Kerala had to wait till 1992 for the second title. Kerala led by VP Sathyan defeated Goa by three wickets in the final. The coach was TA Jaffer, the 73rd vice-captain.
Manjeri, First Published May 2, 2022, 10:33 AM IST
Manjeri: Kerala has won the Santosh Trophy six times. Kerala (Kerala Football)’s achievements were under four coaches. Kerala first touched on the Santosh Trophy, which started in Kolkata eighty – one years ago, in 1973. Under the tutelage of Olympian Simon Sunderraj, Kerala defeated Railways in the final. Captain Mani’s hat trick helped Kerala win their maiden title in Kochi by three goals to two.
Kerala had to wait till 1992 for the second title. Kerala led by VP Sathyan defeated Goa by three wickets in the final. The coach was TA Jaffer, the 73rd vice-captain. Jaffer and Kerala retained the title in Kochi in ’93. The team led by Kurikesh Mathew defeated Maharashtra by two unanswered goals in the final. Fourth title at the 2001 Mumbai Santosh Trophy. Kerala led by V Sivakumar defeated Goa by three goals to two in the final. M Peetambaran was the coach.
In 2004, under the tutelage of M Peethambaran, Kerala won the title again in Delhi. Captain Ignatius Sylvester’s golden goal helped Kerala beat Punjab in the title race. Fourteen Kerala had to wait for fourteen years to bring the Santosh Trophy home once again. Rahul V Raj and team on the end of the wait in Kolkata in 2018.
Sativan Balan was the coach when they beat Bengal in a penalty shootout. Kerala lost in the finals in Kollam in 1988, Guwahati in 1989, Goa in 1990, Palakkad in 1991, Cuttack in 1994, Thrissur in 2000, Manipur in 2003 and Kochi in 2013. He fell in the final four times in a penalty shootout.
Last Updated May 2, 2022, 10:33 AM IST
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