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh (both Bengaluru FC), Holicharan Narzary (Dempo SC), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Mohun Bagan AC)"
http://sports.ndtv.com/football/news...ifa-qualifiersComment
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Their only players that look like they could hurt us are Sunnil Chettri and Subrata Pal (GK)may put up a good performance.
The rest of the team is really inexperiencedComment
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Sunil Chhetri? You mean the 5'7", 30 year old who's greatest achievement in life is coming on as a substitute (in 69th minute) for the Kansas city Wizards in a friendly match against Manchester United?
Yeah, he won't be able to do **** against us. No one on Indian team can. Not only they lack the experiences, they are smaller than us, they are slower, they are not as technically gifted and tactically, they will be outmatched by CQ.Last edited by TheBoss; 06-05-2015, 06:26 AM.Comment
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Sort of, He actually never officially played for them. Just that one friendly and then he was let go.Originally posted by Abtin View PostWas that his only cap for them?
But yeah that was a big deal for the Indian football. This is the first video that comes up when you google his name, btw. I like how Manchester United is in all caps.
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btw, remember that player they had in Atletico Paranaense, Romeo Fernandes? He was apparently the next big thing for them? well, he was let go by Paranaense without even playing one match. And he hasn't been called up by the Indian national team coach for their WCQ matchesComment
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Even more he was subbed on in one game and then played 20 minutes and was taken out. Even more embarassing.Originally posted by TheBoss View Post
Unrelated news.. Oman lost to Syria 2-1 today. I dont know if that means Oman sucks or of Syria is better than they used to be.Comment
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