Full-strength Kerala favourites

Bangalore, June 1: Football is not just a matter of life and death, observed the legendary coach Bill Shankly once. It's much more seriou...

Bangalore, June 1: Football is not just a matter of life and death, observed the legendary coach Bill Shankly once. “It’s much more serious than that,” he maintained. A majority of the estimated 200 million people who play football in 193 countries, plus the game’s countless loyal fans, would agree with the late boss of Liverpool.

But, not everyone. For decades, the Indian footballers had found it too hard to swallow the Shankly theory, at least until money started pouring in, with the introduction of the country’s first professional league last year. “Now we have every reason to take the game more seriously,” says a beaming I M Vijayan, the deadly striker who spearheads Kerala’s challenge in the National Games football competition, which kicks off tomorrow.

Money makes boots talk in Indian soccer nowadays. “But, it’s not everything,” adds the former Indian captain. “It gives me immense pressure to play for my home state after a long time. I think I am fortunate to be a member of this talented Kerala side.”

But there are many other stars of Indian soccer who are less fortunate. Like Baichung Bhutia, Bruno Coutinho, Tejinder Kumar, Raman Vijayan and Carlton Chapman. Most of these players have been either denied permission to don the state colours by their respective clubs or have decided to stay back.

Kerala, who lost the title to Bengal in the 1994 Pune National Games in a penalty shoot-out, is determined to wrest it back. At Pune, it were the catlike reflexes of Bengal custodian Tanumoy Bose that came in Kerala’s way. This time, however, the Bengal line-up is not as star-studded as it once was. The AIFF-listed national players are conspicuous by their absence. “Still Bengal is Bengal. Nobody can write them off,” says Jabir, a Kerala team-member that lost in the Pune final.

Maharashtra, who had to shuffle and reshuffle their squad three times because of the AIFF’s frequent change of mind on the participation of listed players in the Games, is being represented by a mixture of youth and experience. “The midfield will be our key area,” says Maharashtra coach Derryk D’Souza. The team, led by the mercurial attacking medio Godfrey Pereira, will pose a severe threat to the title aspirations of Kerala and Bengal. Hosts Karnataka, too, have preferred to field a blend of youth and experience.

For Goa, which is fielding the same side that took part in the Jabalpur Nationals, the Games will be a worthy experience. The youthful Goan side had upset Kerala to enter the final of the Santosh Trophy.

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A total of eight teams will take part and the league matches will be held at the KSFA Stadium, and then the scene will shift to the Kanteerava Stadium under floodlights. Maharashtra is scheduled to meet Goa, while Karnataka takes on Bengal in tomorrow’s opener.