Aching joints but passion intact

Already past their prime and with with legs and bodies that were aging,these enthusiastic footballers were in fact finding it difficult to put up an entertaining show,thanks to their increasingly compromised reflexes. “Getting up for the second half was the most difficult part for me,” said 49-year-old Santan Pinto,a forward of the SBI. “Though participating in these matches wasn’t very difficult as I still play for my team in the Senior Division of the Mumbai Leagues. But,still we feel the pain and aches only after the game gets over,” added Pinto with a laugh.

Vijay Swamy,the 51-year-old goalkeeper of the winning team,was ready to dive for the ball fully aware of the fact that if things went wrong,it could have resulted in some serious injury. But the die-hard custodian wasn’t complaining. “I can’t help it. The moment I’m under the bar,I have to save the goals at any cost,” said the veteran,whose son James is also a goalkeeper with the Mumbai FC’s under-19 team.

Asif Jamal,who scored the winner for the SBI,is the live-wire in his team. “I still play in the Elite Division for the Central Railway Mumbai Division,so I’m very fit and really had no problems,” said the 41-year-old who won many a hearts with his superb footballing skills.

Jayant Sinha,who made many good moves using his height and build to the delight of the goodly crowd on Tuesday,still plays for SBI in Senior Division of the Mumbai League. And he has good reasons for doing so. “It keeps me away from taking medicines. No blood pressure,no heart problems or other disease. That’s why I still play,” says the 44-year-old with a smile.

However,there is another reason why both Sinha,Santan Pinto and many SBI veterans are still active on the circuit. “Our bank is not employing new recruits. If we stop playing,our team will cease to exist. That’s why we have to carry on as long as we can,” points out Pinto.