Jose Barreto arrived in town quietly to play yet another season for the Mariners. After arriving at Dum Dum Airport he told reporters, “I am confident that with Murithala joining our squad, we will be able to score more goals. I have played alongside Chidi and now Muritala will be joining us. I am hopeful that Mohun Bagan will do well this season.” Barreto was looking very happy about this year’s team and specially about Muritala Ali, the new recruitment from Mahindra.

He will not practice with the ball yet, he will do only physical training for the first two weeks, Though he did some physical training in Brazil. He said, "After a tough season, your body needs adequate rest. Having got that I am raring to go. It’s not that I have only enjoyed my holiday in Brazil, I have also done some physical training for the past few weeks. I am feeling fitter than ever before. I would be straightaway hitting the gym."

From Tuesday Mohun Bagan team will practice for two sessions. In the mornings the team will have swimming pool sessions at Howrah, then in the afternoons field practice.

Meanwhile Coach Stanley Rozario returned from visiting Kanchen Jungha Stadium at Siliguri. He is eager for a residential camp there and he is happy to see the facilities at Kanchen Jungha Stadium. He wants to hold the camp for a minimum of 15 days. However, he pushed it to the court of officials for the ultimate decision.

 

 

Picture Courtesy : Aajkaal

A pair of goals by Ishfaq Ahmed and Santosh Oraon in the second half brought victory for Mohun Bagan against a Challengers-XI. The challengers XI was mostly made up of the contestants of a private TV channel’s football based reality show. Former Bagan player Dipendu Biswas also played for them. The team’s coach is former Brazilian World Cupper Branco, and the mentor of the team is Diego Forlan, the Golden Ball winner of 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The Uruguayan star was present in the field and a jam packed Yuba Bharati Krirangan saw the hero of their dreams, the best player of the world Diego Forlan in front of them.

The Mohun Bagan team was not really in shape to play a competitive match because a lot of their players are in the Santosh Trophy squad and also in the National Camp. Only 14 players are now practicing, with even the foreigners yet to join the squad, though Muritala Ali has reached Kolkata. In the presence of such World stars like Diego Forlan and Branco, the match was a prestige one for Mohun Bagan. Mohun Bagan won the match 2-0. Ishfaq Ahmed scored a goal in the 38th minute and the second  goal scored by new comer Santosh Oraon in the 70th minute. There were a lot of easy chances missed by Ashim Biswas and Ishfaq Ahmed, though Bagan won the match comfortably.

Mohun Bagan President Tutu Bose and Finance Secretary Debasish Dutta presented a Green and Maroon scarf and a model of a sailing boat, the club emblem, to Diego Forlan.

 

Picture Courtesy : Sangbad Pratidin

2010 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan of Uruguay will be present in the match to be played between Mohun Bagan and Challenger, the team of a reality show of a private TV channel. This challenger team is coached by Brazilian Star Branco and mentor of the team is great Diego Forlan. There is another milestone of Mohun Bagan that the team will play in front of a player who is the Golden Ball winner of 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa just 20 days before. But Mohun Bagan team is not ready at all because since the practice started on 16th July, 2010 only 14 nos. of players are available for club practice, rest of the players are in State duty and National duty. The foreigners have not arrived still now except Muritala Ali, who has arrived today at Kolkata. Among the 14players there are four goalkeepers. So the team is not ready to play a competitive match. However, it is prestige match and Mohun Bagan will play this match.