KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club have reached an agreement with Yan Law to be the Head Coach of the first team for the upcoming season. Paper work will be completed after Yan gets clearance from his previous club Punjab FC.

The 27-year-old, who is the youngest AFC A License holder coach in Indian football.

Announcing the appointment, Club General Secretary Sk. Wasim Akram said: “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Yan to Mohammedan Sporting Club. He brings with him a wealth of experience and professionalism. It is our desire that the club goes back to it’s former glory and in Yan we believe that we have someone who can achieve that.”

Meanwhile, Yan who coached Punjab FC in the previous edition of I-League, said: “I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work as Head Coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club. It is my sincere hope and desire that I can repay the faith the club has shown in me.”

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club have scaled up preventive measures to ward off coronavirus by installing a disinfectant tunnel at Club tent on Friday, so that those entering the club premises can get disinfected first. It is also the first sanitizing tunnel at Kolkata maidan.

IFA Secretary Mr. Joydeep Mukherjee inaugurated the tunnel alongside Mohammedan Sporting Secretary Sk. Wasim Akram, Asst. Secretary Dr. Taha Ahmed, Finance Secretary Sharique Ahmed, Athletic Secretary Hasnain Ahmed, Youth Development Chairman Danish Iqbal and Manager Belal Ahmed Khan.

The tunnel has the mechanism to spray people with chemicals to kill all germs.

It is fitted with a sensor which would start a motor as soon as a person enters it. The sprinklers attached to the motor would spray water mixed with sanitizer which would kill the gemcides on the person’s dress and body.

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club ahead of the forthcoming 2nd Division League beefed up their squad with the signing of Trinidadian ace Willis Deon Plaza.

The 32-year-old marksman becomes the Black Panthers’ second foreign signing for the 2nd Division League and the first ever Caribbean player at the club.

General Secretary Mr. Sk. Wasim Akram was delighted with the newest addition to the squad and said, “We are very excited to get a player who will be committed and focused. It is vital as well to have players who have experience, because we have a very good bunch of young players but you also need a good weight of experience in your team and Plaza will contribute to that.”

Football Secretary Mr. Dipendu Biswas said Plaza’s addition was an important one, given his penchant for scoring. “Plaza has a proven track-record when it comes to scoring and this is an area we needed to strengthen on the squad. The goals aside, he even has an eye for a quality final pass and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

Plaza, who was in talks with the Black Panthers after getting released by East Bengal in January 2018 before the deal didn’t materialize, said he was glad to have finally made the move.

Having completed formalities, an excited Plaza said, “I am delighted to sign for Mohammedan Sporting Club. It’s a great club with top players and passionate fans. I want to score goals for the club and help the club to qualify for I-League.”

“When I got the offer from Mohammedan Sporting Club, I didn’t hesitate for one moment that I want to be here,” the former East Bengal striker added.

“I am excited for the new challenge, I am here to make my contribution and I will be doing my job as best I can,” Plaza concluded.

Plaza, who began his journey in Indian football with East Bengal in 2016, showed his true class with Churchill Brothers. Plaza scored 43 goals for Churchill in all competitions since joining the Goan club in March 2018.

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club are in a state of mourning following the passing of former Office Secretary Muhammad Shafique on Thursday after battling a prolonged illness in Aurangabad. He was 99.

“He was a soft spoken person,” General Secretary Mr. Sk. Wasim Akram remembers Shafique. “We used to call him Munshi Ji. It is sad to bid ultimate farewell to one of the longest serving members of Black Panthers family.”

Shafique rendered his services as the Office Secretary from 1954 to 2007. “He was a methodical person and carried his duties with diligence,” recalls Mr. Akram, “He is one of the highly disciplined members that have graced our Club. The Club benefitted immensely from his skills. He will be sorely missed.”

“I wish the family will find comfort in the legacy that Munshi Ji is leaving behind. On behalf of Mohammedan Sporting Club I wish to convey my deepest heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.” Mr. Akram concluded.

