TDFA chief wants probe into Kerala’s early exit

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bringing to fore the fault lines in the Kerala Football Association, the Thiruvananthapuram District Football Association (TDFA) president V Sivankutty has urged the state government to inquire about Kerala’s first-round exit from the ongoing Santosh Trophy championship.

Sivankutty alleged the selection procedures for the Santosh Trophy were not transparent and the omission of selected 15 players after just three days of training was suspicious.

Kerala, which had won the last edition of the tournament, had a shocking first-round exit without even scoring once.

“35 players were selected for the camp from the inter-district competition. However, three days into the camp, 15 of them were chucked out. They were replaced with players who have not played inter-district competition,” Sivankutty alleged. However, he went soft on the coach V P Shaji and said the camp was held only a month prior to the match and it’s to be seen whether that time was enough to build a strong side.