After a 15-year slumber, Tamil Nadu Football Association Shield is all set for revival on Friday, thus bolstering the rather rusty scene of football in the city. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium would host the 10-day football tournament which features 16 teams from all over the country.
This year’s edition, sponsored by the All India Malayalees Association, would see six outstation teams competing for the title —RCF Kapurthala, Southern United Bangalore, KSEB, Kerala Police, Football Academy Namthang (Sikkim) and Pune U-19. Local sides include Chennai Customs, AGORC, ICF, Indian Bank, Southern Railway, SAI and TN Police. Tiruchirapalli DFA and Thiruvellore DFA are the only clubs from the districts while members of the Tamil Nadu squad that reached the finals of this year’s Santosh Trophy comprise the President’s XI team.
Defending Chennai Football Association senior division champions Chennai Customs take on Tiruchirapalli DFA in the opening fixture of the tournament, followed by RCF Kapurthala clash with Punjab. An efficient team, Customs wouldn’t have any qualms whatsoever against Tiruchirapalli and the contest would be more of an opportunity to get back into their groove since they haven’t played in any significant tournament since the league that concluded in April. However, they can’t afford to be complacent as a lone bad day would send them out of the tournament, played in the knockout format.
Local sides AGORC and ICF, too, would fancy their chances but they would have to fare well against outstation teams, the prominent ones include Football Academy Namthang and Pune U-19. Both teams have exciting youngsters in the squad and are expected to thrill spectators. Also to watch out for are the Kerala-based sides KSEB and Kerala Police.
The yesteryear powerhouses had fallen wayside of late and are going through a rebuilding phase. The Police were dysfunctional for almost a decade before being resurrected last year. KSEB’s had been more of a peripheral existence in Kerala football.
All the same, there is a pervading grouse that more teams from the districts should have been included. The winners will take home `1 lakh while the runner-up fetch `75,000.
