Adamji Cantonment College of Dhaka division team made a winning start in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Inter-College Football Championsip defeating Bhatara Higher Secondary School of Jamalpur district by 3-0 when the final phase of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Inter-College Football Tournament got underway at Mohammadpur Govt. Physical Education College ground in the city from Saturday.
Atiq Shahriar scored two goals and Sabbir Hossain Mollah netted the other one goal for the winners.
In the day's second match, Krishnagobindpur Degree College of Chapainawabganj district confirmed the quarter final spot beating Fenchuganj Government College 3-2 goals in penalty shootout after the regulation time ended goalless draw.
State Minister for Youth and Sports Mohammad Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP, formally inaugurated the meet as the chief guest.
Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, the state minister said that the ministry launched the Bangabandhu Gold Cup Under-17 Football Tournament for the first time in the tenure of the current government in 2018 and organized the Bangabandhu Inter-University Sports Championship with the participation of the students of all public and private universities of the country.
Zahid Ahsan Russel said that the initiative has been taken to organize Bangabandhu Inter-College Football Tournament and it will be continued. Nationwide Bangamata Inter-collegiate Football tournament for girls' would be introduced from next year.
Russel said that advanced training program would be conducted in home and abroad with the selected players from all these tournaments.
Earlier, in the first round of the tournament a total of 15912 students from 884 colleges participated in this higher secondary level competition. The best two teams of the district level got the opportunity to participate in the divisional competition.
A total of 2304 players from 128 colleges participated in the divisional phase and sixteen teams including the champions and runners-up teams from each division are taking part in the national phase.
With the cooperation of the department of Sports under the Ministry of Youth and Sports took the initiative to organise the tournament when Youth and Sports Secretary Mohiuddin Ahmed, Additional Secretary Mostafa Kamal Majumder of Sports Ministry, Director of Sports Department ANM Toriqul Islam, former national footballers, Sheikh Mohammed Aslam and Khandaker Rakibul Islam were also present on the occasion.