History of SAFF Championship:From SAARC Gold Cup to SAFF Championship

Also Known as the World cup of South Asia, the history of SAFF Championship dates back to 1993 AD when the four nations of South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) started a regional football tournament to strengthen football in the region. The first Championship was held in 1993 as the “South Asian Association of regional Co-operation” Gold Cup in Lahore, Pakistan. Only four nations India, Nepal, Sri Lanka participated along with the hosts Pakistan. The Trophy was won by India, stamping its position as the regional powerhouse.In 1995 the competition got another name “South Asian Gold Cup” which was held in Sri Lanka. Though six nations agreed to participate, Maldives later withdrew from the competition leaving only five teams, Bangladesh being the new one joining the nations from first edition. Hosts Sri Lanka won the Cup defeating India in the finals.

It was only after the next edition in 1997 that the championship got a new name, now called “South Asian Football Federation” championships. The first SAFF Cup was held in Kathmandu, Nepal. With Maldives joining, it saw six nations competing for the title.It was India once again winning back the championship lost two years earlier,reinstating itself as the region’s strongest team.

The second SAFF Championships were held in Goa in April 1999. With the same six nations participating, India defended its title beating Maldives in the finals.

Although SAFF decided to make it a biennial event, the following years saw some difficulties and the third edition could be held only in the year 2003, this time with all the eight nations from the region participating, Bhutan and Afghanistan making it for the first time. The hosts Bangladesh won the finals for the first time. It is the only time, India haven’t reached the finals till the present edition.

The fourth SAFF Championships were held in Karachi, Pakistan in 2005. Bangladesh and India played out the final in a repeat of the 1999 final.  India came out on top again, winning the title for the fourth time.

For the first time, the fifth edition of the Championship was held jointly by two nations, Sri Lanka and Maldives in 2008. Though scheduled for 2007, it had to be postponed for technical reasons.  In the finals, Maldives overcame tournament favorites and defending champions India, to lift the title.

The sixth SAFF Championship was initially to be hosted by India, but after a number of reasons, the tournament was hosted by Bangladesh in 2009. India was again in the finals, this time against a well-known opponent, Maldives. India went on to win the title in tie-breakers, winning the championship for a record fifth time. No other country has ever won the Championship more than once.

The seventh SAFF Championship was hosted by India in 2011. Originally scheduled to be hosted by Orissa, the venue was later switched to New Delhi. India rose up to the occasion once again, winning the tournament with an emphatic victory over Afghanistan, who were into the finals for the first time.

This time Nepal is hosting the Championship in Kathmandu with the great hope of overcoming the misery of the Previous Edition of the Tournaments. Nepal always known as one of the strongest team are lacking behind in the Tournament. We hope this time Nepal will end the tournament in winning note.

SAFF Championship 2011: India Defeated Afghanistan to defend the Title !!!

India defeated 10-man Afghanistan 4-0 to lift the title of SAFF Championship football tournament played at the JLN Stadium, New Delhi on Sunday.

The title for India is record fifth times after 1997 edition, from when the actual SAFF Championship started. Earlier, they won the SAARC Gold Cup in 1993 held in Lahore, Pakistan.
India started slowly in the tournament as well as in the final match but manage to defeat  the Surprised team of tournament afghansitan to defend the title. 

India broke the deadlock in the 69th minute from the spot and few minutes later Clifford Miranda and Jeje Lalpekhula managed to put their names on the score sheet. And in the extra time Sushil Kumar also managed to put his name of the score sheet.

Afghanistan missed a chance in the second minute; Balal Arezo’s shot inside the box was well blocked by keeper.

In the 24th minute Afghanistnan’s Balal missed another chance to break the deadlock. Keeper saved his shot inside the box.

India created their best chance in the 44th minute, Sunil Chetri gave a good ball to Jeje and he made a shot from it but it went over the bar.

In the first minute of second half Jeje made another good shot inside the box but keeper saved it. And four minutes later Clifford Miranda’s shot went over the bar.

India breaks the deadlock in the 69th minute from the spot. Mashriqi fouled on Indian player inside the box but the Indian origin referee from Singapore showed a red card to Keeper. Sunil Chetri scored his 7th goal of the tournament to become the first player to score seven goals in a single SAFF Championship. I M Vijayan scored 6 goals in 1997 championship.

India scored their second of the day in the 78th minute from a superb shot from Clifford Miranda.

Two minutes later Sunil Chetri gave a brilliant pass to Jeje and he scored their third goal to help them to win the championship for a record 6th time.

During the extra time substitute player Sushil Kuram Singh scored their fourth goal after beating his marker.

