Mumbai: FIFA’s Head of Women’s Football Development Arijana Demirovic and AIFF Secretary General, Shaji Prabhakaran, inaugurated the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup legacy initiative, Referee Education Scholarship Programme at the Cooperage Football Ground on Saturday.
Arijana, who is on a special visit to India ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 - scheduled to be held from October 11 to October 30.
The Referee Education Scholarship Programme in Mumbai will have 32 female participants.&nbsp;
“It is imperative that the development of football be encompassing. The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 is already encouraging female participation at the grassroots through its legacy initiative, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme, and the Referee Education Scholarship Programme is another key step towards equal representation," Arijana said at the event.
“As women’s football is developing the world over in terms of viewership at the elite level and participation at the grassroots, it is only natural for the next step to be an increased number of female referees. We are, thus, very pleased with this initiative and believe it will leave a positive footprint in the ecosystem of Indian football," said Arijana Demirovic.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Dr. Prabhakaran believes that initiatives such as the Referee Education Scholarship Programme will inspire more women to choose football as a career.
“Development of women’s football and increased representation are key areas of focus for holistic growth of football in India. The Referee Education Scholarship Programme is a step in that direction. The 32 candidates of this programme are representative of the huge pool of women within the current ecosystem who are up and willing to pursue a career in football," said Dr. Prabhakaran.
“We believe that such initiatives will inspire more women to be actively involved in football. With an increase in female referees - and coaches - female participation at the grassroots is bound to increase," concluded Dr. Prabhakaran.
Souter Vaz, Honorary Secretary, Western India Football Association (WIFA) and Malojiraje Chhatrapati, Honorary President of the Kolhapur Sports Association (KSA), along with other dignitaries were also present to encourage positive social change and equal representation. The dignitaries interacted with the inaugural batch of LOC’s Referee Education Scholarship Programme participants.&nbsp;
—IANS

FIFA’s Head of Women’s Football Development Arijana Demirovic and AIFF Secretary General, Shaji Prabhakaran, inaugurated the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup legacy initiative, Referee Education Scholarship Programme at the Cooperage Football Ground on Saturday.

 U-17 Women's World Cup: Referee Education Scholarship Programme inaugurated

Football

Berlin: Augsburg extended Bayern's winless streak to four games as Mergim Berisha scored the only goal of the match while Borussia Dortmund captured the top spot after substitute Youssoufa Moukoko provided the 1-0 winner against stubborn Schalke at the seventh round on Saturday.
Bayern controlled possession from the starting whistle and forced Augsburg onto the back foot in the opening stages as Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane tested goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz in quick succession.&nbsp;
Augsburg defended well and almost finished off a counterattack, but Bayern custodian Manuel Neuer was equal to Florian Niederlechner's hammer from 20 metres in the 24th minute, reports Xinhua. The German giants started an onslaught on Augsburg's goal but neither Jamal Musiala nor Leon Goretzka was able to break the deadlock before the half time.
The "Fuggerstadter" eventually flabbergasted Bayern with the opener at the hour mark when Berisha tapped home a loose ball from 11 meters following a free kick.
Bayern pressed frenetically for the draw but Thomas Muller and Sane couldn't beat Gikiewicz from promising positions.
Augsburg's goalkeeper remained in the thick of things as he defused a dangerous header from Neuer in the dying seconds of the game.
The hosts' defence stood firm and ensured Bayern Munich's first defeat of the season.
"When I look at the statistics, we should have won the game. After the deficit it was very difficult for us. I think about everything about me, about the situation, about everything," said Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
"After four games without a win, we are stunned and devastated. If you can't turn your chances into a tangible reward, you stand there with zero points. That Manuel Neuer produced the best chance of the game says it all," said Bayern midfielder Thomas Muller.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund recaptured the top spot as the "BVB" overpowered newly promoted Schalke by courtesy of youngster Moukoko, who headed home the winner in the 79th minute.
Eintracht Frankfurt snatched its third win of the season after goals from Sebastian Rode, Daichi Kamada and Kristijan Jakic smoothed the way for the 3-1 win over Stuttgart.
Milos Veljkovic's late 1-1 equalizer helped newcomers Werder Bremen to share the spoils with Bayer Leverkusen and Jonas Hofmann's first-half brace secured Borussia Monchengladbach a 3-0 victory over Leipzig.&nbsp;
—IANS

Augsburg extended Bayern's winless streak to four games as Mergim Berisha scored the only goal of the match while Borussia Dortmund captured the top spot after substitute Youssoufa Moukoko provided the 1-0 winner against stubborn Schalke at the seventh round on Saturday.

