Delhi government pulls out, not to support National Football Championship, AIFF steps forward as Delhi all set to host Group-1 matches of Santosh Trophy from December 23

• Five-day matches will be played at Dr. Ambedkar Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Capital
• Host Delhi will play all its matches at Dr. Ambedkar Stadium and its first match will be against Tripura

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: Football Delhi will host Group-1 of the 76th Senior Men’s National Football Championship for the Hero Santosh Trophy. Group-1 matches of this championship will be played from 23 to 31 December at Dr. Ambedkar Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the capital. Apart from host Delhi, a total of six teams including Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Ladakh will compete in Group-1 matches.

All the matches of host Delhi will be held at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium. Delhi will play its first match against Tripura on December 23 from 12:30 pm. This information was given by the Executive President of Delhi Soccer Association (Football Delhi) Sharafatullah at a press conference held at Dr. Ambedkar Stadium here on Monday. Organizing Secretary Rizwan-ul-Haq, Football Delhi General Secretary Akash Narula and Treasurer Liaquat Ali were also present on the occasion.
This time some changes have been made to make the Santosh Trophy attractive, due to which the teams from 36 states have been divided into six groups. The winners and runners-up of each group will qualify for the final round, while Railways, Services and the host team will play directly in the final round.

Sharafatullah during Press conference.

According to Delhi Soccer Association (Football Delhi) working president Sharafatullah, Delhi has staked claim to host the final round. He informed that All India Football Federation (AIFF) is extending full cooperation to Delhi in hosting the tournament. The Delhi government had assured cooperation in the event but suddenly pulled back. In this situation AIFF came forward for the success of the prestigious event.
Organizing Secretary Rizwan-ul-Haq said that after starting the campaign against Tripura, Delhi will play its second match against Ladakh. Three matches will be played on each day in the tournament.

Program of Group-1:

December 23 (Friday) –
Ladakh vs Uttarakhand, 11:30 am, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Tripura vs Delhi, 12:30 PM, Dr. Ambedkar Stadium
Gujarat vs Karnataka, 2:30 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

December 25 (Sunday) –
Uttarakhand vs Karnataka, 11:30 am, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Ladakh vs Delhi, 12:30 PM, Dr. Ambedkar Stadium
Tripura vs Gujarat, 2:30 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

December 27 (Tuesday) –
Ladakh vs Karnataka, 11:30 am, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Delhi vs Gujarat, 12:30 PM, Dr. Ambedkar Stadium
Uttarakhand vs Tripura, 2:30 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

December 29 (Thursday) –
Karnataka vs Tripura, 11:30 am, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Delhi vs Uttarakhand, 12:30 PM, Dr. Ambedkar Stadium
Ladakh vs Gujarat, 2:30 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

December 31 (Saturday) –
Ladakh vs Tripura, 11:30 am, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Karnataka vs Delhi, 12:30 PM, Dr. Ambedkar Stadium
Gujarat vs Uttarakhand, 2:30 PM, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.