Kolkata: The Durand Cup, deemed as the oldest football tournament in India and Asia, will be held in the City of Joy for the next five years. This was announced at a press interaction held at Fort William during the unveiling of the iconic Durand Cup.
Aroop Biswas (Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs, Power in the Govt. of West Bengal) was present on the occasion. The announcement was made by Lt. General Kamal Repswal (Chief of Staff, HQ Eastern Command, SM, VSM).
Biswas said the attendance at the stadium will be minimal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the media will be allowed to attend the matches.
"The West Bengal Government has allowed 50% capacity inside stadiums but the Durand Cup tournament committee, in light of the pandemic, has decided to allow minimal attendance and then gradually towards the end of the tournament, if everything goes well, we will allow 50% attendance in compliance with government norms during the latter stages", he said.
"The 129th edition of the Durand Cup was held in Kolkata in 2019. The kind of response the tournament got in Kolkata was immense, with tremendous amount of support from the state government. I must mention it because every department of the state govt. went out of their way to ensure the tournament becomes a success," said General Repswal.
"You will all be very happy to know that for the next five years, Durand Cup will be conducted in Kolkata."
General Repswal also confirmed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be in attendance for the inauguration and opening match on September 5 at the Vivekananda Yubabharati Krirangan.
In the previous Durand Cup edition here, Gokulam Kerala emerged champions, beating Mohun Bagan 2-1 in front of a packed stadium, to register their first silverware in club history. They are back to defend that title.
In all, 16 teams are vying for the Durand Cup title. Besides the defending champions, ISL franchise Kerala Blasters are the second team from the southernmost state known for its football craze.
The ISL is well represented with Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC joining the Blasters.