The national football championship for the Santosh Trophy may have lost its sheen to the likes of I-League and Indian Super League, but two-time winning coach Shabbir Ali feels it remains a supply line of players at the national level.
Ali was given the task to coach Bengal in 2009-10 when Kolkata last hosted the tournament, and guided the team to a second successive title.
In 2011, he was bestowed with the coveted Dhyan Chand award.
Fancied Bengal had not won the national football championships for 10 years and the former India captain was given the task to end the prolonged drought. Bengal not only reclaimed the trophy but players like Arnab Mondal, Robin Singh, Denson Devadas and Shankar Oraon established themselves at the national level.
"I was missing two of my key players. Abhijit Mondal, who sustained an arm injury during training, while Lalkamal Bhowmick was also left out," Ali told PTI from Hyderabad, on the eve of the 72nd edition of the Santosh Trophy that's getting underway here tomorrow.
"Singh had just graduated from Tata Football Academy, then there was Devadas and Dhanrajan from Kerala. All of them were plying trades in Kolkata and were unwanted by their respective states. All of them rose the occasion and came into national reckoning. Many youngsters came up from the tournament."
"There may be I-League and ISL, but there are many states which do not have any club in the two top tier tournaments. Santosh Trophy has a true pan-India presence to scout talents."
"Every time Bengal go and play in Santosh Trophy there will be pressure. In a team game, you never get a perfect scenario but you make the best possible use of your resources."
"The boys will get demoralised if you keep on telling them that the number one player is missing. You have to give them a good mental space to play freely."
"Pressure will always be on Bengal and all the teams will be keen to dethrone them but it's about rising to the occasion."
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