KOCHI: Kerala have been allotted the hosting rights for staging the final round of Santosh Trophy National Football Championship for the 2021/22 season. According to V Abdurahiman, minister for sports, Manjeri has been chosen as the venue to host the tournament.
However, there is a rider to it. Kerala would lose the rights to host the championship if the state team fails to enter the final round of the championship from the qualifying round slated to be held in Bengaluru from November 21.
The schedule for the final round will be released by AIFF once the qualifying round held in various parts of the country gets over.
Kerala last hosted the final round of Santosh Trophy in 2013.
In a bid to give an impetus to football in Kerala, the government has entered into an MOU with All India Football Federation (AIFF) to develop the game in the state.
The AIFF is planning to host an international women’s football tournament in December involving the Indian team, which is preparing for the AFC Asian Cup and the state government has agreed to host it.
