8th Manipur State League to kick-off on August 18

The eighth edition of the 10-team Manipur State League will kick-off on Sunday, August 18 with Southern Sporting Union taking on Manipur Police SC in the opening match at the Mapal Kangjeibung ground.This season’s Manipur State League, which had been created as part of the AFC’s Vision India program, will see a number of changes to make the league more competitive and stop the menace of match fixing.

The 10-team tournament would be played in a league-cum-knockout format. All teams play each other once before the top six proceed into the championship round, while the bottom four play to avoid relegation.

The top two teams would directly qualify for the semifinals, while the teams placed third to sixth would play out the two other semifinal spots.

The champions would receive Rs 200,000 (2 lakhs) and the runners-up Rs 100,000 (1 lakh) in prize money, while the first-leg champions would receive Rs 20,000, if they do not reach the finals.

The best player of the tournament would receive Rs 20,000 as would the top goalscorer of the tournament.

Meanwhile, the teams placed seventh to 10th would play each other in a knockout format with the winners staying put in the Manipur State League, while the losers would be relegated.

As part of the tournament preparations, the All Manipur Football Association had organised a Referees’ Clinic yesterday at the AMSA Meeting Hall, Mapal Kangjeibung for referees to be part of the MSL.