Bhutan Head coach Norio wanted to leave BFF

Bhutan Head Coach: Nario Tsukitate

Head coach Norio Tsukitate was released from his duties with effect from yesterday, after a disagreement between the coach and the manager of the team broke midway through the Bhutan-Maldives game on Thursday.

Bhutan Football Federation’s (BFF) president, Ugen Tsechup Dorji said that the expulsion of the Japanese coach by BFF at half time of the game as mentioned in the social networking sites was ‘absolutely untrue.’

The president said that without any prior consultation with the federation the coach decided own his own to leave the team. He said that while he was heading towards the locker room to congratulate the Bhutanese team, he walked into the Japanese coach who was bidding farewell to the players.

“It came to me as a surprise when I saw the coach wishing the players good luck for their future and saying that he was leaving,” the president said.

Ugen Tsechup Dorji said that it is ‘totally unacceptable’ in any profession, to step back from your responsibility midway through an important task. “You are the national coach of the team, it is your responsibility for the better or worst, to be there with the team till the end,” he said. “If he had some issues with management, that is to be left after the game was over. As a professional person he had to see the game through.”

Meanwhile, coach Norio who was at his residence saddened by the incident, told Kuensel that he was asked to leave by the manager of the team after they had an argument. “The vice-president of the federation told me to leave, that is official enough for me to leave the team,” said the coach. “As the head coach I have the control of the game, change players and positions, Hishey was trying to take over my responsibility.”

The coach said that although he did not receive any letter from BFF on his eviction, he said after taking to the Japan Football Association (JFA) on the whole matter, the association have asked him to return. “I have no work here, there is no more training, I’ll return to my family soon,” he said.

The head coach defended his team selection and player positions in the game against Maldives. Tshering Dorji, a midfielder in the squad was put in the front on Thursday. “Tshering is weak on defence, I thought if I placed him in the strike he would have to only control the ball and shoot, which he is good at,” said that coach.

The coach added that Karma Shedrup Tshering was not put in the first 11 because of his busy schedule. The former skipper who is also a pilot with the national airlines couldn’t make it for most of the practise sessions with the team said that coach. “Hishey was insisting me on putting Karma in, I believe they are family,” he said.

However, the president said that as the head coach, he had the control over the team and whether to listen to the manager’s suggestions was solely on him. “It’s how you take it, nobody can order the head coach during the course of the match, he’s the in-charge of the game,” he said.

He also added that there’s a distinct difference in the role of the manager and the vice-president. “Hishey Tshering was there not as the vice-president of the federation but as the manager of the team,” he said. “The verbal order that might have exchanged between the two during the game was not an official order, its just an excuse he had used.”

BFF’s general secretary, Ugyen Wangchhuk said that the general public have the notion that the federation fired the coach but in reality he himself wanted to leave. “We could have sorted the problem in a much better way had he informed us about the problem, instead he decided to remain silent and took the decision himself. This clearly shows he wanted to go,” said the GS.

One of the players on the squad said players had developed a good understanding with the coach. “He was a good coach and we learned a lot,” he said. “But nothing is important than the team, BFF might have taken this decision for the betterment of the team.”

Meanwhile, the Japan Football association wants to study the case in detail.

Norio Tsukitate is the fourth Japanese coach who was sent through a memorandum of understanding between BFF and JFA. The 55-year-old coach took over the national team in March this year.

For the game against Hong Kong on October 13, assistant coach Pema will be taking in-charge of the Bhutanese team.

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan beated by Maldives 4-3 in World Cup Qualifiers

Tshering Dorji, in the 83rd minute took advantage of a chaos inside the penalty box. A thumping shot into an empty post opened the score sheet for the Dragon boys. The suit followed after three minutes when Chencho Gyeltshen, running past the Maldivian defenders, sent a low attempt to the back of the net. The third goal was scored by Biren Basnet when Chencho’s attempt rebounded after hitting the woodwork.

Despite Bhutan’s impressive performance and ending the team’s goal drought, Bhutan could not end its losing streak in the world cup qualifier.

The Maldives emerged triumphant over Bhutan by 4 goals to 3.

Bhutan conceded early goal as usual. The Maldives scored the first goal in 11 minutes. They further stretched their lead in 23rd and 33rd minutes without any reply from the Bhutanese side in the first half.

A goal converted from penalty in the second half by the Maldives seemed to have extinguished Bhutan’s hope for comeback. But the drama unfolded towards the end of the second half as Bhutan rattled the Maldives defense and scored three goals within seven minutes.

Bhutan’s desperately tried to equalize the match in the last minute but the Maldives resisted Bhutan’s attack till the final whistle of the game.

Source: BBS

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Bhutan will play against Maldives Today

Bhutan will try to break its duck against Maldives today at the Changlimethang and record the first win in the World Cup qualifiers.

