Youth power missing

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Some outstanding goals and exciting matches during the business end spiced up the Chennai Football Association senior division league, which concluded at the Nehru Stadium on Sunday.

The final match of the 11-team league — between AG’s Office and Tamil Nadu Police — brought out the best of the sport. AG’s went on to win the title after beating the gritty Police team 4-3 in a contest that was alive until the long whistle.

In terms of organisation, the 55-match league was a success. But the quality of some teams left a lot to be desired. The season was particularly harsh on private clubs. Don Bosco Annai Youth, who qualified to the senior division a couple of seasons ago with much fanfare, pulled out of the league citing financial constraints.

Madras Sporting Union were relegated after a series of humiliating defeats on the home run. That they didn’t have a substitute on the bench against Arrows raised question marks about the club’s seriousness about taking part in the elite division.

The two-month league also failed to see the emergence of promising young talent. Besides, almost all teams were hamstrung by the absence of natural goal-scorers. The two players who took AG’s Office to the pinnacle of the city league are not anybody’s idea of young blood. That P. Muthu and Jestes Antony, both above 35, are the best players of the league exposed a paucity of new talent.

Raman Vijayan, 37, made the shortcomings of many forwards in the league more noticeable through his useful performances for Indian Bank. The salad days of the former Indian player may be behind him, but he still remains a cut above the rest of the forwards in Chennai. Vijayan’s ability to hold the ball to let his teammates join the attack and his crisp passes stood out.

Vijayan said the dominance of Anto and Muthu reflected poorly on the quality of the league. “When I came to Chennai in the early 90s, the standard of the league was better. I think many players in the senior division today don’t belong to the elite stage. They should be plying their trade in the lower tiers. The supply from districts — a fertile ground for natural talent — is also fast drying up,” he added.

According to Vijayan, teams don’t approach the senior division professionally. “Some clubs don’t train properly even when the league is on. How can we see quality on the field when there is no homework?” he asked.

The former East Bengal forward also pointed out that lack of tournaments for senior division teams is affecting the development of players. “What is there in Chennai after the league? Players have to remain idle for six months every year. How can they improve if they play no matches? My sympathies are with them,” he said.