The Roon Ba

jonny · Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:03 pm Post subject: SAFF Championship 2009

Dhaka, BANGLADESH - Maldives is drawn in a tough group in the 2009's SAFF Championship which is to be held from 4 -14th December, 2009. The draw was held moments ago in Hotel Sheraton in Bangladesh. Maldives is drawn with India, Nepal and Afghanistan. Group B consists of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bhutan.

India has won the tournament four times while Nepal is a growing talent in the regional tournaments.

Maldives has won against India in the last edition of SAFF Championship final by a single goal to lift the cup.

The congress of SAFF would kick off at 7pm this evening. The congress will elect a new committee and a dynamic Kazi Salahuddin, the president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, is the popular choice to take the hot seat from All Nepal Football Federation president Thapa, who has been criticized for being inactive since taking over the SAFF presidency in 2001.

http://maldivesoccer.net/v4/?page=story&id=2806

mcruic · Site Admin Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 1381

India will play with their U-23 team at both the SAFF Championship and next year's AFC Challenge Cup finals.

http://www.indianfootball.com/en/news/articleId/1916

trekky76 · Forum Regular Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 43

It's a shame but I understand them. However AFC Challenge Cup should be a competition for senior teams.
Seems they might go for some senior players as well. Would make it an 'olympic' team.

mcruic · Site Admin Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 1381

As far as I am aware, U-23 and Olympic teams are one and the same, as Olympic rules state that players must be U-23 (with 3 exceptions) and U-23 tournaments and national teams are all organised on this basis.

India have no real reason to send their full team to the Challenge Cup, as they already qualified for the 2011 Asian Cup by winning the 2008 Challenge Cup.

However, I would also like to see all national team tournaments one day competed for by only full national teams. For continent-wide tournaments, at least, A-teams should definitely be used.

jonny · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:01 pm Post subject:

I dont really understand India. They go to Spain to play 2. and 3 rd divison clubs , but never play on FIFA match dates against NT`s.

Only "A" match this year was away against Hong Kong in January , losing 1-2.

Tanaka · Forum Addict Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 681

Tanaka · Forum Addict Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 681

jonny · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 7:24 am Post subject:

jonny · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:00 am Post subject:

pieter · Forum Addict Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1054

I think every match in a competition for A-teams must be regarded as A-international; every FA is free to field a team, but in the future it would be better that big countries do not participate in regional tournaments: like Cameroun in CEMAC, S.Africa or Angola in COSAFA, India in SAC....
It would be better that this small competitions would be for small countries only..
I do not see why an A-team must play a u-23 team (or other non-A teams )in this kind of tournaments

mcruic · Site Admin Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 1381

Not sure if they will be A-matches (the SAFF Championship). The article specifically mentions 2 separate teams (the seniors and the U-23s) who both have separate assignments at the same time. If the India national team is having a get-together at the same time as the SAFF Championship, then I don't think we can count the matches of India at the Championship as A matches.

pieter · Forum Addict Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1054

Will all the games be played in Dacca ?or other towns ?

mcruic · Site Admin Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 1381

http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task,show/id,5803

According to this, all matches will be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.