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Our Correspondent
IMPHAL, Aug 17 (EMN): Manipur is all set to host 10 historic league matches of the 131st Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest football tournament at Khuman Lampak main stadium in Imphal from August 18 to September 5.
The first league match of the first-ever Manipur edition of the tourney will be played out between two giant clubs of Manipur- North-Eastern Re-organising Cultural Association (NEROCA) FC and Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC at 6pm on Thursday.
Union Defence minister, Rajnath Singh, along with the Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Pande will be arriving Imphal on Thursday to attend the opening match of the tournament along with the chief minister N Biren Singh, a former Durand Cup footballer turned politician.
Earlier, Biren Singh accompanied by minister Govindas Konthoujam and general officer commanding 57th Mountain Division, major general Navin Sachdeva, inspected the preparation at Khuman Lampak main stadium.
Meanwhile, a long queue was seen in front of the Khuman Lampak ticket counter with football fans jostling to buy tickets for the opening match.
It may be noted that the 131st edition of Durand Cup will be played at five venues - Khuman Lampak Stadium (Imphal), Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (Guwahati), Naihati Stadium (Naihati), Kishore Bharati Krirangan and Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Kolkata).
Altogether 20 teams, including defending champions FC Goa and runners-up Mohammedan Sporting, 11 teams from the Indian Super League, four Services teams, NEROA FC, TRAU FC, SUDEVA FC of Delhi and Rajasthan United FC will play in this edition of the Durand Cup.