Live update of the SAFF championship 2011: Final Match India Vs Afghanistan( India won the match by 4-0)

India Sunil Chhetri 71'(P) Clifford Miranda 79' Jeje Lalpekhula 80'  Sushil Kumar 90+5

4 0 Play on Progress  SAFF Championship 2011 11-Dec-2011 06:15 PM NST JLN Stadium, New Delhi

Afghanistan

Dear Viewer from India, Afghanistan , Nepal and from all over the world. If you love football and wants to get excluve update of SAFF championship Final Match between Afghanistan and India be with me. I will giving you exclusive update of the match when it will begin!!!

India (IND) Afghanistan (AFG)

SAFF Championship 2011

2011-12-11

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Delhi Weather:



Temperature:   21°C | °F                

Wind:              W at 11 km/h            

Humidity:        33%




Dear viewe weather in delhi is warmer and the view of Jawarlal Nehuru stadium is great !!! These two finalist have been already played in league round where the watch was ended 1-1 . 


We are all set here, both teams are already lined up to enter the field


India XI: Karnjit Singh (GK), Mahesh, Nirmal, Gouramangi, Anthony, Climax, Rocus, Clifford, Jeje, Sunil, Syed 
Afghanistan XI: Mohamad Yamir, Balal, Shartiyar, Safa, Hazrat Abdul, Hamedullah, Haroon, Mohamed Esrafeel, Mashreqi, Faizullah, Sanjar 


National Anthem of both teams are playing and player humming together. Proudest moments for Afghan player 


Players of both team warming up after photo session!!!
Second Half: 
46' Second Half underway. jeje mada a superb shot inside the box but keeper saves the ball. india finally test Hameedullah Yousufzari. Good start from India in second Half.
47' Can india come back in the match? Looks like the are in attacking mood.
49' India are now having control in mid filed good ball possesion than in first half 
50' No special move from both team India looks dominating though!!
51' Fine cross there by Pereira after a good pass by Climax. Sets up Jeje who heads over the bar. Finally the Indian front two coming into the game...
52' Sunil Chhetri is fouled, free kick to India. Poor kick taken by Miranda, goes straight to the hands of the goalie. 
54' Djelaludin Sharityar mopping up well at the back for Afghanistan
55' Indian supporters are now on full support. Afghanistan dominated the first half; wasted at least four clear goal scoring chances. Jeje and Sunil are looking dull today. 
58' Indians have slightly improved the game in the second half. However, Afghanistan are still the best on the park. 
60' Who do you think will be the best player of the tournament? Sunil Chhetri, Balal arezou, Sagar Thapa or Ali Ashfaq? 
64' PENALTY!!!! India earns a spot kick, Afghanistan goalie, Hamedullah is red carded for unsporting behavior. Faisal safa fouls on Jeje. Djelauudin Shartiyar is also yellow carded for unsporting behavior.


65' Bashir Ahmed , another goalie is in. But, surprising, why the Indian origin, Sukhbir Singh flashes out direct red to Hamedullah. May be abusive language. 


69' GOALLL!!! Sunil Chhetri steps over the ball to take the spot kick and scores to Darman's right despite the Afghan keeper guessing correctly...
71' PENALTY KICK. GOALL... Sunil Chhetri Scores for India through spot kick. India are 1-0 up! Wait! Re-take! GOAL!! With this goal Suni Chetri breaks the I M Vijayan's record of 6 goals in a single competition. Vijayan scored six goals in 1997 edition. 
77' Sanjar Ahmadi OUT, Masood Hasmi IN - Afghanistan, bad decision indeed? Why the coach Yousek Karger fielded out striker Sanjar ahmadi? 
Substitution       
79'GOAL. India doubles the tally. Clifford Miranda guides the ball in teh right flank, he is left footed man but moves inside the Afghan box, good shot, GOAL. India are 2-0 up! CLIFFORD MIRANDA 
GOAL Clifford Miranda


80' Counter move, Sunil Chhetri is on attack, Chettri passes the ball to Jeje, what a finish, another GOAL! India are 3-0 up! Jeje Lalpekhlua. 
GOAL Jeje Lalpekhula

85' Five minutes to go. India are 3-0 up! Close to victory and it will be a record victory; 6th times! 
87' Indians are now on fire, another chance for India, Clifford Miranda in the left flank, powerful left footed shot but goalie, Bashir Ahmed blocks the shot. 
88' Indian are ahead , The turning point was that red card and the spot kick awarded to Indiia. There after India looks complete dominating
89' Well Afghanistan might be going down 3-0 in the final but they can be proud of their effort in this tournament as well as in the final
90' 90' Additional time: 5 minutes . Can ten men army bring some glory with a goal? anyway India in teh way to sixt win of the cup
90+3' Sushil Singh played in by Jeje but he is well offside. Indian are just waitinf for final whistle . Ready to celebrate. Afghan who dominated the field in first half are happy with second position
90+4' Substitution  Clifford Miranda  Lalrindika Ralte
90+4' GOAL! Sushil Kumar Singh's shot inside the box hits the top corner of the goal. 
90+5' Final whistle is blown and India won the match by 4-0 . Indian fans are cheering up around the stadium and players with flags on the ground. INDIA HAVE DEFENDED THEIR SAFF CHAMPIONSHIP CROWN!