Bhutan had played Maldives, commonly known as Red Snappers, but have never registered a win against the island nation. “We played against them for two to three times and lost all,” a senior Bhutanese international, Passang Tshering said. “But today should be our best opportunity because all our players in form,” he said.

The Maldivian squad arrived in the country yesterday, which was quickly followed by a practice session.

Bhutan’s head coach Norio Tsukitate, in a pre-match press conference yesterday said his players are improving day by day. “The advantage of having young players on the team is that they are constantly evolving with each match,” he said.

Maldives’ new head coach, Ricki Herbert, who took the New Zealand national team into the 2010 World Cup, is expecting an exciting match since both teams placed are at the bottom of the group.

“We’re still in the process of knowing each other. We had our first practise session on Tuesday in Kolkata,” he said. “We’re determined and remain positive about the game despite the short time we spent together.”

“It’s an international game, we expect it to be exciting not only for the players but also to the fans watching,” he said.

Ricki Herbert said his team has developed respect for team Bhutan who is growing in the international front.

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan, Bangladesh match ends in a draw

Bhutan’s forward, Sonam Tobgay scored the goal into the sixth minute of the game. Bangladesh, who had beaten Sri Lanka 2-0 in their group opener, pressed hard to find an equaliser, but could score only at the 77^th minute.

In the group’s A final fixtures, Bhutan will face Sri Lanka and host country Bangladesh against Uzbekistan, tomorrow.

The matches are being played at Bangabandhu National Stadium, in Dhaka.

Source: bbs.com.bt

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Bhutan's biggest football tournament

With 47 teams and 752 players, Yuljong Nationwide Open football tournament, Thimphu qualifiers, is by far the biggest tournament in the country.

The tournament that began on August 20 in Thimphu is a special dedication from football enthusiasts in the country on the occasion of the 60th birth anniversary of The Fourth King.

Jointly organised by Paro Yuljong Futsal Club and Kawajangsa FC, the tournament aims to bring all the dzongkhags together through the game of football. One of the organiser, Karun Gurung of Paro Yuljong said that the plan is to conduct the final game of the tournament on November 11.

The Thimphu qualifiers of the tournament have entered its knockout stage where 16 teams have moved into the elimination round. However, only four teams from Thimphu will move on into the final knockout tournament. The Thimphu qualifiers resumes right after the World Cup qualifiers against Maldives and Hong Kong on October 8 and 13 respectively.

Open invitations have been sent to all the other dzongkhags to take part in the final tournament that will begin from October 20 at the Changlimithang stadium. Registration date is open till October 10 for the teams outside Thimphu.

“We’ll take in all the teams who would like to take part in the tournament to make it more grand and eventful,” said Karun Gurung. “We’re expecting maximum participation this time since it’s a very special occasion for the country and it’s people.”

In order to provide equal opportunities to all the participating teams, the organisers have decided to allow only one seeded player (national and club) in the team. This decision was also taken to provide openings for those individuals with talents but who remained unnoticed because of limited opportunities, said the organisers.

The tournament till date has recorded 734 goals in one month. Paro Yuljong FC of Group B have scored the highest of 43 goals. Teams are divided into eight groups of five each.

The winners of the tournament will take home a trophy, medals and a cash prize of Nu 200,000 and the runners up will get Nu 100,000.

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan Archery Tournament in Tashigang

The Khesar Gyalpo Archery Tournament (KGAT) started in Trashigang yesterday with three teams from the gewogs of Merak, Sakteng and Radhi.

Teams from the 15 gewogs of Trashigang will be using traditional bows and arrows. Teams are to follow the rules and regulations of the Bhutan Indigenous Sports and Games Association (BIGSA).

Similar tournaments are also happening in the other five dzongkhags of the eastern region. Top two teams from each dzongkhag will qualify for the finals that would be played at Gyalpozhing.

Archers must only Tabzhu and Changzhu bows. Archers are also required to wear their team colour (Nyarey) to differentiate one team from the other.

Apart from the commemoration of the 60th birth anniversary of The Fourth Druk Gyalpo, Trashigang’s Sr. Dzongrab, Pema Dorji said that one of the objectives of KGAT is to promote Bhutan’s national sport.

“Further, the tournament will provide a platform for interaction among people from different places,” the Sr. Dzongrab said.

The Office of The Gyaltshab in Gyalpozhing is organizing the tournament under the command of HRH The Gyaltshab Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.  The KGAT committee will coordinate the tournament and shall act as the dispute settlement body as well.

Meanwhile, the dzongkhag administration should submit the lists of those teams, which have qualified for the final level tournament (FLT), to the Office of The Gyaltshab. Finale is scheduled on October 18

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan BFF trains Women Footballers

A five-day FIFA Women Coaching Course is underway to promote women’s football in the country.

