The teams from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu would now be amongst the final 10 teams to compete in the National finals for the prestigious trophy. Mr. Krishna Kiran, Area Sales Manager, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, Hosur presented the Winner's trophy to the winning teams in the presence of Mr. B.K. Muniraj, Governor Body Member of Karnataka State Football Association, Mr. Bala Subramanium, Vice President Tamil Nadu Football Association, Mr. M. P. Swami, Chairman Banglore District Football Association, Mr. Balkrishna Reddy, Chairman of Hosur Municipality.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Krishna Kiran, Area Sales Manager, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd said, "With Coca-Cola Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, we are committed to nurture potential football superstars of tomorrow by providing them with a platform and an opportunity to develop their inherent talent. We are a Company with a worldwide focus on football and believe in promoting a healthy, active lifestyle. We believe that Indian football has huge potential and by supporting AIFF for this tournament, we are tapping young football talent to train them according to International football standards. I would like to congratulate the new South Zone winners - the teams from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on their exceptional performance and wish them all the best for the next level. We have seen some challenging competition so far, and look forward to some exciting football action in the National Finals."
The initiative takes forward Coca-Cola India's commitment to create a sporting culture and promote healthy, active living in the country through its association with various sports. This year, the tournament witnessed participation from 40,000 young footballers from 2500 schools across 76 cities in 27 states.
According to Kushal Das, General Secretary, AlI India Football Federation (AIFF), "Sporting events such as The Coca-Cola Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, provide young footballers with an opportunity to showcase their talent and to be a part of the India Under-16 Football Team. We have received an overwhelming response over the last two years and we are thrilled to take this nationwide tournament to the next level. We are working towards providing the right infrastructure and training facilities to the youth and our partnership with Coca-Cola India is a boost to our plans. We believe that this tournament will play an active role in encouraging youngsters to adopt football as their preferred sport. I wish all the very best to the teams from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on winning the South Zonal finals and I hope that they continue the momentum in the National Finals".
Details about the Winning Teams:
Karnataka Captain: Shelton Nicxon
Match played against - Kerela team
Final score: 1-0
Tamil Nadu Captain: C. Dinesh Kumar
Match played against - Pondicherry team
Final Score: 16-0
More About The Coca-Cola Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy
The Coca-Cola Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, an annual grass root level football tournament is organized by AIFF since 1977. Players born on or after 1-1-97 were eligible to participate in the tournament. The initiative aims to discover budding football talent in the country and prepare a strong team for the Under-16 Indian Football team for 2011. This year it will be played across 76 cities tapping over 40,000 young footballers from 2500 schools.
The tournament is played in the following format:
§ Stage I (District & State Level): The tournament began with Inter-School tournaments at a District Level. This was followed by a competition or a skill trial among talented football players organized by the various District Football Associations. District level teams then competed within their State, where the State Football Association selected a team to represent the respective state at the Regional level. Inter-State Tournaments were held in 5 regional rounds.
§ Stage II (Zonal Level): 27 state teams will compete with each other across four zones- (a) North East, (b) South (c) WEST (d) East and (e) North. Top two teams from each zone will then advance to the national level.
§ Stage III (National Level): Ten teams from the zonal level will then qualify for the national level which will be played at Goa in March, 2012. In the end, two teams will play the National Finals with the winners lifting the 'Coca-Cola Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy' 2011-2012.
§ During the Stage III: AIFF talent spotters will identify and short-list 40 promising young footballers who would be coached and groomed to form the National Under-16 Sub-Junior Team.
About All India Football Federation (AIFF)
The All India Football Federation was formed in 1937 and was affiliated to FIFA in 1948. AIFF is one of the founder members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). AIFF is the official football aegis of India that manages, governs, controls and regulates the sport in the country. AIFF manages the competitions such as I-League, Federation Cup, Santosh Trophy and the age-group competition for boys, girls, men and women. On the other hand the federation focuses on the development side of the sport i.e. grassroots, coaching and other technical areas associated with football in India.
About Coca-Cola India
Coca-Cola in India refreshes millions of consumers throughout the country with an exciting range of beverages including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Fanta, Limca, Sprite, Maaza, Maaza Milky Delite, Minute Maid Pulpy Orange, Minute Maid Nimbu Fresh, Minute Maid Mixed Fruit, Minute Maid 100 % juice (Minute Maid Apple, Minute Maid Orange, Minute Maid Grape), Georgia, Georgia Gold, Kinley, Kinley Club Soda, Burn and Nestea through a network of more than one and a half million outlets. The Coca-Cola India system has invested more than US$ 2 billion in its Indian operations and provides direct employment to more than 25,000 people. For more information and details on the company's Indian operations please visit:
www.coca-colaindia.com and www.myenjoyzone.com
Sourced From: Perfect Relations
