New Delhi: India captain Climax Lawrence, who led the team to the SAFF Cup title in December, retired from international football on Tuesday after being unceremoniously dropped by coach Savio Medeira from the 30-probables for the AFC Challenge Cup in March.
The Dempo midfielder told IANS from Pune that he was hurt with the way he was dropped from the national team. Lawrence said Savio called him on Monday to say that he was dropping the veteran midfielder from the national team.
"I had to retire. Age is not on my side. But this is not the way you treat a senior player. During the SAFF Cup, Savio said I have two years of international football left in me. And now he does a U-turn," said Lawrence, who had also captained the team in the Asian Cup last year in the absence of the injured Bhaichung Bhutia.
"If he had told me earlier, then I would have retired after the SAFF Cup or the friendly against Bayern Munich. It really hurts to be treated badly after serving the country for more than a decade," he said....
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10:01 AM, Feb 01, 2012
New Delhi: Indian striker Sunil Chhetri was awarded the AIFF Player of the Year award during the farewell exhibition match of Bhaichung Bhutia against German giants Bayern Munich in New Delhi on Tuesday. Chhetri was handed the award by AIFF president Praful Patel in a presentation during the interval. He was handed a silver plaque and a cheque of Rs. 2 lakh. An elated Chhetri thanked all his teammates and...
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It was a year of drama in both Indian and International football; unfortunately, far too much of it took place off the pitch rather than on it. The affairs of the sports governing body drew more attention than should be necessary, with charges of wrongdoing, corruption and politicking carrying into the new year, after the controversial selections of Russia and Qatar as World Cup hosts for 2018 and 2022 respectively...
03:29 PM, Dec 31, 2011
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11:29 PM, Dec 26, 2011
Having helped India win the SAFF Cup, Sunil Chhetri ended a successful year by being named the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year. ...
01:37 PM, Dec 22, 2011
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03:40 PM, Dec 16, 2011
New Delhi: Savio Medeira began his customary post-match conference by pointing out that he had achieved double success in the SAFF Cup. It feels great, he said after Indias 4-0 victory over Afghanistan in the final on Sunday. I am even more happy and proud because I have now won this tournament both as a player (in 1997 in Kathmandu) and as a coach. The irony was that he had...
10:43 PM, Dec 13, 2011
New Delhi: At the final whistle, the players sunk to the ground, the disappointment showing clearly on their dejected faces. They continued to look forlorn and despondent at the post-match ceremony, until the match officials were called onto the stage. The moment referee Sukhbir Singh came to collect his medal, the entire Afghanistan team burst into a round of ironical applause. Another side of this relatively unknown team - their...
01:41 PM, Dec 13, 2011
The Indian striker was Player-of-the-Tournament for his performance in India's winning run in the tournament. ...
04:33 PM, Dec 12, 2011
New Delhi: India successfully retained the SAFF Championships title, coming through 4-0 against ten-man Afghanistan after a feisty final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. The defending champions needed a controversial penalty from Sunil Chhetri to break the deadlock in the second half, which also saw Afghanistan goalkeeper Hameedullah Yousufzari sent off for pushing the referee. Goals from Clifford Miranda, Jeje Lalpekhula and substitute Sushil Kumar Singh then added...
07:58 PM, Dec 11, 2011
New Delhi: There was very little known about the Afghanistan football team when the eight-nation SAFF Cup began. One week later, all eyes are on the Afghans as they gear up for a title clash with defending champions India at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday. Afghanistan are indeed the surprise package. Some would even argue that they have been the best team in the competition, with a tournament-leading 13...
04:16 PM, Dec 11, 2011
New Delhi: The limelight in the SAFF Cup has been on Sunil Chhetri, but his young strike partner Jeje Lalpekhula is quietly building a reputation for himself. The young star from Mizoram has found plenty of support among the 1,000-odd spectators for Indias matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Maybe it is his name - Jeje is as easy a chant as any players name can be - or maybe...
02:49 PM, Dec 11, 2011
New Delhi: With the tournament drawing to a close, India find themselves back where they started. Having played Afghanistan in their opening match of the SAFF Cup, they must overcome the same opponents in the final on Sunday if they are to successfully defend their crown. Many considered the 1-1 draw against the 178-ranked Afghanistan a disappointing result for the Indians, but coach Savio Medeira has rightly refused to take...
02:43 PM, Dec 11, 2011
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06:04 PM, Dec 10, 2011
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11:50 AM, Dec 10, 2011
New Delhi: Defending champions India made it to the final of the SAFF Cup after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Maldives in an intriguing semi-final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. Syed Rahim Nabi gave India the lead in a first half which the hosts dominated against their more circumspect opponents. However, Maldives responded strongly after the break and were on level terms in the 60th minute thanks to...
05:32 PM, Dec 09, 2011
New Delhi: South Asia's two most dominant football nations will face each other in a highly-anticipated clash when five-time champions India take on Maldives in the semifinal of the SAFF Championships here on Friday. Before the start of the ninth edition of the tournament, football pundits would have expected that India and Maldives, both former champions, would face each other only in the summit clash, but Afghanistan sprang a surprise....
06:46 PM, Dec 08, 2011
New Delhi: India kept alive their hopes of defending the SAFF Cup football title after qualifying for the semifinals with a clinical 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in their last Group A match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday. India, riding high after drubbing Bhutan 5-0, had to wait till the 50th minute to take the lead through Jeje Lalapeklua, who shot off a rebound after his striking...
08:20 PM, Dec 07, 2011
New Delhi: Former champions Maldives rode on Ahmed Tariq's double strike to defeat Bangladesh 3-1 and advance to the semifinals of the SAFF Football Championship along with Nepal here on Tuesday. Man of the match Tariq found the net in the sixth and 16th minute while Ali Ashfaq added one to his name by scoring in the 70th minute. For Bangladesh, Md Shahedul Alam Shahed struck the lone goal at...
08:46 PM, Dec 06, 2011
