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 Jammu : The Jammu and Kashmir Bank National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy 2008 came to a close at Srinagar on June 15, with Punjab lifting the trophy by defeating Services by a solitary goal. The match was a tie till the first half with both teams playing an excellent game and spectators cheering every good move from the players.
State’s chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, also the chief guest on the occasion, gave away the winning trophy and a cheque of five lakh rupees to the Punjab team. An added sum of Rs 50,000 was also given to the team by the chief minister for fair play.
The runner-up team was presented a cheque of three lakh rupees by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Priya Ranjan dasmunsi. Munshi, who is also the president of All India Football Federation (AIFF), was the guest of honour. Munshi also presented Football for Peace Award to Azad on behalf of the AIFF.
Speaking on the occasion, Azad said that the Santosh Trophy had rejuvenated the game of football in J&K. He said that football was not new to the state but the game had received a set back during the past two decades. He thanked the president of AIFF for selecting J&K as the venue for the current year’s national championship. He appreciated the enthusiasm shown by the people during the championship with thousands of people, of all ages, turning up to see various matches played at the four venues in the state.
Azad said that the participation of various teams in the championship offered an opportunity to the youth of the state to mix up with players from other states and learn more about each other.
On the occasion, Dasmunsi, adding his bit, said that football was a game of peace and commended the chief minister, the J&K Football Association and the people of J&K for extending full support in successfully conducting the tournament. The championship, he said, had sent a very positive message that national sports championships could successfully be conducted in Kashmir.
Ashfaq Ahmad, a player of J&K team was awarded for being the highest scorer in the championship while S Raling of Services team was declared the player of the tournament.
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