Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINGAR, Dec 6: Hundreds of enthusiastic football lovers turned up here today to witness a 2nd Division I-League football match played in Kashmir for the first time.
The match between the Valley’s Lone Star Kashmir Football Club (LSKFC) and PIFA, Mumbai, played at TRC Ground, attracted a huge crowd on this dull cloudy afternoon as the stadium was jam-packed with many lovers of the game not able to find seats for themselves.
The opportunity to watch national level, and even international, footballers along with an enthusiasm to support the home team drew hundreds of people – some from other districts of the Valley – to witness the game. However, the enthusiasm dampened after the host team could not stop the opposing team from scoring a goal in the last few minutes of the second-half and the home team had to remain contend with a draw.
“This is for the first time that such a match is being played here. We are getting to watch many national and international-level footballers and it is also the first time that Kashmir is hosting an I-League match,” Muzammil Ahmad, a football enthusiast, who had come from central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district to watch the game, told reporters. He said such matches here provide the youth an opportunity to watch the game closely and develop interest.
We should have more of such events to attract the youth towards the game,” president Jammu and Kashmir Football Association, Zameer A Thakur said as the match was in its last stage.
He said the JKFA is making its efforts to revive the game in the Valley.
Briefing reporters about today’s event, he said 11 clubs were participating in it, with each team playing matches on home and away basis. “The preliminary rounds are being played in the conference system with the teams being divided into Eastern and Western conferences. Top three teams from each conference will qualify for the final round of the 2015-2016 season of 2nd division I-League,” Thakur said.
LSKFC has played four matches so far winning one, losing one and drawing two others including today’s against PIFA.
LSKFC, which belongs to a business house of the Valley, has been fully supported by JKFA and State Sports Council which provided the ground for the team – a criterion for being eligible for the championship.
On the occasion, strict security arrangements were in place with authorities deploying police and paramilitary personnel in and around the ground. However, the match ended on a peaceful note and no untoward incident took place.
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