Chandy sets futuristic football rolling

KOCHI: Promising a bright future for football in the state, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has agreed to provide five acres of land for setting up a football academy in Kochi if the Kerala Football Association(KFA) takes all possible measures to promote the game in Kerala. He was speaking at the valedictory function of ‘Goal 2012,’ the all-Kerala inter-collegiate football tournament organised by The New Indian Express in Kochi on Friday.Chandy crowned Sree Kerala Varma College Thrissur, champions of Goal-2012, at an august gathering at Hotel Casino. “The state government had decided to provide five acres for setting up a full-fledged football academy in Kochi way back in 2006. But due to the announcement of election, the decision could not be implemented. But, now, the government is ready to implement the decision if KFA comes forward with the demand,” he said.Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi recollected the glorious past of football in the state. “Kerala was a state where more than six tournaments were held annually. We need to revive that football culture here,” he urged the football community. Ravi handed over the cash award of `1 lakh to the winners.Union Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution K V Thomas awarded the Runners-Up trophy to M A College, Kothamangalam. "Football will be back in all its glory in the coming days,” he said. Excise Minister K Babu presented the cash award of Rs 50,000 to the runners-up.  K Babu and Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany stressed on the need to have an exclusive football stadium.Reviving football is our mission, said The New Indian Express Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla. “The New Indian Express is dedicated to revive football in Kerala. We are ready to go to even the panchayat level in the pursuit. Our only request to the authorities is to provide us with suitable football grounds to conduct the tournament,” he said. He promised that the tournament would be back as a bigger one next time.Prabhu Chawla presented individual awards to K K Bharathan (best player), Faizal Rahman (top scorer), Ramesh N R (best goal keeper), Mustafa Arafath (best defender), Vibin S J (best midfielder) and Eldhos Sunny (best forward).In a rare gesture, The New Indian Express honoured former Kerala football stalwarts at the function - Olympian O Chandrasekharan, internationals C C Jacob, M M Jacob and Xavier Pius, Santhosh Trophy stars T K S Mani, K P Williams and T A Jaffar and senior coach Rufus D’Souza.IOC Executive Director Sreekumar presented certificates to the champions while Casino Hotel MD Jose Dominic presented certificates to the runners-up.