Bino Goerge on his visit to St Joseph Church in Manjeri after winning Santosh Trophy | Photo: Special arrangement
As the yellow army of eleven upheld Kerala’s spirits as they took to the ground, a man clad in a green shirt stood just outside the football pitch was engaged in prayers. That man is the coach of the Kerala team, Bino Goerge, who helped the Kerala team plant a kiss on the Santosh trophy for the seventh time.
Bino Goerge went to St Joseph Church in Manjeri the day after the Kerala team won the Santosh trophy. He also took the cup along with him as a token of his gratitude for hearing his prayers. Father Tomy Kalathoor reacted to Mathrubhumi.com about Bino Goerge’s visit to the church.
“Bino used to come to the church to pray ever since the Santosh Trophy tournament kicked off in Malappuram. The church is around eight kilometres away from the stadium. He would come to the church on days without matches to attend the morning Mass, and I would ask those assembled in the church to pray for the Kerala team,” said Fr Kalathoor.
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When Bino Goerge went to the church on the day before the finals, Fr Kalathoor told him that Kerala would lift the trophy. That is when Bino promised that if it happens, he would come to the church with the trophy. Sticking to his words, Bino took the trophy to the church the day after the finals.
Fr Tomy Kalathoor is an ardent fan of football. He was one among the spectators who had arrived to see the match.
Kerala triumphed in the Santhosh trophy for the seventh time at Payyanad stadium on Monday night. Defeating West Bengal (5-4), Kerala lifted the trophy during the 15th finals. Kerala could prove its strength by thwarting the 32-time winning team twice. It was in 1973, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2004 and 2018, that Kerala won the Santhosh trophy titles earlier.