JEDDAH — The International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ) football team made its presence felt in the recently-concluded CBSE National Football Championship in India and won accolades by grabbing a place in the top eight teams. The six-day championship was conducted at DAV Public School, Panipat, in Haryana state. It was a remarkable achievement considering the number of participants and the importance of the championship. In all, 37 teams participated from India and abroad. The qualifying process was tough as only cluster winners and runners-up earned berths in the final round. The tournament was conducted on a league-cum-knockout basis. The teams were divided into eight pools and IISJ was in Pool B. In the league round, IISJ defeated Abu DhabiIndian School, 2-0. The goals were scored by Ayman Mohammed Khan and Nikhil Ramesh. The second match with Viswaprakash Central School, Trivandrum, ended in a 1-1 draw. The IISJ goal was netted by Syed Furqan Mehdi. In the third match, IISJ defeated hot favorite Bokaro Ispat School (SAIL Football Academy) on a solitary goal by V.P Ihsanuddin. In the knockout pre-quarterfinal match, IISJ prevailed over DPS Sharjah 1-0. The all-important goal was scored by Mansoor. IISJ's challenge ended in the last 8, as it lost (4-0) to the eventual champion DAV Public School, Jamshedpur, which in itself is the Tata Football Academy — the grooming center of national players. The IISJ team comprised: Faris Mohammed Ayoob (captain), V.P. Ihsanuddin, Adil Ayoob, Nikhil Ramesh, Omer Mohammed Saleem, Mohammed Shaz, Adnan Jameel, Syed Furquan Mehdi, Mohammed Nihal, Mohammed Ahmed, Mansoor, Misairi Mohammed, Ayman M. Khan and Akhil Mohammed. The IISJ physical education teacher, Abdul Rasheed Alikkal, was the coach and the manager. — SG
