From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI, July 21: Assam will, for the first time, host matches of the iconic 134-year-old Durand Cup football tournament from August 17 next.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in this connection, unveiled three Durand Cup trophies at a ceremony here on Thursday.
As a part of a Trophy Tour involving five-cities, Guwahati, the venue for 10 Group D games, was chosen as the first stop.
There will be a total of 47 games in the tournament. Besides, Imphal will also be hosting 10 games even as all the seven knockout games will be held in three West Bengal venues.
“Glad to unveil 3 trophies of the 134-year-old Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament, to be held in Assam for the first time from August 17 to September 4 in Guwahati. 20 teams from across the country, including 11 ISL teams, will participate,” Sarma remarked on Twitter later.
“I urge all sports enthusiasts in Assam and Northeast to enjoy the Durand Cup matches. We shall arrange special buses for spectators. My gratitude to the Indian Army for selecting Guwahati among five cities in the country to host the first 10 Group D matches of the prestigious tournament,” he said.
Lt Gen KK Repswal, chief of staff, Eastern Command and chairman, Durand Organising Committee; Lt Gen KC Panchanathan, general officer commanding-in-chief, 101 Area, and Maj Gen Vikas Saini, GOC, 51 Sub Area attended the ceremony.
“I thank the honourable chief minister for taking time out from his busy schedule, to encourage us in this effort at promoting and spreading the love of the game of football further in the state. Cooperation from the Assam government has been phenomenal and we are confident that this will herald a new beginning for the game in the state,” Lt Gen Repswal said.
Twenty top teams of the country, including all 11 teams from the top division Indian Super League (ISL) are participating in the tournament as against 16 teams last year.
The matches in Guwahati will be played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.
The three trophies, the Durand Cup (a rolling trophy and the original prize), the Shimla Trophy (also a rolling trophy and first given by the residents of Shimla in 1904) and the President’s Cup (for permanent keep and first presented by Dr Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, in 1956) are on a five-city tour.
Flagged off from Kolkata on July 19 and after being in Guwahati for two days, the trophies would be taken to Imphal, the first-time hosts.
The trophies thereafter move to Jaipur, as for the first time, Rajasthan will be fielding a team, and will then make a final stop at the home of the defending champions, FC Goa before returning to Kolkata on July 31.
Kolkata is the venue for the opening game on August 16 as well as the Grand Finale on September 18.
