MUMBAI: What's it about
the whiff of nostalgia that transports people back in time to invariably
light up lives and leave more than just a smile on faces? Black and
white television sets, Polaroid cameras, the old Fiats, or the Durand
Cup.
The sheen may have faded off the football tournament that saw its 125th edition conclude in New Delhi last week, but the sentiment doesn't change for Godfrey Pereira whose Air India team edged out fellow city club, Dodsal FC in a nervous shootout to emerge first-time victors.
For someone who is into his first stint as coach of a top-flight club, life certainly seems to have come a full circle. "I've won every trophy a player can win with a club spare this one," says the former India player glancing at the replica that sits pretty on his table at the club's Kalina office. "The closest I ever came to winning it was in 2000 with Mahindras when Mohun Bagan beat us 2-1 in the final. The trophy that I chased for years as a player, landed in my hands in my first tournament as coach," he says.
The argument that Air India's victory shouldn't be taken seriously as most of the top I-League teams skipped the tournament holds little water for Pereira. "There were teams like Pune FC and Sporting Clube de Goa participating. We didn't have anything easy. At the end of the day, a Durand Cup win is a Durand Cup win," he says.
Call it a curse, horrible timing or simply fate taking the fun out of your moment of glory, Air India's exploits were didn't receive the right publicity because of the national team making it a hattrick of Nehru Cup titles at a stadium just 15kms away. But the club is at peace with being shortchanged when it comes to coverage in the media. "We'd love to have a little more noise being made about our triumph but we're happy to let the national team hog the limelight. They totally deserved it," says Pereira, who, like most Air India coaches in the past, has the unenviable task of rebuilding the team from scratch this season.
The club lost as many as 15 players to rivals after their 9th place finish in the ILeague last season and Pereira will be following past coaches when he smiles, shrugs and starts assembling the jigsaw yet again. He also wants to make the club play in a style that attracts the management's largesse and changes Air India's image of merely an ideal feeder club. "This situation is as challenging and frustrating. The exodus of good players leaves us disappointed, but also makes us want to drive home a point by fighting it out with limited resources."
It's not every other season that Air India walks home triumphant from a tournament. While the Durand Cup win is special, Pereira wants to make sure his boys get over it and focus on the long season ahead. "We're a team with very little resources and we can't afford to rest on our laurels. There's the Federation Cup and then the I-League. We want to finish in the top half of the table."
While Air India may not be able to indulge on their players like most clubs, the least they could do was give the team a week off from training for their Durand triumph. There are a few things that money can't buy and Air India are grateful for that.
The sheen may have faded off the football tournament that saw its 125th edition conclude in New Delhi last week, but the sentiment doesn't change for Godfrey Pereira whose Air India team edged out fellow city club, Dodsal FC in a nervous shootout to emerge first-time victors.
For someone who is into his first stint as coach of a top-flight club, life certainly seems to have come a full circle. "I've won every trophy a player can win with a club spare this one," says the former India player glancing at the replica that sits pretty on his table at the club's Kalina office. "The closest I ever came to winning it was in 2000 with Mahindras when Mohun Bagan beat us 2-1 in the final. The trophy that I chased for years as a player, landed in my hands in my first tournament as coach," he says.
The argument that Air India's victory shouldn't be taken seriously as most of the top I-League teams skipped the tournament holds little water for Pereira. "There were teams like Pune FC and Sporting Clube de Goa participating. We didn't have anything easy. At the end of the day, a Durand Cup win is a Durand Cup win," he says.
Call it a curse, horrible timing or simply fate taking the fun out of your moment of glory, Air India's exploits were didn't receive the right publicity because of the national team making it a hattrick of Nehru Cup titles at a stadium just 15kms away. But the club is at peace with being shortchanged when it comes to coverage in the media. "We'd love to have a little more noise being made about our triumph but we're happy to let the national team hog the limelight. They totally deserved it," says Pereira, who, like most Air India coaches in the past, has the unenviable task of rebuilding the team from scratch this season.
The club lost as many as 15 players to rivals after their 9th place finish in the ILeague last season and Pereira will be following past coaches when he smiles, shrugs and starts assembling the jigsaw yet again. He also wants to make the club play in a style that attracts the management's largesse and changes Air India's image of merely an ideal feeder club. "This situation is as challenging and frustrating. The exodus of good players leaves us disappointed, but also makes us want to drive home a point by fighting it out with limited resources."
It's not every other season that Air India walks home triumphant from a tournament. While the Durand Cup win is special, Pereira wants to make sure his boys get over it and focus on the long season ahead. "We're a team with very little resources and we can't afford to rest on our laurels. There's the Federation Cup and then the I-League. We want to finish in the top half of the table."
While Air India may not be able to indulge on their players like most clubs, the least they could do was give the team a week off from training for their Durand triumph. There are a few things that money can't buy and Air India are grateful for that.
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