“My earliest memories have been the roar of crowds in football grounds. It followed me into my pleasing performance in Kolkata, where I played in the semi-finals of the Santosh trophy, representing Karnataka. The clamour in the galleries still resonates in my ears,” says 18-year old Shafeel P P, who plays for Bangalore Independents in the Bangalore Super Division. The excitement of shoring up the defense suffuses his words. It has been an arduous journey for him from Kappakkal, sandwiched between Kallai River and the Arabian Sea in suburban Kozhikode, to the citadel of Indian football via India’s cyber capital.
Coming from a community of ordinary folk, who earn their livelihood through fishing and manual labour, he learned the rudiments of soccer at the tender age of eight. Maternal younger brother Yusuf and neighbour Kamaalkka stoked his desire for the game. His young legs would stray to wherever a match was being played.
Aged ten, he enrolled in the Kozhikode Corporation Football Academy. With that, Shefeel’s ongoing evolution as a top-notch defender gained momentum, and continues apace into its 8th year under the encouraging gaze of head coach Kabir Das and Kadirikkoya. He practices unfailingly in the evenings at the Govt. Ganapat School ground in Kallai.
The promising footballer did his schooling in Kappakkal UP School, Payyanakkal GVHSS and Samoothiri HSS. All of these institutions gave him opportunities to participate in matches even as he was pursuing his studies. It led to his playing in sub-junior category at the district and state levels, Under-13 Yamaha Asian Cup, E C Bharathan Memorial tournament, Kerala Premier League and Futsal.
It all culminated in the Santosh trophy national appearance after being chosen by the Karnataka State Football Association from the qualifying rounds. Apart from him, two others from Kozhikode district, Leon Augustine & goal keeper Shain Khan {both from Bangalore Independents} and Rajesh S {Railway Wheel Factory {from Thiruvananthapuram} are the other Malayalees in the Karnataka state team.
"Shefeel plays with the agility of a born player. Through ongoing training, he can be a star at the national level,” says coach Kabir Das, a former member of Kerala Football Association.
Vegetable-vendor father, Alikoya, mother Suhara and elder brother Muhammed Rashid are unstinting in their support of Shefeels’ sporting dreams. Sister Nubina Parvin doing her graduation from JDT Islam is also proud of her brother. The father makes it a point to watch his sons’ matches and training sessions, whenever an opportunity presents.
“All the matches that I have played so far have afforded a host of memories. But the one I cherish the most is a recent futsal game playing alongside C K Vineeth. I crave playing in more tournaments, plying more matches. I want to star at the national level through excellent performances,” says Shefeel. Probably he is on his path to realizing his aspirations. Having been selected by Army Ordinance Corps, Bengaluru, is a step in that direction. But for now, he is quietly confident of what the sporting future has in store for him.
Chavara Cultural Centre (CCC), Joint Community Care and Silver Hills Public School jointly organised a function at CCC, where Shefeel was honoured by Fr. Pradeep Padettu CMI, Asst. Director of CCC. K J Mathai, president, Kozhikode District Sports Council inaugurated the event, presided over by P K Ibrahim Babu P K, PTA president of Payyanakkal GVHSS, JCC President C P Ahammed honoured Fayis Moosa, NEET 14th rank holder. Councillor Adv. C K Zeenath, who coordinated the function, Sathar master of Payyanakkal GVHSS, Shareef and Makbool master, secretary and Edu wing convener of JCC, offered felicitations. Minimol Joseph, staff secretary of Payyanakkal School proposed a vote of thanks.
This was followed by a personality development and motivational sessions for 32 high school students, including 14 girls, of Payyanakkal GVHSS by professional HR trainers Arjun Radhakrishnan and Vinod Iyer. Arshina K and Aswanth spoke on behalf of the students and shared their experiences as did teachers, Sajana and Linsha.
