GUWAHATI, Sept 17 - Gone are the days when the Bordoloi Trophy Football Tournament used to draw huge crowds. Today it does not wear the same look as it did three to four decades back.
But just for the sake of formality, the Guwahati Sports Association (GSA) has to organise the tournament every year to follow the historic legacy of the tournament.
GSA president Munin Nobis, secretary Dhruba Jyoti Kalita, vice president Bhola Boro and football secretary L Pranab Singh today officially announced in a press conference that the 66th edition of the Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy will be held from September 20 with only eight teams, including five local outfits. The final is on October 2.
The teams will be clubbed in two groups � (A) Oil India FC, Duliajan; Navajyoti Club; FC Green Valley and Daimalu FC, Udalguri; (B) ARC Shillong; ASEB SC; Sunrise AC and Gauhati Town Club (GTC).
Nobis said they are going to host the tournament with an ambition to bring back its past glory which disappeared during the 1980s, banking on funds that will include Rs 20 lakh to be provided by the State Government and some corporate houses. �We are leaving no stones unturned to bring back the past glory and popularity of the tournament. But there are so many reasons due to which it is becoming virtually impossible to achieve our goal. To invite a big club from Kolkata we have to spend Rs 8 to 10 lakh which is not feasible considering the present financial condition of the GSA. So we have to confined to local teams,� Nobis said.
Sonapur will host six group league matches while nine matches, including two semifinals and the final are slated to be held at the Nehru Stadium here. The semifinals and the final will be played under floodlights. The champion team will be presented Rs 2 lakh while the runners-up team will walk away with Rs 1 lakh. GTC will take on ASEB in the inaugural match at the Nehru Stadium on September 20 while at Sonapur Oil India will square off against FC Green Valley on September 21.
