The Subroto Cup International Football Tournament is the oldest inter-school competition held in the vibrant city of New Delhi. The Subroto Cup’s history dates back to the early 1958 and its inception started in 1960. The Subroto Cup bears the name of illustrious Indian Air Force Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee with the mission of nurturing the sports at the grassroots level across the Nation.

The Subroto Cup Mukherjee stands as the oldest Tournament for inter-school to draw young talents from diverse corners of Asia by allowing students to have competition through inter-school competition. In this article, we started going into detail about the history of the Subroto Cup and we listed the latest school that won the Subroto Cup.

The Journey of Subroto Cup

The Subroto Cup originated in 1958, the name of the Subroto Cup was conceived by the visionary mind of Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, then Chief of the Air Staff. The Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society was established in 1960, following his untimely demise in Tokyo.

The commencement of the Tournament was participated by 50 schools and the journey of The tournament started to gain momentum year by year. The tournament has been divided into two age categories since 1998: the sub-junior (under 14 years) and Junior (under 17 years). Now the tournament has included the girls into the campaign.

Structure of the Tournament.

The tournament was jointly organised by the  Indian Air Force in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. While its early days saw the Durand football tournament committee at the helm, the Air Force Sports Control Board took the reins in 1994 and has continued to steer the course since then.

The tournament’s structure was started in the preliminary inter-school contests from various levels: sub-division, district, and division, and inter-school at the state level. The Champion at the state level paved the way to the pinnacle—the main Subroto Cup Tournament held in Delhi.

The Spirit of the Game:

The Subroto Cup was a grassroots level Tournament. The Tournament has been outlined accordingly with FIFA, as embraced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Services Sports Control Board. Each league match extends for 30 minutes per half, with a 10-minute interval. In the event of a draw during knockout encounters, an extra time of 7 minutes per half, with a 1-minute pause, is granted. If both the teams still draw then the match will be decided by penalty shootout.

Where the Tournament was held?

The Tournament was held in the vibrant embrace of New Delhi, the Subroto Cup finds.

1. Ambedkar Stadium

2. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

3. Tejas Football Ground (Race Course)

4. Subroto Park

Global Competition

The Subroto Cup has reached the peak of competition as the tournament started drawing schools from across the globe. The Competition is becoming more competitive. In the last few years, we have seen schools abroad such as Brazil, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and more. In the year 1993, Uzbekistan’s Special Sports School became the first foreign team to clinch the final of the Tournament.

Guests and Unforgettable Moments:

As the year comes, the Subroto Cup has become wider as the Tournament has invited the school from abroad. The tournament is no longer limited to India. If we can recall back in 2015, the championship welcomed teams from Afghanistan for the first time, bringing both boys and girls to partake. A touch of football royalty graced the 56th edition as Brazilian legend Pele, after a hiatus of 38 years, took centre stage as the chief guest. The legacy continued in 2016 with icons Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos headlining the 57th edition.

The Santosh Trophy:

Are you excited about Indian football? If you are ? Then let’s start from the grassroots level to the professional leagues of Indian football. Whether you are the passion fans, the challenges the sport faces, or the moments of triumph on the field, Indian football has a story that’s waiting to be told. 

Introducing the prestigious Hero National Football Championship, affectionately known as the Santosh Trophy. As the most anticipated state-level national football competition, this tournament brings together the finest talents from state associations and government institutions under the benevolent guidance of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), India’s revered football governing body.

🌟 History of Santosh Trophy 🌟

The Santosh Trophy is the state-level championship Football Tournament in India. The Tournament involves the participation of various state associations and government institutions under the supervision of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

It is holds the most historically significant and the foremost domestic honour in the country before the inception of the National Football League in 1966. In 1990, the All India Football Federation transformed the Tournament into an under-23 championship. In the span of 3 seasons, again it changed into senior champion.

Santosh Trophy is marked as an honour to Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhury, the Maharaja of Santosh, who had previously held the position of IFA president and passed away in 1939. The History behind the emergence of the Tournament started in 194, when the Indian Football Association (IFA), which was the de facto governing body for football in India at that time, established the tournament.

🔥 Structure of the Tournament🔥

The Santosh Trophy Tournament was organised every year, as the team from across the country was divided into distinct zones. Each zone has to play in their respective zone and the qualify in zone round will be spotted in the main Tournament. Only the team that went through the main Tournament is crowned as the championship.

