Kerala football team

Kerala
**കേരള**
Full name	Kerala State Football Team
Founded	1948; 76 years ago
Ground	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Capacity	41,000
Owner	Kerala Football Association
Head coach	Satheevan Balan
League	Santosh Trophy
2023–24	Quarter-finals
	Current season

The Kerala football team (Malayalam: കേരള കാൽപന്തുകളി ഗണം), formerly known as Travancore-Cochin football team, is an Indian state level semi-professional football team representing Kerala in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy and National Games of India.^[1]^[2]

History

The team appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals 15 times, and have won the trophy 7 times. Kerala last won the Santhosh Trophy in 2022 by defeating Bengal in the final on 2 May at the Payyanadu Stadium in Malappuram. The Kerala team was captained by Jijo Joseph under head coach Bino George, being unbeaten during the tournament.

Players

Current squad

As of 14 February 2024:^[3]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
23	1GK	Muhammed Azhar		Kerala Police FC
24	1GK	Sidharth Rajeevan		Kerala United FC
25	1GK	Muhammed Nishad	(2000-01-20) 20 January 2000 (age 24)	East Bengal II

4	2DF	Belgin Bolster		KSEB
12	2DF	Muhammed Salim	(2000-11-02) 2 November 2000 (age 24)	KSEB
13	2DF	Akhil Chandran	(2005-03-22) 22 March 2005 (age 19)	Gokulam Kerala B
16	2DF	Shinu R		Kovalam Football Club
18	2DF	Sarath Prasanth		Kerala Varma College
19	2DF	Sujith VR		Kerala Varma College
21	2DF	Nithin Madhu	(2002-08-17) 17 August 2002 (age 22)	Kerala United FC
30	2DF	Sanju G		Kerala Police FC

3	3MF	Jithin Gopalakrishnan		Black Horse FC
5	3MF	Abdu Raheem		Kerala United FC
7	3MF	Nijo Gilbert	(1999-10-16) 16 October 1999 (age 25)	KSEB
8	3MF	Akbar Sidhique		Wayanad United
9	3MF	Gifty Gracious	(1999-08-16) 16 August 1999 (age 25)	KSEB
27	3MF	Mohammed Safneed		Real Malabar
29	3MF	Arjun V		KSEB

11	4FW	Naresh Bagyanathan	(2003-08-03) 3 August 2003 (age 21)	Muthoot FA
15	4FW	Sajeesh E	(1997-01-29) 29 January 1997 (age 27)	Kerala Police FC
17	4FW	Muhammed Ashique		Gokulam Kerala B
28	4FW	Riswan Ali	(1996-12-19) 19 December 1996 (age 27)	Kerala United FC

Current technical staff

As of 14 February 2024

Position	Name
Head coach	Satheevan Balan
Assistant coach	Assis PK
Goalkeeping coach	Harshal Kumar
Physio	Rodregues Nellissery
Manager	DR Sudhir Kumar

Results and fixtures

26 December 2022 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Rajasthan	0–7	Kerala	Kozhikode
15:30		Report	Nijo Gilbert 6' Viknesh M 12', 20' Naresh Bhagyanathan 23', 36' Riswanali Edakkavil 55', 81'	Stadium: EMS Stadium

29 December 2022 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Bihar	1–4	Kerala	Kozhikode
15:30	Munna Mandi 70'	Report	Nijo Gilbert 24', 28' Vishak Mohanan 81' Abdu Raheem K. 85'	Stadium: EMS Stadium

1 January 2023 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Kerala	5–0	Andhra Pradesh	Kozhikode
15:30	Nijo Gilbert 16' Mohamed Salim 19' Abdu Raheem K 45+4' Vishak Mohanan 53' Viknesh M 62'	Report		Stadium: EMS Stadium

5 January 2023 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Kerala	3–0	Jammu & Kashmir	Kozhikode
15:30	Viknesh M 51' Riswanali Edakkavil 76' Nijo Gilbert 90+3'	Report		Stadium: EMS Stadium Referee: Deepraj Damodar Sangelkar

8 January 2023 Santosh Trophy Qualification	Mizoram	1–5	Kerala	Kozhikode
15:30	Malsawmfela 80'	Report	Naresh Bhagyanathan 30', 65' Nijo Gilbert 47' Gifty C. Gracious 77' Vishak Mohanan 85'	Stadium: EMS Stadium Referee: Mohammed Junaid Saijad Tanji

