National Games 2025: Kerala wins men’s football gold; ends 28-year wait

Kerala ended a 28-year wait for the National Games football gold after edging past host Uttarakhand 1-0 in the final in Dehradun on Friday.

S. Gokul’s solitary strike in the 52nd minute proved decisive as Kerala clinched the title. However, the team had to play the final 20 minutes with 10 men after defender Safwan M was controversially sent off.

Initially, referee Tanumoy Sarkar issued Safwan a yellow card for pulling down a Uttarakhand forward outside the box. However, after consulting his assistant, he changed his decision and showed a red card to Safwan in the 74th minute.

Despite being a man down, Kerala defended resolutely, denying Uttarakhand a chance to score the equaliser. After nine minutes of added time, the final whistle sparked wild celebrations, as Kerala finally ended its near three-decade-long title drought, having last won gold in 1997.

This was Kerala’s third National Games gold in men’s football, placing it level with Punjab and West Bengal for the most titles in the tournament’s history.

Kerala had recently fallen short in the Santosh Trophy final in Hyderabad, losing 0-1 to West Bengal after a goal by Robi Hansda. However, the team carried its fine form into the 38th National Games and broke its final jinx.

Kerala had finished runner-up in the 2022 National Games in Ahmedabad and won bronze in the 2023 edition in Goa.