Kohima: After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kohima Town Club (KTC) will host the Kohima Super Cup at Kohima’s Indira Gandhi Stadium from May 16 to 31.
17 teams will participate in the football tournament.
During a press conference in Kohima on Friday, Zedikuolie Kire, chairman of the organizing committee, informed about the change in the naming of the tournament – it was called the Kohima Super League in the previous three editions. He said the idea behind the change is to encourage the participation of more football teams.
The tournament kicks off after a formal ceremony hosted by Kohima Senior Superintendent of Police (SP) Kevithothu Sophie.
The winner of the tournament will take home a cash prize of Rs 1.80 lakh as compared to Rs 1.20 lakh in 2020. The runner-up of the tournament will receive a cash prize of Rs 1.20 lakh. The teams of the semi-finalists will each receive Rs 30,000.
For the first time there are individual prizes for the best coach and best referee. While the player of the tournament will receive an amount of Rs 25,000, other individual winners including the Most Promising Player, Best Midfielder, Best Defender, Best Goalkeeper, Highest Scorer will each receive a cash reward of Rs 10,000.
Kire shared that the club was founded in 2017, with currently about 40 members, to promote football in the Kohima district and across the state. According to the format of this year’s tournament, the league matches will start from the quarter-finals.
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Co-organizer Kethzelie Liezietsu said Naga’s youth are talented, and the non-profit football club is doing its best to promote football and help local players rise to the national and international level.
In order to nurture football talents, the KTC has also trained local referees by conducting referee clinics to improve the quality of football referees and keep them updated on the latest rules of the game. For the upcoming tournament, Football Instructor Joy Chandra of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will oversee the Referee Council as a Referee Reviewer.
KTC President Dr. Viketoulie Pienyü added that in order to improve football in the state, the sport should be promoted at the grassroots level. To make it sustainable too, there is a need for strong football club fans who will promote local football stars.
He said in order to produce quality players, there is a need for league games in the state.
He said that after the tournament, a team of players will be selected and they will play against national football players from Manipur for a football exhibition match on June 4.
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Tournament highlights will be available on the popular Naga Manu Production YouTube channel. The spectator entry fee starts with Rs 50 and will increase to Rs 100 from the semi-final matches.
The 17 teams are New Market FC, Crimsoune Club, Highlander’s FC, Secretariat United, Hurricane Boys Phesama, United 4 FC, Sechü FC Academy, IGS XI, G.Sports FC, Barak FC, Wolves XI FC(U-19), A .Yhome FC, United Brothers FC, PRO-D-OG’S FC, Magdaline FC, Naga Brothers and Aphuyemi FC.
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