Durand Cup 2021 – 130th Edition to be held in Kolkata

Hello Folks!

In today’s blog we will talk about the world’s third oldest and Asia’s oldest football tournament, the Durand Cup. The tournament is scheduled to be held after one year due to the pandemic. 

Read our blog to know about its history, date, format and other facts.

History

• The Durand Football Tournament, also known as the Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India that began in 1888 in Dagshai (Himachal Pradesh).
• The first team to win the trophy was Royal Scots Fusiliers.
• The tournament is named after Sir Mortimer Durand, British India’s Foreign Secretary from 1884 to 1894. The tournament was a conscious way to initially maintain health and fitness amongst the British troops.
• The Durand Tournament began as a military event, available to all members of the Indian Army, including the British Indian Army, regular Army, and other military groups such as provincial frontier-security regiments and reserve volunteer regiments.
• As World War II broke out, British troops left India, and the tournament was opened to civilian teams in 1940 to maintain the level of competition. Mohammedan Sporting Club of Kolkata became the first civilian team to win the championship at Irwin Amphitheater (now Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium). 
• The Army’s presence has been maintained after independence by the participation of many teams of Indian Armed Forces.

Key Highlights

•  It is hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS).
• The 2021 tournament is scheduled between 05 September to 03 October 2021.
• The All India Football Federation (AIFF), the Indian Football Association (IFA) West Bengal, and the West Bengal government are organizing the 130th edition of the Durand Cup.
• In 2021, 16 teams would be fighting each other for the title. It includes 6 teams from the Indian Super League, 4 armed-forces teams, and 6 teams in the I-league. 
• In 1940 the venue of the tournament was shifted to New Delhi. Then it was shifted from Delhi to Kolkata in 2019.

List of Participating Teams

Successful Teams

For almost 50 years since its commencement, the British teams ruled the Durand Cup. The monopoly was broken by the majestic Mohammedan Sporting team in 1940 when they beat the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2-1. This famous win proved to be the turning point for Indian football.

Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of the Durand Cup winning it sixteen times each.

In 2019, Gokulam Kerala won the title thereby defeating Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the final.

In 2016, Army Green became the most recent Army team to win the competition.

Trophies

Durand Cup is a unique tournament where the champion is given three trophies. 

1. The President’s Cup – it was first presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India. This trophy was given to the winning team permanently.
2. The Durand Cup – in 1965, the Durand Football Tournament Society declared The Durand Cup as a rolling trophy. Since then the winning team keeps the trophy and returns it before the next edition.
3. The Shimla Trophy – Shimla Trophy which was first presented by citizens of Shimla in 1903. Since 1965, it has become a rolling trophy

The champion team takes home prize money of Rs 40 lakh, the runners-up take Rs 20 lakh, while the semi-finalists Rs 5 lakh each.

All India Football Federation

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of association football in India. It is governed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Indian government.

Founded – 23 June 1937

Headquarters – Dwarka, Delhi

President – Praful Patel

Vice President – Subrata Dutta