 Augsburg upset Bayern, Dortmund go top with win over rivals Schalke in Bundesliga

Kolkata: Bengaluru FC reached the final of the Durand Cup 2022 after beating Hyderabad FC 1-0 in the second semifinal of the competition at the Salt Lake Stadium, here on Thursday.
An unfortunate own goal by Odei Onaindia (31') helped Bengaluru FC to reach the final as Hyderabad FC had no answer to the Blues' unshakeable defence led by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who bedazzled their opponents with his astonishing saves to deny their each and every shot.
With this, Bengaluru FC scripted history as they reached the final of the Durand Cup for the very first time in their club's history. They will now face fellow ISL side Mumbai City FC in the summit clash on Sunday.
The Yellow and Blacks were the first to get on to the attack, as a leaky pass from Sunil Chhetri made way for Halicharan Narzary to link up with Bartholomew Ogbeche, but the striker's shot was calmly saved by the BFC keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Both Bengaluru FC and Hyderabad FC were in constant search of attacking plays but neither side could get a hold on the possession as the game had a sporadic look.
The Blues broke the deadlock in the 31st minute through an own goal from Odei Onaindia after Prabir Das put in a brilliant lofted pass inside the box from the right wing for Krishna as he sneaked in between the two HFC defenders, only for Onaindia to find the back of the net through a deflection.
The Yellow and Blacks got glimpses of attacking action but they couldn't beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu as the custodian kept his nerve and saved several shots. Bengaluru FC shaped up defensively after having a one-goal lead over Hyderabad FC, who although had more of the ball, trailed at the break.
Manuel Marquez's men swung into the attack in the second half as Bartholomew Ogbeche put a towering header from a Nikhil Poojary cross but Sandhu rose to the occasion yet again as he made a diving save to deny the goal.
The men in yellow kept finding spaces up in the final third but the Blues' defence was watertight and were successful in keeping Hyderabad FC at bay.
Hyderabad FC had their biggest chance of the game in the 75th minute after Akash Mishra, Bartholomew Ogbeche, and Javier Siverio linked up well on the left as Siverio whipped in a cross from the left towards Borja Herrera on the right but the Spaniard couldn't get a hold of the ball and hit it off target.
The chances kept coming for the ISL champions, this time through Halicharan Narzary who put in a cross for Borja Herrera who then squared it to Bartholomew Ogbeche but the Nigerian just couldn't get his shot on target.
The side from Deccan had yet another go at goal as Siverio and Joao Victor squeezed through the defenders to link up with the latter pulling a shot from outside the box but Sandhu was vigilant enough to make the save.
Manuel Marquez's men threw the kitchen sink in the closing stages of the game but they couldn't penetrate the immovable defensive walls built by Bengaluru FC. HFC tried all they could offensively but Sandhu wasn't letting the ball go past that line as he pulled yet another save out of his drawer as Siverio came close to scoring the equaliser for his side from the free-kick.&nbsp;
—IANS

Bengaluru FC reached the final of the Durand Cup 2022 after beating Hyderabad FC 1-0 in the second semifinal of the competition at the Salt Lake Stadium, here on Thursday.

