After 57 years, Santosh Trophy returns to Hyderabad

Hyderabad is all set to host the final round of the 78th Senior National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy, kicking off on Saturday. This marks the return of the prestigious tournament to the City of Pearls after 57 years, with the last edition hosted in 1966-67.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad is all set to host the final round of the 78th Senior National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy, kicking off on Saturday. This marks the return of the prestigious tournament to the City of Pearls after 57 years, with the last edition hosted in 1966-67.

The tournament will feature 12 teams, including the nine group stage winners, last season’s finalists (Services and Goa), and hosts Telangana. Divided into two groups of six, the top four teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for December 26 and 27. The Deccan Arena will host all matches leading up to the quarterfinals. The semifinals and the final will be played at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium on December 29 and 31, respectively.

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Historic contenders

West Bengal, the record 32-time champions, will aim to clinch their first title since the 2016-17 season. Defending champions Services, with seven titles, including six in the last 11 seasons, are also strong contenders. Jammu and Kashmir have qualified for the final round for the first time since 2015-16.

Telangana’s preparations

Telangana Football Association (TFA) general secretary GP Palguna expressed confidence in the state’s readiness to host the tournament. “Preparation is good, and in our recent annual general body meeting, we had fruitful discussions with all members regarding the event,” Palguna said.

He credited TFA chairman KT Mahhe and Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for their efforts in enhancing football infrastructure. “Hyderabad recently hosted international matches, including the Intercontinental Cup and a FIFA friendly. The chief minister, a football enthusiast himself, has also pledged to dedicate LB Stadium’s facilities to football. We are looking to host more international matches next year (2025), and also focusing on hosting women’s football team matches. Since we have state player Soumya Guguloth, a prominent player in the national team, we are eyeing women’s matches too,” he added.

Telangana’s campaign

Telangana will begin their campaign against Rajasthan on Saturday at the Deccan Arena. Open trials for team selection saw over 400 participants statewide. Camps were held at various venues, including Gymkhana Ground and Sreenidi Deccan’s facilities in Aziznagar. “We started the camp three months back, and after rigorous evaluation, finalised a 22-member squad with a focus on players born and raised in Telangana,” Palguna concluded.

Shabbir, Victor named observers

Former India captains Shabbir Ali and Victor Amalraj have been appointed as observers by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the championship.

Groups for final round: Group A: Services, West Bengal, Manipur, Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan; Group B: Goa, Delhi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Meghalaya.