With 2014 FIFA World Cup kicking off next week it is time to train the lights on some football greats of Kerala. A name that stands out along the stalwarts is 84-year-old Rufus D’Souza. His distinction is in having played hockey and football with equal felicity for the State. In 1954 Rufus captained Travancore Cochin in hockey. In 1960 he represented Tamil Nadu for both the games. In 1972 he was captain of the Kerala State hockey team but switched over to football and has been associated with football in the State for the last 44 years. Today, Rufus is known for his playing skills and also as a coach who has produced stars for the country. He is present daily on the Parade Ground, Fort Kochi, every morning training kids of different ages. No wonder he is popularly known as ‘Football Uncle’. Rufus is looking forward to the football extravaganza and places his odds on Uruguay this time. The game has been my life, declares Rufus. Excerpts from an interview with him:

Your early initiation into the game?

I started playing the game as a seven-year-old at Parade Ground. We were encouraged to play hockey and football. The late K.M. Aboo was my coach. I played for his club – Youngsters Football Club. In hockey, I was coached by C.R. Timmins and J.R. Jackson of Kerala Wanderers Sports Club. Aboo is the man who guided me and many other players to reach the top level of the game.

The Parade Ground is historic. It has been your playing and training ground. Your comments?

I began and ended my playing career at the Parade Ground. In the early 50s the ground was the centre for British parade. In those days many foreign warships came here. The English wanted a ground to play rugby, football, cricket and hockey. The ground was converted into a playing ground by bringing the grass from Australia. R.J. White and R.D. Bake were the two Englishmen who gave the ground a billiard table top finish.

Every year before the monsoon the English used to play rugby matches. Once the rains began nobody was permitted to play or work on the ground for the next two months. It was so at least till I left for Madras in 1960.

Some of the tournaments played here were the Reda Cup (All India Hockey tournament), Ranji Trophy cricket matches in which Balan Pandit and Ravi Achan played, and the All Kerala Luke Memorial Football Tournament were held on this ground. In 1948, Olympic gold medallist Nandy Singh of the Indian Navy, representing the Southern Naval Command, played in the Reda Cup.

Some of your memorable sporting moments?

The biggest moment for me was in 1957 when the All India School National Hockey Tournament was held at the Maharaja’s Ground, Ernakulam. There I met the 1956 Olympian gold medallist R.S. Gentle, the world’s greatest penalty corner specialist. He came to Ernakulam as a guest of the Bombay hockey team. Gentle played under Captain Balbir Singh Sr and scored the winning goal against Pakistan in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne. I invited him to Cochin to be the guest at a match between Gymkhana Club and Cochin Select. On entering the ground he told me that this is an Olympic park. He took the stick from C.R. Timmins. The goalkeeper was the late Percy Sparrow. Gentle asked the goalkeeper to move away from the post. He said he would take a shot in which the ball would deflect after hitting the crossbar. We waited and watched this spellbound. It was hard to believe.

Two British internationals Billy Wright and Tommy Walker (England World Cup soccer players) had visited the Parade Ground. Walker who had broken six wooden cross bars said after looking at the cross bar that it was six inches low. We measured and found him to be correct. I can’t forget such golden memories… of such greats visiting the Parade Ground and I standing next to them.

Tell us about Santos Club that you are associated with?

Santos Club was established in 1973 and was registered with the Kerala Football Association in 1980. The players who made Santos famous are P.P. Tobias, who captained Junior India at the Asian Youth Championship (1984-85), Kerala Police player K.A. Anson who played for India in the Nehru Cup, Feroz Sharif, goalkeeper who played for India in Pre-Olympics hockey, the late Bobby Hamilton who played for Youth India, Sebastian Netto, goalkeeper, who played for India, M.M. George, who played for Youth India, M.M. Sebastian who captained the sub-junior State team, Jacob Varghese, captain of the Indian Railways side and Anil Kumar who played for Kerala in the Santosh Trophy.

What are your coaching principles?

I teach my boys only discipline — punctuality, personality, behaviour and fair play.

source: http://www. thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Priyadershini  S / Kochi – June 05th, 2014