Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, July 16: With 19 teams in fray, the first edition of ‘Summer Soccer Tournament’ organised by Kuto FC got underway at Showuba local ground, Niuland subdivision in Dimapur on Tuesday, July 16. Kuto is a contraction of Kuhuboto and Ato, two Sumi areas in the vicinity of Niuland.
The winner of the final match, scheduled to be played on July 24, will walk away with a cash prize of INR 50,000. The finalist stands to win INR 30,000.
The opening session of the tournament on Tuesday morning had the Senior Superintendent of Taxes Nitoli Sema as the guest of honour.
In her brief address to the participants, Sema persuaded them ‘chase their dreams’ in spite of all the hurdles and bumps in the road.
She said that Naga society still considers sport as secondary because ‘so much stress is given on securing government jobs.’
According to her, sport is one arena where young Naga talents could be exploited and promoted. She urged the participants to pursue sport ‘seriously.’
The opening game of the tournament, played between Naga United village and Vihokhu village, ended in a goalless draw.