The Sports Authority of Goa is pulling out all the stops to whip the Nehru stadium in Fatorda into ship-shape condition for the Federation Cup football tournament, to be hosted in the state after a gap of 11 years.
With six Goa teams in action, the 16-team, 12-day inter-club tournament, from October 19, is bound to enthuse fans in the football-mad state.
Goa powerhouses and Cup holders Dempo have warmed up well for the tournament by winning the Police Cup. Their closest rivals in the local league joint-leaders Vasco, Sporting Clube De Goa, Salgaocar, Fransa Pax and Churchill Brothers are the Goa outfits participating.
The six Goan outfits are expected to face a tough challenge from Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, Mumbai's Mahindra United, JCT (Phagwara) and Kerala's State Bank of Travancore.
These ten teams, all of which figured in last year's National Football League, will be joined by Mohammedan Sporting (Kolkata), Air India (Mumbai), Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL, Bangalore) and Punjab Police.
The tournament will be covered live by ZEE Sports, which recently signed a deal with the All India Football Federation.