Minutes ahead of the first game of the 30th All India Governor's Gold Cup, Goal.com managed to catch up with the President of the Sikkim FA, Mr. Tempo Bhutia, for a quick word...
With the 30th All India Governor's Gold Cup minutes away, the man who has probably worked the most for it throughout the year, Mr.Tempo Bhutia, looked as animated and excited as ever.
"We work hard for this tournament all year, and more importantly, all of Sikkim waits for this event, so we're all looking forward to it." The tournament kicks off without any I-League club, a problem which is yet to be dealt with by the organizers, but the President doesn't think it will affect the overall success of the event. "I'm expecting the tournament to be a big success agaiin, big names or no big names. The local people love to see good competition, and the sides that are playing in the cup are all comptetitive and closely matched. I think there'll be a lot of exciting football on show."
In fact, the Sikkim FA has decided to start another tournament in the month of April next year onwards, in order to make up for the loss of the big sides at this event, by inviting at least 3-4 of them during the spring. Also, a national level women's tournament will take place next year, after which they plan to go international, a first of its kind in the country.
Set in the beautiful hilly terrain of Sikkim, the Paljor Stadium has a buzz all around it, and looks full of colour, all set to host the knock out event. Mr. Bhutia points out that the event is strategically placed in the month of October. "We host the event between the Pujas and Diwali, so that the festive mood infects the tournament, making it a bigger success, and making the locals enjoy it more."
So where's the other Bhutia (I mean Baichung)? "Baichung is in his village at the moment, but his club is taking part in the competition. He's helped as usual by attracting a number of his fans to the event, which is a huge plus for us."
In fact, the first match today at 2.15pm sees the Indian skipper's club, United Sikkim SC, take on Simla Youngs from Delhi.
Any predictions? "It's going to be tough to predict these games, because like I said, they're all evenly matched. We all know who the crowd is rooting for, though!"
"Well said!", I say to him, as the cheers get a litle too loud for me to hear anything else!
Source:Goal.com
With the 30th All India Governor's Gold Cup minutes away, the man who has probably worked the most for it throughout the year, Mr.Tempo Bhutia, looked as animated and excited as ever.
"We work hard for this tournament all year, and more importantly, all of Sikkim waits for this event, so we're all looking forward to it." The tournament kicks off without any I-League club, a problem which is yet to be dealt with by the organizers, but the President doesn't think it will affect the overall success of the event. "I'm expecting the tournament to be a big success agaiin, big names or no big names. The local people love to see good competition, and the sides that are playing in the cup are all comptetitive and closely matched. I think there'll be a lot of exciting football on show."
In fact, the Sikkim FA has decided to start another tournament in the month of April next year onwards, in order to make up for the loss of the big sides at this event, by inviting at least 3-4 of them during the spring. Also, a national level women's tournament will take place next year, after which they plan to go international, a first of its kind in the country.
Set in the beautiful hilly terrain of Sikkim, the Paljor Stadium has a buzz all around it, and looks full of colour, all set to host the knock out event. Mr. Bhutia points out that the event is strategically placed in the month of October. "We host the event between the Pujas and Diwali, so that the festive mood infects the tournament, making it a bigger success, and making the locals enjoy it more."
So where's the other Bhutia (I mean Baichung)? "Baichung is in his village at the moment, but his club is taking part in the competition. He's helped as usual by attracting a number of his fans to the event, which is a huge plus for us."
In fact, the first match today at 2.15pm sees the Indian skipper's club, United Sikkim SC, take on Simla Youngs from Delhi.
Any predictions? "It's going to be tough to predict these games, because like I said, they're all evenly matched. We all know who the crowd is rooting for, though!"
"Well said!", I say to him, as the cheers get a litle too loud for me to hear anything else!
Source:Goal.com
