Chennai: With less than a week to go for the start of the Santosh Trophy south zone qualifiers, the Tamil Nadu squad hasn’t yet been made public. Twenty-eight players are in the camp and the final squad will have only 20. The delay has perplexed many because the squad is usually announced well in advance.
Players within the camp may not relish the delay because to come to know that they aren’t in at the eleventh hour will be a bitter pill to swallow for them. Tamil Nadu coach C.M. Ranjith explained the reason for withholding the final squad. “With 20 players, I wouldn’t be able to conduct 11 vs 11 practice matches. It’s not possible to get outside teams for practice matches every day. So I divide the players in the camp into two teams for a match in the evening. There is no other reason for the delay. I know there would be disappointment whenever the final squad is announced,” he added.
Ranjith said he is giving opportunities to all the players at the camp. “The three goalkeepers also get an equal amount of playing time in the practice match. If I don’t involve all the players, those who are left out would lose interest in the proceedings,” he added.
The coach’s concern about playing practice matches is valid. But, is there not a way out? For example, he could have released a list of 10 youthful stand-byes along with a 20-member squad. If the stand-byes were asked to attend the camp until the final day, they wouldn’t have said no.
When are TN playing?
The kick-off time for the two matches every day at the south zone qualifiers would be 3 pm and 5 pm. One half of the second match would be played under floodlights. The onus is on the Tamil Nadu Football Association to announce the schedule early to help fans plan their attendance at the Nehru Stadium. The fixture is available on the AIFF website without timing. Tamil Nadu face Kerala on the opening day (January 26), followed by matches against the Andaman & Nicobar (Jan. 28), Karnataka (Feb. 1) and AP (Feb.3).
Two phases a good move, but…
The AIFF’s decision to split the Santosh Trophy into zonal qualifiers and final phase is an excellent move. Getting all the teams into one state, as was the case in the previous edition, put a great strain on the host. But fans may not be enthusiastic about the new format, as they know the qualifiers will only serve appetisers and the final course is scheduled at another place. Any event without a grand finale isn’t expected to generate a buzz. There has been no football action at the Nehru Stadium for a year, so fans may not mind embracing the qualifiers.
