Kerala Football: The rise, the fall and a renaissance
On October 15, when India was fighting tooth and nail against Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup qualifier, there were three Keralites on the battle-field. The old war-horse Anas Edathodika was joined by youngsters Sahal Abdul Samad and Ashique Kuruniyan.
It was a throwback to the times when as many as five Keralites led India to battle and many famous victories. Not since the time of I M Vijayan, C V Pappachan, V P Sathyan, Sharaf Ali, K T Chacko and Jo Paul Ancheri, have so many players from Kerala played together at once for India. That India limped to a 1-1 draw against a lower-ranked team - and any faint hopes of qualifying are all but over - is another story. While featuring in a World Cup is a distant dream, Kerala can take encouragement from that fact that Anas, Sahal and Ashique featured in a game of that magnitude. Three’s a healthy number to have as far as state representations go.
Kerala’s football graph is looking up - after a long time
In August, I-League club Gokulam Kerala FC beat Mohun Bagan to win the Durand Cup. The only other time a club from Kerala won the Durand Cup was back in 1997 when FC Kochin famously beat Mohun Bagan with Vijayan scoring in the final.
In July, Sahal won the All India Football Federation’s Emerging Player of the Year award. Rewind further back to April 2018 and Kerala ended a 13-year drought to win their sixth overall Santosh Trophy title.
These are recent instances which indicate that Kerala football is in on the up again - after a lull. “We can see signs that Kerala football is seeing a revival. These are still early days but we are seeing good things. It is time to take things forward from here,” Kerala Santosh Trophy coach and Gokulam Kerala FC Technical Director Bino George said.
Golden years
Kerala enjoyed a golden era during the late 80s and 90s when the Vijayans and Ancheris weaved their magic.
Seven consecutive final appearances in Santosh Trophy between 1988 and 1994 - with two victories; Kerala Police winning two Federation Cups and FC Kochin lifting the Durand Cup, they were the highlights of that period. “Such an era may not happen again. Ten to twelve players from Kerala would be there in a national camp and some four to five would go onto play. Such was the class then. Club football was also vibrant. Departmental teams like Kerala Police and SBT kept producing top-class players. It was the best of times in Kerala football,” former India international V P Shaji said. The veteran is among those who belonged to that era.
Those heady days gave way to a hiatus which engulfed Kerala football and sinks it into oblivion. Departmental teams like Kerala Police and KSRTC were on the wane. FC Kochin got dissolved, Viva Kerala followed suit and Kerala were left with no team in the national league. “Those were difficult times for footballers from the state. Opportunities became limited because there were no teams from Kerala. Unlike the old times, there was no representation in the national team. Players from Kerala fell into obscurity,” former Mohun Bagan footballer Denson Devadas said.
Signs of revival
Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters are ready to kick-off their new campaign against ATK on Sunday. Into its sixth season, Blasters have managed to drive up and sustain fan interest. To some extent, they are also giving chances to local talent. Last season, Sahal took Indian football by storm and won the ISL Emerging Player of the Year award. It also catapulted him to the national team.
Meanwhile, Gokulam Kerala FC will get their season under way in November. Their Durand Cup triumph has already put Kerala back on the football map. A renaissance is brewing – one step at a time.
Kerala, Bengal, Goa, Punjab and NE, these should be the only focus areas for AIFF. A pauper federation with no money cant and doesnt need to sustain pan India efforts. If these 5 regions are really well looked after we will have a competitive team in Asia in 10 years.
Last Saturday, over 10,000 people came to watch a football match at the Corporation Stadium. That was quite surprising. Maybe it wasn't that surprising, after all.
It was surprising because it was only the South Zone qualifying tournament of the Santosh Trophy. India's national football championship has long lost its prestige.
And this tournament was only an exercise to identify two of the ten teams that will compete in the final phase of the Santosh Trophy, to be staged in Mizoram later in the year.
The big turnouts – there as a good crowd for Kerala’s other match earlier in the tournament too – weren't surprising because the venue was Kozhikode. No other Indian city could perhaps boast of as much passion for football.
That doesn't mean everything is well with the beautiful game in the city, though. If Kozhikode wants to retain its rich tradition and interest in football, it needs tournaments – not just the Santosh Trophy qualifiers.
Not even the I-League matches would be enough. Kozhikode becoming Gokulam Kerala's base is a blessing, no doubt. Because the team plays all its matches in Kozhikode, though it is registered as a club in Malappuram, the stadium is in good shape and the football fans could come out in the evening and watch a game live, not just on television or mobile phone.
