Kerala Police, the team that changed football in the state, completes 40 years

Kerala Police, the team that changed football in the state, completes 40 years

Till the mid-80s, Kerala was largely an underachieving entity in Indian football.  

Despite the passion and interest, Kerala only had the 1973 Santosh Trophy triumph to show, and many of the famed departmental teams from the state flattered to deceive in the Federation Cup, which was then considered the Holy Grail of Indian club football.  

To compete and win against the Big Three from Kolkata and cash-rich Goan clubs was beyond the capability of the departmental teams from Kerala. However, Kerala Police broke the preconceived notion and became the first team from the state to win the coveted trophy in 1990.  

Before a packed full house at the Municipal Corporation Stadium in Thrissur, Kerala Police defeated Salgaocar Football Club 2-1 through a brace from C.V. Pappachan. The temporary stands shook, and the noise was deafening when Pappachan scored the winning goal. Kerala Police went on to retain the title the following year in Kannur, beating Mahindra & Mahindra 2-0 in extra time. 

The Federation Cup triumph of 1990 came after six years of meticulous planning and training, said A.M. Sreedharan, who was the coach of the Kerala Police team from 1984 to 1992.  

“Kerala Police fared badly in the 1983 All-India Police Games, and then DGP, the late M.K. Joseph Sir, and Sports Officer and DIG, the late Gopinathan Sir, decided to revamp the football team. I was approached to take over as coach and was also tasked with finding outstanding players. Kerala Police at that time was not a glamorous team, and despite the offer of a good salary and prompt promotions, it took a lot of convincing and cajoling to bring in young players. But we managed to recruit promising players such as Pappachan, Sharaf Ali, V.P. Sathyan, Kurikesh Mathew, Thobias, and K.T. Chacko,” remembers the 79-year-old coach.  

“I.M. Vijayan came for trials through (coach) T.K. Chathunni, who was my teammate at MEG. Vijayan performed well, but he was only 17 and didn’t have the required educational qualification. However, M.K. Joseph Sir took a special interest in recruiting Vijayan. He was initially paid a stipend, and when Vijayan turned 18, he was recruited as a Havildar through a special order,” the coach reminisced.  

“For the Federation Cup, we had a long camp at Tripunithura. The confidence of the team was high after we won the All-India Police Games gold, beating a strong BSF side. Chathunni joined as coach three months before the tournament, and his tactical inputs were helpful. Nobody gave us a chance, but we exceeded expectations, and the huge support from the crowd helped in the final,” added Sreedharan.  

The 40th anniversary of the formation of the Kerala Police football team was celebrated at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium last Saturday. An exhibition match involving former members of the team was also held as part of the celebrations.