First Half: 
Here we go the whistle has been blown and Jeje and Rocus kick of the game... India Kick off the game
1'  Balal gave a good ball to Esrafil but Indian defenders cleared the ball. Dangerous play from Afghanistan. First attack of the game from Afghan!!! 
2' Missed chance for Afghanistan, Balal Arezo's shot inside the box was well blocked by keeper. Superb save from the keeper.what a start from Afghanistan
3' Haroon Fakhrudin with a cross into the box which is gratefully collected by Karanjit. All Afghanistan at the moment
5' Lovely cross by Sanjar ahamdi to Balal Arezou, latter tries to beat off side trap but referee raises the flag for off side. Good start fom afghanistan India still to settle.
6' Don't forget to refresh the page for recent updates. get exciting updates of the Match with me
9' Sanjar Ahmadi made another good long range shot but it went straight to the keeper. 
10' Not any influential attack from India till 1-1 till half time and Afghan dominating the field 
11' Sunil Chhetri and Balal Arezou are both tied on six goals at the top of the scoring sheet. If either of them manage to score in the final then they shall break I.M Vijayan’s record of six goals in the 1997 Championship.Who do you think can get the goal first? put your comments !!!
12' Indian defender, Gouranmangi makes a mistake, Balal Arezou grans the ball and crosses the ball to Sanjar Ahmadi but latter fails to touch on the ball. 
13' Esrafil made a good shot on target but keeper saved the ball. where are sunil and Nabi. hope they will create some moments for india. 
15' Mashreqi fouls on Jeje, referee whistles for a foul kick, Anthony Pereira takes the shot, goes inches above the bar. 
18' India on attack after 15 minutes. Corner kick to India, Clifford Miranda takes the shot, curling one but Shartiyar clears the ball from D-zone. 
20' first 20 minutes gone. Both team on 0-0 . hmm what do you think which team will lead first? 
21' Afghanistan then win their first corner of the game but it is a poorly taken one and easily cleared by India
22' A through ball was about to be converetd into goal. Arezou but Gourmangi just gets a leg in
23' Rahim Nabi, who is now clearly recognisable as he sports a bandage after a clash of head with Ghulam Hazrat, goes past 3 players before finally being stopped


24' Balal Arezouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! what a miss, he finds himself in one vs one position, what a miss! India goalie, Karnjit Singh saves the ball. Brilliant one! India survives a GOAL here. 
25' The grand Finale of SAFF championship is underway . Don't forget to watch the live streaming video here. OR watch it in Ten action. Afghan dominating the field but still to score!!
27' Jeje and Chhetri havent got a sniff of the ball around the box till now, all Afghanistan at the moment, but can they make it count?
28'  Superb play from Esrafil, He penetrated the defense and suplied a ball but it went wide. Afghan now needs to score . Dominating the field and having ball is not meaningful.
30' Counter move, Anthony Pereira crosses the ball from right flank, Sunil Chhetri in the Afghanistan D-box but Chhetri fails to control the ball. 
31' the play have been stopped. Ahmadi lies stricken on the ground, possibly hurt his knee in the collision with Nirmal Chhetri
33' First bit of promising play by India. Lovely clipped ball by Climax to put Miranda clear on the left wing but the Goan slips and the chance goes begging


35' Corner kick to Afghanistan. Climax cleared the corner kick from Haroon. 
36' Sanjar ahmadi, who plays his club football in Cyprus, shoots powerfully but the ball goes little wide from the pole. 
37' Brilliant run by Nirmal Chhetri but the ball could have been better and it is headed clear
38' Free kick to India, Clifford Miranda is ready to kick the ball, poor kick taken, Haroon Fakruddin clears the ball from D-box. 
40' Indian looks like they are not having practise or tired. Afghan looks physically fit and technically well too. Still Afghanistan 0- 0 India
41' Miranda stands over a freekick in a promising area......but it is wasted.
42' Afghan are playing well. Dominating the field but missed few chances!!!
44' Chetri gave a good ball to Jeje but his shot just out side the box went over the bar. Goal kcik to Afghanistan.

45' Two minutes of added time.
45+2' First half ends. Afghanistan 0- 0 India . Though afghanistan played well but failed to score. Indian are still trying to adapt in the game. Hope we can see better second half from India Stay with me for exciting second half!!! watch live game clicking here!!!

Watch Live Streaming Video of SAFF Championship Final Match: India Vs Afghanistan

SAFF Championship 2011: Final match India Vs Afghanistan Pre match preview!!!

