KASARAGOD: Had he been alive, Kuthirip Mohammed would have cheered for his beloved Brazil team like he did during every football world cup. In the coastal village of Mogral, Kuthirip Mohammed was a man who breathed football so much so that when he passed away in 2021, aged 82, his family and village fulfilled his final wish that his funeral should not interrupt the daily evening football session at the local ground.
For over four generations, this humble beedi worker inspired youngsters to take up football in the village famous for its Mapla songs and football.
“He ensured that players reached the ground every day. He scouted football talent from across the coast and brought them to the Mogral ground,” recalled P C Asif, who was the manager of the Kerala team that won the Santosh Trophy in 2018.
Kuthirip Mohammed alias Mohammed Mogral started playing football as a small boy, a forward who became a goalkeeper in his youth, said N Andhunhi, 75, the last of his teammates. As youngsters, they went to several places to play football. More than his play, Kuthirip is better remembered for his love of football, he said.
While his mates went fishing, and some abroad, for a living, Mohammed started rolling beedies for a company named Sujai which had its office in Kumbla. He would go to their collection centre every day to handover the rolled beedies and return with at least six newspapers.
“He was one of the first communists of Mogral and staunchly believed in communist values. He felt youngsters should read and learn,” said Moosa Mogral, a social worker.
The villagers said he earned the nickname of Kuthirip from CPM stalwart AKG, who once came to inaugurate a protest meeting of beedi workers Mohammed had organised demanding fair wages from the beedi company.
“Since he was staging a sit-in protest, AKG said he was Kuthirip (sit-in) Mohammed and that name stayed for the rest of his life,” Andhunhi said.
His evening routine comprised herding all the players to the football ground, coordinating their playing hours, arranging matches and coaching the youngsters. He wore many hats — those of player, referee, coach and manager.
“He never missed going to the ground till his last breath,” said his son Asif Iqbal.
His mother, Kadeeja, did not find Kuthirip’s obsession with football all that bad as it helped him stay healthy and motivated, Iqbal said. The passion for football was passed on to Iqbal, who is now the secretary of Mogral Sports Club. His elder brother Latheef too played the sport.
The family would maintain all the sports accessories like boots, footballs, and jerseys — great luxuries before 1990s — Kuthirip gathered. He would not miss visiting any expatriates coming home.
“He would go and ask them to sponsor some sports accessories and ask them to bring jerseys. He literally took care of all the needs of players and ensured we lacked nothing when we went to play,” said Abdul Rahman K A, 67, the then captain of Mogral Sports Club, who now runs an electrical shop in Kumbla.
Thus, Kuthirip became the club’s permanent manager till he died, even when office-bearers were elected routinely. When the villagers held the Mogral Sports League in Dubai in 2013 for footballers from the village living in the UAE, they sent Kuthirip to Dubai as a token of gratitude. It was then that he famously met Diego Maradona, who was coaching a club there.
“Someone told Maradona that an elderly man from Kerala wanted to see him. So, a life-long Brazil fan had a casual meeting with an Argentine superstar,” said Asif, who accompanied his father.
The game shaped his lifestyle and he passed away on December 10, 2021, remaining healthy till the end. The entire village and football stars like I M Vijayan, who knew Kuthirip, mourned him.
“The world cup season is on and youngsters play at the ground daily. But there is something we miss dearly — Kuthirip and the life he pumped into the game,” said Abdul Rahman, a former footballer.