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Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Dec. 15 (EMN): Two days after thirty-two teams attempted to outgun each other, Keku FC emerged victorious in the open penalty shootout at the DDSC stadium in Dimapur on Tuesday to pocket a cash prize of INR 1 lakh.
In the final shootout, Keku outscored Tribals United FC, who had to contend with the runners-up prize of INR 50,000. Unsurprisingly, Neithovilie Chalieu of Keku FC was adjudged the best goalkeeper.
The tournament was an initiative of the Dimapur District Football Association, who had earlier announced that the pandemic had forced it to discard this year’s edition of Dimapur Football League, and instead organised the penalty shootout.
The deputy commissioner of Dimapur, Rajesh Soundararjan, had declared the competition open on December 14.
The event’s closing ceremony on December 15 had Albert Ezung, the administrator of Dimapur Municipal Council, as special quest. He told the players that tribal people are naturally blessed with athleticism and Nagas are no exception.
The challenge, he said, lies in converting this natural gift into the hard currency of professionalism. Ezung advised the players to understand that the platforms they find at this level are simply a stepping-stone to the next stage of professional growth.