The 57th edition of the most famous inter-school football competition in India, the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament, got underway at the B.R. Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday with the Opening Ceremony and the inaugural match between the teams of Manipur and Assam. The tournament is named after the former Indian Air Force Air Marshal, Subroto Mukherjee, who had conceived the idea of organising a tournament for the young kids of the country.
Subroto Cup has been conducted every year since 1960 by the Indian Air Force. The 56th edition of the tournament was won by the AIFF FC U-17 team who beat the Afghanistan team in the final where the Brazilian great, Pele, had greeted the spectators and players as the chief guest.
This year’s edition promises to be even a better one as both U-14 and U-17 level tournaments will be held. The exciting attribute of this season will be the inclusion of more teams from Brazil, USA, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, apart from the best teams from the different Indian states.
Also read: How Subroto Cup is contributing to the Indian National Football Team
The Opening Ceremony of the tournament was graced by the chief guest, Indian Air Force Air Marshal, M K Malik, who addressed the gathering on the occasion. The Indian Air Force chief inspired the young footballers with his address as he also talked about the dream of late Subroto Mukherjee, who had died untimely in Tokyo, Japan. The event also saw band performances from the Indian Air Force personnel who showcased their marching skills to the amusement of the crowd.
After the opening ceremony, it was time for the much-anticipated opening game of the Under-14 Sub-Junior Boys tournament which consisted of the best school teams from Manipur and Assam. The tournament comprises of 35 teams from across the globe who will play 50-minute matches, divided into two halves of 25 minutes each, with a half-time break of 10 minutes.
The match started on a bright note for the Manipuris as they dominated possession but could not create enough chances in the final third. However, the piling up of pressure on the Assam defence meant that Manipur took the lead during the first half through their captain, Hfifananda Nong, who was beautifully set-up by their number three, Rakesh Singh.
The left-back, Singh, showed some great attacking intent on the left flank to make a run on the outside to eventually cut-back as he passed the ball to his captain who struck with a sublime finish to beat Assam’s goalkeeper, Pranab Jyoti Sonwal, on his right side.
Also read: Subroto Cup presents ‘Khelo Football’: Providing schools with a once in a lifetime opportunity
The Assamese could not level the scores as they did come agonisingly close just before the break but had to contend with a 1-0 scoreline. Manipur continued keeping the ball and created numerous chances before they finally secured the three points by scoring a second in the closing stages of the game through their number 7, Maniratan Singh.
The win saw Manipur claim all the three points in their opening encounter whereas there will be a lot to ponder upon for the Assam team who seemed to lack attacking flair and could not defend well on the flanks.
The tournament will continue tomorrow on the second day where 16 teams will go head-to-head with the aim of starting their journey on the front foot.
