Mar 18, Kathmandu: Mofasal's prestigious Tilottama Gold Cup tournament 2023 is starting on Saturday in Butwal. The opening match is to be held at 2 pm.

 The host Rupandehi-11 and the Far Western Football Association will compete. This tournament organized by Rupandehi District Football Association is the 22nd edition.

In the 22nd edition, 8 teams including two divisions will play for the title. The winning team of the competition will get a cash prize of Rs. The runner-up of the Gold Cup will receive a prize of Rs 5 lakh 55 thousand 555.

The best player will receive a cash prize of one lakh rupees or a motorcycle, and the best forward, goalkeeper, midfielder, defense, and coach will receive a cash prize of Rs 30,000 each.

The man of the match will also be awarded 11 thousand 111 rupees in each match. Yashoda Foods Pvt Ltd, and Trimurti Industries Pvt Ltd are the main sponsors for the competition under the patronage of Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City.

Eight teams including Current Rupandehi-11, Manang Marsyangdi Club Kathmandu, Three Star Club Lalitpur, Nepal Police Club Kathmandu, APF Club Kathmandu, Himalayan Sherpa Club Kathmandu, Friends Club Kathmandu and Sudurpaschim 11 will compete for the title.

ANFA's Central Vice-President, Long Bahadur KC, said that the competition could not be continued due to the covid infection and political instability. He said that it was easy to organize the competition because of receiving Rs 35 lakh from Butwal sub-metropolitan city and support from the state government.

The final competition of the Gold Cup will be held on March 25. The title of the 21st edition was won by the Dauphins Club of Cameroon.

Who is playing in Rupandehi-11?

Although preparations were made four years ago, the team of Rupandehi 11, the organizer, has been ready in a short time for the Gold Cup, which was stopped due to the Covid infection and various reasons. Yashoda Foods Pvt Ltd, and Trimurti Industries Pvt Ltd are the main sponsors, so Team Current Rupandehi-11 has been named.

Yam Prasad Gurung, who previously coached Rupandehi, has coached Nepal's national women's team and Khumaltar FC in Kathmandu. ANFA coach Pukar Gahatraj has trained the Rupandehi team.

Team management is handled by Mukesh Kuwar, former player and vice president of the association. Mukesh Kumar, the vice president of the association, who is also a former player, said that the Rupandehi 11, which played in the 'A' division under the captaincy of Jitesh Gurung, was formed by mixing young local players.

He said that the players were selected and prepared by holding a closed camp. This year, Dipesh Thapa will be in Rupandehi's goalpost. His substitute is Subhangar JC.

In the 21st edition, Rupandehi was defeated by the departmental team Nepal Police Club in the semi-finals. He says that this time they have made a good team by including the youth.

Analysts say that the Sudurpaschim team should not be underestimated. There is a provision that players can play as per ANFA standards, 3 foreigners and 4 foreigners of Asian origin can play in each team.

On the eve of the tournament, the organizers did not even hold a public program to announce the team jerseys and players' names. The competition started in 2033 and was established by the then-Butwal Nagar Panchayat in 2031. District Football Association has been conducting this tournament under the patronage of the Butwal sub-metropolitan city for the past 23 years.

In the first match held in the year 2033, Siddhartha Sports Council Rupandehi won second Bombay Fertilizer Mumbai, third, ninth, tenth, and thirteenth Mahendra Police Club, fourth, fifth, and sixth Kalika Sporting Club, seventh Janakpur Cigarette Factory won.

Likewise, RNAC in the eighth, Mahindra & Mahindra Mumbai in the eleventh, Tribhuvan Army Club in the twelfth and sixteenth, Rupandehi 11 in the fourteenth and eighteenth, Friends Club in the fifteenth, Jawalakhel Youth Club in seventh and CMC Sankata Club won the title of the 19th edition. In the 20th Tilotta, the title of Gold Cup was won by Three Star Club Kathmandu