groundwork: The Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal being prepared for the LG Santosh Trophy national football championship. Picture by Eastern Projections

Imphal, Oct. 16: Incessant rains have threatened to spoil the 58th national football championship for the LG Santosh Trophy, beginning tomorrow at the well-manicured green turf of the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex.

The hosts, bolstered by home advantage, will kickstart the 51-match tournament with a play-off against Himachal Pradesh on the opening day. Doordarshan will telecast the match live.

With rains lashing the town non-stop since Monday, uncertainty clouds the cultural programmes planned for the opening ceremony of the tournament. Officials of the organising committee were confined to their office at Mapal Kangjeibung due to the downpour. The weather forecast for the next couple of days also indicated more rain.

“Rain or shine the tournament will begin tomorrow,” said A. Borchand, secretary of the All-Manipur Football Association (AMFA). Governor Ved Marwah is expected to declare open the 58th edition of the meet.

Thirty-two teams, divided into eight groups, will vie for the coveted trophy at four venues — the Khuman Lampak, the Mapal Kangjeibung, the Eastern Sporting Union ground and the Thangmeiband Athletics Union ground.

Holders Kerala, runners-up Goa and the two other semi-finalists in the last edition, Railways and Tamil Nadu, will begin their campaigns from the quarterfinal stage, which is divided into four groups.

Sources in the AMFA said preparations have been completed, while the teams and the referees have arrived. However, the heavy showers have jeopardised the training sessions and acclimatisation programme of the teams.

The rains have also disappointed the hosts, hoping to win the tournament for the first time. The full-strength Manipur team, including six players who play for clubs outside the sate, had only a day’s joint training session before the rains started.

The six star players are L. Manitombi, S. Dharamjit and Th. Tomba of Salgaokar, Kh. Ratan and M. Bijen of Dempo and L. James of Mahindra and Mahindra. The squad was announced on Monday night.

Tripura campaign

Lack of preparation and non-availability of “outside” players who took part in the local league for various clubs have bogged down theTripura team, which begins its LG Santosh Trophy campaign against formidable Karnataka on Saturday in Group-7, adds our Agartala correspondent. The other teams in this group are Gujarat and Haryana.

“We have been forced to announce the team with players from local teams like TSR and Tripura Police,” said Dilip Chakraborty, secretary Tripura Football Association (TFA). Tripura will play against Gujarat on October 21 and take on Haryana on October 23.