The day began in excitement and a competitive spirit as footballers were warming up to compete for the championship in the first round of the Andhra Pradesh Inter-District Under-17 Football Championship, 2019, which started here on Monday.
Teams from all the 13 districts of the State are participating in the tournament which will culminate in the finals on November 21. The districts have been divided into four groups and each team would play at least two games in the qualifying round.
Final on Nov. 21
In the first phase, five games will be conducted on each day, from November 18 to 20, while the second phase, comprising the semi-finals and final will be held on November 21.The day began on a good note for the Visakhapatnam team as they decimated their opponent team from Srikakulam, scoring seven goals while the latter failed to open its account.
The match between Krishna and West Godavari rendered the former as the winner with a score of 1-0. In the match between Kurnool and Chittoor, the latter won by 1-0. While the match between Guntur and Nellore ended in a draw with each team scoring one goal, the Anantpur team defeated the Kadapa team by 1-0 in the last match of the day.
The tournament was flagged off by Krishna District Collector A.Md. Imtiaz at the Railway Grounds in the city on Monday. The Collector said that all the sportsmen should play the game with honour and high spirits. Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu extended his best wishes to the team members before the commencement of the tournament. AP Football Association president and All India Football Federation Finance Committee member Kosaraju Gopala Krishna, APFA vice-president Shaik Mahaboob Hussain and other dignitaries of district football associations attended the inauguration.
