Durand Cup kicks off in Guwahati city today; Odisha FC, NEUFC eye maiden silverware

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: North East United FC (NEUFC) will start their campaign in the 131st edition of the Durand Cup Football with the match against Odisha FC (OFC) at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium here tomorrow. The match will kick off at 5-30pm and will be telecast live in Sports18.

It will be the first occasion when Guwahati is hosting the prestigious Durand Cup Football Tournament. The group 'D' matches of the competition will be held in Guwahati and five teams will compete here which are North East United FC, Odisha FC, Army Green, Kerala Blasters and Sudeva Delhi FC.

This is a golden opportunity for NEUFC, the Highlanders, to earn their first-ever major club honour and to end their trophy drought. The Guwahati-based club finished 10th in the previous ISL season, hence they went through major changes in the top management in the hope of future glory days. New Head Coach Marco Balbul already joined the side in Guwahati.

On the other hand, OFC is yet to win any silverware since the inception of the club back in 2014 as Delhi Dynamos FC. The change in the base from the country's capital city to Bhubaneswar has instilled a spark in their approach however, they are still far away from fulfilling the expectations.

The build-up to the game will see a short but elaborate and lively opening ceremony, with bands of the Armed Forces on display as well as a performance by star singers Angarag Mahanta (Papon) and Rewben Mashangwa, of the tournament theme song. The opening ceremony will start at 4-30 pm tomorrow and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Meanwhile several arrangements have been made to provide facilities to the crowds so that they can visit Indira Gandhi Athletics stadium and witness the matches of the Durand Cup. ASTC will run free buses from various parts of the city like Mirza, Chandrapur, Jalukbari and others to take football-fan to the Stadium and also return them back to their destination after the match. Addressing the media the Additional Chief Secretary (Sports and Youth Welfare) Maninder Singh said that elaborate arrangements have been made to make a full house on the match day. Complimentary passes will also be distributed to local clubs, Bharat Scouts and Guides, NCC and a few other selected organizations,

The media briefing was also attended by Major General Vikash Saini, GOC, 51 Sub Area, Rajesh Kumar Sarma, Executive Director- Asset Manager (Nazira) ONGC and Nibedan Das Patowary, Director, Sports and Youth Welfare.

Also Read: Durand Cup: Odisha FC to arrive in Guwahati city today

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