Latey Bhakundo

Chandra Kumar Rai a former British Army soldier is currently the coach of Share Football Club Kalimpong. He holds a coaching certificate from the prestigious Football Association of England. A man who is bent at serving the game of football in his home town, over the years he has turned down many offers from the Clubs across the country to be their coach. He has coached a generation of footballers from Kalimpong and his name is taken with respect in the hills. A very humble and down to earth person Chandra Kumar Rai does not like to talk too much about himself. Some people are surprised by his modest ways.  Doing is much more important to him than talking. It always takes a bit of convincing, for him to share his football story and after quite an effort finally, he sat back and started "Well if you insist, all I can remember about my childhood days was my attraction towards football. I grew up in Penang, Malaysia and in our school, we had to choose our area of interest from differ...

Crispin Chettri (AIFF A Licensed Coach) from Kurseong has been appointed as an Assistant Coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata. The Black Panthers have recently qualified for the I-League. It is good opportunity for Crispin to hone his skills under the Spanish Head Coach, Mr.Jose Hevia who is a UEFA Pro-licensed with more than 25 years of experience. Prior to this Crispin had worked as a coach at Lonestar Kashmir FC. As a player Crispin played professional football for more than a decade with various clubs like Chirag United, Pune FC and East Bengal to name a few. In 1999 he had represented the country in the Asia Youth Championship.

The hills of Darjeeling is famous around the world for its scenic beauty and the high-quality tea it produces. The town also hits the headlines with regards to its struggle for a separate state of Gorkhaland on regular intervals. However, as a visitor to the Queen of Hills if you dig dipper there are more layers to this hill station. Darjeeling is also home to some top quality musicians and it will not be an overstatement to say 9 out of 10 people in Darjeeling can play the Guitar.  Most of the positive aspects of Darjeeling has been overshadowed a bit in the recent past, football probably is one of them. Once a very popular sport with the town hosting the Brigade of Gorkha's Gold Cup or simply The Darjeeling Gold Cup. Top teams from across the country used to come and participate in this tournament. Darjeeling has also produced a number of talented footballers over the years. This is a story of one of them who is somewhat in the shadows in the present times. This player went all t...

Mumbai City FC have today announced the signing of goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa. The 22-year-old joins the Islanders on a contract that will keep him at the club until 2024. A graduate of the Shillong Lajong FC Academy, Lachenpa signed a professional contract with the Meghalaya-based club in 2015. The Sikkemese shot-stopper made 24 appearances during his four seasons there, before signing for fellow I-League club Real Kashmir in 2019. A regular starter in Real Kashmir’s fourth-placed finish last season in the I-League, Lachenpa impressed as he kept 8 clean sheets in 19 appearances across all competitions, conceding only 17 goals in the process. The youngster will join goalkeeper Amrinder Singh in the goalkeeping contingent at Mumbai City. Phurba Lachenpa said “It’s a proud moment for me, taking the next step of my career and committing my future to a club of Mumbai City’s stature. I’ve enjoyed my football and my journey so far but I’m only getting started. I know I have to work harder an...

For any sports fan, it's always a welcome sight to see all the different sports and games flourishing. This is one of the factors which contribute to the growth of a nation. A country is fit when it's people are fit, especially the youth. So we all want our country to progress even more in sports. North East is such a region where sports have always been popular and states like Manipur and Mizoram lead the way. North East youth love to play any sport if they have the facilities in their vicinity. Mostly Boxing, Tae Kwon Do, Badminton, Archery, other forms of martial arts, Basketball, Athletics, and some traditional sports are popular amongst the 8 sister states. Football however has caught the fancy and imagination of the people, from Sikkim to Nagaland and Arunachal to Tripura, football is played and watched in every nook and corner of this mostly hilly region. Manipur and Mizoram have over the years produced many talented players who have gone on to play for top clubs across ...

Anil Gurung needs no introduction in Nepal. A quality player who served the National team with distinction for more than a decade. Born into a humble family Anil’s story of grit and determination is an inspiration to any young footballer. A few years back he announced his retirement from the national team and was given a fitting farewell by the All Nepal Football Association. It might not be wrong to say he is one of the Legends of Nepali Football along with players like Late Mani Shah, Hari Khadka, Ganesh Thapa, and Raju Sakya to name a few. I am sure he will continue to play at the club level for some more years before he hangs up his boots.  I had seen Anil Gurung for the very first time in 2007 during the All India Governor’s Gold Cup in Gangtok. He was with New Road Team during that time and in one of the matches just as I was entering the stadium, A long pass was played to him from the left flank, he had run towards the edge of the penalty box, controlled the ball with his ri...

Football is one of the most popular games in the world and it’s played in every corner of this globe. Even in India, the beautiful game is making steady progress and the masses are getting attracted to it. Overs the years besides the players millions of other people have contributed towards football’s development around the world. Their sacrifice is often overlooked but they are always there working for the game. Referees are one, such breed of people who fall into that category. They do one of the most difficult but thankless jobs in football and the work they put in is often overlooked. In India too barring a few Referees, the plight of most of them is sad, to say the least. They are often criticized and ridiculed for their match supervision, sometimes they even have to face ugly situations like getting severely assaulted. They are also underpaid and the training they undergo is not up to the mark. Very less is done for them but we always expect more from the Referees and other match...