It is not active sportspersons alone who are badly hit by this pandemic that refuses to leave Indian shores but also those who play a part in the development of sports. One such interesting person is C. M. Ranjith, at one time considered a bright young football talent from Kerala who then went on to don several roles in the later years including the National Youth Coach, the Technical Director of Gokulam FC, Kerala's I-league team and what is more, 'tamil' expert television commentator during the ISL.
This ever smiling football-lover seems to have enjoyed every new responsibility with the same intent as he exhibited during his exciting playing days. And the enjoyment continues even as he contemplates new avenues of involvement in the sport of football in India.
It was nice catching up with Ranjith and sure enough what strikes one immediately on meeting someone closely involved with Indian football is to ask him how the sport is doing or not doing in the country! Expectedly Ranjith smiles it off. He knows there can hardly be a tougher question on Indian football than that. He had himself experienced a bit of it during his playing days and that is why he always carried the regret of never having represented the senior Indian side even though he had the potential to be there among the best.
“That scar remains still,” he would mumble. “I was in the national camp for the 1985 Nehru Cup and all set for induction into the team, even the India jerseys were distributed when alas, I was asked to join the Indian youth camp which was on simultaneously since there was a shortage of a striker there! There, as it happened, ended my hope of a senior national berth,” he remembers.
Only a footballer, who had been hailed as a hero once for having exhibited his immense talent as a striker in the Santosh trophy and other events and then later rose in fields like coaching and scouting talents in the sport to admirable levels, would understand what that one missing credit in his career meant.
Ranjith believes that the one factor so obviously missing in Indian football affairs is a clear vision. Change in the sport is understandable, as he said, but it had to be for a good result. Standards have to improve and FIFA and AFC advices have to be adhered to for development. But where the slip came was in not acknowledging the fact that sport thrives on the public patronage.
