Players Key to Taking Indian Football to Next Level, Says Jeje Lalpekhlua; Mohun Bagan Features on NASDAQ Billboard and More (Football Round-Up)

Indian striker Jeje Lalpekhlua feels Indian footballers have to carry things forward as the Indian Super League (ISL) has done all it can to boost the game in the country.

Lalpekhlua told ISL Media,"Compared to the time back in 2007-2008, when I turned professional, we never got such facilities like it is now in the ISL. Now, things have changed. Players are very important to take Indian football to the next level now. Players now are very lucky to get these opportunities. They need to grab these with both hands and make use of it." 

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The 29-year old striker believes Indian football is in transition and standards have increased. Many clubs have introduced grassroot programs along with ISL Children’s League, which was launched recently. 

Mohun Bagan on NASDAQ Billboard 

The Mohun Bagan Day became globally memorable on July 29 after American stock exchange NASDAQ paid tribute to the Kolkata club on its billboard at Times Square, New York. 

SInce 2011, every year on July 29, the club and its legion of fans observe Mohun Bagan Day, celebrating the historic IFA Shield victory over East Yorkshire Regiment in 1911. 

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NASDAQ Billboard featured Mohun Bagan by displaying the color and logo through the day.

"The pictures from NASDAQ are a testimony to the fact that Mohun Bagan belongs to a different league. Huge day for all the Mariners!!" tweeted Bagan, along with the pictures. "Happy Mohun Bagan Day Mariners," it signed off.

“It is a matter of great pride for all Mohun Bagan fans and supporters. It shows the kind of stature the club enjoys. No Indian sports club has ever featured on something like this, so it is significant, very different,” Mohun Bagan’s top official Debasish Dutta was quoted by the PTI.

The club has recently merged with ISL club ATK FC and will be known as ATK Mohun Bagan. It will be part of the next season on ISL, scheduled from November this to March 2021. 

Paul Cook Resigns

Paul Cook handed over his resignation from the managerial post at Wigan Athletic following the 12-point deduction and relegation from the Championship. 

The club’s appeal against the relegation will be heard later this day, but Cook made his exit to search for a new challenge after a stay of three years. 

Cook led Wigan Athletic to 10 wins from their last 18 matches, which would have secured their stay in the Championship had it not been for the penalty that was applied at the final day of the season after the club was put into administration by the owner at the beginning of July. 

The club is set to argue at the hearing over the deduction, which is anticipated to last a week. In their defence, they will affirm the circumstances of ‘force majeure’ caused by the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. 

Hakim Discharged

Olympian Syed Shahid Hakim has made a successful recovery from Covid-19 and has been discharged. The 81-year old became ill after he made a visit to Karnataka and then tested positive for coronavirus on June 13. 

Hakim spent the next two weeks in quarantine at a Hyderabad hotel after he was unable to find a bed in the military hospital. The Dhyan Chand awardee, who represented India in the 1960 Olympics, was discharged on July 28.. 

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“I have recovered from the virus and I feel fit now. Thankfully, I will be discharged from the hotel tonight and will be maintaining a strict schedule for the next 21 days for proper rehabilitation as per doctor’s instructions,” Hakim was quoted by the Indian Express.

“I hope nobody else ever gets affected by the virus… not even my enemy. I am grateful to all the wishes that came forward in my time of need. From Kashmir to Kerala, from Bengal to Bombay, I don’t know how many people have been praying for me, but I am really thankful to them,” he added.

Hakim stressed that the government did not offer any help to him. “Neither the centre nor the state, no government offered their helping hand to me. Not even the football federation of the country — the All India Football Federation (AIFF). My family helped me with the expenses, especially my sister who lives in America,” he said.

City- Real Clash

UEFA stated that it is certain the Champions League clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid will go as planned despite the Covid-19 positive cases reported by the Spanish side. 

On Tuesday, Real Madrid confirmed that Mariano Diaz was coronavirus positive, raising concerns over his participation at the tie against Manchester City on August 8, scheduled at the Etihad Stadium. 

"UEFA is in contact with the club and monitoring both the situation and decisions of the relevant Spanish authorities," the European body said in a statement. "We are confident that this case will not affect the regular staging of the match in question."

Before the suspension of the season, Manchester City was leading 2-1 against Real from their first leg of the last 16 tie.

New cases of coronavirus have been reported on a daily basis in Spain since the past week, with the total number of infections tallying over 298,000.

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