The Santosh Trophy is still more than two months away, but M. Shafeeq Hassan cannot wait. He was recently appointed as Kerala’s coach for the National football championship.
“I realized how important this assignment is by the responses I got after I was picked for the job by the Kerala Football Association,” Shafeeq told The Hindu. “There wasn’t such a reaction even when I was named as the assistant coach of the Indian Under-19 team. There is still a buzz about the Santosh Trophy.”
This isn’t the first time that Shafeeq is coaching Kerala. He had guided Kerala to football gold at the National Games in Uttarakhand early this year. “That was special, as Kerala was winning the gold in football after 28 years,” he said. “I am confident about our chances in the Santosh Trophy, too.”
That confidence stems from the new crop of young talents emerging in Kerala. “I have watched the streaming of the State senior inter-district championship that concluded in Kochi on Tuesday and found some fine prospects,” he said. “And of course the Super League Kerala also offers lots of talents.”
Shafeeq gets to watch the young stars at the KSL from the closest of quarters: he is the assistant coach of Kannur Warriors. “There is no doubt the KSL has been a blessing for Kerala football, something it badly needed,” says the man who fell in love with football growing up in Wayanad. “We could not have imagined the league could attain the kind of success it has just into the second season.”
He said the region-based leagues are very important in football. “We have seen the excitement the match between Malappuram FC and Calicut FC produced at Manjeri over the weekend,” he points out. “The big crowd watched the match braving the heavy rain. And I am excited that my team will get to play home matches at Kannur this season.”
Published – October 22, 2025 07:38 pm IST