10 February 2023 2022–23 Santosh Trophy	Goa	2–3	Kerala	Bhubaneswar
09:00	Mahammed Faheez 60', 73'	Report	Nijo Gilbert 27' Riswanali Edakkavil 57' Asif O M 90+1'	Stadium: Capital Football Arena

12 February 2023 2022–23 Santosh Trophy

Kerala

0–1

Karnataka

Odisha

14 February 2023 2022–23 Santosh Trophy

Kerala

4–4

Maharashtra

Bhubaneswar

17 February 2023 2022–23 Santosh Trophy

Odisha

0–1

Kerala

Bhubaneswar

19 February 2023 2022–23 Santosh Trophy

Kerala

1–1

Punjab

Bhubaneswar

11 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Gujarat	0–3	Kerala	Benaulim
09:00			Akbar 12', 33' Nijo Gilbert 36'	Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

13 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	6–1	Jammu and Kashmir	Benaulim
09:00	Jithin 8', 54' Sajeesh 13' Ashiq 45+1' Abdhu Raheem 66' Riswan Ali 75'			Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

15 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Chhattisgarh	0–3	Kerala	Benaulim
09:00			Sajeesh 6' Junain 56' Nijo Gilbert 68'	Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

17 October 2023 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	0–1	Goa	Benaulim
16:00				Stadium: SAG Benaulim Ground

21 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Assam	1–3	Kerala	Yupia
14:30	Dipu Mirdha 77'	Report	Abdu Raheem K 19' Sajeesh E 67' Nijo Gilbert 90+5'	Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

23 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Goa	2–0	Kerala	Yupia
19:00				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

25 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	1–1	Meghalaya	Yupia
14:30				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

28 February 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Kerala	2–0	Arunachal Pradesh	Yupia
14:30				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

01 March 2024 2023–24 Santosh Trophy	Services	1–1	Kerala	Yupia
10:00				Stadium: Golden Jubilee Stadium

Statistics and records

Season-by-season

As of 15 February 2024

Champions Runners-up Semifinal

Season	Santosh Trophy							Qualifiers						Top Scorer
Season	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Player	Goals
1963–64	1	0	0	1	0	3	First round
1968–69	1	0	0	1	0	3	First round
1969–70	1	0	0	1	1	7	First round							Joseph Raju	1
1973–74^[4]	6	5	1	0	—	—	Champions							TKS Mani	7
1981–82	—	—	—	2	—	—	Semifinal							Appukuttan	9
1983–84	—	—	—	—	—	—	Semifinal							Ranjith	6
1984–85	2	1	1	0	5	0	Preliminary league							5 players	1
1985–86	4	2	0	2	6	3	Semifinal
1986–87	3	1	2	0	3	2	Semifinal
1987–88	6	4	2	0	10	1	Runners Up							C. V. Pappachan	5
1988–89^[5]	—	—	—	—	—	—	Runners up							—	—
1989–90	6	3	1	2	11	9	Runners Up							I. M. Vijayan, Santosh	3
1990–91^[6]	—	—	—	—	—	—	Runners Up							—	—
1991–92	4	3	0	1	12	0	Champions							PS Asheem, Harshan, Rajeev	3
1992–93	6	4	0	1	8	3	Champions							I. M. Vijayan	3
1993–94	2	1	0	1	6	1	Runners Up							Jo Paul Ancheri	3
1994–95	—	—	—	—	—	—	Semifinal
1995–96	—	—	—	—	—	—	Semifinal
1996–97	4	2	1	1	6	1	Semifinal							VP Shaji	3
1997–98	3	0	2	1	0	3	Group Stage							—	—
1998–99	1	0	0	1	1	3	Semifinal	2	2	0	0	5	1	Asif Saheer	3
1999–00	5	3	1	1	10	5	Runners up							Asif Saheer	4
2001–02	4	4	0	0	16	8	Champions							Abdul Hakim	7
2002–03	4	3	0	1	10	7	Runners Up							Sylvester Ignatius	3
2004–05	4	3	1	0	9	4	Champions							Abdul Naushad	2
2005–06	3	2	0	1	4	1	Semifinal							Abdul Hakkim	2
2006–07	4	2	2	0	5	1	Semifinal							Pradeep	3
2007–08	3	1	2	0	3	9	Group Stage							Asif Saheer Abdul Naushad Javed OK	1
2008–09	1	0	0	1	0	1	Pre Quarter	2	2	0	0	8	0	Zubair KP	3
2009–10	1	0	0	1	0	1	Pre Quarter	3	3	0	0	18	3	Javed OK	4
2010–11	1	0	1	0	0	0	Pre Quarter	3	2	1	0	8	1	NA	NA
2011–12	5	3	2	0	8	4	Semifinal							Kannan	2
2012–13	5	3	2	0	8	4	Runners Up							Kannan	4
2013–14	4	2	0	2	6	4	Group Stage	4	3	0	1	23	4	NA	NA
2014–15	5	3	1	1	4	4	Semifinal	2	2	0	0	10	0	V P Suhair	3
2015–16	did not qualify							2	1	1	0	3	1	Firos Seesan Askhar	1
2016–17	5	2	1	2	11	9	Semifinal	3	2	1	0	6	2	Jobby Justin	5
2017–18	6	5	1	0	18	3	Champions	2	1	1	0	7	0	Rahul KP Afdal VK Jithin MS	5
2018–19	did not qualify							3	0	2	1	0	1
2019–20	Not held due to covid							2	2	0	0	11	0	Emil Benny	3
2021–22	6	4	2	0	19	7	Champions	3	3	0	0	18	1	Jesin TK	12
2022–23	5	2	2	1	9	8	Final Round	5	5	0	0	24	2	Nijo Gilbert	8
2023–24	6	2	3	1	7	5	Quarter Finalist	4	3	0	1	12	2	Nijo Gilbert

