Dimapur: The Northeast Zone Inter University (Men) Football Tournament kicked off at Nagaland University’s Lumami campus on Monday.
The five-day tournament, featuring university teams from the eight northeastern states, commenced with an impressive inaugural ceremony at the Dr. T. Ao Football Ground.
Nagaland University is hosting a Northeast football tournament for the first time.
The chief guest of the inaugural programme, Prof. JK Patnaik, vice chancellor, Nagaland University, extended a warm welcome to the teams from across the Northeast.
Noting the logistical challenges faced by the region due to its diverse terrain, Patnaik , who declared the tournament open, mentioned the growing influence of Northeast players in the Indian Super League (ISL), and making notable contributions to other sports at the national level.
In a tribute to Dr. T. Ao, who captained India’s first football team in the 1948 London Olympics, Patnaik shared an anecdote in which Ao explained his decision to play barefoot: “You play football with foot, not boot.”
Patnaik urged the players to demonstrate sportsmanship and give their best in the tournament.
The tournament, held under the aegis of the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi, follows a knockout format in its initial stages. The four best-performing teams will advance to play league matches.
Nineteen university teams have registered for the tournament, representing all eight northeastern states. The matches will be held at two venues – Dr. T. Ao football ground in Lumami and Mokokchung local ground.
The first match of the tournament was held between Manipur University and Tripura University. The match ended in a thrilling penalty shootout, with Tripura emerging victorious 5-4 after a 1-1 draw in regular time.
In the second match, Gauhati University defeated Tezpur University 1-0.