Tata's to sponsor Fed Cup football

The house of Tata will be the title sponsors of the prestigious Federation Cup football tournament, beginning in Kolkata on July 26.

The All India Football Federation's marketing agent STRATA, which was engaged in month-long negotiations with the industrial major, informed the Indian Football Association on Wednesday about the agreement with Tata's.

"We received a letter from STRATA yesterday in this regard," IFA secretary Subrata Dutta confirmed in Kolkata on Thursday.

Tata's consent has surely warmed the hearts of both the IFA and AIFF, as the last edition, of the Federation Cup, which was held in 2001 in Chennai, did not have a sponsor.

Mohun Bagan won the title, beating Dempo 2-0 in the final.

"The tournament will now be known as the Tata Federation Cup," Dutta said.

There was further good news, with UB Group's Kingfisher, Pepsi, LG and Oil Public Sector Undertakings agreeing to be co-sponsors of the tournament, slated to feature the country's 16 top club sides.

The final is scheduled to be played on August 8.

The Federation Cup was inaugurated in 1977 and was played under the same title till 1996. With the aim of injecting professionalism, the competition was called Kalyani Black Label Cup in 1997 and '98.