INDIA Karanjit; Nirmal, Gawli, Gourmangi, Nabi; Pereira, Lamare, Climax(c), Miranda; Jeje, Sunil

AFGHANISTAN Yousufzai; Faisal, Maqadar, Haroon, Djelaluddin; Israfeel, Mashriqi, Ata Yamir Ali, Waheed; Ahmadi, Arezou

The final match of SAFF championship is to be played today and one of the opponents is not expected to reach the final but Afghanistan is on the way to create history. Just over a week ago, when India kicked off their SAFF Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw with Afghanistan, an eerie silence and a sense of disappointment was prevalent in the Indian camp, as they felt it was two points dropped against a nation from whom not much was expected.

Coming back to the present, India finds itself in its seventh final of the SAFF Championship. However the focus is entirely on the Afghanistani team, who have fast become the story of the tournament. A motley group of players, scattered across the world, some of them part-timers, have come together and astounded one and all with their performances in the competition by reaching the finals for the first time in their history.

Yousef Kargar’s side have not only shown great team ethic and workrate, they have also been surprisingly skillful on the ball and are not scared of a physical battle either. Coming into the game after a physically shattering but morale boosting triumph over Nepal, the Lions of Khorasan shall definitely give it their best shot when they come up against India.

The hosts meanwhile have also progressed well after that first match against Afghanistan. Having brushed aside Bhutan and Sri Lanka, India also dominated the match against Maldives to set up this final clash against Afghanistan.

While everyone expects India to run away with the trophy, Savio Medeira and his boys know that there is no place for complacency against the Afghans, especially after the first group match debacle.

Medeira knows that Afghanistan, having made the final for the first time and with the vociferous support of their war-ravaged nation with them, definitely will need no more motivation to give their best and with India playing infront of their home fans, the pressure to win shall entirely be on the Indians.

Both the teams go into the final with no injury worries and both the coaches shall have their full roster to choose from.

Players to watch:

Balal Arezou: All of 22 years, the striker has the responsibility of adding that touch of class upfront for the Afghans. Based in Norway, Arezou has dovetailed well with his strike partner Sanjar Ahmadi and has in general been a nuisance to deal with for opposition defenders as he has bought a unique style of skills mixed with physicality. Tied as the top scorer with Sunil Chhetri at six goals, Arezou’s eyes shall definitely be on scoring the winner which shall combine personal glory with a historic moment in Afghanistan’s football history.

Syed Rahim Nabi: India’s Mr. Versatile has been under-rated within India for far too long. While Jeje Lalpekhlua, Chhetri and Subrata Paul have hogged the limelight in recent years, Nabi has continued to be one of India’s most consistent and dependable players. Capable of playing anywhere on either wing, Nabi has been holding the Indian defence together during these SAFF Championship, keeping all the opposition players at bay on his wing, while at the same time covering for his defensive colleagues. He has also penned the opposition players back with his barnstorming runs down the wing and got India rolling against Maldives with the crucial opener.

The Mohun Bagan player could finally announce his arrival as a National star for India in the match against Afghanistan. Whatever is the condition and result This is the most precious moment for Afghanistan football. 

Syed Rahim Nabi

Facts about Two Opponents: 

• India and Afghanistan, the two finalists, are the only two teams in the competition who did not employ a foreign coach.

• Sunil Chhetri and Balal Arezou are both tied on six goals at the top of the scoring sheet. If either of them manage to score in the final then they shall break I.M Vijayan’s record of six goals in the 1997 Championship.

• Afghanistan’s best performance in an international competition before this SAFF Championship was the fourth place finish in the 1951 Asian Games, ironically played at the same venue as the final.

• The two teams have faced each other 13 times with India winning an astonishing 10 times with the Afghans winning just once.

 Last performance of two Opponents:

Field Report

 India

 Afghanistan

Head to Head

SAFF Championship ‎(SAFF)‎	03-Dec-2011	India 1 - Afghanistan 1
Asia - AFC Challenge Cup 2008 ‎(ACC)‎	30-Jul-2008	India 1 - Afghanistan 0

Last Five Matches

India
09-Dec-2011	Maldives 1 - India 3	SAFF
07-Dec-2011	India 3 - Sri Lanka 0	SAFF
05-Dec-2011	Bhutan 0 - India 5	SAFF
03-Dec-2011	India 1 - Afghanistan 1	SAFF
29-Nov-2011	India 0 - Zambia 5	IF

Afghanistan
09-Dec-2011	Afghanistan 1 - Nepal 0	SAFF
07-Dec-2011	Bhutan 1 - Afghanistan 8	SAFF
05-Dec-2011	Afghanistan 3 - Sri Lanka 1	SAFF
03-Dec-2011	India 1 - Afghanistan 1	SAFF
11-Apr-2011	Korea DPR (PRK) 2 - Afghanistan 0	ACC