by Jerry Joy

Demise of Football in Kerala???
Kerala has a long cherished tradition of being one of the nurseries of Indian football. Football was often the second religion for the people of Kerala. The footballers to come out of Kerala used to win the hearts of the football fans across India with their exciting style of play. But sadly today names like VP Sathyan's, Sharaf Ali's, CV Pappachan's, IM Vijayan's and Joe Paul Ancheri's, who are a part of the Indian football folklore have been replaced by names such as Sreeshanth's and Yohanna's which was unthinkable even a few years ago. It would be no surprise that cricket is giving football a run for its money for being the number one sport in Gods Own Country.

A look into the past with respect to the Santosh Trophy would give a misleading picture of the situation of Kerala football but the NFL which is into its 11th season will provide us a better picture of the deterioration of Kerala football.

The first NFL in 1996/97 saw the participation of Kerala Police as the sole representative from Kerala, but they finished last in the qualification stage and as a result got relegated. Within a few years Kerala Police once the pride of the Keralites disintegrated and the team is as good as disbanded. The next big thing to happen to Kerala football in 1997 was the formation of FC Kochin, the first professional football club of India. The football club was started with much hype and fanfare, and great things were expected from the club. The football crazy people of Kerala were over the moon and views of the common man in Kerala went to the extent of saying FC Kochin would change the face of Indian football. Also the presence of IM Vijayan and Joe Paul Ancheri, the shining products of Kerala football who were lured back from JCT Mills, the champions in the inaugural season, added to the glamour quotient. The initial signs were encouraging and the fact that FC Kochin was able to strike a sponsorship deal with the UB Group for the club as a whole and with Reebok as a kit sponsor were landmark events in the history of Indian football.

The events and hype outside the field was matched by the performance on the field. In the very first year of inception FC Kochin created ripples in the Indian football circles by winning the Durand cup after being rejected a place in the Federation Cup due to the fact that they were untested and followed this up with a decent showing in the 1997/98 NFL season by finishing fourth. But the next 3 seasons saw various big names depart from FC Kochin but with the help of talented youngsters from various parts of Kerala and TFA plus a few decent foreign recruits they were able to finish 4th in 1999/2000 and 2000/01 and sixth in 1998/99. In between State Bank of Travancore had a brief flirtation with the NFL by being promoted from the 2.Division and playing in the 1999/2000 NFL and staying their by the skin of their teeth. But the next season did not give them much leeway and they had to bid goodbye to the NFL.

The 2001/02 season showed that Kerala football had reached its nadir with FC Kochin getting relegated and for the first time in the history of the NFL Kerala did not have any representation in the 2002/03 season. FC Kochin kept ploughing on for a few years but the lack of foresight and a sound business plan also resulted in the club getting disbanded even though officially the club still exists. The trend again continued for the 2003/04 and any hopes of having continued presence of a Kerala club in the NFL were dashed after SBT who had qualified for 2004/05 season got relegated the very same season. This has again continued for the past two seasons. The above statistics show clearly that Kerala club football has been on a decline since 2001 ever since FC Kochin got relegated from NFL.

The Indian football team ever since its inception has had a far share of Keralites but for the past 2-3 years ever since the retirement of Vijayan and decline of Joe Paul Ancheri there has had just 1-2 players who have involved with the national team. The worrying factor besides this is the lack of good talented youngsters coming up through the ranks in Kerala. Krishnan Nair Ajayan, Abdul Hakkim and NP Pradeep are 3 players in the recent past who have been part of the Indian set-up but with Indian football hardly making any ripples it is Sreeshanth who has caught the imagination of the youth's in Kerala.

The situation is quite alarming. What are the causes for this? Is the lack of administration and professionalism on part of the Kerala FA which has been the common theme across Indian football? Is it the lack of grass root developments? Is it the sevens which is taking away the skills of the upcoming budding talents? Why is the huge NRK (Non-Resident Keralites) population base not being tapped to set up a professional club? Is there a ray of hope among the clouds which have gathered in the form of VIVA Kerala and FC Calicut?
These are questions which needs lot of thought and soul searching, and which have been haunting the Kerala football fans for some time!!!