Flag-off of the Durand Cup Trophy Tour Marks the Countdown to India’s Oldest Soccer Event

INDIA. Mumbai: The “Trophy Tour” of the 132nd version of the Durand Cup, India’s oldest soccer match, was inaugurated at a ceremony held at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantonment, by the service chiefs on Friday.

Common Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Military Workers, together with Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of Air Workers, and Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Soccer Federation (AIFF), inaugurated the “Trophy Tour.” The occasion was attended by a lot of younger soccer lovers and distinguished sports activities personalities.

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As a part of the tour, the three trophies will journey throughout the nation over the subsequent one month, making appearances in a number of main cities, together with Shimla, Udhampur, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Kokrajhar, Guwahati, and Shillong, earlier than reaching Kolkata for the grand occasion.

Based on an official assertion, the match is scheduled to happen in Kolkata from August 3 to September 3.

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The Durand Cup was first inaugurated in Shimla in 1888 as an Military Cup, initially open solely to the British Indian Military troops stationed in India. Nevertheless, it quickly expanded to incorporate civilian groups as nicely.

As Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest soccer match, the Durand Cup attracts high Indian soccer golf equipment from all corners of the nation. Organized by the Indian Armed Forces, the match has served as a breeding floor for India’s best soccer expertise over time.

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The profitable workforce is offered with three trophies—the Durand Cup (a rolling trophy and the unique prize), the Shimla Trophy (additionally a rolling trophy, first gifted by the residents of Shimla in 1904), and the President’s Cup (a everlasting memento, first offered by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, in 1956). This distinction makes the match really distinctive.

The 132nd version of the match will witness the participation of 24 groups, together with groups from Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. The inclusion of international groups marks their return to the match after a hiatus of 27 years.

Open to all membership groups, the Durand Cup is carried out by the Durand Soccer Event Society (DFTS) underneath the auspices of the All India Soccer Federation (AIFF). All through its historical past, the match has persistently represented the head of excellence, sportsmanship, and competitiveness within the area of sports activities.

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