KMC plans to organise Metropolitan Cup 2024

KARACHI: The sports and culture department of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has finalised the preparation of Metropolitan Cup 2024, scheduled to be held in August, with a prize money of Rs500,000 for the winners and Rs250,000 for the runners up.

The final of Metropolitan Cup 2024 would be held on August 13. The senior director sports and culture of KMC Raza Abbas Rizvi said that Metropolitan Cup 2024 is one of the biggest football events in the city in which around 50 matches to be held in all districts of the city.

He said that quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the event would be played at night under floodlights. He further said that four referees will be hired officially for each ground. The District Football Associations (DFA) will be contacted for hiring the referees.

Rizvi said that football is the second most popular game in the country and keeping in mind its popularity among the youth KMC wanted to organise a big football event to give opportunities to talented local footballers to show their skills and make their name for their future assignments in football at provincial, departmental and national levels.

He added that mayor Murtaza Wahab wanted KMC to play its role in the promotion of sports, and the Metropolitan Cup 2024 is being organised on his directives. Rizvi said that 25 football teams each from a town and one team representing KMC would participate in the tournament.

Football kits would be provided by KMC to each player, he said. He said that certificates would also be distributed among the players. He said that KMC has its own wonderful sports infrastructure including Lyari Football stadium, KMC Football Ground, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Football Stadium in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Kakri Ground, Trans Lyari Football Ground, where the matches of Metropolitan Cup 2024 would be organised. He further said that players should not be less than 16 years of age.