Honours

State

State (senior)

Santosh Trophy
- Winners (7): 1973–74, 1991–92, 1992–93,^[7] 2001–02,^[8] 2004–05, 2017–18, 2021–2022
- Runners-up (8): 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2012–13

National Games
- Gold medal (2): 1987, 1997
- Silver medal (2): 1994, 2022^[9]^[10]
- Bronze medal (1): 2023

State (youth)

B.C. Roy Trophy
- Winners (3): 1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73
- Runners-up (5): 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1985–86

Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy
- Winners (2): 1981–82, 1983–84

M. Dutta Ray Trophy
- Winners (1): 1995

Others

Sait Nagjee Football Tournament
- Runners-up (1): 1986

References

^ "Kerala Football Association".
^ "West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^ "Goalkeeper Midhun to lead Kerala in Santosh Trophy".
^ "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
^ "23rd Santosh Trophy". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
^ "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.
^ Bobrowsky, Josef; King, Ian (6 December 2006). "India 1993 – Santosh Trophy". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
^ Chaudhuri, Arunava. "2001/02 Season in Indian Football". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
^ "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
^ Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

[1] "Kerala Football Association".

[2] "West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.

[3] "Goalkeeper Midhun to lead Kerala in Santosh Trophy".

[4] "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.

[5] "23rd Santosh Trophy". Retrieved 2 October 2023.

[6] "India - List of Santosh Trophy Finals". Retrieved 2 October 2023.

[7] Bobrowsky, Josef; King, Ian (6 December 2006). "India 1993 – Santosh Trophy". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[8] Chaudhuri, Arunava. "2001/02 Season in Indian Football". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.

[9] "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

[10] Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

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v t e Santosh Trophy
Seasons	1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
Qualifiers	1999–00 2008–09 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2021–22
Group stage	2021–22 2022–23
Finals	2017 2018 2019
Teams	Andaman and Nicobar Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chandigarh Chhattisgarh Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Delhi Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Ladakh Lakshadweep Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Odisha Pondicherry Punjab Railways Rajasthan Services Sikkim Tamil Nadu Telangana Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal

v t e Sports teams based in Kerala
Cricket	Ranji Trophy Kerala IPL Kochi Tuskers Kerala (now defunct) CCL Kerala Strikers
Football	ISL Kerala Blasters I-League Gokulam F.C. Chirag United (now defunct) I-League 2nd Division Kerala Blasters (R) F.C. Kerala Kerala United FC Indian Women's League Gokulam F.C. Women Elite League Kerala Blasters (R) Gokulam F.C. F.C. Kerala MSP Football Academy Santosh Trophy Kerala KPL F.C. Kerala FC Thrissur Gokulam F.C. Kerala Blasters (R) Kerala United FC SBI Kerala Sports Academy Tirur
Futsal	APFC Kerala Blasters FC AFCC Kerala Blasters FC
Volleyball	Prime VL Kochi Blue Spikers Calicut Heroes