We stand to learn a lot from foreign players, says Sabeeth

October 11, 2014 11:41 am | Updated May 23, 2016 06:48 pm IST - KOZHIKODE:

C.S.Sabeeth.

C.S.Sabeeth.

With the kick off of the Indian Super League (ISL) just a couple of days away, C.S. Sabeeth is excited.

“Now, there is something we, the footballers in India, have to play for,” he told The Hindu over telephone from Margao, where his team, Kerala Blasters, has been based for the past week, on Friday. “With the ISL, many Indians would finally be aware that football is also played in their country.”

The 24-year-old striker is confident that the ISL would be a big success. “People are already talking about it,” he said. “It is nice that film stars, iconic cricketers and corporate houses are involved in the ISL; their presence ensures the media attention.”

He thinks footballers could do with some attention. “I am playing in Kolkata, where football is covered pretty well, but the same cannot be said about the rest of the country,” he said. “That has already begun to change with the ISL.”

Sabeeth feels the ISL would make domestic players more competent. “The foreign players signed up by the various ISL teams play at a different level, and we could learn a lot of things from them,” he said. “There is plenty to learn from even the way they practise.”

Sabeeth, who has already played for India, said he was looking forward to meeting the likes of Nicolas Anelka of Mumbai City on the field. “I have watched him play on television several times,” he said. “I could not have imagined that I could one day hope to play against him in a match. Yes, the ISL is a boon for Indian football.”

Sabeeth, who learnt his football in Tamil Nadu, is happy that he is playing for Kerala Blasters. “I had begun my professional career here with Viva Kerala, and was saddened when the team was disbanded,” he said. “That was a body blow to Kerala football. Now there are no I-League clubs in Kerala and that is the main reason football is suffering in the State.”

From Viva Kerala, Sabeeth went on to play for Palian Arrows, one of the few bright ideas of the All India Football Federation, but that team too was dissolved. He had scored nine goals for Arrows in the I-League in 2012-13.

“Arrows was a great opportunity for youngsters like me,” he said. “It is unfortunate that the team was disbanded.”

With not so many great things happening in Indian football, little wonder young men like Sabeeth just cannot wait for the ISL to begin.

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