🏅 Current Champions.🏅

In the historic twist of fate, Karnataka was crowned as the Champion of Tournament in the 2022-23 as the team defeated Meghalaya by 3 -2 goals. Karnataka won the first title under the Hero National Football Championship banner after 54 years. The last title was won in 1968-69.

🏆 Santosh Trophy Honour 🏆

The champion of the Tournament was crowned with the Championship Cup. The runner-up was honoured with the Kamala Gupta Trophy, a symbol of dedication and perseverance, named after Dr. S.K. Gupta’s beloved wife.

The third-place honour, the Sampangi Cup, stands as a tribute to the legacy of footballer Sampangi, an embodiment of Karnataka’s passion for the sport.

Frequently Ask Question

Question:1 Where is Santosh Trophy 2023?

Answer: The Santosh Trophy 2022-23 was held in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.

Question: 2 Who is the winner of Santosh Trophy 2023?

Answer: Meghalaya and Karnataka reached the final of the Match but Karnataka triumphed over Meghalaya by 3-2 in margin and were crowned as the champions

Question: 3 Which is the biggest football trophy in India?

Answer: Well, the Indian Super League became the biggest trophy in India after the Indian Super League was founded in 2013.

Question: 4 Who named Santosh Trophy?

Answer: The Santosh trophy was named after the former president of the Indian Football Association Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhury.

Question: 5 How many times has Kerala won the Santosh Trophy?

Answer: So far, Kerala has won 7 (seven) Trophies.

Question: 6. How many times has Bengal won the Santosh Trophy?

Answer: West Bengal has won 32 titles from 46 appearances.

Question: 7 Has Meghalaya won the Santosh Trophy?

Answer: Meghalaya was not yet to open an account. Meghalaya has reached the final for the first time in 2022-23.

The Durand Cup is one of the oldest Football Tournament in India. The Durand Football Tournament is known as the Durand Cup which is organized once a year. The Durand Cup dates back to 1888 in Shimla, the tournament was first started during the British Raj.

The Tournament continues to be organized even, though India became Independent in 1947. In recent years, there are some changes have been made that the Durand Cup which is jointly organized by India’s armed Forces and the government of West Bengal.

We will go into detail, about the evolution of the Durand Cup and why this Cup was organized. All the answers you will know if you continue to read the entire article.

 History of the Durand Cup

The name of the Durand Cup was credited to Sir Henry Mortimer Durand. In the year 1888, he had a vision of the importance of sports in promoting health and decided to establish a football tournament to encourage sporting competition in India.

The Durand Cup was marked the Birthday of Sir Henry Mortimer Durand. During that time, the Tournament was started by organizing football in various departments and Regiment of India army and included in the princely states.

Over time, the tournament was changed and the National Clubs and some were invited from various sections of the Indian Armed Forces and even abroad.

British Raj Era

During the British Raj era, the tournament was limited only to British Armed Forces and Indian Army. They are very excited to play football and even the hockey field has turned into a football field. The popularity of Football gradually grew at that time.

The early match was played in Dagshai, near Shimla, India, which witnessed the match between military and civilian Team. In 1940, the Tournament was shifted to Delhi and the Tournament changed a lot as the civilian Team could participate in the Tournament. The first ever Civilian Club was the Mohammedan who became the first Club to lead the title.

 Post-Independence

After India gained independence in 1947, the Durand Cup made a significant transition as the Tournament decided to move to Pakistan but there was resistance to the movement resulting in the Tournament as an integral part of Indian football.

The Durand Football Tournament Society has taken of hosting the tournament with the Indian Armed Forces Clubs. From those years, we could witness only the exchange of trophies between the prominent like East Bengal Club, Mohun Bagan AC, and more.

 Evolution of the Tournament Format

The Durand Cup has changed the format from year to year. As of now the match format started from the Group stage and was followed up by knockout Matches. The Tournament has the number of Team of 24 teams in the group-stage round and the maximum of players is 30 in each team.

The top Team from the group stage will progress to the knockout stage till the final. But in the case of Durand Cup 2023, there is a first leg and a second leg in the semi-final.

 Trophies and Recognition

 1. Durand Cup (The Masterpiece): The original tournament trophy, which has been a rolling trophy since 1965.

 2. Shimla Trophy (The Artistry): Donated by Shimla’s

residents in 1904, this trophy showcases their passion for the tournament. It has been awarded on a rolling basis since 1965.

 3. President’s Cup (The Pride): Introduced post-independence, this rolling trophy replaced the Viceroy’s Trophy. It was presented by the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

 Conclusion

The journey of the Durand Cup has started a long time back in Shima. The Tournament was involved in the military tournament only and slowly and gradually the tournament broadened by allowing civilian Clubs to participate in the tournament.

