New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) Salgaocar FC were on Friday awarded the Fairplay trophy for the I-League 2014-15, while Mumbai FC and East Bengal shared the best organiser award for organising their respective home matches in Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai and Salt Lake Stadium and Barasat Stadium in Kolkata, respectively.
The I-League 2014-15 season came to an end amidst massive thrill and excitement, with the century-old Kolkata powerhouse Mohun Bagan clinching the title. Not only the title race, even the relegation battle was an enthralling drama with five teams in danger of getting relegated to the second division.
Salgaocar FC were a bit rocky during the second half of the season, but the Goan outfit never tried to cross the line to outsmart the opponents. They were at the receiving end mostly but eventually pipped their counterparts in the dying minutes to survive the battle.
Salgaocar FC’s zero tolerance towards bad sportsmanship helped them to clinch the Fairplay trophy for consecutive years.
Derrick Perriera, head coach, Salgaocar FC said: “Oh, it has been excellent and our boys really deserve the award. They showed their character on and off the pitch and always valued opponents as well as officials.”
Meanwhile, East Bengal and Mumbai FC were rewarded for smoothly organising their respective home matches.
East Bengal, who have been a bit gloomy this season, had to overcome the added lumber of staging the last couple of matches in Barasat Stadium, which is nowhere close to the city centre and the Red & Gold management had shown absolute dedication to get the job done without any hitch.