This football tournament was hosted for youth belonging to various Salesian Institutions and featured 13 teams. The enthusiasm in the atmosphere was palpable as teams reported before time to register themselves for the tournament. The host for the occasion, Savio Aguiar welcomed the participating teams and kickstarted the event. The opening prayer was in the form of a melodious song sung by Chris Lobo, a music teacher at Don Bosco International School. Fr Edwin D’Souza, the Chief Guest spoke about Fr Maschio and his importance to the Don Bosco Institutions across the Salesian Province of Mumbai. Soon after, the sportsman’s prayer and pledge were recited by the youth of DBYS. A momentous occasion was when the torch was carried by four representatives of the DBYS. Once all the formalities were complete, the tournament began in the pool stages where teams in four pools played against each other in order to claim the top two spots. Only the top two teams in every pool qualified for the knockout stages.
After a set of nail biting matches, 8 teams out of the 13 participating teams qualified for the playoffs. Before the quarter finals, teams were given a break from the hectic matches. In order to give the qualifying teams a break before the semi final, an exhibition match was played between the Salesian Brothers/Fathers and the DBYS Youth. This was yet another exciting game in the tournament which was enjoyed by all.
The four finalists were Don Bosco Nerul (A), Don Bosco Nerul (B), Golden Savions and Origen Savions. A nail biting competition ended with Origen Savions claiming the victory over Golden Savions by a one goal margin. The tournament ended with Fr Edwin handing over the individual achievement trophies while Fr Savio Silveira handed the trophies to the Winners and the Runner Up.
The blessings of Fr. Maschio made the tournament, glitch free and an enjoyable event.
Shannon Nogueira
