Guwahati, Oct. 18: The Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Bordoloi Trophy football tournament final is scheduled to be be held a day or two earlier. This will help the Thai team — BEC Tero — to fly back home early in view of their engagement with the Thai League which was deferred till November.

The final, which was earlier scheduled for November 24, will now be held by November 22 to 23, said the Guwahati Sports Association’s general secretary Paresh Chandra Das. The association is organising the meet.

The tournament, which has been deferred this year because the Nehru Stadium is booked for the India-Pakistan one-dayer on November 5, will commence on November 8.

It will have to be completed as early as possible to facilitate holding of the Ranji Trophy matches at Nehru Stadium in the later part of the same month.

“With the deferment of the Thai premier league, which was earlier scheduled for completion within October, by over a month, the Thai outfit had expressed doubts about their availability for the Bordoloi Trophy,” Das said.

“So, I had to rush immediately to Bangkok and eventually the national football body there agreed to make the team available by rescheduling their matches before and after the Bordoloi Trophy,” he added.

“BEC Tero have their Thai league matches on November 21 and 24 clashing with the Bordoloi Trophy. But, the organisers have agreed to reschedule the two matches,” Das further said.

BEC Tero has confirmed participation in the Bordoloi tournament after Port Trust, Bangkok, which played in the tournament’s earlier editions, expressed inability to field a team this time because of shortage of players.

Another foreign team — Bangladesh club champions Abahoni Ltd which also comprises some Brazilian players — has also confirmed participation.

This will be the first time that two foreign teams will be participating in the Bordoloi football tournament.

The step was initiated to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the organisers — the Gwahati Sports Association (GSA).

About other value addition plans for the tournament this time, Das said for the first time in the history of the tournament, a march past competition will be organised among participating teams on the inaugural day.

“There will be prize money for the winners and runners-up of the competition,” he added.

Asked about publicity drives to attract the crowd to the historic tournament, Das said posters and hoardings would be put up at public places after the Pujas.

Besides, the GSA also proposes to create an atmosphere resembling the 33rd National Games putting up flags and various promotionals along the B. Barooah Road.