[ Prafulla Kaman ]
NARI, Jan 27: Depi football team defeated Lumpo football team by 2-0 goals to lift the trophy of Season 3 of the Tumpak Koyu Memorial Football Tournament (block level), which concluded at the Daying Ering stadium here in Lower Siang district on Friday.
Tamat Mibang and Tomi Tali of Depi football team scored a goal each in the first half of the match and helped the team lift the trophy.
The winning team won a cash prize of Rs 60,000, while the runner-up (Lumpo) team received a trophy along with a cash prize of Rs 30,000.
Kora football team was adjudged the ‘best discipline team’, while Abhijit Panyang of Depi football team was declared the ‘best player’.
Organized by the Ramle Banggo Football Association and the Nari sub-divisional administration with sponsorship from the family of late Tumpak Koyu, the tournament saw the participation of 20 teams from different villages under Nari-Koyu constituency.
Earlier, state BJP president Tapir Gao, who attended the final match, assured to push the state government to provide adequate funding to the sports sector and encourage the youths in games and sports activities.
He also urged budding players to perform better to take advantage of the state government’s job reservation policy for meritorious sportspersons.
Sports Authority of Arunachal vice chairman Gechi Doke suggested to the organizers to promote the tournament from block level to district and state level, while the president of the Galo Welfare Society appealed to the local MLA to initiate steps to improve the Daying Ering Memorial Stadium in Nari.
Recalling Tumpak Koyu’s immense contributions as a social activist of the then undivided Siang district, his son, Industries Deputy Director Kaling Koyu, said that late Tumpak worked for eradication of social evils and was dedicated to peaceful settlement of Assam-Arunachal boundary disputes.
Among others, Nari-Koyu MLA Kento Rina, East Siang District Olympic Association president Tamat Gamoh, and match commissioner Kenni Rina spoke.
