The three magnificent Trophies of the 133rd IndianOil
Durand Cup reached the Meghalayan capital of Shillong and were proudly
displayed at a grand ceremony at the U Soso Tham Auditorium in Secretariat
Hills, in the gracious presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of the State, Shri.
Conrad K. Sangma. As the city geared up to host the prestigious football
tournament for the very first time, Shri. Sangma hailed the efforts of the Durand
Cup Organizing Committee in bringing about this historic moment for the State,
which would put Shillong on the football map of the country.
The three trophies will tour the city and the surrounding districts, starting from
the venue in the presence of Shri. Sangma, Air Marshal SP Dharkar, Air Officer
Commanding in Chief Eastern Air Command, Lieutenant General Sanjay Malik,
General Officer Commanding 101Area, Maj Gen Rajesh A Moghe, VSM Vice
Chairman Durand Cup Organising Committee and a number of senior military
and civil officials. The three trophies were flagged off on July 10th for a
nationwide tour by the Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu from
the national capital.
Maj Gen Rajesh A Moghe, VSM welcomed and thanked the honourable Chief
Minister, State Govt officials, Military officers, the sponsors and organisers of
the event and the media personnel. He brought out the schedule of matches
and wished the Teams best of luck on behalf of Lt Gen Ram Chander Tiwari
GOC-in-C Eastern Command and Patron of Durand Cup Organising
Committee.
Speaking with immense pride on the occasion, Shri. Conrad Sangma said,
“Football is the most loved and followed sport in Meghalaya and it is an
absolute honour for us to host the prestigious Durand Cup for the first time. I
urge all the football loving people of the state to come and watch the matches
and I am sure that they will be entertained with some quality football games
between some top sides. I will be rooting for our favourite Shillong Lajong,
however we look forward to competitive and exciting football matches in the
coming days and wish all visiting teams and guests a wonderful time in

Shillong. I wish to place on record the excellent coordination between Indian
Army and State Govt machinery for administrative support and infrastructure
creation.”
Also sharing his thoughts was Lieutenant General Sanjay Malik who said, “The
Indian Army is proud to host this prestigious tournament in Shillong, as we
continue with our commitment to spread the reach of the Durand Cup further
into the region. In that spirit, Shillong will be hosting the prestigious tournament
for the first time. We are sure that the football loving state of Meghalaya is
ready for a grand spectacle and the youth will take immense inspiration by
watching their favourite players in live action. On behalf of Lt Gen Ram Chander
Tiwari GOC-in-C Eastern Command and Patron of Durand Cup Organising
Committee , I thank the Chief Guest, State Govt, the Teams and players and
everyone involved in this year’s tournament all the very best, for a memorable
Durand Cup.”
Towards the end of the ceremony, Maj Gen Rajesh A Moghe, VSM along with
Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs, Meghalaya interacted and answered
queries of media personnel.
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host Group F consisting of local side Shillong
Lajong FC, Indian Super League sides FC Goa, Hyderabad FC and Nepal’s
Tribhuvan Army Football Club. The first match will be played between Shillong
Lajong FC and Tribhuvan Army FC on 2
nd of August. The game will start at 4
PM IST.
All matches of the IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony
Sports Network and can also be livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform.
A total of 24 teams, including the three services teams and two Services teams
from Nepal and Bangladesh, will be seen in action across 43 matches, which
will be played in the four host cities of Kokrajhar, Shillong, Jamshedpur (last two
named making their debut as host cities) and Kolkata, which will also host the
grand final on August 31st at the hallowed Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
(VYBK).