CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has reached the final round of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy for the second consecutive season, but will be without three key players, including the team's top scorer Alexander Romario.
Romario, who was involved in almost half of Tamil Nadu’s goals in the zonal phase, has left the camp along with midfielders Mayakannan Irulandi and Jockson Dhas. Romario scored twice each against Andaman and Nicobar and Andhra Pradesh, and once against Puducherry.
“Three players from the initial stage have left the camp. Mayakannan has left due to his club commitments in the Indian Super League starting on February 14, while Romario and Jockson have left because of personal commitments,” head coach Dharmaraj Ravanan told DT Next.
Tamil Nadu endured a difficult campaign in the final round last season, failing to win a single match. The team faces another stern challenge when it opens its campaign against hosts Assam on January 21. The remaining fixtures are against Rajasthan, Nagaland, defending champions West Bengal and Uttarakhand, with the final group match scheduled for January 30.
“In this round, all teams are evenly matched. The positive is that four teams can qualify from each group,” Ravanan said. “Assam are strong opponents, Bengal are the defending champions, and Rajasthan and Uttarakhand have several players from the Delhi League. We are preparing well and I'm satisfied with the group. This stage is about hunger, effort and the desire to win.”
The final round will be held in the developing towns of Dhakuakhana and Silapathar in Assam. Ravanan acknowledged that adapting to unfamiliar conditions would be an additional challenge for players currently training in Chennai at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
“I have played in Guwahati before, but not at these venues. We will have two days to assess the conditions. Our primary objective is to qualify from the group. I'm not concerned about the position as long as we finish in the top four,” he said.
Two-time runners-up Tamil Nadu dominated the South Zone qualifiers, winning all their matches and finishing as the highest-scoring team without conceding a goal.