Football Fan Runs 48KM For Opening Match Of Durand Cup, Watches Game From VIP Box

A football fan's dream to watch the Durand Cup came through in a way he had absolutely not expected. The fan sat in the VIP Box for a match and even had an opportunity to interact with players, courtesy an officer of the Indian Army. The Durand cup has a wide appeal for the citizens of Northeast India and this year for the first time Opening ceremony was held at Kokrajhar, Assam. A number of Durand Cup Tournament 2023 matches will also be held at SAI stadium Kokrajhar.

As a testament to the die-hard Football spirit of the local fans, one individual Jadav Rai was seen running from Abhayapuri to Kokrajhar covering a distance of 48 kms to witness the opening match at Kokrajhar. Unfortunately, since he was not in possession of a ticket and the stadium was fully packed, he was denied entry to the match.

It was then that his luck shone and an Army Officer at the SAI stadium, Kokrajhar came to know of his tremendous feat. Local Army authorities gave the respect due to his sporting spirit by providing him a VIP pass for match on 07 Aug and even introduced him to the football team members. Even the team members were amazed at the resilience shown by Jadav and were glad to meet him.

With such sporting enthusiast in our country, Durand Cup Tournament will definitely continue to bring the best in all of us, an officer of the Indian Army said. The tournament is witnessing the participation of 24 teams, including those from Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

The 132nd edition of the world's third-oldest tournament, organised by the Army, had its first match in Guwahati on August 4, with Kokrajhar (Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya) and Kolkata (West Bengal) as the other venues.

Assam is hosting the tournament for the second consecutive time,