East Nepal’s premier football tournament Budha Subba Gold Cup

The wait lasted   a decade but Rani Pokhari Club finally brought home a major trophy at the expense of the heavily favored Nepal Police Team at the recently concluded 12th International Budha Subba Gold Cup football tournament in Dharan.

The final outcome was a stunner considering the strength and form of Nepal Police team (NPT). Rani Pokhari Club (RCT) deserves high marks for their doggedness and tenacity to achieve success. They brilliantly kept the star-studded opponent at bay and matched them in every department of the game.

More importantly, they held their nerves in the suspenseful tie-breaker to prevail over the formidable opposition. As a matter of fact, they got the better of the home team Dharan FC in a similar fashion in the last four.

On the other hand, NPT fresh from their triumph in Pokhara   showed no mercy to opponents on their way to the final.  The fight for the ultimate prize sparked action packed drama, and kept football buffs guessing till the final moment.

 Initially in what seemed a slight hiccup, following postponement of the competition, however, it was a smooth sail later. The truth is   it has become increasingly challenging and difficult   for the football fraternity to host a tournament    big as  Budha Subba    due to  financial  crunch and  limited resources.

 The gate collection per match  in a city like Dharan  is consistently   well below average , and   is inadequate  for the organizer to recover  even a small part of the high cost revolving around the  tournament.

 Football fans love  to see their city host  sporting events but when  it comes to  making   monetary contribution  either they  are hesitant or  back off.

Most   organizers   are  sans a  perennial source of revenue and  forced to   depend on local businesses   and  a few corporate houses. The kind of support they get from local administration and All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) is negligible.

Obviously, under the   circumstances hosting   an event   is  easier said than done. The effort and pain undertaken by organizers to host  tournaments  deserve  high marks  and appreciation. There is no doubt that  football continues to be  truly the  number one  mass sport in the country irrespective of the situation.

This year’s  Budha Subba championship  saw  the  participation  of  thirteen  clubs, including teams from Sikkim, Kurseong and Bangladesh. On Nepal’s side,  defending  champion  Nepal Police Team spearheaded the challenge along with newcomer Himalayan Sherpa Club  from Kathmandu.

Missing in the lineup were two big names , Three Star Club and Nepal Army Team, nonetheless, the   competition  was able to capture the imagination of  spectators to a great degree. Though every match  was a solid entertainer but there was  definitely quality  of play amiss in the competition.

The   teams from India and Bangladesh were very ordinary and failed to make impact of any kind much to  spectators’ disappointment.   On the positive side, one got to see   dime-a-dozen   fresh young  talent in teams like Knight Chess club, Jhapa, New Road  Team, Dharan  FC, RCT, Morang XI and ANFA U-16.

They were enthusiastic , enterprising, promising and full of life. Domestic tournament like the Budha Subba   works  as   a perfect and ideal  platform  for  budding footballers who are looking forward to a career in the game.

 These fresh talented   booters  are in need  of  a lot more tournaments to showcase their footballing skills so that they are able to draw  the attention of  be it national or club  talent hunters.  Even more importantly ,  organizing competitions helps  further the cause of football  in terms of promotion and popularity.

Hats off to the organizer of Budha Subba for the successful conclusion of the tournament, and I am optimistic that the championship will grow in stature   and magnitude in  coming years.