MIFA foil IRC double bid
INDIAN Recreation Club Negri Sembilan (IRC) were looking at a double after qualifying for both the Veterans and Masters finals in the Indian Association Penang International Invitational Soccer 7s at the Penang Sports Club ground recently. But they failed.
IRC were the defending champions in the Masters category but lost the title 2-3 to MIFA in a penalty shootout.
In regulation time, IRC's Lim Ker Sing opened accounts but three minutes later MIFA's Ganesan Murugan cancelled the deficit.
In the penalty shootout, MIFA's Mahendran Subramaniam, Paramasivam Murugan and Ravindran Gopal converted while IRC replied through Lim Ker Sing and Segaran Veloo.
MIFA team manager ASP Rajendran Kanhiah said they had participated in the tournament without fail since its inauguration and this was the second time they won the title, the first being in 2015.
"We love to come to this tournmant as it is very well organised and is played on a well maintained field, plus the great sportsmanship displayed by the participants keeps us coming here year-in-year-out.”
In the Veterans final, IRC defeated Ipoh Friday 2-0. IRC were more organised and had the game in their control. Kalithass Govindan and Musabri Mat Nayan scored for the Negeri Sembilan team.
IRC coach R. Govindarajoo was clearly disappointed, lamenting that with his teams in two finals, they were sad to return home with only one.
Singapore Indian Association official V. Vijay said he came with two teams and they did fairly well with one team losing in the semifinals of the veterans category.
Impressed with the organisation and the response from clubs for the event, Vijay said they were contemplating to host one like this in Singapore. K. Kandiah