He has a master’s degree in architecture but the only thing on Reuben Senyo’s mind these days is designing the big moves that could keep Viva Kerala among the top pack in football’s forthcoming I-League.
“When I landed here, I didn’t have any idea about Indian football, now I know it’s a very friendly place,” said Senyo, Viva Kerala’s new striker from Ghana who landed here a couple of days ago along with defenders Charles Dzisah and Nana Acquaye.
Indian football has been a bit of a surprise for the 23-year-old who is making his debut in the country.
“I expected something better but I’m here to put in my material and carry the team forward,” said Senyo who played in the Ghanaian under-23 national team and also for the Hearts of Oak, the country’s top club. “I’m also here to learn and earn. I’m sure we’ll do well in the premier league.”
Best-ever team
That confidence seems to have rubbed off on Viva Kerala as well. “Senyo will make a big difference to the team, he is tall, muscular and has been a good goal-scorer. He will be a big name in India soon,” said A.M. Sreedharan, the team’s chief coach. “I think this is the best-ever Viva team, we will be a force to reckon with.”
With 14 teams, including four who gained promoted from the Second Division, this year’s I-League is bigger than ever before. And some of the newcomers, like Shillong’s Lajong which slayed East Bengal in the Durand Cup, have made exciting progress.
Team’s goal
And though Viva Kerala is clearly short on the preparations front — the team’s Nigerian defender Bello Rasak has yet to arrive — Sreedharan has fixed an ambitious goal for his team in the country’s premier league which kicks off on October 3.
“We are aiming to be in the top six,” he said.
Things were very different a few weeks ago. Since the arrival of the foreigners was delayed, the team pulled out of the recent IFA Shield in Kolkata.
“That is our only problem, we will going into the I-League without playing any practice matches. We just played one game against Mumbai’s Akbar Travels at the FACT Udyogamandal Ground (Viva’s training base) but without the foreigners,” said Sreedharan.
“So, we will take one or two matches to settle down, to spot our weak and strong points and to act accordingly.”
The team opens its campaign with some tough games, starting off against Salgaocar and then staying on to play Churchill Brothers in Goa before travelling to Kolkata to meet Mohun Bagan.
Blessing in disguise
“That’s a blessing in disguise. We open against strong teams, settle down and then come home strong,” said Sreedharan. With the ‘roofing work’ in Kochi’s Nehru Stadium still not over, Viva will play its home matches in Kozhikode.
Meanwhile, Bello Rasaq will be arriving on Monday, said Viva Kerala Secretary Liaquat Ali, adding, “and Nana will be leaving.”
Surprisingly, despite being South India’s lone team in the I-League, Viva Kerala is struggling to find sponsors.
And despite being a team from a football-crazy State which threw up gems like I.M. Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri, Viva is the poorest team in the I-League, the one with the smallest budget.
“The other day, there was news in the media that Musli Power (a product from a Kerala pharma company) would be the title sponsor of Churchill Brothers.
It was mentioned that it was a Rs. 18 crores deal,” said Sreedharan. “It would have been a big help if they had us at least one crore.”
It will be interesting to follow the progress of the team which is now fighting against all odds to keep Kerala’s flag flying on the big stage.
Source The Hindu
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Saturday 19 September 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.
Comments · 1
Good Luck Viva..