KOCHI: Football fever has gripped the city with Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Ajay Maken kicking off ‘Goal 2012’, the inter-collegiate football tournament organised by The New Indian Express. Maken also inaugurated the event organised at Hotel Casino in connection with the tournament at Maharaja's College ground, Kochi, on Monday. The tournament aims to revive the lost glory of the game in the state which once sent stalwarts even to Olympics. The Union Minister, who himself is an avid football fan, urged the media to raise the level of football coverage in the country. “The media should take the initiative to revive the sports culture which has dwindled over the years. There was a time when our country shone as champions at the Asian Games, but somewhere down the lane, the interest in games has ebbed. It is time to analyse what happened to the sport in the country and revive it,” he said.The New Indian Express Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla said the newspaper had always associated itself with the youth. “Goal 2012 is an opportunity for football enthusiasts among the youth to prove their potential. There are no venues to hold tournaments and most of the grounds are full of potholes. There is something rotten in the system as far as football is concerned. This is an initiative of Express to bring football back in vogue with a football at every home and everyone taking to it as ‘the game of the future’. Kerala should produce a Messi in 50 years. Football lends a competitive spirit and physical fitness and can be played at any time,” he added.The theme song of the tournament, ‘Thudithaalangal Unarukayayi’ was also released at the function. Hibi Eden MLA said the interest in football should be revived and the initiative should be followed-up. Finding a Messi from Kerala is a big challenge. There are many hurdles, including financial constraints, lack of training and infrastructure. There are plans to set up a synthetic turf at the Ambedkar stadium. Kerala Football Association president K M I Mather handed over the theme song to international football legend C C Jacob. The inter-collegiate tournament with 16 teams from four universities in the state, was kicked off at the Maharaja’s College Ground in the afternoon.The winner will be awarded a prize money of `1 lakh while the runner-up will walk away with `50,000. In addition, there will be six individual awards for players in various categories, including the best player of the tournament, top scorer, best goal keeper, best forward, best defender and best midfielder.The New Indian Express, Vice-president(Sales) Lakshmi Menon was also present.
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