5 fallen giants of Indian Football

If a Premier League fan in India is asked about Indian football, most of them wouldn’t even bother answering. They struggle to name half the teams playing in India’s domestic league talking about the I-League here). While most people know about the Kolkata Giants, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, along with the new boys Bengaluru FC, they would hardly know who the most successful team in the I-League era is.At a time when Indian football is on the verge of a revolution, it is important to know the history of the clubs (most European football followers would agree) that were a part of it before it became famous. Here is a list of teams who were an ever-present influence in Indian football but are now stuck in mediocrity or lost in the history books.

#1 Kerala Police

Two legends in one picture

Kerala Police were the pride and joy of the south-Indian state in the early 1990’s with superstars lining up in their starting eleven week in week out. Players such as IM Vijayan, VP Sathyan and CV Pappachan were exceptional players who could walk into any team in the country.

The team were able to lift the Federation Cup in 1991 and retain the title in 1992. Vijayan was named the Footballer of the year in 1993 while still playing for the Kerala side. By the time the National Football League came into existence, Vijayan had moved to Kolkata and age had started to catch up with the rest.

The club struggled to recreate the magic on the field as the millennium drew to a close and they were eventually disbanded in 2002. There was an attempt made to revive the club in 2012 but the team have not been able to reach the heights that were reached under the legends almost 25 years back.