Sheikh Russel Football
Mirpur shine in the rain
Sports Reporter
Even the torrential rain for the last three days could not dampen the spirits of the young footballers and the die-hard fans as the Sheikh Russel Under-14 football tournament ended amid huge outpouring of enthusiasm on Monday. The heavy afternoon showers threatened the final between the Mirpur Thana and Shyampur Thana at the Abahani ground in Dhan-mondi. However, the spontaneous crowd which included star footballers past and present eventually enjoyed a thrilling match in which Mirpur clinched the title with a solitary goal win over the old-town outfit. It was a sweet turnaround for Mirpur who had lost to Hazaribagh in the semifinal but still qualified for the final when the tournament committee ousted Hazaribagh for violating the bylaws. Shamim Ashraf separated the two sides after nine minutes when Shyampur goalkeeper Kawser fumbled on a freekick by Rana on the slippery pitch. Shyampur became lively after the break and wasted two great chances to equalise in the dying minutes when tournament top scorer Shohag, who has scored six goals, and Anwar each shot the ball wide after splitting the rival defence. All the thanas in the city participated in the tournament which was organised by Awami League's central sub-committee for youth and sports in memory of late Sheikh Russel's 41st birth anniversary. Awami League chief and Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina witnessed the final and distributed prizes as chief guest. In a short speech, she requested the organisers to continue their support for the youngsters. "I hope they would try to organise this tournament country-wide at national level and create future stars. It will also help the juveniles to concentrate on sports and build a healthy environment," said Hasina. The winners received Tk 30,000 and the runners-up Tk 20,000 as prize money. Former sports minister and AL joint secretary Obaidul Kader, Shiekh Hasina's political secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury, former Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) general secretary Harunur Rashid, BFF vice-presidents Monir Ahmed and Kazi Salauddin, former national footballers Golam Sarwar Tipu, Badal Roy, Dewan Shafiul Arefin Tutul, Khorshed Babul, Rumman Wali Bin Sabbir and tournament committee chairman Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury Liton were present. Samrat of Mirpur was adjudged man of the final while Pintu Das of Shyampur was named the best player of the tournament. Motijheel Thana received the discipline team throphy. The tournament committee picked up 92 players for further training.
| 
