Asia’s oldest football competition Durand Cup is all set to commence on the 16th of August and a lot of buzzes are being created in the footballing community owing to the popularity of this tournament. FC Goa is the current champion of the Durand Cup and ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have won the Cup on the most number of occasions (16 times). But an interesting fact about the Durand Cup is that the winners are presented with three trophies:
- The President’s Cup
The President’s Cup is the trophy that was handed over by the 1st President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad.
2. The Durand Cup
It is the first original trophy. It has become a rolling trophy since 1965.
3. The Shimla Trophy
It is the trophy that was presented by the people of Shimla first in 1903. It has also become a rolling trophy since the year 1965.
But have you ever wondered why there are 3 trophies for a single event? Well, it is because the tournament had started way before Independence and has a lot of significance in the history and tradition of Indian football. The Durand Cup started way back in 1888 and since then has had 130 editions. Earlier, the viceroys of British India used to hand over the trophies to the winners. Post-Independence, it was the President of India who handed over the trophies till 1982. Post that, this practice was discontinued because of security reasons.
Origin of Durand Cup
The iconic Durand Cup is named after Sir Mortimer Durand, who was a foreign secretary to British India. Initially, the civilians of India were not allowed to take part in this event. It was a tournament preserved only for the officials of the different regiments and departments of the Armed Forces of British India. Later, it was opened to other clubs.
Initially, the British departmental teams used to rule the roost. But gradually, the Indian clubs got into the groove and gave stiff competition to the British clubs.
In 1940, the Mohammedan Sporting team were the first Indian club that won the Cup. They beat Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2-1 in the finals.
