Md Sporting becomes first football club of Kolkata to resume training since COVID

Mohammedan Sporting on Monday became the first club of the city to resume training since the COVID-19 outbreak, ahead of the second division League qualifiers.

The Black Panthers were put through their paces under the watchful eyes of coach Yan Law at their home ground.

The inaugural training session of the season began with an introductory process for the new signings to get to know the current squad members, followed by a fitness session.

"We have a bunch of players who are technically good and that is our strength. But personally, I feel a lot of work needs to be done. I want to see the right intensity from players," coach Law said in the club's official website. 

"They have to take responsibility and there has to be respect for each other. I believe that if we work together as a unit then this team can achieve success," the coach added. 

He also had a message for the diehard Mohammedan Sporting supporters.

"We will work hard to be ready for the first game. We all know what you expect from us. We want to bring you happiness in these trying times.," Law said.

Mohammedan Sporting and Bhowanipore SC, who are competing in the second division qualifiers, last week had a meeting with the state sports minister Aroop Biswas, following which they were granted permission to resume on-field activities as a special case.

Mohammedan Sporting Club players, officials and support staff on Sunday underwent COVID-19 tests and all the 34 had returned negative.

Earlier in the day, the Black Panthers announced their roster for the forthcoming season.

They have retained a clutch of their players from last season, namely Tirthankar Sarkar, Priyant Singh, Vanlalbiaa Chhangte, Satyam Sharma, Balwinder Singh, Hira Mondal, Subham Roy, Arijit Singh, Sujit Sadhu, Safiul Rahman, Jaskaranpreet Singh and Firoj Ali.

In addition to this, they have signed new players such as Willis Plaza, Eze Kingsley, Abhishek Rijal, Shoubhik Ghosh, Sheikh Faiaz, Jafar Mondal, Moinuddin Khan, Anwar Ali, Himanshu Jangra, Nabi Hussain Khan, MS Dawangliana, Sena Fanai and Samuel Shadap to bolster their squad.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Priyant Singh, Jafar Mondal, Subham Roy, Miraj Ali

Defenders: Shafiul Rahman, Shoubhik Ghosh, Hira Mondal, Sujit Sadhu, Arijit Singh, Eze Kingsley, Anwar Ali, Balwinder Singh, Nabi Hussain Khan

Midfielders: Abhishek Rijal, Satyam Sharma, Firoj Ali, Tirthankar Sarkar, Suraj Rawat, Vanlalbiaa Chhangte, Sena Fanai, Sanjib Ghosh, Moses Lalrinzuala, Aditya Saha, Moinuddin Khan, Sheikh Faiaz, Samuel Shadap, Sohail Khatri

Forwards: Willis Plaza, Jaskaranpreet Singh, MS Dwangliana, Shamsad Ali, Himanshu Jangra, Pritam Sarkar

Coach: Yan Law, Assistant Coach: Saheed Ramon, Technical Director: Dipendu Biswas, Goalkeeping Coach: Sudip Sarkar, Manager: Belal Ahmed Khan. 

Image credits: AP