‘Lucky to play on the same turf as Ronaldo and Messi’

RIYADH: The last edition of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy in Kerala saw packed stands as the hosts won top honours.
The semi-finals and final of the Santosh Trophy is now being played in Saudi Arabia, and although the crowd response won’t be the same, the organisers are making efforts to ensure there are enough cheering from the stands at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
According to sources, the Saudi Arabia Football Federation is in touch with the Indian Embassy in an attempt to get children from Indian schools for the semifinals on Wednesday and final on Saturday.
“Once we enter the ground, it (the presence or absence of spectators) should not be in our head,” Meghalaya captain Full Moon Mukhim said during the pre-match media interaction on Tuesday. “It all depends on us. In our head we should be like a tiger, be brave, whether we have supporters or not cheering for us.”
Mukhim has led his team to a fine run that has seen the north-eastern state make it to the last-four stage for the first time. They will face Punjab in the first semifinals on Wednesday.
“Obviously, this is a big stage. Lot of eyes will be on us and we could even get professional contracts from big clubs. (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi have played on the same turf which we will play. We are lucky to be here,” said Punjab captain Rajat Kumar.
Since being hammered at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, football has turned the corner in Saudi Arabia. The Gulf nation shocked Argentina – eventual champions -- at the World Cup 2022 in their opening group game.
After the culmination of the World Cup iin Qatar, Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr FC managed to convince Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to grace the Saudi Professional League.
“AIFF has made a good decision to have the tournament here,” said Services captain and goalkeeper Bhabindra Malla Thakuri. “It’s a good platform and the limelight will be here on all players. Everyone is looking ahead to the semi-finals.”
For Karnataka captain Karthik Govind Swamy, the focus has remained unchanged.
“Our focus is to win the Santosh Trophy. There are no other distractions. We are not here on a holiday,” said Swamy.