Manipur await Tamil Nadu youngsters challenge

The 66th edition of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy is being played from May 11 to 28 across Orissa in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Baragarh. Tomorrow in the second semifinal in Cuttack, Manipur take on Tamil Nadu.

For a state which has been the nursery of Indian football for the last decade, Manipur, who are still to have an I-League club from the state look up to the Santosh Trophy to make a mark. "When you look around, you will see footballers all over – on the streets, on the fields, on the grounds. The ball stays an inseparable part of our lives," Premakanta Singh, Manipur's Assistant Coach, a former Senior Women's National Team Coach says in one breath. "To break into an I-League Club, you need the exposure. Santosh Trophy stays the platform for us," he quips.

Kiron Khongsai, Gunabir Singh, Renedy Singh, Tomba Singh, Gouramangi Singh – the list of Manipur players stay endless. It seems to be in the blood not only of the Manipuris but of the entire North-East region. After all, the first National Team Captain of Independent India Dr. T. Ao also hails from the region, from the state of Nagaland.

"We know they will be nippy and come hard at us," former India international Syed Shabir Pasha, presently the Tamil Nadu coach, maintains. "The average age of our side stays 24 and for 85 percent of our boys, this is their first major Championship," he informs.

"It's futile to expect a boy to stick to state team when they have offers from I-League teams. Sadly, we don't have any I-League team from our state. So the Santosh Trophy stays of utter importance to us," Pasha, coach of Indian Bank - Chennai who also works as an assistant coach to Colm Toal, adds.

Speak to Pasha and his eyes lit up about his association with the Santosh Trophy as a player. "During our days (in the 1990s), it was different. Santosh Trophy was all about glamour. West Bengal were the toughest to beat. They had almost the entire India XI line-up playing for them," he goes nostalgic. "Nowadays, the concept is different as the tournament is all about development and for us; it stays our I-League."

"None of the four semifinalists in the tournament boast of an I-League club (Chirag Kerala have just been relegated). This proves there is talent all over. Give them the platform and they will entertain you," Pasha ponders.

The historic Barabati Stadium awaits the kick-off at 18.30 IST.