The inaugural programme in progress at the Palzor stadium on Tuesday. Picture by Ashit Rai

Gangtok, March 28: The much-awaited Mini South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Under-19 Football Festival kicked off here today.

The ball was set rolling at the Palzor stadium this morning by the sports and youth affairs minister P.S. Tamang. A colourful cultural programme was organised at the inaugural programme of the tournament. The football meet, hosted by the sports and youth affairs department, has teams from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

In the inaugural match, State Sports Academy, Sikkim, beat Muslim Institute Football Academy, Calcutta, 2-0. The first session of the game had been goalless and the first goal was scored in the 56th minute by Bikash Jairu. The home team?s lead was further consolidated when Bijendra Rai struck in the 67th minute of the game.

Tomorrow, the Sikkim Sports Academy will play against Bhutan Police Football Academy.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Tamang said the tournament aimed at providing exposure to players from the state and allow them to display their talent.

During the tournament, officials and members from national clubs are likely to attend the matches to scout for local talent for their teams, senior officials of the sports department said.

The tournament will be held on both league and knock out basis and the final will be played on April 12.