Nov 23: Dempo Sports Club's preparations for the National Football League (NFL) suffered a severe jolt with the sudden resignation of its coach TK Chathunni.Chathunni, whose contract with the Goan club was due to expire only in March next year, decided to quit as he was unhappy with the overall show of the club this season.``As a professional coach, I want good results from my team. Unfortunately, the results have been poor. So I felt there was no meaning in continuing,'' said the coach, when contacted by this paper in Goa on Tuesday.Chathunni also felt that the club management had lost its interest in the affairs of the football team.``There are no efforts on the part of the club to revive the team, despite my repeated pleas. It is quite impossible for this bunch of inexperienced juniors to stand up to superior challenge in the National Football League,'' said Chathunni.At the start of the season, the club had promised to recruit a few talented players from outside the state, and even fromabroad, says the coach.``Unfortunately, the promise was not kept. The only player whose services were acquired by the club following the inter-state transfers was Ajay Acharya, who has proven to be an utter disappointment. He has not even played at the university level. The presence of such players will only spoil the team's gameplan,'' said Chathunni, who had guided Kerala Police, Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar to many a triumph before joining Dempo this year.``Believe it or not, the club does not have even a regular goalkeeper now. The team's only 'keeper Vikrant Sharma has left, after he got a job with the Reserve bank of India. Besides, we had only two full-time defenders. It will be a miracle if this team survives the tough NFL field, where each club will have to play 22 matches.''Chathunni claimed that despite all these drawbacks, he could guide Dempo into the final of the Goa Police Cup.``We beat the formidable Salgaocar on way to the final, and lost to Churchill Brothers 1-2,'' the coachrecalled. ``In the State League too Dempo had held both Salgaocar and Churchill to draw. The club management was also happy with the team's performance. But now they seem to have lost their interest.''Dempo, meanwhile, have started their frantic search for a new coach, with the NFL just a few weeks away.Chathunni said he has not yet decided on his future. ``There are a couple of offers on hand, but I have not come to a final decision. Mohun Bagan, after sacking Nayeemuddin, had sent an official to me asking me to take over. But I turned down the offer as I was not at all happy with the way they treated me last season,'' said Chathunni.
