Sahfeeq Hassan wants to lead Kerala to Santosh Trophy glory

The Santosh Trophy may have lost its relevance, but for football fans in Kerala, it is still the Holy Grail. As the 79th edition of the national championship begins in Assam, perhaps no team will feel the pressure more than Kerala, looking for its first title since 2022.

Last year, Kerala finished second after losing to Bengal in the final. Shafeeq Hassan, who has won gold in his recent stints as coach at Kerala (National Games) and Kannur Warriors (Super League Kerala), has been tasked with bringing the trophy back to Kerala.

Shafeeq, who worked as an assistant coach of SLK champions Kannur Warriors, has picked 21 players who cut their teeth in SLK. «SLk was a good platform for the players to showcase their talent. SLK was very competitive and of high standard. There was no problem that players who did well in SLK should be an automatic choice for the state team,» he said.

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The Kerala team is undergoing its final preparation in Wayanad to acclimatize to the cold high-altitude conditions that the team will face in Dhakuakhana and Dhemaji in Assam. Kerala has been drawn in Group B along with Railways, Services, Punjab, Meghalaya and Odisha.

«We are in the final stages of our preparation. The team has played a few practice matches and the boys are optimistic and looking forward to the challenge. We have been training in Wayanad for the past few weeks. It is important for the boys to get an idea of the conditions they will face in Assam. As a coach, it is important for me not to let the players feel the pressure. I have told the boys not to worry about the pressure and that we should concentrate on executing well on the things we can control. The key is to execute our game plans to perfection. We will be flexible in our formations depending on the opposition,” Shafeeq said.

Published on January 19, 2026