Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy – Four Nations International Football Tournament Begins November 8 to 19
This tournament is titled as the “Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapaksa Trophy” to emphasize the importance of the sport, and express the
state’s support by uplifting the game of football in Sri Lanka and in the South
Asian region.
The teams from Bangladesh, Maldives and Seychelles have
already arrived in Colombo and are being accommodated in 5 star hotels under a
secure bio-bubble system to ensure the safety of players and officials.
The matches are open to fully vaccinated fans at 50% of the
stadium’s capacity, with limited passes and tickets being sold. Sri Lankan and
overseas fans will be clearly segregated and allocated different pavilions to
ensure safety protocol abiding by Covid-19 health guidelines.
The tournament will be conducted on a Round-robin basis
where each team will compete against each other once, and the top 2 advance to
the finals. The winner will take away the prestigious Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapaksa Trophy, which has been designed using valuable Sri Lankan natural
quartz stones that have been certified by gemologists, along with USD 30,000.
The grand opening ceremony is to be graced by Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih, the president of the Republic of Maldives, along with Namal
Rajapaksa, the Minister of Youth and Sports, and other high profile dignitaries
from both Maldives and Sri Lanka.
The opening ceremony is expected to be highly colourful with
a performance of the football theme song by the famous artists, Bathiya and
Santhush, Umaria, Randhir and team, along with a special act to showcase the
traditions of all 4 participating countries.
The grand finale is scheduled to be played on the 19th of
November, Friday, at 8 PM with the attendance of Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapaksa, along with FIFA President, Gianni Infantino- making the tournament
more valuable and historical.
On each match day, the 8th, 11th and 14th of November, 2 matches
will be played- one at 4 PM and the other at 9 PM. The match fixture has been
enclosed herewith.
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