16 teams to play Durand qualifying round

New Delhi: Sixteen teams will take part in the qualifying knock-out round of the Durand Cup football tournament starting here from October 17.

The quarterfinal league of the tournament will start from October 27, Maj Gen Manvender Singh, Chairman of Durand Football Tournament Society told a press conference on Friday. The teams in the qualifying round include four teams from Army, one each from Navy and Air Force, two teams from paramilitary forces -- BSF and Assam Rifles, Uttarakhand Police, Ahbab Sports Club, J&K Bank, Garhwal Heroes, Tata Football Club, Indian National Football Club, Vasco and Amity United of Haryana. They will be divided into two groups of eight each and the winner of each group will be promoted to quarterfinal league stage. 10 teams are directly seeded in the second stage -- Churchill Brothers, Dempo, Sporting Clube de Goa, East Bengal, JCT, Air India Mumbai, Salgaocar, Pune FC, Army Red and Chirag United. Two winners from the qualifying knock-out rounds will join to make the tally of 12 teams for quarterfinal. These teams will be divided into four groups of three teams each. Winner of each group will qualify for semi-finals. All the matches of the tournament, which ends on November 7, will be thrown open to the public free, a release said. PTI