“The Indian footballers celebrate the Durand Cup as a “Festival” every year” – Dipendu Biswas

Kolkata, August 05, 2024: The 133rd edition of the Durand Cup has commenced from the 27th of July in India’s football capital of Kolkata, the home to the first Indian club to lift the trophy Mohammedan Sporting Club and the two clubs with highest number of Durand trophies – Mohun Bagan (17) and East Bengal (16).

All 43 matches of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten2 HD) as well as livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform

Mohammedan SC last won the Durand Cup in 2013 and finished as a runner-up in the year 2021 losing out the FC Goa. Mohammedan SC won the I-League 2023-24 and have become the only second team ever to get promoted to the Indian Super League. Football SecretaryDipendu Biswas, who scored against city rival Mohun Bagan in the 1996 semi-final of the Durand Cup is excited to see the Durand Cup being hosted by football loving cities of Shillong and Jamshedpur.

“Shillong and Jamshedpur are known as football house; as a football secretary as well as the manager of Mohemmedan SC, we won our first I-League in Shillong and in Jamshedpur, I had the opportunity to play for five years in the Tata Football Academy. So, I know how much they support football from their heart,” he said while describing the love for football in the new host cities of the prestigious Durand Cup.  

For the second year running, 24 teams are competing in the tournament which now acts as the season opener of Indian Football.  “There will be a big challenge coming in from the ISL, I-League and the Armed Forces’ teams. As it is a season opener, most of the teams will try to see their squad depth and field reserve players. This will allow us to see a lot of new faces, and which will add as a boost for all the players,” Dipendu said. 

“The Durand cup being one of the oldest and prestigious tournaments is a great platform for young players. I also got precious experience during my playing career and was fortunate enough to play two semi-finals. Scoring against big clubs like Mohun Bagan in the Durand Cup helped me get into the limelight of Indian Football,” Biswas further added.

Dipendu Biswas then went on to speak about the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup celebrating 25 years of Kargil Vijay Diwas and said, “The Durand Cup is an Armed Forces’ tournament and with this year’s special occasion the atmosphere will be much more electrifying, and we all will be high on emotions. The Indian footballers celebrate the Durand Cup as a “Festival” every year and we wait for this tournament to show our best.”

ABOUT DURAND CUP

A symbol of India’s football history and culture, the Durand Cup is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest football tournament. Organised by the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the Durand Cup has been the breeding ground for India’s best footballing talent, over the years.

The inaugural edition happened in Shimla in 1888 and then the tournament moved to New Delhi in 1940, where it was held till 2016. In 2019, the tournament came under the aegis of the Eastern Command and moved to the eastern part of the country, with Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football and the Eastern Command Headquarters, being the home base. What makes the Durand Cup even more unique is that the winners get three trophies, two rotating (Durand Cup and Shimla Trophy) and one for permanent keep (President’s Cup).

As we embark on this exciting journey over the coming weeks, let us celebrate the beautiful game of football, honour the traditions of the Durand Cup, and look forward to witnessing moments of brilliance that will be etched in our memories forever.