CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, March 1: The 6th edition of Shankar Vijay Memorial Football Tournament is currently being held in Ranchi where many local and National Footballers are participating. The matches are being held at Kusai Bara ground at Ghaghra, Namkum.
Shankar and Vijay were the budding young referees from Jharkhand who qualified the National Referee Exams in 2017. However, they both died in a road accident the same year. The tournament is held every year in their memory.
Manish Mundri, one of the players from Chandigarh who is a part of Raunak Sporting from Bara Ghagra said that the tournament is good exposure for beginner players as it will give them a chance to play with some prominent faces.
“The matches being played here are a good chance for local talents to participate and play alongside some of the famous I-League players. It is going to improve their game,” he said.
Some of the prominent players to participate in the tournament are Subodh Kumar from Ranchi, who has earlier represented India and East Bengal along with Pemba Rai from Bhutan, Amar Chakraborty from Bengal and Deepak Kachhap who plays for Railways.
Speaking to Lagatar24.com, Prabhakar Pandey, one of the organising members discussed how the tournament is beneficial for the young budding footballers. “The matches are played under the supervision of referees who are a part of the Chotanagpur Referees Association. Therefore, college and district level players who participate in this tournament are being watched by them and hence it becomes like a selection trial as well. Many players who have played in the earlier editions have gone on to play for Railways and State teams,” he quoted.
A total of 16 teams from Ranchi are participating in the event. The teams are divided into 2 groups of 8 each. The Final will be played on March 6.
