Sunday is a double delight

HE IS a rarity in Indian football which is devoid of colourful characters. Sunday Seah, the Liberian player with FC Kochin, is a specialist under the bar, but at the same time is also his club's key striker.

In him there is no streak of eccentricity normally associated with hyperactive goalkeepers. Most of the time, he remains cool under the bar, bringing off fine saves with cat like reflexes.

As a striker, Seah is good too. With sudden acceleration and body feints he can make even the best defender look stupid. A player whom every coach would like to have in his team, Seah's form is also one of the reasons for FC Kochin's dream run in the ongoing National Football League.

Seah seems to be comfortable in his dual role and it is difficult to say in which he is good. The player for sure enjoys the double role immensely. ``Yeah, I enjoy my football,'' he says.

As a youngster, Seah played football with his three brothers and two sisters at the backyard of his home in Montoviro. Soon he developed an interest in goalkeeping. Though none from his family had played professional football, Seah wanted to be a footballer like his cousin Sammy Barlee who played for Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company, one of the top clubs back home, as a defender. The youngster grew up idolising his cousin and copied most of his movements on the field.

At the age of 13, Seah joined Junior Professional Club where he came under the tutelage of Frank Nagbo. Nagbo was one who sharpened the youngster's skills as a goalkeeper. But Seah's precocious talent impressed Nagbo who once tried him as a make- shift striker in a league match.

The youngster gave a good account of himself in the middle and even went to play two matches for his National side as a striker. Seah made his international debut against Uganda in 1999 which Liberia won 2-0 and since then has represented his country 17 more times.

Goalkeeping is his first love though he is ready to accept any challenge in the middle. In the NFL which is in progress, Seah doubles up as a goalkeeper and striker for FC Kochin. Seah's versatility has given more options to FC Kochin coach A. M. Sreedharan. More importantly, it has taken pressure away from the team's key player, I. M. Vijayan.

Seah's predatory instincts came to the fore in the match against State Bank of Travancore in Thiruvananthapuram. He slammed two opportunistic goals in the second-half to sink the local side. For his first goal, Seah virtually stole the ball from the feet of SBT goalkeeper Rajeev Kumar, who was a fraction late in clearing a minus pass from Jiju Jacob.

And for his second goal, Sunday simply caught the SBT defence on the wrong foot with his sudden burst of speed and showed a cool head to go around the goalkeeper before placing the ball into the net with a neat left footer. Seah joined FC Kochin midway through the last season during the IV NFL championship when the club was struggling to stay in the race. But in the ensuing matches, Seah endeared himself with his never-say-die attitude and even scored two goals before the club finished a creditable fourth.

It was Madhavan Pillai, one of FC Kochin's promoters, who was instrumental in bringing this young Liberian to Kerala. Pillai, who runs business in Liberia, happened to watch Seah play in the Liberian league and was impressed by the youngster's show under the bar. At that time FC Kochin was on the look out for a new goalkeeper and Pillai who is a personal friend of St. Antony Club's owner Mr. Lawrence arranged for his transfer.

Seah is determined to leave his mark in Indian football and carries a small dream. ``I want more Liberians to play in Indian league which at present is dominated by the Nigerians,'' he says.

In his second season with FC Kochin, Seah has slugged it out with the best in Indian football. But his impression about Indian football is not encouraging at least for its die hard fans. ``Indians play football too softly. In Africa it is tougher and players are much more stronger. Moreover, Indians don't have the endurance to play a speedy game for the full 90 minutes,'' he says.

Seah at present is on loan from St.Antony's Club and will rejoin his club at the end of the current NFL season. Europe is his dream land but the youngster is realistic of his chances and wants to cross the hurdles slowly. ``Maybe I will play one more season in India. Then I want to play in tougher and competitive leagues of Malaysia or Singapore before taking any assignment in Europe. I hope I will be able to realise my dream,'' he says.

But for the time being he along with four other Liberians in the team - Patrick Nuku, Rashidi Williams, Aaron Cole and Eugene Gray - are focussed with the job on hand. ``It will be great if FC Kochin wins top spot in the NFL league,'' Sunday says.

M. R. PRAVEEN CHANDRAN

Thiruvananthapuram

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Getting to know Gustavo Kuerten
Next     : Prime Minister's Gold Cup tourney from today