Gangtok, Feb. 21.TT: Sikkim will for the first time host the Dr T Ao Memorial Cup, a premier football tournament for the eight northeastern states.
The tournament, started by the ministry of DoNER in 2003, will be organised by the Sikkim sports department this time. The matches will be held at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok from March 2 to 9.
“The cup is hosted by all northeastern states in rotation and Sikkim will organise the tournament for the first time this year. Preparations are on to make the tournament a success,” state sports secretary Karma P. Bhutia told journalists here today.
Bhutia hoped that the best soccer talents would be on display. “This is the biggest football tournament in the Northeast which is the producer of a large number of players in the country. I am sure that a lot of budding talents will be on display at the tournament. All the matches will be very competitive.”
The eight states will be divided into two groups with four teams each for the tournament. Two top teams from each group will qualify for the semi-final.
The winner can take home Rs 7 lakh, while the runner-up will be awarded Rs 4 lakh. The state that comes third in the tournament will receive Rs 2 lakh. Manipur had lifted the cup last year.
The sports secretary said the Sikkim Football Association had been delegated the responsibility of raising a team for the state.
“We have written to the SFA to form the Sikkim team for the tournament. Top players from Sikkim are playing for clubs outside the state and we have to see whether they are free or not for the Ao Memorial Cup. We hope Bhaichung Bhutia will play for Sikkim if he is free,” said Bhutia.
He added that people could watch the matches free.
A player has to be a resident certificate holder of a particular northeastern state to represent that team in the cup. Dr Ao was from Nagaland and was the captain of the first Indian football team for the London Olympics in 1948. He played for Mohun Bagan from 1943 to 1952. The player passed away in 1998.
The ministry of DoNER had launched the tournament in Dr Ao’s memory in Guwahati in 2003.
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