132nd Durand Cup tournament organized in Kolkata

Tags: Sports News

The "Trophy Tour" of the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, India's oldest football tournament, was flagged off on 30 June 2023 at a function held at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt.

Important Points:-

• It was flagged off by Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pandey, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhary and President of All India Football Federation (AIFF) Kalyan Choubey.
• This tournament will be organized from 03 August to 03 September 2023 in Kolkata, Guwahati, Kokrajhar and Shillong. While its final will be held in Kolkata on September 3.

Foreign teams in Durand Cup:

• 24 teams including teams from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh will participate in the 132nd edition of the tournament.
• Foreign teams are participating in the tournament after a gap of 27 years. The tournament is open to all club teams.
• It is organized by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) under the aegis of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
• Basically the tournament has always been a symbol of excellence, sportsmanship and high point of competitiveness in the field of sports.

Durand Cup Tournament:

• The Durand Cup, the world's third oldest and Asia's oldest football tournament, was first held in the year 1888 at Dagshai (Himachal Pradesh).
• It was named after Mortimer Durand, who was then the Foreign Secretary in charge of India.
• The tournament was initially held for British soldiers, but was later opened to civilians.
• Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of the Durand Cup having won it sixteen times.