Shafique will be cremated at Aurangabad tomorrow, and Mohammedan Sporting Club flag will be lowered to half-mast to mark the day of mourning.

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club on Tuesday announced the signing of Nigerian defender Eze Kingsley in a press conference held at Club tent.

The 23-year-old who last played for Punjab FC in 2019/20 I-League has played for the likes of United Sports Club, Peerless SC, Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan. Kingsley was part of the Aizawl FC team which won the I-League in 2016/17 season.

“The club’s history fascinates me. I also wanted a new experience. It will be an interesting experience for me. I’m not someone who looks for an easy ride,” Kingsley told mohammedansportingindia.com.

“Mohammedan have a great dream and I want to make it a reality. The club’s dream is to get promoted to the I-League and I hope to help them achieve this. We need to believe we can get promoted if we are to do it. We will give it our best shot,” he added.

Beside Kingsley, the Club has also extended the contracts of Priyant Singh, Tirthankar Sarkar, Hira Mondal, Sujit Sadhu, Shafiul Rahman, Firoj Ali, Sujoy Dutta and Arijit Singh.

Tirthankar says he’s happy and grateful for the extension of his contract. “All I can do to show gratitude and appreciation by continuing to work to the best of my ability. I want to give back to the club. Thank you to the officials.”

Priyant who joined Mohammedan in 2018 says: “Foremost I am emotional about it. I want to thank the General Secretary Sk. Wasim Akram and Football Secretary Dipendu Biswas for this opportunity. I want to thank everyone involved in seeing that I can still contribute to this immense institution.”

KOLKATA: Mr. Sk. Wasim Akram on Wednesday formally took charge as the Hony. General Secretary of Mohammedan Sporting Club.
After former General Secretary Mr. Mohammed Qamaruddin vacated the post due to personal reasons, 32-year-old Mr. Akram was elected the Secretary unopposed at the Executive Committee meeting, chaired by President Mohammed Amiruddin.

“We are delighted to have Wasim Akram as our General Secretary. We have no doubt he will help strengthen our administration and steer the ship forward,” said Mr. Amiruddin.

While Mr. Akram will be the General Secretary, Mr. Sharique Ahmed and Mr. Dipendu Biswas were elected as Finance Secretary and Football Secretary respectively.

“I am honoured to be associated with Mohammedan Sporting Club and would like to thank, the Executive Committee for considering me for this post. There was a time when Mohammedan Sporting Club set the benchmark in Indian Football and we will leave no stones unturned to take Mohammedan Sporting Club where it belongs,” said Mr. Akram.

Mr. Ahmed said,”My immediate target is to channelize our resources properly. We need to allocate accordingly to cricket, athletics and even work on the cultural aspects of the club.” 

He also requested fans to get life membership and make the club even stronger.

Mr. Biswas made it clear that as Football Secretary his primary objective is to qualify for I-League. He also mentioned that he have a long term vision for the club which includes emphasis on our grassroots program and promoting local talent.

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club are in a state of mourning following the passing of former Black Panthers goalkeeper Shakil Ahmed after battling a prolonged illness in Gaya, Bihar. He was 76.

Ahmed Joined Mohammedan Sporting In 1965. He was part of the Mohammedan Sporting team that became Calcutta Football League champions in 1967 after long gap. His good performance in DCM Trophy in Delhi helped him to represent Indian combined university team against HanJian University of South Korea who were twice DCM Trophy champions.

During off seasons he visited his home town Gaya and helped the local teams like power house, police and transport to horn and improve their skills. In 1970 due to some personal reasons he decided to leave Mohammedan Sporting and joined Burnpur Steel Club.

“I have received the devastating news of Shakil Ahmed’s passing,” laments Mohammedan Sporting Club General Manager Sk. Wasim Akram. “I am still reeling from the shock of hearing this sad news.”

“Shakil Ahmed may be gone but he will never be forgotten. His memory will linger on in the hearts and minds of the Mohammedan Sporting Club faithfuls.” he further added.

