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Santosh Trophy: Srinagar all geared up

Principal Correspondent

Punjab is the defending champion
J&K came up with the best show in the league

SRINAGAR: The Santosh Trophy may be struggling to sustain its existence as the premier National football event, but the 67-year-old tournament is fuelling hopes here in the embattled capital of the ‘paradise on earth’.

The place does not see much of National-level sports owing to the spectre of terrorism. But a visit to the city changes the perception radically as every person tries to put in some extra effort to make the ‘guests’ more comfortable.

Spurt in activity

There is a spurt in footballing activities here especially after the success of two of its footballers in the I-League. Mehrajuddin Wadoo and Ishfaq Ahmed are two names which make the local people and organisers talk proudly about the popularity of the sport in the valley.

Wadoo, who is currently in the national team, will not be present to hear the cheers, but Ahmed is one of the key players Jammu & Kashmir is banking on in the 62nd National football championship for the Santosh Trophy. The tournament enters the pre-quarterfinals stage on Sunday.

“Football is the main crowd puller here. There is a lot of enthusiasm around as the Santosh Trophy is returning to the State after 30 years,” said the president of the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association, Zameer A. Thakur.

The president’s words reflects the enthusiasm that is making the State association work overtime to ensure the tournament passes off without any hitch.

The weather is at its best giving the visitors a break from the intemperate summer in the rest of the country.

On the whole everything, including the climate, is contributing to make this the perfect venue for a competition of this stature.

Qualifiers

The tournament has already gone through the first stage of pruning. The eight qualifiers for the pre-quarterfinals which will be held over the next two days have been identified.

Last year’s semifinalists starting with champion Punjab, runner-up Bengal and Kerala and Maharashtra have been given direct entries to the quarterfinals.

The home side came up with the best showing in the cluster league that divided 27 teams into eight groups. Jammu & Kashmir kept an all-win record to move up as the cluster IV champion. Tamil Nadu had the next best result qualifying as the cluster I topper.

The other teams that have qualified are: Services, Delhi, Karnataka, Haryana, Railways and former champion Goa.

In Sunday’s pre-quarterfinals, Tamil Nadu plays Services at Jammu, while Jammu & Kashmir takes on Delhi here.

PTI reports

Manipur out

On Saturday, Goa sealed its place in the pre-quarterfinals defeating Meghalaya 2-1 in Cluster VIII. In Cluster II, Services pipped former champion Manipur for a place in the last 16 stage although the match between the two sides ended in a 2-2 draw at Jammu. Services qualified on a superior goal difference.

In another Cluster II match at Jammu, Nagaland held Orissa to a 2-2 draw.

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