Anglian Holdings, which is owned by an Indian entrepreneur Uday Narang and also holds 26 per cent stake at I-League side Shillong Lajong, termed its decision to associate with the third oldest football tournament in the world as an "emotional" one.
"We were shocked that Asia's oldest and world's third oldest tournament was struggling to find a sponsor. We heard about Micromax pulling out at the last minute. So we decided to pitch in to support the tournament. It was an emotional decision," Anglian Holdings chief strategic officer Sandeep Narang told PTI.
The main round of the tournament will begin from August 23 at the Ambedkar Stadium here with the final scheduled for September 1.
Sandeep, brother of Uday, said this time the company was just supporting the Durand Cup by providing monetary support but would look for a long-term association in the future.
"The Indian Army which is holding the tournament through Durand Football Tournament Society is happy with our support. This time we are just giving financial help but we are looking at improving the profile of the tournament," Sandeep said.
"We will have a meeting with Durand Society people next month to discus how to raise the profile of the tournament. We are looking for a long-term association to jointly work with the strategic intent of enhancing the standards of the tournament via a marketing and promotional deal as well," he added. MORE