But, the I-League alone cannot sustain football in Kozhikode. True, the city could host matches in a season, but it is spread over four months. The first match of the 2019-20 edition will be played on November 30, against Neroca FC (Imphal), while the next will be on January 4, against Aizawl FC (Mizoram).
Only when you have back-to-back matches, would you be able to maintain the momentum and retain the passion. A quality, annual tournament can do that.
That was what the Sait Nagjee tournament did for four decades. From 1952 to 1995, it was held in most years, and the football-mad city played the perfect host to India's finest players.
The tournament was revived in early 2016 in grand manner. An international tournament featuring eight teams from Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, Romania, Ukraine and Ireland was the first of its kind in the country.
The quality of the football on display was sublime. The marketing was anything but.
One is not sure though if spending ₹3 crore on bringing former Brazilian World-Cup winner Ronaldinho to the Kozhikode beach, to market the tournament, was worth it. The pricing of tickets was also an issue.
The tournament ended up in a loss of close to ₹7 crore. The Kozhikode District Football Association (KDFA), headed by its affable secretary P. Haridas, didn't deserve such misfortune.
But even that setback hasn't dampened the KDFA’s enthusiasm. Haridas and his men are trying to bring more tournaments to Kozhikode. For the last couple of years, they have been trying to to hold the E.K. Nayanar Gold Cup tournament and are also planning a pre-season tournament involving Gokulam, Kerala Blasters and a few other I-League and ISL teams.
The KDFA needs all the support it could get, from the sponsors, the clubs, and the Kerala Football Association (KFA). Kozhikode doesn't shy away from staging any tournament the KFA requests it to.
But, what Kozhikode needs is not just the Santosh Trophy South Zone qualifiers or the Kerala Premier League (the State league that apparently nobody is keen about). The KFA is trying to bring to Kerala the Nehru Cup, an international tournament that enjoyed huge popularity when it was held in various cities across the country in the 1980s and 90s.
It was held in Kozhikode in 1987. The city would be only too glad to play the host once again.
Fans have started comparing gkfc and kbfc again. Gkfc attendance was higher than kbfc. Fans are mocking kbfc like if u want to see a win and that too in 50 rs come to kozhikode. Fans are saying to remove kerala from kerala blasters and make it kochi blasters. Gkfc should play in ISL etc.
It's simple , GKFC's tactics involves divide and rule . Introduce and propogate a non existent rivalry through social media . We all know who will get more attendance with 50 RS ticket price . Most of the people who go to watch their match infact supports Blasters.
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Kerala Football: The rise, the fall and a renaissance
On October 15, when India was fighting tooth and nail against Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup qualifier, there were three Keralites on the battle-field. The old war-horse Anas Edathodika was joined by youngsters Sahal Abdul Samad and Ashique Kuruniyan.
It was a throwback to the times when as many as five Keralites led India to battle and many famous victories. Not since the time of I M Vijayan, C V Pappachan, V P Sathyan, Sharaf Ali, K T Chacko and Jo Paul Ancheri, have so many players from Kerala played together at once for India.
That India limped to a 1-1 draw against a lower-ranked team - and any faint hopes of qualifying are all but over - is another story. While featuring in a World Cup is a distant dream, Kerala can take encouragement from that fact that Anas, Sahal and Ashique featured in a game of that magnitude. Three’s a healthy number to have as far as state representations go.
Kerala’s football graph is looking up - after a long time
In August, I-League club Gokulam Kerala FC beat Mohun Bagan to win the Durand Cup. The only other time a club from Kerala won the Durand Cup was back in 1997 when FC Kochin famously beat Mohun Bagan with Vijayan scoring in the final.
In July, Sahal won the All India Football Federation’s Emerging Player of the Year award. Rewind further back to April 2018 and Kerala ended a 13-year drought to win their sixth overall Santosh Trophy title.
These are recent instances which indicate that Kerala football is in on the up again - after a lull. “We can see signs that Kerala football is seeing a revival. These are still early days but we are seeing good things. It is time to take things forward from here,” Kerala Santosh Trophy coach and Gokulam Kerala FC Technical Director Bino George said.
Golden years
Kerala enjoyed a golden era during the late 80s and 90s when the Vijayans and Ancheris weaved their magic.
Seven consecutive final appearances in Santosh Trophy between 1988 and 1994 - with two victories; Kerala Police winning two Federation Cups and FC Kochin lifting the Durand Cup, they were the highlights of that period. “Such an era may not happen again. Ten to twelve players from Kerala would be there in a national camp and some four to five would go onto play. Such was the class then. Club football was also vibrant. Departmental teams like Kerala Police and SBT kept producing top-class players. It was the best of times in Kerala football,” former India international V P Shaji said. The veteran is among those who belonged to that era.