He was a crowd puller and star attraction for the soccer loving people. The fans were charmed with his tall and handsome personality, people used to travel 100s of kilometers to have a glimpse of Ahmed’s magical and astonishing display of goalkeeping.

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club are in a state of mourning following the passing of former Black Panthers midfielder and coach Abdul Latif on Monday after battling a prolonged illness in Guwahati. He was 73.

Born in Hyderabad in 1946 Latif can play on both wings as well as central midfield played for Mohammedan Sporting Club from 1963 to 1967 and later took over as coach.

Latif was part of the Indian football team that won the bronze-medal in 1970 Bangkok Asian Games. He was also represented India in Asia Cup Qualifier in 1968 in Myanmar and Merdeka Cup in 1969 in Kuala Lumpur.

“I have received the devastating news of Abdul Latif’s passing,” laments Mohammedan Sporting Club official Belal Ahmed Khan. “I am still reeling from the shock of hearing this sad news.”

“Abdul Latif may be gone but he will never be forgotten. His memory will linger on in the hearts and minds of the Mohammedan Sporting Club faithfuls.” he further added.

Latif began his career at State Bank of Hyderabad before he moved over to Kolkata where he played for Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting Club. He also played for HAL Bangalore.

After retirement Latif settled in Guwahati and began his career as a coach, under his tutelage Assam won the junior and sub-junior national championships. He also coached Mohammedan Sporting Club from 1978 to 1980.

Mohammedan Sporting Club flag will be lowered to half-mast tomorrow to mark the day of mourning.

We acknowledge the disappointment shared by all regarding Black Panthers’ I-League 2nd Division games, which have unfortunately been postponed. 

There’s nothing better than supporting or representing Mohammedan Sporting Club, and playing the game we all love – football.

However, you don’t need us to tell you COVID-19 is throwing new challenges at us everyday, and it’s putting strain on us all. These are difficult and unprecedented times, where we must all come together and support one another. 

In this uncertain time of the Coronavirus outbreak, we are urging Mohammedan Sporting Club supporters to take care and observe all the prescribed precautionary measures to avoid contracting and spreading of the pandemic.

During this period, we discourage Mohammedan Sporting Club supporters from gathering and holding any meetings. This is in accordance with the statement issued on 15 March by the Government of West Bengal on measures to combat COVID-19 pandemic.

The wellbeing of the supporters and Indians is of great concern to us at this critical time. We urge the supporters to follow government guidelines regarding hygiene to ensure the well being of everybody. All of us have to do whatever we can to protect one another. We trust that soon this will pass, and everything will be back to normal.

We wish all those in the line of duty during this time lots strength and good health as they will be providing essential services to the citizens.

While there are no live Black Panthers games coming up, we are working hard to make sure we stay as connected as possible with you, our fans.

Thank you for supporting us, and let’s continue this journey together, as one.

#JaanJaanMohammedan

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club are in a state of mourning following the passing of former Black Panthers Technical Director Pradip Kumar Banerjee on Friday after battling a prolonged illness. He was 83.

It is regrettable news to receive especially in this time when we are in distress due to the Coronavirus pandemic that is currently creeping the world. 

The 1962 Jakarta Asian Games gold-medallist was suffering from respiratory problems due to pneumonia.

“I have received the devastating news of Pradip Sir’s passing,” laments Mohammedan Sporting Club General Manager SK. Wasim Akram. “I am still reeling from the shock of hearing this sad news.”

“Pradip Sir may be gone but he will never be forgotten. His memory will linger on in the hearts and minds of the Mohammedan Sporting Club faithfuls.” he further added.

Banerjee was Black Panthers’ Technical Director during their maiden National Football League campaign in 2003/04.

Born on June 23, 1936 in Moynaguri, Banerjee scored 65 international goals in 84 appearances for the Indian national team.

Besides winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in 1962, Banerjee led India in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Before that, he represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Banerjee’s contribution to Indian football was duly recognised by the world governing body FIFA that awarded him the Centennial Order of Merit in 2004.