Bhubaneswar, June 19 (Hindustan). The Indian football team won the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 title by defeating Lebanon 2-0 with goals from captain Sunil Chhetri and Lalingjuala Chhangte at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday night. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over the coveted trophy to the Indian team. The Chief Minister also announced Rs one crore for the Indian team.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the winners at the closing ceremony. He said, “It is a matter of great pride for our state to host this prestigious Intercontinental Cup. Congratulations to India for winning despite tough competition. We intend to organize many more football events in Odisha and help in the development of the game in Odisha and India.” to support.”
AIFF President Kalyan Choubey said, “The anticipation and excitement of the fans who wanted to see the national team triumph at the Kalinga Stadium was at its peak over the last few days and the stadium reverberated with the noise of the spectators in the final match. We could not have had a better end to the Hero Intercontinental Cup. I thank the Government of Odisha for providing all the support and hospitality to the participating teams and for hosting a wonderful tournament.”
Present on the historic night for Indian football were Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Secretary V Karthikeyan Pandian, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Sports) Vinil Krishna, AIFF President Kalyan Choubey, AIFF General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran, and Odisha Football Association Secretary Ashirwad Behera. .
In addition, a delegation from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation was also present at the final, including Ibrahim Alqabba, Deputy Secretary-General, Hicham El Amrani, Senior Advisor to the Saudi Federation, and Nora Alshuwayman, DGS Assistant Secretary.
Prior to the final match, representatives from Saudi Arabia held a meeting with Sports and Youth Services Secretary, Vineel Krishna and All India Football Federation Secretary General, Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran, to discuss the promotion and development of football in the region.
