A football fan's dream to watch the Durand Cup came through in a way he had absolutely not expected. The fan sat in the VIP Box for a match and even had an opportunity to interact with players, courtesy an officer of the Indian Army. 

The Durand cup has a wide appeal for the citizens of Northeast India and this year for the first time Opening ceremony was held at Kokrajhar, Assam. 

A number of Durand Cup Tournament 2023 matches will also be held at SAI stadium Kokrajhar. As reported by NDTV Sports, a die-hard Football fan named Jadav Rai was seen running from Abhayapuri to Kokrajhar covering a distance of 48 km to witness the opening match at Kokrajhar. Unfortunately, since he was not in possession of a ticket and the stadium was fully packed, he was denied entry to the match.

It was then that his luck shone and an Army Officer at the SAI stadium, Kokrajhar came to know of his tremendous feat. Local Army authorities gave the respect due to his sporting spirit by providing him a VIP pass for match on 7th August and even introduced him to the football team members. Even the team members were amazed at the resilience shown by Jadav and were glad to meet him.