Caught in a quandary
Chandigarh Football Academy loses their most influential player Samuel to injury ahead of Administrators Cup
4 min read
As the tournament dates approach nearer,Harjinder Singh find himself in a conundrum as he tries to find the best solution to the problem that has plagued the Chandigarh Football Academy team in the past few months. However,the more he tries to disentangle himself from the situation,the more he finds himself caught in a quandary.
The past few days have been particularly hard for him as he heard one bad news after another. After failing in his attempt to persuade the players to stay at the academy,Harjinder will now miss Samuel Lalmuanpuia,the academy’s best and most influential player,to injury. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time as the academy was finally looking to return to action after one year layoff in the 11th Administrator’s Cup all India football tournament,starting from September 22.
“Samuel’s absence will hurt us more as we have been missing several key players from the team and we needed his artistry in front of the goal. We were looking to start the season on a positive note by doing well in the Administrator’s Cup but now we will have to do without him. We have limited resources at our disposal but we will have to make do with what we have got,” said Harjinder.
Like Harjinder,there were several players in the squad who thought that Samuel was available for the seasons opening tournament. But the news from doctor,who had operated on Samuel’s ankle,came as a bolt out of the blue. The doctor advised Samuel two-month bed rest. Adhering to the medical advise,Harjinder sent back Samuel to his home in Mizoram so that he could recover completely.
In the absence of Daniel Lalhlimpuia and Khiangte Lalramzauva,who are currently serving the Indian under-19 team,Samuel was given the responsibility to orchestrate the team’s attack.
Set to miss the Administrator’s Cup and after that the Subroto Mukherjee football tournament,Samuel seems to have bid adieu to the academy. He is expected to return to Chandigarh to appear in the school examinations,but will miss most of the tournaments. Also,Samuel will pass out of the academy next year. So,Samuel is unlikely to feature in future tournaments for the CFA team.
“We will definitely miss him up front. Nevertheless,we have been preparing hard for the tournament and we will give our best,” asserted Harjinder.
Not only Samuel,Harjinder will also miss their first-choice keeper,Arsh,under the bar. The custodian,who cut his knee and needed a minor surgery surgery,is also on the sidelines and will make way for Prabhsukham to take the responsibility.
A silver lining
However,there is a silver lining for the academy despite all the setbacks. Vikram,who had left the academy a few months ago to attend a trial at Pune FC,has now returned and will certainly give Harjinder something to cheer about. Vikram,along with Shaukat,had gone to attend a trial at Pune FC and both were given the green signal by the selectors. However,Vikram failed to impress during the football camps and he returned to Chandigarh. Nishu Kumar and Simrapreet,on the other hand,joined the AIFF regional academy in Mumbai.
“Vikram is back now but his fitness level has gone down. He is working hard on his fitness these days and I am sure the team,which is a mixture of senior and junior players,will give a good fight in the tournament,” he added.
As far as the Administrator’s Cup is concerned,there is a buzz that the AIFF regional academy (Mumbai) will take part in the tournament. That means the academy players will be up against their former mates- Nishu Kumar,Simran and Kamalpreet- in the tournament.
You May Like
Photos
