The football crazy city of Shillong welcomed back the 134th Durand Cup for the second consecutive year as the city geared up to host Asia’s oldest football tournament. Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday unveiled the three trophies and flagged off the Trophy Convoy of this historic tournament.
Shillong Lajong FC, Ryntih Sports Club and the Meghalaya Police Football Team are three teams from Meghalaya participating in Asia’s oldest football tournament.
Along with Sangma, several other dignitaries including state sports minister Shakliar Warjri, Air Marshal Surat Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command and Lt. Gen Sanjay Malik, General Officer Commanding 101 Area and officials of IndianOil Corporation Limited (IOCL), were present on the occasion.
The three glittering pieces of silverware, the Durand Cup, the original prize and the rolling Shimla Trophy (presented by residents of Shimla in 1904), as well as the President’s Cup which the winners keep permanently, were taken on a roadshow later in the day covering prominent city landmarks increasing the anticipation for the football loving public.
Speaking on the occasion Sangma said, “We had a very successful season last year, where I can proudly say that Shillong was one of the best hosts, in terms of the feel, the arrangements and fan turnouts. I can assure you that this year also, it will be the same. We have more local teams participating this time, which makes it more engaging for the fans of Shillong and the people of Meghalaya.”
A total of eight matches will be played in Shillong with the first match scheduled on July 26. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will see city rivals Shillong Lajong FC and Rangdajied United FC fighting out in the Shillong derby along with defending champions NorthEast United FC paving the way for some exciting northeast derbies.
The Malaysia Services team will be the fourth team in the group adding international flavour to the tournament. Shillong Lajong made a fairy tale run in the last season, topping Group F ahead of FC Goa and beat Kolkata giants East Bengal SC in the quarter finals to qualify for the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions NorthEast United.
This year, for the first time ever, the Durand Cup is being played across five states – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur between July 22 to August 23.