Shillong, October 23: A new tournament promises to heighten the excitement of football fans across the Greater Shillong area and farther afield as seasoned giants go up against eager minnows in the inaugural SSA Champions Cup, which is set to light up Polo Ground from next month.
The brainchild of the Shillong Sports Association, the tournament will bring together the winners of the SSA’s five men’s football divisions into one fast-paced and thrilling competition. The 10 eligible teams will be divided into two groups of five and will play each other once, with the top two from each group progressing to the semifinals.
The teams will all be chasing the glory that goes with being the first Champions of Champions as well as the sizeable cash prize of Rs 8 lakh for the winners, which will make it one of the most lucrative football tournaments anywhere in Meghalaya!
Four of the five SSA football leagues have been completed, with only the First Division still ongoing. The Champions Cup will begin once the First Division concludes.
The teams already confirmed are (champions and runners-up respectively) Langsning and Shillong Lajong from the Shillong Premier League, Mylliem Lum and Laitkyrhong from the Second Division, Mawkriah West and Umlyngka from the Third Division and Mawkasiang and Mawlynrei from the U-20 Fourth Division.
The participating teams from the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions are allowed to sign up to five players on loan for this tournament to even out the playing field a little and give the players from the lower divisions a chance to train, play and compete against the state’s best talent.
Even with giants Langsning and Lajong in the mix, the outcome is far from predictable. Competitions like these have a way of producing surprising results – fans will long remember tiny Wigan Athletic’s win in the FA Cup final against Manchester City in 2012-13 and this could very well be the case in the SSA Champions Cup as well.
Entertainment alone is not the SSA’s only motive for holding this tournament. The competition is also expected to provide officials with an understanding of how wide the gap is between the teams in the local football pyramid while also helping selectors/scouts from clubs, the SSA and Meghalaya Football Association identify up and coming players in the lower leagues.
Football fans, though, will want competitive games. The possibility of taking top players on loan will definitely help with that and, coupled with the support of the tremendous fan base that lower division clubs have, the SSA Champions Cup is sure to be an enthralling tournament and a fantastic inclusion in the local football calendar.
