Kochi: Kerala's Santosh Trophy team, which won the national football championship beating West Bengal in a keenly contested match at Manjeri, was accorded a warm felicitation by Malayala Manorama on Thursday. At the function held at the Manorama office in Kochi, Editor Philip Mathew awarded gold medals to the team members and the supporting staff. Apart from the players, head coach Bino George, assistant coach T P Purushothaman, goalkeeping coach Saji Joy, manager M Mohammad Salim, and physiotherapist Mohammed Patla also received the medals.
"More than a title triumph, this win could motivate and energise the people who are going through chaotic situations and pandemic-induced hardships," said Philip Mathew. "I earnestly hope this hard-fought win will inspire more children to play the sport, and as this bunch of players did, they will also make Kerala proud," he added.
Kerala Football Association (KFA) senior vice-president K M I Mather advised the players to put in maximum effort to reach their full potential. "Winning the Santosh Trophy is no mean achievement, but you can reach even greater heights by tapping into your full potential," he said.
Bino George, team captain Jijo Joseph, Malayala Manorama editorial director Mathews Varghese, and Kochi chief of bureau Antony John also spoke on the occasion.
Seventeen players of the 20-member squad turned up for the event. KFA president Tom Jose and general secretary P Anilkumar were also present. Some key members of the state squad of 1973, which won Kerala's maiden Santosh Trophy title, also graced the occasion and congratulated the juniors.
