Bhubaneswar: Leaders XI defeated Officers XI in a penalty shootout (3-0) after a breathtaking full-time match to win the Tata Steel Friendship Cup Football Tournament 2024 played at the Odisha Football Academy Stadium on Saturday.
Four teams participated in the tournament. They included Tata Steel XI, led by Rajiv Seth (Project Director at the Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Odisha, and Head of Sports, Tata Steel); Leaders XI, led by Rabi Narayan Naik, Minister of Rural Development, PR and Drinking Water; Officers XI, led by Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary, Odisha and Media XI, led by Sandeep Mishra (Editor, Odisha Bytes).
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister Prabhati Parida, and other dignitaries awarded the winners.
Mukesh Mahaling, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs; Prithiviraj Harichandan, Minister of Excise, Law, and Work; Rabi Narayan Naik, Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development; Nityananda Ganda, Minister of School and Mass Education, ST & SC Development; Suryabanshi Suraj, Minister of Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Higher Education, Sports & Youth Services and several MLAs. Sangeeta Kumari Sing Deo, Balangir MP was also present on the occasion.
Three women MLAs – Sofia Firdous, Upasana Mohapatra and Sanjali Murmu – were felicitated by the Chief Minister.
The Man of the Match for the first match between Tata Steel and Leaders was Fakir Nayak from Leaders XI. The Man of the Match for the second match between Leaders and Bureaucrats was Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary. The Man of the Match for the final was Ramakanta Bhoi, MLA, Tirtol. The Best Disciplined Team award went to Media XI.
The Best Goalkeeper was awarded to Siddhanta Mahapatra, MLA, the Best Defender to Rabi Narayan Naik, Minister of Rural Development, PR and Drinking Water, the Best Half to Suresh Mahapatra, former Chief Secretary, the Best Forward to Arun Sahoo, Nayagarh MLA, the Highest Scorer to Dharma Hansda, Principal Secretary, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department and the Best All-rounder to Saswat Mishra, Principal Secretary, Finance Department.
Other eminent dignitaries present included Saswat Mishra, Principal Secretary, Finance Department; Debidutt Biswal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of Forest Force; Amitabh Thakur, Transport Commissioner, ADGP-cum-IG of Prisons and Correctional Services; Sanjay Kumar, ADG Law & Order, Dayal Ganguar, ADG Crime; K Murugesan, Member Secretary, Odisha State Pollution Control Board; Prasant Reddy, Director of Industries and other senior government officers.
Several eminent senior journalists attended the event.
