Kotpad, Jan, 23:: On Jan 22, the Maa Sheetala Thakurani Bhawani Panda Memorial Knockout Football Tournament concluded at the local Nuaguda ground under the auspices of United Sporting Club, Kotpad.
The final match was played between Bhandariguda and Chitrakote teams. In the final, Chitrakote emerged victorious by defeating Bhandariguda 2–0. The winning team, Chitrakote, was awarded a trophy along with a cash prize of Rs 25,000 in memory of Bhawani Panda, the younger brother of Secretary Shankar PanNAda.er . The runners-up team, Bhandariguda, received a trophy and Rs20,000 in cash.ina memory TarinI Naik Father of Raji Naik
A total of 20 teams participated in the 19-day-long tournament. Kotpad MLA Rupu Bhatra attended the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest. Among the distinguished guests were former Minister Padmini Dian, former MLA Chandrasekhar Majhi, former national football player J. Hema Rao, NAC Chairman M. Shankar Rao, MP’s representative Rameshwar Jena, Congress MLA candidate Anam Dian, Bar Association President Mani Prasad Pattnaik, Secretary Babuli Nayak, Shankar Panda, Pradeep Bakshi, Prakash Mahanti, and Ajit Pattnaik.
The tournament was conducted under the leadership of Akshaya Swain, President of the Organising Committee. Vice President Santosh Jena, Secretary Shankar Panda, Joint Secretary Bishnu Chalan, Treasurer Ramesh Randhari, and other members were also present. The programme was managed by United Club Secretary Balya Nayak, Debendra Baidya, Dibakar Rao, Rabindra Sahu, and Thabir Samrath.
It is noteworthy that the football tournament was organized in memory of Bhawani Panda, the younger brother of Secretary Shankar Panda. Hundreds of spectators from the Kotpad area attended the final match. The match was officiated by former players Sukanta Gouda, Sapan Nayak, and MD Asu, with Santosh Nayak serving as the referee. Prashant Panda, Hemant Patra, and Durga Mandal assisted as match commentators.