CHENNAI: Their I-League season concluded only in April. Another packed domestic season awaits them in late June. This one-and-half month break seems too short a period to rejuvenate the twitch muscles. But forsaking their already lean layoff interlude, six I-League players are gearing up for the Santosh Trophy in the Tamil Nadu camp. Another will join on May 28, straight from his club’s AFC fixture in Kuwait.
So, what pressed them on for the once-premier-but-now-ignored tournament? Definitely not money, for a player gets below Rs 400 a match. Definitely not the prospect of creating an impression on the national selectors, for the tournament hardly gets noticed. “No one would have queried us if we had skipped the tournament citing an injury. But representing your state is a matter of pride. Nothing comes in between that. We are here not by force, but by our desire,” proclaimed Kalia Kulothungan of Mohun Bagan, who took only 10-day rest before joining the probables’ camp.
That Tamil Nadu have never before won a Santosh Trophy is another motivating factor. “Despite hosting the tournament on nine other occasions, we haven’t managed a single trophy. That hurts us and motivates us. We are desperate for a win and that has brought all of us here. And we would give our 100 percent,” beamed D Ravanan of Mahindra United.
Acceding captaincy further motivated Kulothungan. “Right from the day I played my first Santosh Trophy match, I had dreamt of captaining Tamil Nadu. If I lead them to their maiden title, it would be another honour. But I would have played for TN even if I hadn’t been made a captain,” said Kulothungan, who would be making his ninth Santosh Trophy appearance.
For Ravanan, playing for TN is a matter of reciprocating the chances his State had provided him with. “I owe my career to my parents and the State. The State has given me numerous opportunities, right from the 2002 Santosh Trophy in Manipur. So I have to pay something back to my State,” said the 23-year-old, who has missed only the last edition in six years.
All the same, it’s argued that the top league players would be restrained while playing for their country or State. Kulothungan rubbished the argument: “We are not here to make up numbers or to project that the State has so many players in the I-League. Intensity would always be the same, whether we are playing for the club, country or the State.” In as close-knit a sport as football, the motivation-level (high or low) of top players can be infectious. So expect Tamil Nadu to go full-throttle at their opponents.
