Kerala Blasters set to make Durand Cup debut against Indian Navy

Kerala Blasters are set to make their debut in the Durand Cup when they take on Indian Navy in the Group C match on September 11. The Indian Super League (ISL) side is placed in Group C alongside Delhi FC, Indian Navy and fellow ISL side Bengaluru FC. The Blasters’ boss Ivan Vukamanovic on Tuesday stated that the team is very pleased to take part in the 130th edition of the Durand Cup. Venues identified for the iconic tournament in Kolkata are Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Mohun Bagan Club Ground and Kalyani Municipal Stadium Ground.

Hosted by Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS), it is an initiative by the Indian army which began in 1888. Being one of the oldest and prestigious football tournaments, the champion of the tournament would receive three unique trophies: The President’s Cup, The Durand Cup, and The Shimla Trophy.

Asia’s oldest football tournament will be played between September 5th and October 3, 2021. Including the Kerala Blasters five ISL teams- Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, Hyderabad FC, FC Goa- would be participating in the Durand Cup.

Since the 2021-22 Indian football season begins with the Durand Cup, many of the top clubs would be seeing it as a perfect platform to prepare themselves for the upcoming league campaign. The ISL 2021-22 season will begin in November.

Kerala Blasters had a disappointing last few ISL seasons and are aiming to rejuvenate themselves under new boss Vukamanovic. The Kochi-based team, who have one of the largest fan bases in the country, finished 10th in the 11 team competition last time around.

Durand Cup could be the perfect preparation for the upcoming league campaign

Ivan Vukomanovic, head coach of KBFC said: “We are very pleased to participate in this year’s Durand Cup. Hope that we will have good games ahead as it is very important to play games in this part of the pre-season. The tournament format could be an extra motivation for our players because we like to compete.”

Meanwhile, the Tuskers didn’t have the best of starts under the Serbian boss as they lost their first pre-season friendly 1-0 to Kerala United FC. At the Panampilly Nagar stadium, on August 20, the Yellow Army looked out of ideas as they were outplayed by a bunch of semi-professional footballers from Kerala.

The main problem was the absence of a quality midfielder who could act as a link between the defence and the forward. Although Puitea and new signing Harmanjot Singh Khabra tried to anchor the midfield they couldn’t. However we have to keep in mind that the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh and Rahul KP were away in Kolkata  attending the national camp. And the foreign recruitment is also not completed.

After the match against the Indian Navy, the Yellow army will take on Bengaluru FC on September 15th and then six days later, will face Delhi FC.

At present, Gokulam Kerala FC are the defending champions. The Malabarians won the competition for the first time under head coach Fernando Santiago Varela in 2019, by defeating Mohun Bagan in the final.

They are placed in Group D alongside Assam Rifles Football Team, Hyderabad FC and Army Red Football Team. Vincenzo Alberto Annese’s side will begin their title defence against Army Red Football Team on September 12.

The tournament will feature 16 teams, divided into four groups, and two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.