VIDEO: Hertha BSC Berlin 0-6 FC Bayern Munich

German Bundesliga giants FC Bayern Munich are currently on a demolition course as they have scored 20 goals in the last week itself. After their 7-1 win against 1899 Hoffenheim last Saturday, the 7-0 against FC Basel in the Champions League on Tuesday they followed it up yesterday evening with a 6-0 away win against Hertha BSC Berlin.

Here are all the six goals to watch, some great one's amongst them!

33rd Dallas Cup: Watch out for India's Uttam Rai!

The 33rd edition of the Dallas Cup will be played from April 1 to 8 in Dallas, Texas. The India Under-16 boys, who are currently training at the IMG Academy in Florida, will be playing in Bracket D along with local US sides Houston Dynamo U15 Pre-Academy (Texas), West Coast FC (California) and Dallas Texans White West (North-Texas). Other foreign participants in the Under-16 category come from England, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, Trinidad&Tobago and the United Arab Emirates.

Last year the same set of boys as the India Under-15 team had reached the quarterfinals after winning their Group G with six points ahead of Santa Clara Sporting (California) with five, while Sockers U15 Cup (Illinois) had four points and TSF Academy Grey (New Jersey) finished last with only one point to their name. But the tournament ended in the quarterfinals against FC Golden State with a 3-4 loss.

On a North Texas website they have put a list together of the Top 10 Players to Watch at Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXIII. And this list contains talented Indian Youth striker Uttam Rai. It is a great honour for the youngster, but also added pressure then players like Wayne Rooney, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Raul have played in the tournament in the past.

The website wrote about Uttam: Rai is arguably the best youth prospect for the populous nation of India. He will be looking to make his mark on Dallas Cup in 2012 after being injured in this same tournament last season. This attacking talent has trained with Arsenal FC of England in the past.

For the India Under-16 team the 33rd Dallas Cup is good international exposure ahead of tougher assignments in future Asian Youth tournaments.

I-League Division 2: Did Royal Wahingdoh FC play 4 Foreigners?

It seems that the second division of the I-League is tainted by controversies this season, but are the necessary actions being taken? Earlier there had been allegations of match fixing in the preliminary round groups in Silchar and Cuttack with Gauhati Town Club taking the drastic step of disbanding their senior team.

Now in yesterday's match between Royal Wahingdoh FC from Shillong and Mumbai's ONGC which RWFC won 4-1 the side from Meghalaya made a late substitution with African striker Perry S. Koli coming on for I. Seityasen Singh from Manipur. That meant that four foreigners where on the field in injury time of the game with Africans Kareem Omolaja Nurain and Beekay Bawar along with Bhutanese striker Chencho C. already on the pitch.

ONGC had to complain to the fourth official and the match commissioner M.G Suvarna about the incidence who like the RWFC officials did not realise the mistake. ONGC also made a written complaint post-match to the match commissioner.

An interesting fact is that the official website of Royal Wahingdoh FC lists Chencho as an Indian national born in Sikkim. But the striker Chencho has surely represented Bhutan in international competitions.

The rule for the I-League Division 2 like in the top tier of the I-League is that clubs can sign 3 foreigners from anywhere in the world plus one Asian with three of these four foreigners allowed to be on the pitch at any given time, meaning if a foreigner from the 3+1 comes on, another one has to go off.

The question is under what nationality did RWFC register Chencho with the AIFF for the I-League Division 2? What passport or passports does the striker current hold? And have RWFC play foreigners in earlier matches?

Loads of questions to be answered...

Homeless World Cup Foundation and Slum Soccer: The India Story

Football may not be the first sport that springs to mind when we think of India, but Homeless World Cup national partners Slum Soccer have been using football as a tool of engagement with homeless and marginalised young people for over a decade now and have become established as a leading figure in the Sport and Development field in India.

"What started as simple weekend sessions in 2001, reaching out to 10 children, using football as a tool for social improvement and empowerment has bloomed into fully fledged football coaching camps, educational and healthcare workshops and societal development programmes, bringing a positive influence to the lives of nearly 70,000 men, women and children in over 63 districts all around the country." (Slum Soccer Annual Report 2011-12).


Slum Soccer and Homelessness in India

The second most populous nation in the world, India has a population of well over a billion people. 170 million people live on the streets and 260 million people (a group almost equivalent in size to the entire population of the USA) live on less than a dollar a day.

Slum Soccer engages homeless and marginalised people through football, providing them with not just the physical, social and psychological benefits of playing a sport, but with access to health and hygiene care and information.

Taking part in regular football sessions provides a simple framework for homeless people to develop a new way of life, with structures and goals - a platform for a better future.

When a homeless person gets involved in football they communicate and build relationships with others; they become teammates, learning to trust and share; they have a responsibility to attend training sessions and games, to be on time and prepared to participate. They feel part of something.


Here an interview I had done in July 2011 with Abhijeet Barse from Slum Soccer in Berlin, Germany.

116th IFA Shield: A look back & the stats

The final of the 116th IFA Shield yesterday was a local Kolkata affair with East Bengal Club beating Prayag United SC 4-2 on penalties at the Saltlake Stadium. The 116th edition of the IFA Shield had been played from March 3 to 16 across Kolkata with 12 teams having taken part.

Though local giants Mohun Bagan AC did not take part, the highlight of this years IFA Shield was supposed to be the reserve team from Brazilian giants Botafogo BFR, but though they did show Latin skills they failed to reach the finals.


FIXTURES & RESULTS

Group A
East Bengal Club, Shillong Lajong FC, Bhowanipore Club

03-Mar-2012: East Bengal Club 2-1 Bhowanipore Club (Saltlake Stadium)
05-Mar-2012: Shillong Lajong FC 0-3 Bhowanipore Club (East Bengal Ground, Maidan)
09-Mar-2012: East Bengal Club 3-0 Shillong Lajong FC (Saltlake Stadium)

Group B
Botafogo BFR (BRAZIL), Chirag United Kerala, Southern Samity

04-Mar-2012: Chirag United Kerala 0-1 Southern Samity (Howrah Maidan)
10-Mar-2012: Botafogo BFR 1-0 Chirag United Kerala (Howrah Maidan)
12-Mar-2012: Botafogo BFR 2-0 Southern Samity (Saltlake Stadium)

Group C
Pune FC, Pailan Arrows, Ar-Hima FC

04-Mar-2012: Pune FC 1-1 Pailan Arrows (East Bengal Ground, Maidan)
06-Mar-2012: Pune FC 3-0 Ar-Hima FC (Howrah Maidan)
09-Mar-2012: Ar-Hima FC 0-5 Pailan Arrows (Howrah Maidan)

Group D
Prayag United SC, Mumbai FC, Techno Aryan Club

05-Mar-2012: Mumbai FC 1-1 Techno Aryan Club (Howrah Maidan)
07-Mar-2012: Prayag United SC 3-2 Mumbai FC (Saltlake Stadium)
11-Mar-2012: Prayag United SC 1-0 Techno Aryan Club (Saltlake Stadium)

Semifinals
13-Mar-2012: East Bengal Club 1-0 Pailan Arrows (Saltlake Stadium)
14-Mar-2012: Botafogo BFR 0-1 Prayag United SC [after extra-time] (Saltlake Stadium)

Final
16-Mar-2012: East Bengal Club 0-0,4-2 Prayag United SC [penalties] (Saltlake Stadium)