Author: Rohan Chowdhury

Rohan Chowdhury The inaugural season of the Empowerment Cup has been running successfully for the last five days at the Bhawanipore Club Dakshineswar Young Men Association Ground. In fact, across ten matches so far, the tournament has delivered both spectacular goals and deeply inspiring stories. Not a single match has ended in a stalemate. The packed winter-afternoon crowds have been treated to high-quality football, and the energy across the ground perimeter has matched the intensity on the field. While Bengal teams such as United Kolkata Sports Club, Gayeshpur Football Academy and SSB Siliguri have shown promising performances, it is the…

The opening day of the RevSportz Empowerment Cup 2025 saw a goal fest at the Bhawanipore Club Dakshineswar Young Men Association Ground as both the contests produced eleven goals combined. The first game of the day saw United Kolkata Sports Club humble K Mahila FC Joypur 9-0 while the second encounter saw an even affair between Adibashi Unite Shyamnagar and Matribhumi Soccer Club Asansol. The game ended 1-1 after regulation time and the Shyamnagar side advanced to the next round after a 5-4 win in penalties. UKSC, a professional side based in Kolkata, which participates in both women’s and men’s…

Eden Gardens: Ravi Vithal’s fandom began in protest. During apartheid, he supported every side that played against South Africa. But after democracy arrived in 1994, his allegiance shifted permanently. We met him on Day 2 at Eden Gardens during the India–South Africa Test, enjoying his birthday present with his son and reflecting on what 31 years of supporting the Proteas has meant. The third day of the Test, November 16th, was his birthday, and his son had arranged this tour to Kolkata as a birthday present. Temba Bavuma’s team perhaps made the occasion even more memorable with their win over…

The 126th Beighton Cup got underway at the newly inaugurated Vivekananda Yubabharati Hockey Stadium, on Friday, November 8. The match between Odisha XI and BNR Recreational Club marked the historic first match at the stadium. The Odisha side recorded a 3-1 victory over the Railways side. The second match was a goal-fest between Uttar Pradesh XI and Naval Tata Hockey Academy, ending in a 3-2 victory for the UP side. The 22,000-capacity stadium was fairly packed for both matches. There was an opening ceremony held at the grassed earthen gallery, which is perhaps the first such facility at any of…

The world’s oldest hockey tournament, the Beighton Cup, is set to make a grand comeback at the newly inaugurated Vivekananda Yubabharati Hockey Stadium in Salt Lake, Kolkata. First held in 1895, this will mark the 126th edition of the competition, following some irregularities in recent years. The opening press conference was held at the media box of the new stadium and was graced by Hockey Bengal President Shri Sujit Bose and West Bengal Sports Minister Shri Aroop Biswas. The newly inaugurated stadium has an approved budget of ₹20.53 crore, and its turf has been certified by the FIH. With a…

As we approach the FIFA World Cup 2026, to be hosted in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, popular sportswear manufacturer Adidas launched 22 home jerseys of different countries likely to participate in the showpiece event. The German sportswear giants on their social media resealed the jerseys in a picture with all the jerseys hanging in the streets, somewhere under the open sky. The teams are Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Wales. Though most of them…

India’s rifle-and-pistol-shooting contingent is all set to begin its campaign at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, starting Friday, November 7. The squad comprises 40 athletes competing across various events in both disciplines. This tournament marks the second-last event on the 2025 calendar, with only the ISSF Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun World Cup Final remaining, scheduled for December 4–9 in Doha, Qatar. The 2025 season has been a stellar one for Indian shooters, beginning with the ISSF World Cup’s South American legs in Buenos Aires and Lima, followed by stops in Nicosia, Munich, Lonato, and Ningbo. So…

In a heated El Clasico encounter, Real Madrid got the better of FC Barcelona for the first time since April 2024. At the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos defeated their Catalan rivals 2-1, thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Fermin Lopez scored the solitary goal for Barcelona. This win gave Madrid a comfortable five-point lead over second-placed Barcelona in the LaLiga table. Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick, had to watch from the stands as he served a suspension, and tempers boiled over briefly at the final whistle. Both teams started strong in this high-voltage clash. Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford had…

Rohan Chowdhury In a gala event in Kolkata, Shrachi Sports announced former Germany football team captain, Lothar Matthäus as the brand ambassador for their upcoming inter-district football tournament, The Bengal Super League. BSL Spotlight: THE LEGEND ARRIVES — event was graced by multiple former Indian football stars at the Kolkata venue, namely, Mehtab Hossain, Syed Rahim Nabi, Alvito d’Cunha, Deepak Mondal, Bhaskar Ganguly and others. Mathaus joined the ceremony through an online platform from Germany along with the top officials from Shrachi Sports who felicitated the partnership. The Bengal Super League, slated to start on December 7, would be…

When it comes to longevity in football, we have had many over the years who continued to ply their trade well into their forties. England goalkeeper Peter Shilton represented England in the 1990 FIFA World Cup at the age of 40 and continued playing club football until 1997, retiring at 47 after his final season in the third division for Leyton Orient. The legendary English winger, Stanley Matthews, was 50 when he hung up his boots in 1965, finishing his second season at Stoke City. We have seen several other top footballers who have played into their 40s – Zlatan…