I used to stay in Laban in Shillong..Never knew they had a football club for so long..I only knew about the cricket club..Where I played for sometime...
YET ANOTHER FOOTBALL SEASON BIDS AU REVOIR SANS ACTION
Yet another sporting season is coming to an end in South India devoid of any major all India football tournaments. The period from January to mid-May used to be the football season in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Other than the Indian Soccer League (ISL) featuring some foreign players and portrayed as the country’s professional football circuit, there are no regular tournaments in South India now.
“It is depressing to note that the quality of football has gone down from what it was in the 1950s and 1960s,” said Bhasi Malapparamba, former player-turned-football writer in Kerala’s Kozhikode. Bhasi, the former captain of Young Challengers, a prominent football team of the 1960s is a contemporary of former Indian players like Inder Singh (Punjab) and Magn Singh (Rajasthan).
“To tell you the truth, we are yet to see the greats like Inder and Magan. We may not have won any international cups but these players were rated highly in other Asian countries,” Bhasi told The Pioneer. He says that there was a period during the 1960s and 1970s when Kerala alone boasted of seven all-India football tournaments.
“These tournaments were widely followed all over the country though we did not have satellite TV sports channels or modern gadgets like mobile phones and internets. Newspapers and AIR news bullets were the only source of information. But the thrill is gone out of Indian football,” said Bhasi.
Magan Singh, former India captain who donned the colours of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary, Bikaner, during his heydays and was a heartthrob among the fans is a disappointed man. “We had great hopes of seeing Indian flag flying in international arena. But the tragedy is that we are nowhere near the top in Asia itself. I have not seen Indian team taking part in international tournaments like Merdeka Cup in Malaysia or the Sultan Marah Halim Cup at Medan in Indonesia,” said Magan. He said he was really moved when one of the football fans in Kozhikode presented him with an album of photographs featuring him playing in the Nagjee Cup, South India’s most glamorous tournament which has become defunct now.
“It is tournaments which create more and more players to the national teams. If there are no tournaments , there never will be any players,” said Sukhwinder Singh of Punjab who entertained football fans across the country with his skills and strength. He pointed out a number of football teams to drive the home the fact that tournaments and teams form the nucleus. “In Punjab itself, we had teams like Leaders Club Jullundur, JCT Mills Phagwara, Punjab Police and BSF. All these teams boasted of Indian players. But nowadays we don’t have any teams not to speak about tournaments,” said Sukhwinder who also coached Indian team for many years.
The reputation enjoyed by corporate groups like Tatas, Mafatlals, Orkay Mils, Sesa, Salgaonkar, Vasco and Indian Army had lot to do with football. “All these groups had the best football teams featuring some of the all time greats of Indian football. Otherwise how would have people discussed about MRC Wellington or EME Centre Secundarabad or MEG Bangalore? Teams like Mafatlal and Tatas got wide publicity mainly because of their football teams. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting where household names in Kerala,” said Bhasi.
Is there any possibility of reviving the tournaments? Bhasi sounded sceptical. “As on date, chances are bleak. We need people who could pool in resources and energy. Only maidans could bring back football. What we see in television as live matches is pure entertainment. Football gets life and fans get the thrill only in maidans,” said the veteran.
Maidans are beckoning and lets look forward to the season of 2018.
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YET ANOTHER FOOTBALL SEASON BIDS AU REVOIR SANS ACTION
Yet another sporting season is coming to an end in South India devoid of any major all India football tournaments. The period from January to mid-May used to be the football season in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Other than the Indian Soccer League (ISL) featuring some foreign players and portrayed as the country’s professional football circuit, there are no regular tournaments in South India now.
“It is depressing to note that the quality of football has gone down from what it was in the 1950s and 1960s,” said Bhasi Malapparamba, former player-turned-football writer in Kerala’s Kozhikode. Bhasi, the former captain of Young Challengers, a prominent football team of the 1960s is a contemporary of former Indian players like Inder Singh (Punjab) and Magn Singh (Rajasthan).
“To tell you the truth, we are yet to see the greats like Inder and Magan. We may not have won any international cups but these players were rated highly in other Asian countries,” Bhasi told The Pioneer. He says that there was a period during the 1960s and 1970s when Kerala alone boasted of seven all-India football tournaments.
“These tournaments were widely followed all over the country though we did not have satellite TV sports channels or modern gadgets like mobile phones and internets. Newspapers and AIR news bullets were the only source of information. But the thrill is gone out of Indian football,” said Bhasi.
Magan Singh, former India captain who donned the colours of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary, Bikaner, during his heydays and was a heartthrob among the fans is a disappointed man. “We had great hopes of seeing Indian flag flying in international arena. But the tragedy is that we are nowhere near the top in Asia itself. I have not seen Indian team taking part in international tournaments like Merdeka Cup in Malaysia or the Sultan Marah Halim Cup at Medan in Indonesia,” said Magan. He said he was really moved when one of the football fans in Kozhikode presented him with an album of photographs featuring him playing in the Nagjee Cup, South India’s most glamorous tournament which has become defunct now.
“It is tournaments which create more and more players to the national teams. If there are no tournaments , there never will be any players,” said Sukhwinder Singh of Punjab who entertained football fans across the country with his skills and strength. He pointed out a number of football teams to drive the home the fact that tournaments and teams form the nucleus. “In Punjab itself, we had teams like Leaders Club Jullundur, JCT Mills Phagwara, Punjab Police and BSF. All these teams boasted of Indian players. But nowadays we don’t have any teams not to speak about tournaments,” said Sukhwinder who also coached Indian team for many years.
The reputation enjoyed by corporate groups like Tatas, Mafatlals, Orkay Mils, Sesa, Salgaonkar, Vasco and Indian Army had lot to do with football. “All these groups had the best football teams featuring some of the all time greats of Indian football. Otherwise how would have people discussed about MRC Wellington or EME Centre Secundarabad or MEG Bangalore? Teams like Mafatlal and Tatas got wide publicity mainly because of their football teams. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting where household names in Kerala,” said Bhasi.
Is there any possibility of reviving the tournaments? Bhasi sounded sceptical. “As on date, chances are bleak. We need people who could pool in resources and energy. Only maidans could bring back football. What we see in television as live matches is pure entertainment. Football gets life and fans get the thrill only in maidans,” said the veteran.
Maidans are beckoning and lets look forward to the season of 2018.