Easter is the day of resurrection. And on an Easter Day, Kerala won the Santosh Trophy beating West Bengal and it will not be a surprise if one could call it the ‘resurrection of Kerala football’. They had to wait 14 years for the moment. It is a fact that since the last cup of joy in 2004, people were eagerly waiting for it again. For a state that prides itself on its footballing pedigree, these facts were stark, unwelcome reminders of reality. They were also very painful. Winning Santosh Trophy for the sixth time could pave way to many positive aspects in the future. Because the current situation of football in India and Kerala has changed a lot from 2004. Today we have an ISL team, I-League team, a women’s team in Women’s League, all representing Kerala clubs.
“This could be considered as a revival and it started off with Calicut University winning all India championship twice in recent years. We always have great talents. What we lack are opportunity, better facility and facilitators,” opines Jafar Khan, renowned football writer and sport critic. “I am not sure if ISL has given anything to boost the talent in Kerala. But it has got the attention of youth and they have started to talk about football, like the way they did for cricket. Football has regained the numero uno status in Kerala in terms of unprecedented popularity and patronage after several years. But the real deal came in to play when Gokulam FC started to shine in I-League,” he adds. Though the game is still popular in Malabar region thanks to ‘Sevens’ football, it was generally on the decline in the state. The strict implementation of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) norms by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) made it hard for sides like SBT (now SBI), Kerala Police, Travancore Titanium and KSEB to compete in the I league and in tournaments run by the AIFF.
“So Gokulam FC’s inception was a real boost to Kerala football. Many aspiring talents got into the team and have proved their mettle.” Kerala is still regarded as one of the powerhouses of the game in India. What we miss here is the lack of games in a calendar year. “Our young players must get at least 50 games in a year. The lack of number of games force them to play in Seven’s football tournament. Sometimes they limit themselves to these kind of less competitive matches. So when they play normal games, they become weak. In West Bengal and Goa, they have state league matches where even small teams get the opportunity to play against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Kerala Football Association and AIFF have to find a way to help nourish the talents in Kerala. We should not just focus on the glamorous ‘performance’ of Kerala Blasters. Events like Santosh Trophy should get good coverage through channels. It is sad to see no broadcasting companies were interested in airing Santosh Trophy matches,” Jafar adds.
According to former Indian player and coach of last year’s Kerala team, V.P. Shaji, Kerala’s brilliant comeback is the result of well-planned preparations ahead of the competition. “Most of the players were with me when I used to train the team and the key players in this team are also part of the SBI team. I could pick the team and start training early for last year’s Santosh Trophy. We could find many teenage players and in one year’s time, they could deliver with the help of the new coach Satheevan Balan.”
He feels that though we have great talents, we always fail to give them opportunities. “Winning the cup after 14 years is something great and inspirational. I hope this will open everyone’s eyes and hopefully they will provide these players what they deserve. Earlier, we didn’t have good grounds. Now we have one in Thiruvananthapuram. After the World Cup, nobody is ready to maintain that stadium and ground. If we have good pitches with well-maintained grass, players can make use of it. The increase in the number of football academies in the state is also very promising,” he adds.
Kerala, which at times contributed four to five players to the national squad, did not have a single player in the Indian football team for many years. Even now there are not many players from Kerala in the national team. But the Santosh Trophy win and Gokulam FC’s impressive run in the league should be a wakeup call for the selectors. The increase in the number of children playing the game now is a good augury. The spark triggered by this Santosh Trophy winning team, Gokulam FC and Kerala Blasters will take a few more years to yield results. However, there is no mistaking the fact that football has made a comeback in the state. On their way back home, players were cheering their resurgence. A resurgence that was the result of hard work, as the team’s head coach Satheevan quoted after the triumph.
