Bengal take on Punjab in opener as Santosh Trophy returns after two years

Malappuram (Kerala), April 15 (IANS) The 75th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy is set to begin here on Saturday with Group A fixture in which West Bengal will face Punjab at the Kottappadi Football Stadium in Malappuram.

In the second Group A fixture on Saturday, hosts Kerala will take on Rajasthan at the Manjeri Payyanad Football Stadium in Malappuram.

The prestigious tournament is returning after a span of two years, and will see participation of a total of 10 teams, who all have been divided in two groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will enter the semi-finals, which will take place on April 28- 29.

All the matches in the tournament are set to be held at two venues in Malappuram -- the Manjeri Payyanaad Stadium, and the Kottappadi Stadium. The final of the 75th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy will be held on May 2 at the Manjeri Payyanaad.

Speaking ahead of the opening encounter at a press conference on Friday, West Bengal head coach Ranjan Bhattacherjee, said, "We are glad to return to compete again for the iconic Santosh Trophy. The tournament is making a return after two years of pandemic with the remarkable efforts from the AIFF and with the support of the Government of Kerala. We hope to perform to the best of our abilities as the tournament progresses and will give our best to win the title."

West Bengal captain Monotosh Chakladar added, "We are having good practice sessions. We have really enjoyed playing against each other in the camp and we are ready to play again. We have come here to perform. We will look to win each game step-by-step and will be looking to win the trophy."

West Bengal are the most successful state, having won the title on 32 occasions and finished runners-up 13 times while Punjab have bagged the title eight times and finished second on as many occasions. Hosts Kerala are the third most successful team in the competiton, having won six title and finished runners-up eight times.

The Punjab coach and captain also addressed the press conference on Friday, and spoke about their strategies and their excitement for the start of the tournament.

"This tournament is very prestigious to everyone. We are also looking forward to the start of the tournament. Our strategy is to play all our matches to the best of our abilities, and if we are able to do that, we are sure we will go long in the tournament," Punjab coach Hardeep Singh said.

"Our team has prepared very well for the tournament. We hope to give our best in the tournament and win the championship. We will try really hard to start our campaign with a big win tomorrow," Punjab captain Mohammed Aasif added.

Ahead of their first game of the tournament, Kerala coach Bino George Chiramal Padinjarathala expressed his pleasure in "Kerala hosting the tournament after a long time."

"Football is a great sport. We know the responsibility that the Santosh Trophy brings with it. There is a massive fan following of the sport. We have the responsibility of performing for our fans. We have worked really hard in the training sessions. We have picked our team based on the players' fitness and made our combinations according to the teams we will be facing."