NEW DELHI: JCT, Phagwara, opens its campaign against Mohammedan Sporting in the inaugural match of the 11th National Football League for the ONGC Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Friday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the chief guest for the match, the only one to be held in the Capital out of the 90 games spread over Kolkata, Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore and Ludhiana.

The 10 teams involved in the league, to be played on home-and-away basis, are Mahindra United, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, JCT, Mohammaden Sporting, Churchill Brothers, Sporting Clube de Goa, Dempo Sports Club, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Air-India.

Zee Sports will telecast live 45 matches, including 10 from the first phase of four rounds.

The competition offers Rs. 1.10 crores as prize money with the winner receiving Rs. 40 lakhs and the runner-up Rs. 22 lakhs. Teams finishing third and fourth will get Rs. 16 lakhs and Rs. 9 lakhs respectively.

Draw released

On Wednesday, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) released the draw for four rounds to be held between January 5 and 22.

The schedule for the remaining matches will be drawn once the dates of the Asia Cup, where two Indian clubs will play, are finalised. The league will resume after India's Olympic qualifier matches against Myanmar on February 7 and 14.

Speaking to newspersons here, the AIFF Secretary Alberto Colaco said the preparatory camp for the Olympic qualifiers would be held in Kolkata from January 24.

The AIFF President Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi did not rule out the possibility of approaching the Asian Football Confederation for the appointment of referees from other countries after reviewing the situation after the first phase of NFL.

The draw (first phase):

Round 1: Jan. 5: JCT vs. Mohammaden Sporting (Delhi); Jan. 6: HAL vs. Mohun Bagan (Bangalore); Jan. 7: Air-India vs. East Bengal (Mumbai), Churchill Brothers vs. Mohammaden Sporting (Duler, Goa); Jan. 8: Mahindra United vs. Dempo (Mumbai); Jan. 10: JCT vs. Mohun Bagan (Ludhiana).

Round 2: Jan. 11: HAL vs. East Bengal (Bangalore), Mahindra United vs. Churchill Brothers (Mumbai); Jan. 12: Dempo vs. Mohammedan Sporting (Duler, Goa), Air-India vs. Mohammedan Sporting (Mumbai).

Round 3: Jan. 14: Mahindra United vs. Mohun Bagan (Mumbai); Jan. 16: Air-India vs. HAL (Mumbai); Jan. 17: JCT vs. Churchill Brothers (Ludhiana); Jan. 18: Dempo vs. Mohammedan Sporting (Duler, Goa), Mohammedan Sporting vs. East Bengal (Barasat, Kolkata).

Round 4: Jan. 20: Mohun Bagan vs. Air-India (Barasat, Kolkata); Jan. 21: East Bengal vs. Churchill Brothers (Barasat, Kolkata); Jan. 22: JCT vs. Dempo (Ludhiana), Mahindra United vs. Sporting (Mumbai), Mohammaden Sporting vs. HAL (Barasat, Kolkata).

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