NEW DELHI, Feb 27: Former India footballer Mehtab Hossain feels that instead of hosting the semifinals and final of the 76th Santosh Trophy — the national football championship in Saudi Arabia, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) should have organised the knockout matches in the country in front of the fans.
For the first time in the history of Indian football, the semifinals and final of the Santosh Trophy be held outside India, at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from March 1-4.
The AIFF, under the stewardship of its President Kalyan Chaubey, has taken this step with an aim to restore the glory of past football competitions of India, which will in turn motivate the upcoming players by providing them with more game-time.
Four teams – Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Services – have qualified for the semifinals of Santosh Trophy.
Speaking to IANS , Mehtab said, “The AIFF may be trying to motivate the players and enhance the importance of Santosh Trophy by hosting the knockout matches in Riyadh. But I feel the matches should have been hosted somewhere in India where people would have thronged the stadium to watch live action, for example in Kerala. Nothing can motivate the players more than playing in front of fans in a packed stadium, which is unlikely to happen in Saudi Arabia.”
The former defensive midfielder, who played for both the Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, besides donning the national jersey 33 times between 2005 and 2015, said, “Also, a full stadium makes a bigger impact on TV viewers as well. Tell me, how many people will go to see a match in Saudi Arabia. Will it look good if the footballers play in an empty stadium?” (IANS)
