Welcome to another edition of Indian football news roundup. Today, we will talk about Sunil Chhetri and Stephen Constantine’s interview heading into the 2019 AFC Asian Cup with AIFF and AFC respectively, and the rumor circulating on the internet that Mohun Bagan has found a sponsor.
In addition to that, we will also be talking about India’s opponents in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Thailand’s loss to Oman and the installment of new floodlights in the Khuman Lumpak Stadium, the home venue of NEROCA. I
In case you missed out yesterday’s edition of the Indian football roundup, you can check it out here.
2019 AFC Asian Cup: “We are a team who hate to lose”- Sunil Chhetri
Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay of the AIFF Media Team recently interviewed Indian football team’s talisman Sunil Chhetri. The joint second highest active goalscorer said the following:
“I can assure you that it won’t be an easy job for other teams to face us. We are a team who hate to lose, and we have proven it in recent times. We are working as per the plan.”
He further iterated that despite it being a first time experience for most of the players, their inexperience won’t hamper the team’s preparations.
“All of us are super excited and thrilled right now. Apart from me and Gurpreet, it’s a first-time experience for all else. Everyone is ready to grab this opportunity.”
I-League: Mohun Bagan reject claims of finding a sponsor
I-League historic club Mohun Bagan has rejected claims that they are in talks with Samsung and TCS IT to sponsor them for the next season. Apparently, a screenshot of chat between a Mohun Bagan fan and fake ID of Debashish Dutta, one of the many Directors of Mohun Bagan, did the rounds in social media wherein the latter confirmed that either of the two will be sponsoring the Kolkata giant.
However, much to the dismay of the fans, the Mohun Bagan management released a letter squashing the rumor. While their arch-rivals East Bengal have roped in Quess as their sponsor and are expected to make the shift to ISL the next season, the wait for Mohun Bagan continues.
I-League: NEROCA’s home ground to have floodlights installed
In a major boost to the football fans of NEROCA, floodlights will be installed in their home ground- the Khuman Lumpak Stadium. Moreover, it will be inaugurated by none other than the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.
Alongside the inauguration of the floodlights, the foundation of an astroturf football ground will also be laid on 4th January. The whole project would be costing Rs. 10 crores which will be borne by the Manipur state government.
2019 AFC Asian Cup: India’s opponent in the group Thailand lose to Oman
India’s opponent in the group stages of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Thailand, lost 2-0 to Oman in a closed-door international friendly on 2nd January. Ahmed Kano struck a brace in Oman’s victory scoring in the 11th and 62nd minute.
2019 AFC Asian Cup: “We started to prepare for this as soon as we had qualified mathematically”- Stephen Constantine
In an exclusive email interview with the Asian Football Confederation, Stephen Constantine revealed that he was honored and privileged to lead his way into the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Here is what he said:
“Well, it’s obviously a great honor and a privilege to be here among the elite of Asian football. We started to prepare for this as soon as we had qualified mathematically from the group which we won. Of course, I would have liked a few games going into the tournament but on the plus side, we are fit and have no injuries so we are looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