Organised by the Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) with support from FIFA, the training aims to demonstrate the role of coach in relation to the players.

A total of 21 young women football enthusiasts, including school physical education instructors, national players, coaches and representatives from clubs, are taking part in the training.

The training includes both theoretical and practical sessions where participants will be trained in aspects like match analysis, psychological development of players, roles and responsibilities of the coach, and coping with differences within the team.

Instructor Hope Powell said that so far the participants have shown great interest in the course. “They’re very interactive. At the same time, they are intelligent and, therefore, it’s easier for me to conduct the sessions without much problems,” said that 48-year-old FIFA consultant. “At the end of this five-day course I expect each and every one of them to leave with some extra knowledge.”

One of the participants, Dechen Wangmo, said that she’s looking forward to learn the roles and responsibilities of a coach to understand the players better.

“Being a player myself, I know the importance of understanding the coach’s approach with the players,” said that 18-year-old. “The bond between the coach and players is very important in the development of the game. I expect to learn a lot from this course.”

Training coordinator Yiwang Pindarica said that the initiation was a small step toward improving women’s football in Bhutan.

“With football becoming popular in the country, women are starting to show interest in the game,” she said. “We are grateful to FIFA for supporting the initiative and hope to encourage more women to take up the sport.”

Women’s football in Bhutan started a long time ago but did not have avenues to succeed as did men’s team. With recent efforts from the federation, however, the game’s popularity with women is growing.

The under-14 national women’s football team represents the Bhutan in the international football.

Source: Kuenselonline

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Bhutan National team sees big opportunities ahead

The journey of Bhutan’s national football squad through the World Cup Qualifiers has not been easy.

Considered to be one of the worst footballing nations in the world, the journey of this young team started off with a historic win against Sri Lanka in the first round of the World Cup Qualifiers in March.

The win put the lowest ranked Bhutan to 163, the highest jump ever by a country in the April edition of the  FIFA/Coca-Cola World ranking.

Bhutan National Team

Victory against Sri Lanka pumped Bhutan’s hope by much and the players became national heroes overnight.

But the national players are all very young and inexperienced compared with the teams they had to face. A good number of national players were made up of students and professionals in different fields.

21-year-old Biren Basnet of the national squad is a second year student of Royal Thimphu College  (RTC). He has for the time being quit college to play for the nation.

“When I was in college I was also playing for my club. It was difficult managing time between studies and football,” he said. “After consulting with parents and teachers, I decided to leave college until whole campaign is over.”

Like Biren, Jigme Tshering Dorjee and Tshering Dorji, who were studying at RTC have decided to give Bhutan’s dream for World Cup more importance to study.

Tshering Dorji said that the decision was taken in consultation with his family and teachers. “Since the national team had to play eight games in this round, time management was becoming very difficult,” said the 20-year-old midfielder. “Till March next year we’ll be fully engaged in preparing for the matches.”

Lungtok Dawa is a first year student at RTC. The 17-year-old said that most of the time he is too exhausted with the training sessions and cannot concentrate in the classes. “It is difficult to cope with trainings and studies at the same time.”

Tshering Dendup, who is a member of the national team, is waiting to pursue his higher education. The 21-year-old goalie said that because football in the country has improved he plans to pursue his passion which is football.

Football has come a long way in Bhutan. National players are now provided with a monthly salary of Nu 10,000 along with the latest gears required to play at international levels.

Bhutan Football Federation also provides scholarships to players to help them continue their education. The federation is also planning to build facilities like gymnasium and to provide better dietary services to help improve the team.

Source: Kuenselonline

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GPL Super cup season 2015-2016

Dear Gelephu Premier League (GPL) Members, The Gelephu Super League 2^nd Season will be soon organized, the date and the venue are not yet fixed for the tournament, but will keep you all posted.

So I would like to request all the members to form your teams as per detail below:

1.       BPC

2.       CRRH

3.       RRCO

4.       Shering (Teachers)

5.       Residue’s

Detail of the Tournament:

1. The matches will be played every Saturdays and Sundays only.
2. There will be two matches during Saturdays and Sundays.
3. Tournament will be played in Double-round-Robin League system.
4. The top two teams holding highest point will play the finals.
5. The entry fees for the tournament will be Nu. 2000 per team.

I will be grateful if you can give suggestion on the subject.

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GPL Fantasy Premier League by Karma Chophel

Karma CK Chophel

20 hrs

Where are other guys? Join us and let us make this season enjoyable.
Dinesh Darjee Phub Chering Kzings Chuk Arun Gtam Karma WangchukJampel Xnx Jampel Ugyen Thinley Sonam Thinley and others..

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