Picture Credit: Twitter
Women's football has never been in the limelight for any good reason in the Indian subcontinent, and this time isn’t any different either. Recently, the East Bengal women’s team clinched the inaugural season of the IFA Women’s Shield. The team took down Sribhumi FC to register a 5-0 win at the Tehatta Ground. The win made it to the headlines but not because of the dominance that the East Bengal women kept throughout the game, but only because of a bizarre incident that followed after.
The winners of the IFA Women’s Shield received towels in the valedictory ceremony. A clip has gone viral from the felicitation ceremony, where the officials could be seen awarding towels to the players. While it was assumed that towels were the only thing that the winners were awarded with, a club official clarified to news portal, ‘The Bridge’ that they also received a cash prize of INR 1 lakh. In addition to this, Tulsi Hembram, who was adjudged as the ‘Player of the Tournament’, received INR 5,000. Notably, she scored 15 goals in four matches, along with the team manager receiving a small memento.
Watch the video here:
According to The Bridge, the Indian Football Association, cited budgetary constraints when they were enquired about the same. The officials also said that the towels were supposed to act as a gesture of appreciation for the young girls who were braving the heat and playing.
Notably, the East Bengal team participated in their first IWL campaign after winning the Calcutta Women’s Football League before they emerged victorious in the inaugural IFA Women’s Shield.