Adidas Football brings the second leg of ‘Unfair Tournament’ to Bengaluru

Global sporting leader Adidas Football continues to pioneer innovation and change in the realm of football as they kicked off the second leg of their multi-city event, The Unfair Tournament, at the South United FC Academy premises in Ulsoor on February 1, 2020. The first event in New Delhi last week had seen an an enthusiastic response with over 3000 participants.

The “Unfair” name of the tournament comes from the unfair advantage, which the newly launched Predator boots offer to players via its special ‘Demonskin’, a feature which offers an additional spin and control to the ball – a feature never seen before on a football boot.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh, a former Team India and Bengaluru FC footballer, was present at the event and conducted a master class with the teams to highlight the nuances of the boot and its relevance. While addressing the young football enthusiasts, he also spoke of how players should prepare themselves for unfair circumstances in their sporting careers.

Later, in an exclusive chat with The Bridge, Lyngdoh highlighted the importance of such events in promoting football among kids and also sounded confident of the future of the Indian football team. The former player, who has been associated with Adidas for four years, said, "When I was growing up, we never had such events where kids came together to learn about the nuances of the game. Events like The Unfair Tournament by the Adidas helps in getting passionate youngsters together, which is great news for the sport."

"The Indian Super League too is helping the sport reach millions. The fact that it is telecast at prime time on Star is proof that India is moving away from just following cricket."

When asked about the changing attitude towards football and the future of the national team, he added, "When we were young, we followed the EPL and the La Liga, primarily. However, kids are more inclined towards Indian football as well currently, which is why we have such a large pool of talent. Youngsters are taking up the sport and impressing with their showings in the senior team, and it is only a matter of time before we play the World Cup."

Lyngdoh was also hopeful that the news of Bala Devi playing for an international professional club - she became the first Asian women to play internationally - will not only inspire budding talent but also encourage women to take to the game.

The Bengaluru leg of the tournament saw a participation of more than 3000 participants across age categories from the top school and college teams of the city. The multi-city tournament was initially held in Delhi on 25 and 26 January and will now be held in Mumbai on 8 and 9 February 2020.

The Unfair Tournament 2020 is expected to see the participation of over 10,000 young and talented footballers from schools and colleges of various age groups.