Legendary: Sailendra Nath Manna

Joseph S. Blatter

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter has expressed his condolences to Sailendra Nath Manna’s wife, daughter and all of Indian Football.

In a letter to the All India Football Federation President Mr. Praful Patel, Blatter wrote: “On receiving the sad news of Sailendra Nath Manna’s passing, both personally and on behalf of the football family, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to his wife, daughter and all of Indian football.”

“Whether as a player, captain or coach, Sailen Manna was an inspirational leader whose contribution to Indian football was justly recognised during his lifetime and will continue to live on in our memories. He will also be remembered for his 19 years service to his club Mohun Bagan, which is another reason to place him among true footballing greats, particularly in the modern age, where such royalty is becoming increasingly scarce,” he added.

“My thoughts and sympathy are with you at this difficult time and I wish you strength as you seek to come to terms with the loss of such an influential figure.”
Asian Football Confederation’s Acting President Zhang Jilong also expressed his condolences. In his letter to Mr. Praful Patel, Jilong wrote: “On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to offer my sincere condolences on the passing away of Indian football legend Sailendra Nath Manna.”

“The list of his contribution to Indian and Asian football is long and impressive, and he will forever live on in the minds of his fans. Manna’s demise marks the end of an era and the world of football will miss him.”

“In this very sad moment, please let his family, friends and loved ones know the Asian family stands by their side and shares in their grief.”

Savio Medeira, the Indian national team coach, expressed his pleasure given the manner in which his side gave a decent account of themselves in the second half though the final score read 3-0 against Azerbaijan on Monday.

India are preparing for the Challenge Cup which kicks-off next month wherein a place in the Asian Cup 2015 is set to be contested given that the winner of the competition automatically qualifies for the biggest continental championship.

The Blue Tigers have already lost 5-1 to Oman last week and against Azerbaijan, Medeira made several changes to the line-up as promised to give all the players participating in the camp a fair chance to showcase their talent in order to make the cut for the final 23 member squad.

I am happy with the determination and attitude of young players – India’s Savio Medeira
“The work rate, attitude and the shape of the team was good. For sure, this was a better performance than what we saw against Oman,” Medeira told Goal.com.

“Our midfield was new (different from the last game) and they kept the game going. I hope they continue their good work for the remaining part of our preparations before we head into the Challenge Cup.”

India shall next face the Iranian club from UAE on March 1 before they head off to Nepal for the Challenge Cup.

“In the next match, we shall field some other players who haven’t got a chance. We have a few players who are injured and recuperating. Sunil Chhetri is ready but I didn’t want to risk him today. Nirmal Chettri has started jogging, Rocus Lamare is recovering too.

“From this match against Azerbaijan, I am happy that at least the youngsters shown the right determination and attitude. I must add that we need to work on our concentration lapses which results in giving away silly goals. But we need to remember that this is a big step for the young players.”