After Santosh Trophy glory, Services heroes look for ISL deals to elevate family from poverty

For the seventh time, Services became the champion of the Santosh Trophy as it edged past Goa in the final of the 77th edition of the National Football Championship with a solitary goal at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, on Saturday.

Services player Shafeel PP, the scorer of the winning goal, was over the moon after his team's title clinching performance. “I played three times in the Santosh Trophy semifinal and lost all of them. Today, when I saw the pass from my teammate, Rahul Ramakrishnan, I knew that the ball was in my range," he told The Bridge after the match.

"I scored many goals from there in matches, and also in scoring, I see the pass and the empty nets, don’t have double thought in my mind, and took the shot, and the next moment it’s under the nets," he added.

'Not much education, all I know is football'

Shafeel, who hails from the Malabar coast of Kerala, grew up playing the sport as football was the only source of recreation for people in his village. Shafeel started playing football, following the footsteps of his father.

“There is not much education; all I know is to play football," he stated.

“I am feeling very happy that my goal helped my team to win the Santosh Trophy,” he said with a wide grin.

Samir Murmu of the Services team has been adjudged the Player of the Tournament. He is happy with the award. But the Golden Boot was the ultimate prize Samir had craved.

"I don't think I deserve the Player of the Tournament award. My aim was to become the top scorer. I scored ten goals; Manipur player Phijam Sanathoi Meitei scored eleven. I thought that I would score one goal in the final and get the Golden Boot, that is the Top Scorer of the Tournament award," Samir said.

As he put up stellar performances at the Santosh Trophy, Samir now aspires to play for India and fetch a deal with an Indian Super Club (ISL) club.

"The Services team is the best; every year. Winning and losing is another thing. We all were confident that we could reach the final. I am very happy for this achievement of becoming the best player in the national tournament. My aim is to play for the nation and also for an ISL team in the future," he asserted.

“Football is everything to me. I bunked school for football, and everyone said that football would destroy me. My younger brother, who has very good knowledge of football, guided me since my childhood, Kadu Murmu sir trained me and took me to Tata Steel for better training. One night, sir heard that there was a trial at Danapur for the Army Boys teams. He arranged all the tickets and sent me for the trials, and there I got selected, and playing for the Army started from there," revealed Samir.

'Have a lot of financial problems'

Following his magnificent performance at the Santosh Trophy, Samir now hopes to elevate his family from the poverty by playing for a top club in India.

“I come from a joint family. My father is a farmer, and my mother is a housewife. We have a lot of financial problems. Currently, I earn around INR 40,000 to 45,000, but I cannot meet all the financial needs of my family. I always give hope to my family that I will resolve all the difficulties in my house. I hope, after this performance, if I get a contract in the ISL or I-League team, then I can support more," maintained Samir.

Another Services player Sayad Bin Abdul Kadir, who has been adjudged the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament, said, "Santosh Trophy is the best championship of Indian football; I am very proud to be in the team of champions. I was in the Army Red team, and after the Inter-Services Championship, we got selected for the national championship. The preparation for the Santosh Trophy started before the National Games, where we won the gold medal. We, all the teammates, are close and united.”

“I started playing football in 2014. My father is everything for me; he took me to the football ground. There is no footballer in my area. The training camp is almost 10 to 15 km from my home, and Manirul Mandal and Pinu Barma, guided me at the first stage, and because of them, it became possible for me to come to a stage like this," said Sayad.

"I come from a very poor family; I have four siblings - two brothers and two sisters. My father is the only earner in the house. I hope to get an offer from the ISL or I-League, and if offers come, I will join there," he added.

Talking about the achievement of his team, Services coach MG Ramachandran said, “We are all happy and are now enjoying the moment of being the champions. The hard work has paid off. In Services, we have the Inter-Services Championship, where all three units of the Indian defence —army, air force, and navy—participate, and from there, we select the best players of the tournament.”

Talking about the national team call-up for his boys, the coach said, "Currently the numbers are low, but you can see how we are developing, and in the future, you will see more players in the national team. Currently, seven players from the Services play in for the ISL and I-League teams."