Nigerian Team Just Zone Wins Khajura Gold Cup Title

The Nigerian team Just Zone FC claimed the championship in the MT Arena First Khajura Gold Cup football tournament held in Khajura, Banke. In the final, Just Zone defeated India’s JVM Club Lucknow by a 4-0 margin to become the champions. The winning team received a cash prize of NPR 400,000 along with trophies, medals, and certificates.

On 6th Baisakh (April 19), in Nepalgunj, at the mini stadium in D-4, Khajura Rural Municipality, the Nigerian team Just Zone emerged victorious in the final held on Sunday by beating JVM Club Lucknow 4-0. For Nigeria’s win, Club Kon scored two goals, while Edward Thomas and Olawi Afiz each scored one. Along with the title, Just Zone received NPR 400,000 cash, trophies, medals, and certificates, while the runners-up JVM also received NPR 400,000 in prizes.

Kshitij Magar from JVM Lucknow was declared the Best Midfielder, and Naveen Mahto from Four Brothers FC, Nawalparasi, was honored as the top scorer. The prizes for the winning teams were supported by Lilbahadur Thapa, a native of Khajura now living in the United States. The tournament organizer and New Danphe Sports Club president Balaram Khatri stated, “Lilbahadur Thapa, currently residing in the US for foreign employment, personally contributed this amount.”

Khajura Rural Municipality, Lumbini Province Sports Council, MT Arena, and other organizations provided financial support for the successful conduct of the competition. The awards for the winning team and outstanding players were presented by Khajura Rural Municipality Chairperson Dambar Bahadur Vik, Vice-chairperson Manju Mall, and others. At the closing ceremony, Chairperson Dambar Bahadur Vik called the tournament a historic achievement and expressed Khajura’s readiness to make the next edition even grander.