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The 67th edition of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy will be hosted by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala in February/March 2013 according to a decision taken by the AIFF Executive Committee yesterday at Football House in New Delhi.
The Services are the defending champions having beaten Tamil Nadu 3-2 in this years final on May 28 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Orissa.
The exact dates and venues across the two states are to be announced shortly with the AIFF set to play the tournament under a new two tier format, though the final new format has not been announced so far.
As per the available plans the top 16 states would play out the Santosh Trophy champions, while the other states will play out the second tier champions with promotion and relegation amongst the states. The AIFF hopes that such a format would be more competitive and avoid too many loop-sided results and better exposure for talented players.
