Kochi Corporation honours Kerala’s 1973 team which won the Santosh Trophy for the first time

As Victor Manjila met up along with his fellow teammates who had helped Kerala win the Santosh Trophy National soccer championship for the primary time, in 1973 in Kochi, he opened up about how a lot the sport has modified now.

“We are more popular now than then,” the previous Indian goalkeeper informed Sportstar on the Maharaja’s College right here on Wednesday night.

Lots has modified now, Indian soccer now has the Indian Super League and the I-League and gamers are paid handsomely, however Manjila is glad that he’s a part of the game’s previous.

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“If we see the scenario now, I think were lucky. When we played, people knew us well, they knew where we came, which club we played for. That is because we had so many all-India tournaments then.

“Now if we ask somebody, who was the captain of the Kerala Santosh Trophy team which won last year, nobody will know. Even I don’t know. That’s the difference…now people only know K.P. Rahul or Sahal Samad…only about four or five players. That is the pathetic condition.”

Olympian Simon Sunderaraj, the chief coach of Kerala’s 1973 Santosh Trophy staff.
| Photo Credit:
Thulasi Kakkat/ The Hindu

Manjila and the 1973 Kerala staff together with Olympian Simon Sunderaraj, the staff’s chief coach then, have been honoured by the Corporation of Kochi on the 50 ^th anniversary of that maiden Santosh Trophy triumph. The Santosh Trophy was the largest prize in Indian soccer again then and Kerala has received the title seven occasions however the first one was the sweetest.

“We are not honouring them, Kochi is honoured that they are here today,” stated Mayor N. Anilkumar throughout the perform on the Durbar Hall floor.

“I haven’t seen them play, in fact I was not even born when they won that Santosh Trophy that year but the stories I heard about their feat have inspired me and all of Kochi.”

The Kerala stars have been taken in a vibrant procession from the Maharaja’s Stadium, the venue of their historic 1973 triumph, to the Durbar Hall floor. And they have been introduced mementoes and a money award of Rs 25,000 every.

Sunderaraj, who got here to Kochi from Thanjavur, felt the game ought to give significance to senior gamers too.

“After (world body) FIFA made Olympic football an under-23 event, the (national body) AIFF made the Santosh Trophy an under-23 event (in 1990, the AIFF changed that decision three years later). That was the biggest mistake of the AIFF,” stated Sunderaraj, a star who performed within the 1960 Rome Olympics. India has by no means performed within the Olympics after that.

“Without seniors you cannot develop juniors. Back in 1973, we had only four senior players, two forwards and two half backs …rest were all juniors.”

Hibi Eden, MP, Kerala Football Association president Navas Meeran and former KFA president Ok.M.I. Mather have been amongst these attended the perform.

Earlier within the afternoon, the 1973 stars had an interplay with younger footballers on the Corporation Council Hall right here.