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Federation Cup Football Tournament begins today |
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August 12, 2000
Dhaka (UNB) – The season's curtain raiser football meet, the 16th Federation Cup Football Tournament, begins today at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Arambagh KS will face Wari Club in the inaugural match at 4pm while Farashganj SC takes on the Muslim Institute in another opening day match at the same venue at 6pm. Food Minister Amir Hossain Amu will inaugurate the meet while State Minister for Youth, Sports and Cultural Affairs Obaidul Quader attend as special guest. The organizers are yet to secure any sponsor for the tournament but Bangladesh Football Federation General Secretary Harunur Rashid at the press briefing today expressed his optimism to get it within a couple of days. Tournament chairman Manwar Hossain Chowdhury and general secretary Moazzem Hossain also spoke on the occasion. A total TK 840,000 budget has been made for the tournament, including prize monies, where the champion team will get Tk 1 lakh and runners-up Tk 75,000. The BFF general secretary said state-run Bangladesh Television has shown interest to telecast live the round robin league matches, beginning from next Friday while they also talk with Ekusay Television. The tournament committee decided that the football lovers will be able to witness the first round matches without tickets while rate of tickets for the round robin matches was announced. Price of tickets for the round robin league matches: East Gallery- TK 15, West Gallery- Tk 20 and VIP (2/3)- Tk 30, Semi finals- East Gallery-Tk 20, West Gallery- Tk 25 and VIP- TK 40, Final- East Gallery- Tk 25, West Gallery- Tk 30 and VIP- Tk 50. Every team would be allowed to play three foreign players out of four and the team can change a foreign player against another foreign one. On the second day (Sunday) of the tournament, Victoria SC will meet BRTC SC at 4pm while Dhanmondi Club will face Prantik KC at 6pm, at the same venue. Seventeen teams, split into four groups, are competing in the first phase of the knockout basis tournament to be played both at Bangabandhu National Stadium and Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Participating teams: Group A - Arambagh KS, Wari Club, BRTC SC and Victoria SC. Group B - Farashganj SC, the Muslim Institute, Dhanmondi Club and Prantik KC. Group C - Brothers Union, PWD SC, Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool and Shantinagar Club. Group D - Rahmatganj MFS, Sadharan Bima, Mirpur Chalantika KC, Agrani Bank and Bangladesh Army. The four group champions along with the semi-finalists of last tournament - Abahani Limited, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, Badda Jagarani Sangsad and Mohammedan SC - will play in the eight-team round robin league at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. On the opening day of the round robin league, last tourney's 3rd ranked Badda Jagarani Sangsad will play Group A champions at 4pm while holders Abahani Limited will face the Group C champions at 6pm. The two semi-finals will be held on Aug 25 at 4pm and second 6pm while the final is scheduled for 6pm on Aug 27. |