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Delhi FC is delighted that the club has been invited to participate in the 130th edition of the Durand Cup, which will be held from September 5 to October 3 in Kolkata.
The Durand Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia and the third oldest in the world (after the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup). First held in Shimla in 1888, the tournament was initially only competed in by the Indian Army. The winner of the tournament would receive the President’s Cup, Durand Cup as well as The Shimla Trophy. The latter two are rolling trophies, while the former is kept permanently by the winning team. Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) and East Bengal have won the competition 16 times each, making them the most successful teams in the tournament’s history.
The tournament was later moved to Delhi in 1940, before Kolkata hosted the prestigious competition for the first time in 2019.
The Durand Cup had to be canceled last year due to the pandemic, but now, Delhi FC will be one of 16 teams taking part in the historic tournament in the mecca of Indian football. Six ISL teams and three I-League teams will also be competing for the major prize. Delhi FC, along with Bengaluru United FC, will represent the Second Division League of Indian Football in the tournament.
Gokulam Kerala are the defending champions of the tournament, which will be held across three venues – Saltlake Stadium, Mohun Bagan Ground as well as the Kalyani Municipal Stadium.
Delhi FC has been making huge waves in the Indian Football circuit since the takeover by a new entity. The team qualified for the I-League qualifiers in the recently concluded Second Division League – Delhi qualifiers, scoring 25 goals in the process.
On the back of an impressive display, the club is now looking to dominate Indian football, starting with the Durand Cup next month.
The Delhi FC squad boasts a great blend of youth and experience. The youngsters to watch out for will be 20-year old captian Anwar Ali – who was the top-scorer for Delhi FC in the Second Division League – Delhi qualifiers, 17-year old Himanshu Jangra – the striker who delivered seven assists in the recently concluded tournament, and plenty of other shining jewels of Indian football. Anwar Ali senior will also be part of the team, as a player as well as the assistant coach. This is the first time that the two Anwar Ali’s will be seen playing for the same team.
The club has also been very active in the transfer market, making some signings to send a statement to the othet teams. Winger Sergio Barboza and midfielder Dawda Ceesay were both signed before the Second Division League – Delhi qualifiers, and the former I league players retain their place in the team.
More recently, Delhi FC have snapped up the signature of prolific striker Willis Plaza, who was the I-League’s joint top scorer in the 2018-19 season.
The head coach will be Yan Law, who became the youngest head coach in the I-League when he was at the helm of Punjab FC in the 2019-20 I-League campaign. Law has had a prolific run so far, managing the likes of Punjab FC, Aizawl FC in the I-League, as well as Biratnagar FC in Nepal.
