Santosh Trophy final round from today

By Our Special Correspondent

THRISSUR, APRIL 8. We are back at the doorstep of an yet another edition of the Santosh Trophy. But on the eve of the final round of the 56th National championship, it does seem a bit ironic that the key actors involved - the players of the various sides - are themselves not too keen, as was the case before, to play out their roles in this new chapter, which is all set to be premiered at the Municipal stadium here on Sunday.

And if they are found wanting in the coming days, they do indeed have a solid excuse to cover up their mistakes. The weariness left behind by the mad race that the IV Coco Cola National football league certainly was and during which period, starting from the last month of the past millennium through till about a fortnight back, the players were forced to play as many as 22 matches. Not to forget the exhaustion caused by the travelling involved to play out these matches and the agony produced by niggling injuries.

Unquestionably, a little bit of more rest would have been therapeutic. But having been denied just that by the top brass of the All India Football Federation, it is only fair to believe that the interests of the players have been sacrificed like never before and that the powers-that-be themselves view this championship as nothing but a mock exercise. A mere ritual, to put it more bluntly.

No wonder then that Indian football, unsettled by such inept acts of officialdom, when compared to the past, has hit the rock bottom and the championship by itself has failed to receive any substantial corporate support. This, despite the fact that Doordarshan, due to its commitment with the AIFF, would be beaming live the last five days of the action from here over its network to hundreds of drawing rooms across the country.

Needless to say, these points are again bound to come up for some animated discussion even as the championship progresses to its climax on April 23, depending, of course, upon the fare to be dished out by the eight teams in the fray for the top honours. These eight teams include the four States which have made it here from the preliminary round in Chalakudy and the four that figured in the last year's semifinals at Chennai.

And as we look ahead, it would be only appropriate to bestow the favourite tag once again on Bengal, the winner of the title on a record 29 occasions and more importantly during the last six years on the trot. Coached by Sankar Moitra, the side looks to be a fine blend of youth and experience even as it prepares to hold on to the title which is so dear to the heart of each and every Bengal football supporter.

Bengal given the pride of place in Group 'X' has the host Kerala, Services and Karnatka drawn alongside it for the initial league and should come through to the knockout stage without much ado. The stiffest competition for this side should come from the home team, boasting the presence of the mercurial I.M.Vijayan amongst its ranks and led by the experienced Jo Paul Anchery. Services and Karnataka, the two qualifiers from Chalakudy too cannot be discounted in any way though they do lack in exposure at the summit stage through the past few years.

The proceedings of Group `Y' should be a bit more interesting even as Goa, the runner-up of the last four years, tries hard to reverse its losing trend with a bright start against Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Maharashtra. The resultant three- horse race for the second spot would indeed depend upon the show by the young Tamil Nadu side as Punjab, despite the absence of five of its key players, cannot be written off that lightly.

The championship, as its gets underway tomorrow, will be returning to this cultural capital of Kerala after a gap of 18 years. But whether the tournament will mark a revival of the sagging fortunes of Indian football is anybody's guess.

* The groupings (quarterfinal league):

Group `X': Bengal, Kerala, Services and Karnataka. Group `Y': Goa, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Maharashtra.

* The fixtures:

April 9: Tamil Nadu v Punjab; April 10: Bengal v Karnataka; April 11: Tamil Nadu v Maharashtra; Kerala v Services; April 12: Goa v Punjab; April 13: Bengal v Services; April 14: Punjab v Maharashtra; Kerala v Karnataka; April 15: Goa v Tamil Nadu; April 16: Services v Karnataka; Bengal v Kerala; April 17: Goa v Maharashtra; April 18: Rest day; April 19 (first semifinal): winner of Group `X' v runner of Group `Y'; April 20 (second semifinal): winner of Group `Y' v runner of Group `X'; April 21: Rest day; April 22: Losers final; April 23: Final.

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