Leaders XI Wins Friendship Cup Football Tournament 2024

Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Smt Prabhati Parida, and other dignitaries awarded the winners.

Bhubaneswar, September 14: 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 at the Odisha Football Academy Stadium on Saturday, September 14.

Four teams participated in the tournament. Tata Steel XI was led by Rajiv Seth (Project Director at the Naval Tata Hockey Academy, Odisha, and Head of Sports, Tata Steel). Leaders XI was led by Rabi Narayan Naik, Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development, PR & Drinking Water. Officers XI was led by Manoj Ahuja, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, and Media XI was led by Sandeep Mishra (Editor, Odisha Byte).

The event was graced by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, and Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Smt Prabhati Parida, Shri Mukesh Mahaling, Hon’ble Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare, Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Prithiviraj Harichandan, Hon’ble Minister of Excise, Law, and Work, Shri Rabi Narayan Naik, Hon’ble Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Shri Nityananda Ganda, Hon’ble Minister of School and Mass Education, ST & SC Development, Shri Suryabanshi Suraj, Hon’ble Minister of Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Higher Education, Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha, and other MLAs. Ms. Sangeeta Kumari Sing Deo, Hon’ble MP, Bolangir, was also present on the occasion.

Three female MLAs, Ms. Sofia Firdous, Ms. Upasana Mohapatra, and Ms. Sanjali Murmu, also attended the event and were felicitated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi.

The Man of the Match for the first match between Tata Steel and Leaders was Dr. Fakir Nayak from Leaders XI. The Man of the Match for the second match between Leaders and Bureaucrats was Manoj Ahuja, IAS, 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 Shri Siddhanta Mahapatra, MLA. The Best Defender was awarded to Rabi Narayan Naik, Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development, PR & Drinking Water. The Best Half was awarded to Shri Suresh Mahapatra, former Chief Secretary, IAS. The Best Forward was awarded to Shri Arun Sahoo, MLA, Nayagarh. The Highest Scorer was awarded to Shri Dharma Hansda, Principal Secretary, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department. The Best All-rounder was awarded to Shri Saswat Mishra, Principal Secretary, Finance Department.

Other eminent dignitaries present included Manoj Ahuja, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, Saswat Mishra, IAS, Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Debidutt Biswal, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Head of Forest Force, Government of Odisha, Suresh Mahapatra, IAS, Former Chief Secretary, Amitabh Thakur, IPS, Transport Commissioner, ADGP-cum-IG of Prisons & Correctional Services, Sanjay Kumar, IPS, ADG Law & Order, Dayal Ganguar, IPS, ADG Crime, Dr. K Murugesan, Member Secretary, IFS, Odisha State Pollution Control Board, Shri Prasant Reddy, IAS, Director of Industries, and many other senior government officers.

Several eminent senior journalists attended the event, including K Ravi, Resident Editor, The Statesman, Bhabani Tripathy, Group Editor, Kanak TV & Sambad, Soumyajit Pattnaik, Editor, Kalinga TV, Navin Das, Editor, Nirbhaya, Sandeep Sahu, BBC, Sisir Bhattamishra, Editor, Nandighosha TV, Radhamadav Mishra, News Editor, OTV, Subhashis Mohanty, State Correspondent, Telegraph, Dillip Bisoi, Editor, India Whispers, Malaya Nayak, News Editor, Samaya, MD Suffian, Special Correspondent, PTI, Video, Sujit Bisoyi, State Correspondent, Indian Express, Debanarayan Sethi, Editor, News 7, Gopal Krushna Mohapatra, Editor, Samaja Digital, Debi Prasanna Pattnaik, Bureau Chief, UNI, Manoranjan Mishra, Editor, Newsroom, Suresh Swain, Sports Editor, Sambad, Akshaya Sahoo, Special Correspondent, Sanjay Jena, Editor, Argus, Asian Age / DC, Sambit Mohapatra, Sports Editor, Nirbhaya, and others.