The nineteenth edition of the Guru Tegh Bahadur Football Tournament kicked off at the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) ground on Wednesday. The tournament, which promised the presence of 63 teams, are still waiting for the final number after a few teams failed to pay the entry fees of the tournament.
Organised and hosted by the former Pune District Football Association (PDFA) president Sukhinder Singh Ahluwalia, the tournament features divisional teams who play under the PDFA. While the local football clubs still await the commencement of the Pune Football League, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Football Tournament becomes the first divisional football tournament to commence this year.
Sukhinder Singh Ahluwalia, who came to the opening day of the tournament on a wheelchair mentioned that he was extremely passionate about the game of football and wanted to give the young players of Pune a platform and an opportunity to rise in this field. Ahluwalia provided further information about the tournament and its history to Oumar Aga in an interview. Excerpts.
What was your intent when you came up with the idea of this tournament?
I always wanted to start a league of my own. I love football and by starting my own league, I wanted the players to embrace a better quality of local football. PDFA will organise tournaments, but they will not provide anything for the players. Here, at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Football Tournament, we ensure that the players are comfortable and well fed. We make sure they have all the facilities they require. In this edition, for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, we are planning to host a langar for all the players, coaches and match officials.
{{/usCountry}}I always wanted to start a league of my own. I love football and by starting my own league, I wanted the players to embrace a better quality of local football. PDFA will organise tournaments, but they will not provide anything for the players. Here, at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Football Tournament, we ensure that the players are comfortable and well fed. We make sure they have all the facilities they require. In this edition, for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, we are planning to host a langar for all the players, coaches and match officials.
{{/usCountry}}Apart from that, we are extremely strict with the schedule. If any team fails to arrive before or at the reporting time, they will be disqualified from the tournament, and their opponents will earn a walkover. If anyone fails to comply with the rules and regulations of the tournament, they will be disqualified and banned from participating in this tournament for three years. So, the intent was to treat all the teams and players equally, provide them with proper nourishment and ensure that they follow protocol and are meticulous regarding punctuality.
Was the tournament always hosted at the COEP ground?
We have moved around alot in this city, hosting this tournament at various venues. We started at the Ghorpadi ground, where the Army buildings have come up now. From there we moved to Khadki, where we played at the CAFVD ground on a few occasions. After operations shut down on those grounds, five years ago, that is when I approached COEP and told them about this tournament. Thankfully, my effort was appreciated and COEP, who usually do not allow anyone to use their ground, granted me permission to conduct all the forthcoming editions of the tournament on this ground. Even Vishwajit Kadam was denied permission to use the ground for a tournament. This is the fifth consecutive year in which the Guru Tegh Bahadur Football Tournament is being held at the COEP ground.
Is this Pune’s longest running football tournament?
This tournament has been happening for nineteen consecutive years. I do not think there is any other local football tournament in Pune or even Maharashtra which has lasted this long. We not only host a tournament, but also ensure that we pass on a message of unity and equality amongst all our participants. We stand against casteism and everyone should know that they are here for one purpose only and that is to play the beautiful game. You cannot find any other tournament where the teams and players are respected and treated well.
How many teams are participating in the tournament?
We are still waiting for a final number because there are a few teams who are yet to pay the tournament entry fee, while there are other teams which are participating in some other competitions. On matchday two, we will have the confirmed number of teams participating in the tournament.
How many categories are there in the tournament?
The tournament has been divided into three categories - senior boys, junior boys and girls. The senior boys will include clubs from PDFA’s Super Division and First Division, while the junior boys category will include teams from the second and third divisions. The girls category will remain open to all. The teams from the Super Division will play amongst themselves in a knock-out format. The winner of that group will take on the winner of the First Division, who will also follow the same format. The junior category will follow the same format. Since there are no further groups in the girls category, the winner of the knock-out round will be the winner of the tournament.
Player speak:
“Compared to other tournaments, we are treated really well here. The kind of respect the organisers give us is, sadly, absent in every other local football tournament in Pune. You go to any club or any player who is a part of this tournament and they will say the same thing. Meanwhile, PDFA’s behaviour has been simply appalling. They have promised so many things and have not delivered anything on time. Even if something happens, the condition of the Dobarwadi ground is horrendous. Sukhinder Singh Ahluwalia, who is injured and has been dispatched from the hospital just yesterday, and is on a wheelchair, has still attended the first matchday of the tournament, and I think that says a lot about it. If you have an organiser who is as passionate as him about football, the tournament is bound to be a success.”
- Mohamed Ali Shaikh, coach, Dastur Meher Road (DMR) FC.
Results - Matchday 1:
DMR FC 3 (Mustakesh Darwama 45’, Adnan Shaikh 56’, Rohit Kunwar 58’) bt Golden Feathers FC 1 (Gansham Dolas 59’)
SKF 4 (Abhishek Pal 11’ & 19’, Krishna Durga 38’, Tushar Durga 59’) bt Friends XI 0
Sai FC 0(4) bt Islander FC 0(3) (Penalties)
Infant FC 2 (Arvind Pille 12’, Raju Warware 18’) bt 1 CMS Falcon (Akhil Nayar 50’)