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"IFSC – Germany chapter organising international junior meet

IFSC (Indian Football Supporters Club) Germany chapter, is going to organise a junior international tournament from August 23 to 25 in Germany. The tournament according to Arunava Chaudhuri, maker of Indianfootball.com, is going to be organized with an aim to explore talented Indian footballers in Germany and finally construction of an academy in India. The IFSC, after its foundation almost one year ago, has already done a research on the talented Indian footballers in Germany and also trying to explore talented footballers from India.
According to information sent by Arunava Chaudhuri, one of the IFSC executives, the teams which will participate in the IFSC tournament are: under-16 team from TATA Football Academy, one Germany under-16 team comprising of all the talented Indian footballers, playing in the country, another team from England and efforts are also on to get a team from either the Netherlands or Austria or from Scotland."

http://ifasoccer.com/news/newsDetail1.asp?id=113

No Financial Cuts at TFA

Calcutta, Feb. 15:
If there has been a change in attitude towards the Tata Football Academy (TFA) by the Tisco super bosses, it is not evident by anybody at the Jamshedpur-based academy. Chief Arun Ghosh, serving his last year at the academy, today said that "there has not been a paise of budget cut, and there is not possibility of there being one in the near future." It was in the rumour mills that the country’s premier soccer academy could face a cash crunch and hence a cut in activity.

"Tisco managing director B. Muthuraman believes that this is a prestige section of the company and is all for the smooth running of the academy. So is Tata Steel Sports Foundation chairman and former managing director J.J. Irani," said Ghosh. "Actually, whatever the condition of Tisco, the academy is unlikely to face any problems because the TFA activities are funded by the TSSF trust."

The fourth convocation of the academy will be on February 27, and many among the 18 trainees to receive their diplomas have already established themselves on the national soccer scenario. Ghosh feels there has been no slip in the academy’s standard over the last few years.

Players like medio Malsunga Tulunga, a Mizo, Chennai’s goalkeeper Satish Kumar, medio Subhas Chakraborty of Calcutta and Krishna Tudu of Bankura, have shown colours blue in the last IFA Shield and are sure to be picked up by Calcutta teams. The rest will, too, fare pretty well as far as a career goes, hence the 20 new recruits (in the 14-16 years age-group), to be inducted during a February 19-24 trials will indeed be in good hands for the next four years, feels Ghosh.

There has indeed been a slowdown of activity from those early days when a Brazil trip or a European trip would be a natural decision. This year, from August 24 to 26, many TFA trainees (under-18) will be in Bonn, playing a "few matches, probably a tournament, with local teams," said Ghosh, and "this will be organised by local Indians." The TFA is also trying to tag on an English trip, to again play a few matches with junior side of teams like Arsenal.

The only slip could be in the kids’ schooling. Earlier, they would be enrolled into local schools, but now four resident teachers teach them the basics, while "they go back to their states to write their exams". Not an ideal situation. 

Ghosh revealed that Tisco finally pulled out of its Supersoccer commitments "because the AIFF was wanting an extra Rs 25 lakh for this." The Tatas, naturally, found no reason to give into this greed.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/sports.htm#head3