Presence of top players raises Santosh profile

The National football championships for the Santosh Trophy could turn out to be a 'star parade' if anything akin to that still exists in Indian soccer, reports Jaydeep Basu.

The National football championships for the Santosh Trophy, beginning in the capital on Thursday, could well turn out to be a 'star parade' if anything akin to that still exists in Indian soccer. Unlike the last few years, when leading states considered Santosh Trophy as a practice tournament for junior and upcoming players, most of the top players will be seen in action in the four venues this time.

The AIFF's new domicile rule, which came to effect in 2002, has certainly helped in lifting the sagging spirits of the tournament. Having been allowed to call up the footballers playing in the clubs in other states, some teams have really benefited. Holders Manipur, more than 50 players of whose players have taken transfers to other states this time, have already called on the services of a dozen footballers from Bengal, Goa and Maharashtra. Most of them are big names in Indian football and have donned the national colours at some stage or the other.

So serious are Manipur that their team management is already camping in the town though their first match is only on Oct 21. "We will have players like Renedy Singh, Manitombi Singh, Dharamjit Singh, Bungo Singh, Surkumar Singh and James Singh in the squad," said M Ratan Singh, the Manipur coach. "We have come early so that we can practice together for a few days here."

HT Image