Those heady days gave way to a hiatus which engulfed Kerala football and sinks it into oblivion. Departmental teams like Kerala Police and KSRTC were on the wane. FC Kochin got dissolved, Viva Kerala followed suit and Kerala were left with no team in the national league.
“Those were difficult times for footballers from the state. Opportunities became limited because there were no teams from Kerala. Unlike the old times, there was no representation in the national team. Players from Kerala fell into obscurity,” former Mohun Bagan footballer Denson Devadas said.
Signs of revival
Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters are ready to kick-off their new campaign against ATK on Sunday. Into its sixth season, Blasters have managed to drive up and sustain fan interest. To some extent, they are also giving chances to local talent. Last season, Sahal took Indian football by storm and won the ISL Emerging Player of the Year award. It also catapulted him to the national team.
Meanwhile, Gokulam Kerala FC will get their season under way in November. Their Durand Cup triumph has already put Kerala back on the football map. A renaissance is brewing – one step at a time.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/oct/21/kerala-football-the-rise-the-fall-and-a-renaissance-2050246.html
Read more at: https://www.mathrubhumi.com/sports/football/vmithun-will-lead-kerala-santoshtrophy-football-team-1.4238495
I-League is fine, but Kozhikode needs more
Last Saturday, over 10,000 people came to watch a football match at the Corporation Stadium. That was quite surprising. Maybe it wasn't that surprising, after all.
It was surprising because it was only the South Zone qualifying tournament of the Santosh Trophy. India's national football championship has long lost its prestige.
And this tournament was only an exercise to identify two of the ten teams that will compete in the final phase of the Santosh Trophy, to be staged in Mizoram later in the year.
The big turnouts – there as a good crowd for Kerala’s other match earlier in the tournament too – weren't surprising because the venue was Kozhikode. No other Indian city could perhaps boast of as much passion for football.
That doesn't mean everything is well with the beautiful game in the city, though. If Kozhikode wants to retain its rich tradition and interest in football, it needs tournaments – not just the Santosh Trophy qualifiers.
Not even the I-League matches would be enough. Kozhikode becoming Gokulam Kerala's base is a blessing, no doubt. Because the team plays all its matches in Kozhikode, though it is registered as a club in Malappuram, the stadium is in good shape and the football fans could come out in the evening and watch a game live, not just on television or mobile phone.
But, the I-League alone cannot sustain football in Kozhikode. True, the city could host matches in a season, but it is spread over four months. The first match of the 2019-20 edition will be played on November 30, against Neroca FC (Imphal), while the next will be on January 4, against Aizawl FC (Mizoram).
Only when you have back-to-back matches, would you be able to maintain the momentum and retain the passion. A quality, annual tournament can do that.
That was what the Sait Nagjee tournament did for four decades. From 1952 to 1995, it was held in most years, and the football-mad city played the perfect host to India's finest players.
The tournament was revived in early 2016 in grand manner. An international tournament featuring eight teams from Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, Romania, Ukraine and Ireland was the first of its kind in the country.
The quality of the football on display was sublime. The marketing was anything but.
One is not sure though if spending ₹3 crore on bringing former Brazilian World-Cup winner Ronaldinho to the Kozhikode beach, to market the tournament, was worth it. The pricing of tickets was also an issue.
The tournament ended up in a loss of close to ₹7 crore. The Kozhikode District Football Association (KDFA), headed by its affable secretary P. Haridas, didn't deserve such misfortune.
But even that setback hasn't dampened the KDFA’s enthusiasm. Haridas and his men are trying to bring more tournaments to Kozhikode. For the last couple of years, they have been trying to to hold the E.K. Nayanar Gold Cup tournament and are also planning a pre-season tournament involving Gokulam, Kerala Blasters and a few other I-League and ISL teams.
The KDFA needs all the support it could get, from the sponsors, the clubs, and the Kerala Football Association (KFA). Kozhikode doesn't shy away from staging any tournament the KFA requests it to.
But, what Kozhikode needs is not just the Santosh Trophy South Zone qualifiers or the Kerala Premier League (the State league that apparently nobody is keen about). The KFA is trying to bring to Kerala the Nehru Cup, an international tournament that enjoyed huge popularity when it was held in various cities across the country in the 1980s and 90s.
It was held in Kozhikode in 1987. The city would be only too glad to play the host once again.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/i-league-is-fine-but-kozhikode-needs-more/article29947556.ece
Gkfc attendance was higher than kbfc.
Fans are mocking kbfc like if u want to see a win and that too in 50 rs come to kozhikode.
Fans are saying to remove kerala from kerala blasters and make it kochi blasters.
Gkfc should play in ISL etc.