Kerala Qualifies for Santosh Trophy Final Round Despite Confusion over Runners-up

25 October 2023, 09:43 PM IST Photo: mathrubhumi archives

Benolim: Kerala qualified for Santosh Trophy final round. With the group matches over, Kerala qualified for the final round with the top three runners-up from each of the six groups. The rule was that the top three runners-up from six groups would qualify for the final round. But after the group stage ended, confusion arose over the selection of the best runners-up. This is when Kerala played five teams in Group A and six teams played in the remaining five groups.

In Group A, Kerala finished second behind Goa with nine points from four games including three wins and one loss. Kerala scored 12 goals and conceded two goals and had a difference of 10 goals. But with Railways, Mizoram and Uttar Pradesh finishing second in the six-team group with 12 points, the top three runners-up were in doubt. Finally, when the federation prepared the list of teams that qualified for the final round, Kerala was included in it. Railways and Mizoram qualified along with Kerala.

Six group winners (Goa, Delhi, Manipur, Assam, Services and Maharashtra) made it to the final round along with last-time winners Karnataka, runners-up Meghalaya and hosts Arunachal Pradesh.

2023-10-25 16:13:59

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