From Our Correspondent
Phulbari, Dec 20: After over two months of continuous football that witnessed the participation of 52 teams, Phulbari FC emerged victorious against MSS Batapara in a thrilling MLA Cup final where one team dominated, but the other claimed the trophy.
The tournament, organized by the NPYF – Phulbari (the youth wing of the NPP), was sponsored by local MLA and Power Minister, AT Mondal.
More than 25,000 spectators from the surrounding area gathered at the Shyamnagar HS School playground to witness a game that went down to the wire before Phulbari secured the win.
In the first half, Batapara dominated possession against a resilient Phulbari defense, but they couldn’t find the net. Despite both sides having chances, the first half ended goalless.
The second half saw Phulbari applying more pressure, and an error by the Batapara defense led to Phulbari taking the lead with a goal from a tight angle.
Despite Batapara’s efforts to level the score, Phulbari sealed the game with another goal around the 80th minute, securing a 2-0 victory.The tournament’s winner received Rs 1.2 lakh, while the runner-up took home Rs 1 lakh, with the MLA adding Rs 50,000 to the prize fund for both finalists.
During the prize distribution ceremony, the Power Minister expressed gratitude for the well-organized tournament and acknowledged the extraordinary ambience throughout the 51 matches. He congratulated both teams, highlighting Phulbari’s resilience.However, the minister voiced concern over the significant expenditure on bringing in teams from outside the region.
He estimated that over Rs 50 lakhs were spent on this, expressing a desire to host two tournaments in the future – one exclusively for locals and another involving external teams to showcase local talent.
Earlier, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma boosted local sports by announcing a new indoor stadium at Janapriya High School in Bholarbitha, along with a Rs 9 crore astro turf football stadium at the same venue as the final.
Expressing gratitude for these developments, the Power Minister emphasized the importance of such infrastructure for the region.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Prestone Tynsong, Sports Minister Sakhliar Warjri, PHE Minister Marcuise N Marak, MLAs Jimmy D Sangma and Limison D Sangma, along with former MLA Abdus Saleh. Tura MP, Agatha Sangma was also part of the program.