Bengaluru: The three prestigious Durand Cup Trophies arrived at the Army Service Corps Centre and College here on Tuesday.
The Trophies arrived here from Guwahati in Assam, as part of a 15-city Trophy Tour conducted by the organisers to connect with fans across the length and breadth of the country.
The 132nd edition of the legendary Durand Cup football tournament, organised by the Indian Army on behalf of the three services, is set to be played in Kolkata, Guwahati and Kokrajhar from August 3 to September 3.
The trophies were received at the Army Service Corps Centre and College in the presence of Major General Ravi Murugan AVSM, GOC, K&K Sub Area.
Representatives of Bengaluru FC and other representatives of the Indian Army were also present at the function.
The trophies were kept for public viewing at Vidhana Soudha and Bangalore Palace, major landmarks of the city.
The trophies that are unique to the tournament include the Durand Cup (a rolling trophy and the original prize), the Shimla Trophy (also a rolling trophy and first given by the residents of Shimla in 1904) and the President’s Cup (for permanent keep and first presented by Dr Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, in 1956.
Speaking on the occasion, Major General Murugan said, “It is indeed a historic occasion that the prestigious Durand Cup Trophies have made their visit to Bengaluru, the home of the defending champions Bengaluru FC.”
He wished all the participating domestic and international teams the very best in the tournament.
The trophies were jointly flagged-off for a 15-city Trophy Tour on Friday in Delhi, by General Manoj Pande, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC, Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army, Air Chief Marshal VK Chaudhary, Chief of Air Staff and Shri. Kalyan Chaubey, President, All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Before embarking upon Bengaluru, the trophies have already visited the cities of Dehradun, Udhampur, Jaipur, Pune, Mumbai, Karwar, Ezhimala, Kochi and Guwahati.
The Durand Trophies will travel to Hyderabad from Bengaluru. The other cities that the tour will cover includes Kokrajhar and Shillong. This year the Durand Trophies will also visit Kathmandu and Dhaka, before returning to Kolkata, the venue for the finals.
This time the Durand Cup will have 24 teams, up from 20 last time, including all 12 Indian Super League (ISL) sides.
Service teams from neighbouring foreign countries of Bangladesh and Nepal, will also be participating in the legacy tournament, making foreign participation in the legendary tournament happening after a long gap of 27 years.