As of now the tournament has become popular in India as the National Clubs who are prominent playing in Indian Super League and I league are included. The Tournament is not limited only to India as the tournament is open for abroad Teams to participate. Durand Cup somehow it is an international Cup.

 Frequently Asked Questions

 1. When was the first Durand Cup held? 

Answer: The first Durand Cup was held in Shimla, India in 1888.

3. How has the tournament changed in recent years? 

Answer: The Durand Cup tournament has expanded to include both military and civilian teams. Recently, the format has changed as the tournament included round-robin and knockout stages.

 4. Who can participate in the Durand Cup? 

Answer: The Tournament is open to National clubs and there are guest invitee teams from the Indian Armed Forces and abroad.

 5. What are the three trophies awarded to the winners? 

Answer: The winners are presented with the Durand Cup, the Shimla Trophy, and the President’s Cup.

Kylian Mbappe Transfer rumours.

Paris Saint Germain tried to sell his best striker, Kylian Mbappe to Al Hilal Saudi giants for £ 259 million, but he rejected the offers, if he accepted the offers he could the world record transfer. What will cost for Kylian Mbappe transfer?

Kyllian Mbappe transferred under uncertainty as he could not decide whether he would leave Paris Saint Germain or he would move to another giant club in the world. A young player in France and a World World Cup winner has been targeted by Giant Club with a huge amount of transfer bait as the PSG doesn’t want him to transfer to another club.

The rumour came on this day, as Real Madrid and Manchester United wanted to sign Mbappe but both clubs could not conclude the talk. The rumour put the fans in the dark as Mbappe also rejected resigning from PSG. Kylian Mbappe transfer is not clear, if he doesn’t want to continue with PSG, he might join Real Madrid or Manchester United in the summer. 

Real Madrid‘s Persistent Interest

Real Madrid showing its Interest in bringing Kylian Mbappe to Madrid and signing of Kylian Mbappe is the top priority. Throughout the summer transfer window tried to talk with PSG, but did not show any positive results. With the allure of Madrid giant Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint Germain wanted to sign him in a long-term contract but he rejected the extension of the contract with Paris Saint Germain.

He could be transferred next summer under a free agent. A rumour came out that it seems the contract between Kylian Mbappe was already placed but it just added complexity to the situation. Kylian Mbappe transfer can be decided next summer, as of now he is playing with Paris Saint Germain.

PSG’s Contract Conundrum

The allure of the Spanish Giant to Kylian Mbappe had ruined and disputed the contract between Paris Saint Germain and Mbappe. Kylian Mbappe transfer has been put into uncertainty, despite his return to Paris Saint Germain. Paris Saint Germain.

It seems the fans of Paris Saint Germain didn’t want Mbappe to exit from the French Club so the fans reacted against the move of Mbappe which could be the critical impact on the club. This is the biggest decision for Mbappe whether he leaves PSG or not in the next summer transfer.

Real Madrid’s Perspective

Real Madrid had a major setback to the Club, following the departure of Karim Benzema and injury put the club in danger as they have to believe in the current squad’s capabilities.

This is the main reason that Real Madrid wanted to sign Mbappe. Signing a player like Mbappe is the top priority for Real Madrid as the club has suffered a lot of setbacks. But whether Mbappe comes to Real Madrid or not, it becomes a hot topic.

PSG’s Response on Kylian Mbappe Transfer

The president of Paris Saint Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi wanted to keep Mbappe to the club. The club could leave the best player in the world to leave the club in the free transfer window. Paris Saint Germain wanted Mbappe to remain in the club as he was the best player in the world and can strengthen the team.

If the PSG allowed Mpappe to move in as a free transfer agent, Real Madrid would sign him and at the same time, Manchester United also target Signing him.

Conclusion of Kylian Mbappe Transfer.

As the football world watches and speculates, the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga unfolds as a compelling narrative. His talented player, young and skillful, had attracted the world giant Club with a huge amount of transfer.

Real Madrid and PSG are standing firm to signing Kylian Mbappe but whether he will stay in PSG or not as of now he already rejected the extension of the contract with PSG. If he could not change his mind, possibility for him to join Real Madrid in the next summer transfer window.

Fans are left to anticipate how this high-stakes drama will play out – whether it culminates in a move to the historic halls of Real Madrid or sees Mbappe continuing to leave his mark on PSG.