Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma presided over the ceremony that unveiled the three iconic trophies of the 132nd Durand Football Tournament at the State Convention Centre in Shillong on Friday, July 21.
The 132nd Durand Football Tournament is set to be held from August 3 to September 3, 2023. The event is organised under the aegis of the Durand Football Tournament Society, and led by the three Service Chiefs.
Lieutenant General Sanjay Malik, General Officer Commanding 101 Area, praised the sporting culture of the northeastern region during the event. He emphasised that this year’s tournament is a milestone for Meghalaya, with the Shillong Lajong Football Club participating in the Durand Cup for the first time ever. In a fitting tribute, the trophies were also unveiled in Shillong for the first time.
The three trophies, namely the Durand Cup Trophy and the Shimla Trophy (both rolling trophies) and the President’s Cup (for permanent keeping), embarked on a grand tour of the city. The public in Shillong showered the procession with applause and enthusiasm.
The tour culminated in a celebration at Khyndailad, featuring musical performances by a local band and the Army’s Jazz band. The presence of Shillong Lajong Football Club players was applauded by the crowd visiting the event.
Shillong Lajong’s debut match will be on the evening of August 4, 2023, against Northeast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, a press release stated.
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The three Durand trophies commenced their 15-city tour on June 30, 2023, from Delhi, with the joint flag-off by General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Chief of Army Staff, Air Chief Marshal VK Chaudhary, Chief of Air Staff, and Shri Kalyan Chaubey, President, All India Football Federation (AIFF). The tour covers cities such as Dehradun, Udhampur, Jaipur, Pune, Mumbai, Karwar, Ezhimala, Kochi, Bengaluru, Kokrajhar, Guwahati, Shillong, Kathmandu, and Dhaka.
This edition of the Durand Cup will feature 24 teams, an increase from the previous 20. Notably, all 12 Indian Super League (ISL) sides will be participating in the matches, and the finals will be held in Kolkata. Additionally, service teams from neighbouring foreign countries of Bangladesh and Nepal will also take part in this legendary tournament.
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