I League in the coming season is going to be very interesting with teams from Kerala and Shillong paving their way into the professional league. Viva Kerala who paved their way back in the professional league will be trying hard to remain in the league next season too. Liaquat Ali ,Manager Viva Kerala spoke to www.the-aiff.com about the team and how the scenario has changed in the state.
Q) How is the team shaping up for the upcoming I League? A) Our conditioning camp started on July 6th and is still continuing. The team is physically fit and playing well. We have all arrangements for training including gymnasium, access to swimming pools and other facilities. The average age of our team is 23-years and we expect good results.
Q) Your team didn’t have a good run in the I League when you played in the inaugural edition? This will be the second time your team will be participating what is your main aim now and what areas have you improved upon? A) Our weakness was identified immediately. We had problems with goalkeeping, defence and were creating chances but we were not able to score goals those have been rectified now. We have identified good players for the coming season in these positions and they are doing their roles as expected. Our goalkeeper, stopper and striker have played for India U-19 and we are sure they will produce good results.
Q) How do you see your chances to remain in the contention for the coming year? A) We have a good chance as most of our players are young and they can spring a surprise.
Q) Who are your main players in the team upon whom you are counting upon? A) There are three Ghanian players in our team and one of them have played in the national team there. Our entire team is important and we count on all of them to perform and produce results. With Shaheen Lal guarding the bar, Naushad, Surjit, Nana Aguaye, Chames Dzisah and Amarwant Singh are taking care of our defence. Our midfield has Raman Patrick, Siraj, Zakir and Freddie while our striker force has Rueban Sanyo, who was a part of the Ghana national team and C S Sabeeth who has represented India U-19. We have a good team and we can give a tough competition to the opponents.
Q) How has the scenario changed back in your state after your club qualified for the I League? A) There has been a change in the scene in Kerala after Viva Kerala’s new team has been formed. The media has started giving football more importance in general and we intend to carry forward this momentum by forming a fan club soon. Also the Kerala Football Association is also a source of strength for us.
Note : The views expressed in this Interview are solely of Mr Liaquat Ali, Manager Viva Kerala
Source: AIFF
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Wednesday 16 September 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.