Tamil Nadu football heading in the right direction

Football

Tamil Nadu football seems to be heading in the right direction-if not making giant leaps, small steps have been put forward. The team has undoubtedly raised many eyebrows in the recently concluded Santosh Trophy, qualifying against odds, defeating the mighty Kerala and Andhra Pradesh along the way. And the 37-long-hour train ride to and fro from Siliguri may seem tireless compared to the long and arduous journey it took to get to the National finals.

Though they were bundled out in the semi-finals by eventual champions Mizoram, Tamil Nadu football fans have reasons to be optimistic about the future of the game in the state. Grouped along with heavyweights such as Railways, Punjab, Goa and Bengal, the Southern State were up against it right from the start. But victories against the mighty Goa and Punjab sealed their semi-final berth. Though they opened the scoring against Mizoram, a sloppy goalkeeping error by keeper Arun Pradeep severely dented their momentum and they eventually lost 3-1 to the north-east state. “ People expected us to win, we dominated them, but a blunder cost us and everything collapsed from there”, said coach C.M Ranjith.

The coach will have plenty to take back from this campaign, in particular, the partnership between P. Sudhakar and striker A. Reagan. Described as one of the best in the Santosh Trophy, the duo have terrorised the other teams, with Reagan scoring 10 goals in this years campaign. “ We played more like a team now, and the fitness of the players have improved”, said Mr Ranjith. Though Indian coach Wim Koevermans has openly criticized the lack of talent on display at the Santosh Trophy, for Tamil Nadu players it was a golden opportunity to exhibit themselves at the national level, as the I-league does not have a major presence in the Southern State. At one stage of the tournament, they were favourites to win the tournament, and that in itself is a testament to the positive changes taking place in the football arena in the state. The changes though, have been slow to come.

Seeded in 2010 in the group stages, and finishing national runners up behind Services in 2011, the team captured the hearts of many, by playing some attacking and gritty football. But instead of using this as a springboard to develop the game in the state, politics and mismanagement has played to the downfall of the sport. In 2013, the Tamil Nadu Football Association brought shame to Indian football with officials being involved in an ugly spat. Doubts were cast about the state’s participation in the Santosh Trophy but fortunately enough, they were given the green signal. But with only about eight days of preparation, no miracle could be pulled off. With dwindling sponsors, hardly any matches, no financial support, football seemed second priority for the association.

This years campaign has given a ray of hope for the fans, and for this, the team has their new coach, Mr C.M Ranjith, in part, to thank. All the players have been selected by merit, and there was no room for backdoor entry. The small changes, have made a huge difference in the confidence of the players.”Most of the players had not played a match in almost a year before the selection trials”, added Mr Ranjith. The trial camps were held in phases, with fitness taking prime importance. More practice matches were held to make the players match fit. A camp was held at Ooty, to acclimatize the players to the conditions in Siliguri. The association, too, has been more cooperative this time and provided Mr Ranjith with the necessary requirements.

With elections set to be conducted soon for a new management team, what TN football holds for the future remains to be seen. The small steps would hopefully translate into giant steps soon.