The old football ground in the heart of Mangaluru with crumbling infrastructure will be the venue for the Independence Cup football tournament from July 22. Photo Credit: HS Manjunath
The old football ground in the heart of the city will be busy for almost a month with over 250 teams of students of different age groups participating in the annual Independence Cup, starting July 22.
Dakshina Kannada District Football Association is organizing this football tournament. This year it is the 25th year of the tournament which includes teams from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Kodagu districts.
Talking to reporters, association president DM Aslam said that the association has fought a legal battle to retain the ground for sports activities, especially football. The tournament is being held in a ground where the infrastructure is crumbling.
The old football ground in the heart of Mangaluru with crumbling infrastructure will be the venue for the Independence Cup football tournament from July 22. Photo Credit: HS Manjunath
“We don’t have much money. We have asked the Mangaluru Smart City Limited to repair the broken infrastructure,” he said.
On the poor condition of toilets in the ground, Mr. Aslam said that necessary alternative arrangements would be made for the players.
The matches will be in knockout format and will be played separately for Upper Primary, High School, PUC and Degree levels. Each institute will be allowed to bring two teams. Several girls football teams will participate in the tournament. Mr. Aslam said that the final matches of High School, PU and Degree level would be held on August 15.
Bibi Thomas, vice-president of the association and technical director of FC Mangalore Football Club, said that during the tournament U-13, U-15 and U-17 district football teams would be selected, who would play in the state level football tournament.
The old football ground in the heart of Mangaluru with crumbling infrastructure will be the venue for the Independence Cup football tournament from July 22. Photo Credit: HS Manjunath
The association will run an anti-drug awareness campaign during the tournament. A blood donation camp would also be organized, Mr. Aslam said.
Karnataka, Mangaluru: 19/07/2023: The old football ground in the heart of Mangaluru, where infrastructure is crumbling, will be the venue for a month-long “Independence Cup” football tournament, starting 22nd July. Over 250 teams from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Kodagu districts will participate in the tournament. Photo: Manjunath HS \ The Hindu | Photo Credit: Manjunath HS