Several Manipur footballers opting for transfer to other states | Football News – Times of India
According to state football officials and professional players, who were part of the Manipur State League (MSL) last season, there has been an exodus of players while many are now in the forefront to protect their villagers from rioters.
“I was at my village border with a licensed gun for many nights to protect my villagers from attacks,” a professional footballer who played in the MSL told TOI from Manipur.
“I joined the village volunteers group who take turns to guard the border. A group stays on vigil for 2-3 days at a stretch and is replaced by another set of volunteers,” said the player, who is pursuing his final-year graduation degree from the DM University in Imphal.
“There has been gradual improvement in the conditions as the Indian Army is also helping us. Few of my friends have already moved to Bengaluru and I’m also planning to move to Bengaluru to restart my football career,” he added.
“There are several players caught in the middle of this violence. Most of the players at home or at any vulnerable location have been forced to pick up their licensed guns to guard their villages,” a former player from Manipur said.
Last year, the MSL had a total of 19 clubs adding up to 570 players in action. According to the state football association, a big number of players moved out as the violence continued. A top football official said the number of players who are opting for state transfer is growing.
“I understand there are already 70-80 players including the youngsters who have moved the Manipur SA to take a transfer. A big number of players are moving to Bengaluru and also to Tripura and Jharkhand,” a top official of All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) said from Imphal.
“We don’t know when the league will start as last year it started in August. Our first priority now is to assemble the state teams for the National Games in Goa. We hope normalcy will be restored in the coming months,” he added.
Among the dozens of players who have moved out is a 22-year-old who played at the national and international level, including in Asian School Football Championship, Subroto Cup and Khelo India Games.
“A lot of players are coming to Bengaluru, including from Klasa FC, last year’s state league champions. I arrived here in the first week of July and four of us travelled together,” said the right winger from Bishnupur, who also played for NorthEast Sporting Union (NESU) in the state league last year.
“My family lost everything”
India player Chinglensana Singh Konsham, who suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7-8 crore, is wondering whether his state would be a peaceful place again.
“Untill now peace has not been restored, nothing has been sorted out. It’s very confusing at the moment on what are we going to do. Where can I build my house, what is the government doing? But we are surviving on a daily basis and I’m supporting my family. They were in a relief camp earlier but now they have moved to another place,” Konsham, who plays for Hyderabad FC, told TOI from Imphal.
(AI image)
“I’ve been playing as a professional for the last eight years. Whatever I earned, I invested in Konsham Arena — a new turf in Churachandpur — to provide the local talent a good platform to become professional players but it was destroyed along with our houses, cars and bikes,” he said.
Among other top players who suffered losses were Haokip Semboi and U-17 player Thanglalsoun Gangte.
