Bring home the cup! Football enthusiasts want the Durand Cup to make a comeback to Shimla

The Durand Cup has dribbled its way into its 133rd edition, but there’s no buzz at all about the tournament in Shimla. Big deal! There would be thousands of places in the country where this grand old football tournament — the oldest in Asia and one of the oldest in the world — has failed to trigger any interest or excitement. Shimla, however, is not any other place in the context of the Durand Cup. It was here, way back in 1888 in British India, at the now lush green Annadale ground, that the tournament was born for the recreation of the British troops. Gradually, the tournament evolved into a serious competition, with civilian clubs also participating in it.

The umbilical cord was cut off in 1940, when the tournament was shifted from Shimla to Delhi. Eighty-four years after the tournament was moved out from the Queen of Hills, only a few remember the vital connection between the city and the tournament, and even fewer play the beautiful game in the city. Such cold-shouldering of the sport and the tournament at its birthplace is bewildering, for once Shimla was deeply in love with the sport. The Simla Trophy awarded to the Durand Cup winner to date, along with the Durand Cup and the President’s Cup, stands as a testimony to the fondness and association the Shimla residents had with the tournament when it was played in their backyard.

In his masterful ‘Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football’, Novy Kapadia, the reputed football commentator, writes about the attachment of local populace with the Durand Cup, and traces the genesis of Simla Trophy: “At the start of the 20th century, in an attempt to popularise football in northern India, it was decided to rotate the venues of the Durand Cup annually. However, by 1903, the residents of Shimla had become hugely attached to the prestigious tournament and the festive atmosphere it created in the town. To ensure the tournament stayed in town, a committee of government employees and the public donated generously to present another winning trophy to the winning team. It was named the Simla Trophy.”

While the impressive march of the Durand Cup continues, Shimla has been reduced to a mere footnote in its illustrious journey to becoming one of the oldest football tournaments in the world. This complete disconnect between the tournament and Shimla, which nurtured the tournament for around 50 years, has led to the sentiment of bringing the cup home among some football aficionados and players of the state. Harish Sharma, who has won the Durand Cup twice with JCT and Mahindra United, feels it’s time the lost connection between Shimla and Durand Cup is re-established. “Shimla should be made a part of the Durand Cup’s journey in some way. The tournament organisers should consider hosting a few matches in Shimla and elsewhere in the state. To begin with, they could at least have a football achiever from the state hand out the Simla Trophy to the winners of the tournament,” says Sharma, who hails from Mandi.

The idea of having the Durand Cup matches in Annadale once again excites Santosh Kashyap, who played for India in the late 1980s and early 1990s and originally hails from Shimla. Among the top coaches of the game in the country now, Kashyap feels it’s the right time to bring the Cup home as the Army has started hosting it at different venues over the last few years instead of hosting it in Delhi alone. “The Army is the organiser of the Durand Cup, and it has a big ground in Shimla. One just needs decent seating arrangement for the spectators and the game is on,” says Kashyap.

“In the Northeast and other hilly areas, most of the football tournaments, including the local leagues, are played at the Army grounds. It has led to the popularity and growth of football in these areas. I am sure this could be done in Shimla as well with similar results,” said Kashyap.

While only time will tell whether bigtime football will make a comeback to the city, local football enthusiasts feel that at least some kind of football activity should resume rightaway at the historic Annadale ground. “To begin with, we can have a football academy at the Annadale grounds for children. I’ve written a letter to the state government and the Prime Minister to open up the ground for football activity,” says Gaurav Bhardwaj, an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education at HPU. “We have both the history and culture of the sport. It’s high time we rediscovered it,” he adds.

The ball, as they say, is in the Army’s court now!

Triple delight

The winners get three trophies — The Durand Cup, The President’s Cup and The Simla Trophy. It’s probably the only sporting event where the winner gets three trophies.

The Durand Cup: It’s named after Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the founder of the tournament. The then Foreign Secretary to the Government of India started the tournament as a leisure activity for the British troops. After 1965, the Durand Football Tournament turned the trophy into a rolling trophy — the winner keeps it for a year and returns it ahead of the next edition.

The President’s Cup: Before Independence, it was given by the Viceroy of India and was called the Viceroy Trophy. After Independence, the President’s Cup replaced it. The Cup is given permanently to the winners.

The Simla Trophy: It was donated by Shimla residents in 1903 as a token of their love and association with the tournament. After 1965, the Simla Trophy was also converted into a rolling trophy.