Sevens football KEEPS THE BEAUTIFUL GAME ALIVE IN KERALA. It also helps players of varying skills make a living.
It is about 8.30 in the night when one reaches Mampad, which is a couple of hours by road from Kozhikode. K. Kunhalan Kutty, or Kuttikka as everyone calls him, is waiting in front of the Friends Floodlit Stadium. The ‘stadium’ actually is just a plot of land owned by Kutty. The stands, made of bamboo, can accommodate about 5,000 people, but at the moment, there are not even a hundred spectators.
“People would come by the time the game kicks off,” says Kutty.
HOWEVER, ONE IS SCEPTICAL, though. The kick-off is just 15 minutes away. “It is a big match, the biggest yet in the tournament,” Kutty informs.
A little later, the two teams, FIFA, Manjeri, and Alukkas, Thrissur, make their way to the ground. They are greeted loudly by the spectators, who prove Kutty right: the stadium is by now almost full.
“It is the first leg of the semifinal, but only the result counts, not the score,” says Kutty. “It doesn’t matter if a team loses by seven goals; all it has to do is to win the second leg, even by a solitary goal, to force the tie-breaker. Sometimes, the semifinals are played in a best-of-three format. That is, if the teams are tied with one win each after two games, a deciding semifinal match will be played.”
SOUNDS STRANGE? Welcome to the strange, but fascinating world of ‘sevens’ football.
It is a format that keeps the beautiful game alive in Kerala;helps players of varying skills make a living; attracts reasonably good football players from African countries; gives organisers considerable profits; contributes significantly to charity, and entertains a football-crazy populace.
This story is from the June 24, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the June 24, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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