Jamshedpur, July 20 Steel city Jamshedpur was witness to celebrations as the Durand Cup, along with its two associated trophies, entered the city premises for the first time on Friday.
Jamshedpur, home to the Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC, has been selected as a host of the 133rd Indian Oil Durand Cup for the first time.
The other locations where the tournament will be played are Kolkata, Kokrajhar (Assam), and Shillong (Meghalaya).
Jamshedpur will host Group D of the tournament comprising Jamshedpur FC, Channaiyin FC, Indian Army Football Team, and the Bangladesh Armed Forces Football Team.
The opening match of this Group will be played between Jamshedpur FC and the Bangladeshi Armed Forces Football Team at 4 p.m. on July 28.
The rotating Durand Cup and the Shimla Trophy as well as the President's Cup - which the winners of the tournament get to keep for themselves permanently - were put on display at the XLRI Auditorium here on Friday.
Among those present were Jharkhand Sports Minister Hafizul Hassan, Lt Gen R.C. Srikanth, Chief of Staff, HQ Eastern Command, and Chairman, Durand Cup Organising Committee, and Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice-President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel.
"The Indian Army is proud to host this prestigious tournament in Jamshedpur. It is a city which is home to the Tata Football Academy, a beacon in grassroots development of the game. As we continue to spread the reach of the Durand Cup in these regions, we believe it will not only pave a new path for a stronger civil-military relationship, but also inspire the youth for a brighter, fitter, and productive future," Lt Gen Srikanth said.
Hassan said, "Some of the best players of Indian football of the modern era learned their trade at the TATA Football Academy here. Hosting the Durand Cup for the first time is an honour and this will only increase the popularity of the sport in the city and the state overall," he said.
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