Nyenshen FC Tuensang will represent Nagaland in the third edition of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship, beginning on June 22 at Swarnim Gujarat Sports University in Vadodara district, Gujarat.
Nyenshen FC won the state futsal tournament and was selected to represent the state. However, the Nagaland team was initially not included in the AIFF fixtures when they were released, raising many eyebrows in the state football community. It was only at the last minute that the Nagaland team was included in the national futsal tournament.
According to the club, the team has left Nagaland to travel to Gujarat and will play their first match on Sunday. Speaking to Mokokchung Times, a club member mentioned that the club could not prepare well for the championship as they were not on the fixture list but received an email confirmation for participation only on June 10. Adding that the team had hardly four days of practice sessions, the source bemoaned the lack of infrastructure in the state, where they will play indoors in Gujarat but had to practice on turf with football kits in Nagaland. However, he was hopeful that the team can perform well and make the state proud with their 100% effort.
The team will be led by Avar Danla as Team Manager and Olando Yimchunger as Head Coach. The tournament will be streamed live on the Indian Football YouTube Channel. A total of 19 teams will vie for the coveted title over 16 days, with the final match on July 7. The teams are divided into four groups: Group A, B, and C with five teams each, and Group D with four teams. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Nagaland is in Group A with MUM – Millat FC (Maharashtra), Corbett FC (Uttarakhand), Nyenshen FC (Nagaland), Classic Football Academy (Manipur), and Sports Odisha. Nagaland has sent three different clubs so far, with Telongjem FC and Aphuyemi FC representing Nagaland in the first and second editions respectively.
Nyenshen FC Tuensang will now be the third club to represent Nagaland, with their first match on Sunday against Corbett FC.
According to AIFF updates, the group stage will last from June 22 to July 1. The quarter-finals will be played on July 3, followed by the semi-finals on July 5 and the final on July 7 at 19:00 IST.
The team list includes:
- Gaijangam Kamei
- Horlan P Shimray
- Zumzum Punyü
- Thanglenmang Kipgen
- Thulunso Yimchunger
- Mongko Yangchu
- Mezibui
- Lamsanggin Hangsing
- Lalrou Reiyang
- Chingtaipou
- Eshong Konyak
- Kevizolie Kin
- Imnasunep Jamir
- Kevisalie
- Kutu Nyekha