 Durand Cup 2022: Bengaluru FC reach final with 1-0 win over Hyderabad FC

Guwahati: Kerala Blasters FC secured the first victory of their Durand Cup campaign as they eased past NorthEast United FC in a comfortable 3-0 victory in their Group D fixture at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday.
A brace from Mohammed Aimen (28', 90') and a goal from AjsaMuhammed l (55') outnumbered NorthEast United FC to hand full points to the Blasters.
NorthEast United FC hit the ground running by being quick on the ball right from kick-off with a handful number of chances being created in the opening minutes of the game, but the Blasters' shot-stopper Sachin Suresh calmly took charge of the situation.
The Highlanders imposed themselves on the Blasters', putting them on the back foot as the former kept looking for spaces to create more attacking chances.
Tomasz Tchorz's men found their first big chance of the game in the 21st minute after Roshan's attempt from a free kick found Marwan on the right, as the latter's glancing header narrowly sailed over the bar.
A quick counter-attack from the Blasters opened the way for the first goal of the game as Muhammad Ajsal's blocked shot fell through to Muhammed Aimen, who with an exquisite first touch slot it home to make it 1-0 for his side.
Subam Rabha's men were kept busy by the Tuskers who constantly were creating chances after Roshan went on a running spree, easily getting past three defenders but his shot went wide off the post.
The Blasters maintained their attacking consistency in the second half, and were rewarded with a second goal after Ajsal found himself in an open position to receive Azhar's ball, and smashed it past the keeper to hand his side a two-goal cushion in the 55th minute.
In the 65th minute, the Blasters almost scored the third goal of the night as a lightning counterattack by Tomasz Tchorz's men ended up with a quality block by a Highlanders' defender after their blunder in the opposite half.
Minutes later, the Highlanders were slenderly close to scoring an equaliser but a last-ditch tackle by Tejas scrapped any chance of losing their lead.
Right before the stroke of full-time, Aimen netted his second of the night and the third for his side as he went round the keeper and latched it past the net after receiving a long ball from Azhar.
The Tuskers' take the field again on Wednesday as they face Army Green FT while the Highlanders will lock horns with Sudeva Delhi FC two days later.&nbsp;
—IANS

Kerala Blasters FC secured the first victory of their Durand Cup campaign as they eased past NorthEast United FC in a comfortable 3-0 victory in their Group D fixture at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday.

 Durand Cup 2022: Kerala Blasters register first win, beat NorthEast United 3-0

Berlin: Champions Bayern Munich salvaged a late 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday to remain top of the Bundesliga after matchday four — on goal difference over their next opponents Union Berlin.
Germany winger Leroy Sane fired an 83rd-minute equaliser into the bottom left corner after Sadio Mane had two first-half goals disallowed for offside and Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer had frustrated Bayern with 19 saves, the biggest number since data collecting started, according to statisticians Opta, reports DPA.
Gladbach had taken the lead in the 43rd against the flow of play from Marcus Thuram after a terrible blunder from Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano, who had also looked bad in Bayern’s 5-0 German Cup meltdown 10 months ago against Gladbach.
Bayern dropped their first points of the season ahead of their trip next Saturday to Union who celebrated their biggest Bundesliga victory 6-1 at Schalke earlier Saturday and are level on 10 points with them.
One point back are Hoffenheim, Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund, who returned to winning ways after their shocking meltdown from 2-0 up in the 89th to a 3-2 defeat against Werder Bremen last week with a 1-0 at lowly Hertha Berlin from the first goal by new signing Anthony Modeste.
Bayern dominated from the outset with Leroy Sane forcing Yann Sommer to an early big save before Sadio Mane thought he had scored in the 34th and 39th only for Sane to be offside on the first occasion and Mane himself offside on the second occasion.
Gladbach had not threatened at all but took the lead when Christoph Kramer hit a speculative long ball into Bayern’s half, Upamecano made a mess out of a clearance which allowed Thuram to run at Manuel Neuer and beat the Bayern and Germany captain with a low shot.
Bayern pressed for the equaliser after the break but Sommer made sensational saves before finally being beaten by Sane’s effort off substitute Jamal Musiala. Sane’s replacement Matthijs de Ligt was then also denied by Sommer in stoppage time as Bayern finished with 32 shots to Gladbach’s five.
“Yann Sommer always plays well against us. He was the best man on the pitch,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich told Sky. “We had absolute control but then had an unfortunate mistake.”
Sommer said: “It was really tough. We knew what to expect. I am happy I had a good performance.”
Union continued their strong start into the season with the big win at Schalke with the help of braces from Sheraldo Becker and Sven Michel.
Schalke defender Maya Yoshida said Union were playing “like Leicester City a few years ago” en route to the 2016 Premier League title but Union coach Urs Fischer firmly kept his feet on the ground, saying “the result was too high in the end.”
Modeste, signed after Sebastien Haller became sidelined indefinitely with testicular cancer, headed Dortmund’s winner in the 32nd minute and then celebrated with coach Edin Terzic “because he has always backed me.”
“We had so many chances and in the end are happy to have won after what happened last week,” he added.
Elsewhere, nine-man Bayer Leverkusen got their first points of the season 3-0 in Mainz; RB Leipzig got a maiden victory 2-0 against Wolfsburg; Hoffenheim beat Augsburg 1-0; and Freiburg also won 1-0, against bottom side Bochum, on Friday.
—IANS

Champions Bayern Munich salvaged a late 1-1 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday to remain top of the Bundesliga after matchday four — on goal difference over their next opponents Union Berlin.