Kondotty: Arimbra village here in Malappuram district has a VIP and he is a member of the junior Indian football team. The young man, Shabas Ahamed, is nowadays busy attending receptions arranged in his honour by local people, friends, and relatives.
However, two years ago, Shabas had reasons to worry as he had left the under-14 football Indian football team camp. However, he soon made amends and worked hard to be part of the under-16 team, excelled in the under-16 Asian Football Championship held in Malaysia recently, and finally got a call to be part of camp for the Indian national team.
Career at crossroads
Shabas, son of Moothedath Basheer and N P Souda, was barely 13 years old when selected to the under-14 camp of the Indian football team held in Goa two years ago. When he reached Goa, Shabas found that he was the lone Malayali there. The teen struggled with language issues and homesickness. He could not also mix well with the other players at the camp.
Shabas called home and explained his situation. Immediately, Basheer started for Goa with a mobile phone and a few gifts to cheer Shabas up. He tried to inspire Shabas pointing out that his football talents shouldn't be wasted. However, Basheer could not convince Shabas, who left the camp and returned to Kerala along with his father.
Splendid comeback
Only after he reached Arimbra did Shabas realise the magnitude of his loss. He wasted no time in starting efforts to make a comeback. He was a changed person after that. Shabas couldn't even spend a week away from his family in Goa, but now he was determined to be part of the national team again. He was not bothered about being away from Arimbra.
The teen's hard work paid off very soon. Shabas got a call to be part of the Indian camp within one month. From there, Shabas found his way to the under-16 Indian team for the Asian championship.
His first match at the championship was as a substitute. But he soon cemented his place in the first 11 as a good defender. The coach praised Shabas's performance in the championship on several occasions. Though India lost to Korea in the quarter-final match, the team and Shabas earned much appreciation from the spectators.
Early days
Shabas first attended Arimbra UP School before joining the Narayanan Nair Memorial Higher Secondery School at Chelembra, where his football talents were recognised by K Mansoor. Shabas soon became the captain of the district sub-junior team and subsequently found a place in the state football team.
Playing in the Subroto Cup, the premier national inter-school football tournament, the youngster attracted national attention.
He was given a rousing public reception at Arimbra on Sunday evening.
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