"Shillong is definitely another option for us"- Organizing committee chairman Lt. Gen. KK Repswal on expansion of Durand Cup to other venues
The 131st edition of the Durand Cup was a success. The prestigious tournament was hosted by three of India's major footballing cities – Kolkata, Guwahati, and Imphal.
After two years of matches being played in empty stadiums, life returned to Indian football matches as fans got to witness their favorite teams in action from the stands. The tournament also acted as a good preparation for all ISL and I-League teams.
Referring to the idea of expanding the tournament to other cities, Lt. Gen. KK Repswal, chairman of the Durand Cup organizing committee, said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda:
"As the chairman of the Durand organizing committee, I personally feel very happy with the way things have panned out this year. This was the first time in the history of the Durand Cup that we decided to make it a multi-city affair.
"Hence, we moved to Guwahati in Assam and Imphal in Manipur. The support that we have received from both cities is phenomenal. I am very happy with the way it has panned out. This is probably the first time we have been able to connect with the youth of the north east and Manipur was a great success."
Lt. Gen. Repswal added:
"I would like to bring this into everyone’s notice that I already had a discussion with the Chief Minister of Meghalaya during the first half of this year. I visited Shillong. The stadium wasn’t ready then. So, I was told that the stadium would be ready by the end of this year.
"So, Shillong is definitely another option for us. We are very keen on Mizoram as well. So next year, increasing the number of teams and adding these two new venues will definitely be on the cards."
Lt. Gen. Repswal also shed some light on plans to accommodate more teams in future editions of the tournament.
"From the window that I got from the AIFF, I could only accommodate a select number of teams. We intend on taking 24 teams if not 28 teams next year. We would also like to have more I-League teams taking part.
"We were unable to accommodate some of the teams who had participated in the past due to unavailability of a longer window. The way it [Durand Cup] has been conducted this year, I think all these teams would love to participate in the Durand Cup next year."
"For all ISL teams, the Durand Cup is the season opener" - Lt. Gen. Repswal
The 131st edition of the Durand Cup witnessed eight out of 11 participating ISL teams fielding their first teams in the tournament. On this, Lt. Gen. KK Repswal said:
"For all ISL teams, the Durand Cup is the season opener. Earlier, most of these clubs who wanted to play practice matches had to travel abroad. But now with the Durand Cup, each of these clubs get at least 5-6 quality matches to prepare themselves."
The four Services teams put up a good fight during the group stages with some of their players showcasing brilliance. The organizing committee chairman said:
"The Army Red team is based in Kolkata and the Army Green team is based in Bangalore. All these teams do take part in local league matches. I can tell you that this year Rajasthan United FC has already contacted three players from the Indian Navy FT to play for them in the I-League. So, all these teams have done extremely well. The Army Red FT missed out on making it to the quarter-finals."
He also stated that he would hold talks with the newly elected president of the AIFF about plans for next year. Exciting times lie ahead for the football-loving public of India's north east.