Osian comes to the rescue of Durand Cup

The Durand Cup - India's oldest and world's third oldest football tournament after the English FA Cup and Scottish FA Cup - got a big boost today with art and auction house Osian becoming its title sponsor. The prize money for the tournament has also been doubled to Rs 20 lakh and about 20 teams have confirmed participation.

Durand Cup, which over the last few years had lost a bit of prominence, should benefit a lot from this move. Osian has signed a five-year contract with Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and would look to develop the game over the next few years. "We are in this for a long haul and our commitment is to develop and revive the interest in the game," said Neville Tuli, CEO, Osian.

Osian plans to improve the way the tournament is run. It will be held at Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi, which has been given a facelift. The turf has been revamped to give the stadium a better look.

While adidas has been roped in to provide the official match balls, sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports will telecast the semi-finals and the finals live. Apart from this, the quarter final matches would be shown on DD Sports.

"With sponsors like Osian taking interest in the game, it is a matter of time that football will become a force to reckon with in the country," said a DFTS official.

The entry fee for the stadium has also been reduced to encourage more people to come and watch the game. There will also be an outdoor exhibition of Indian film posters to decorate the stadium.

"With Durand Cup, we are expanding our infrastructure building activities which have been initiated as an arts institution. And besides, we should not have cricket dominating the psyche of Indian sports fan." adds Tuli.

Top teams like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, FC Dempo and Mohammaden Sporting have confirmed their participation in the tournament.