KOZHIKODE: Veteran Congress leader K C Abu kicked off the ball and forwarded to CPM MLA Elamaram Kareem, who mis-hit it to pass on to a rival player. District Collector P B Salim, in a show of bravado, ran straight at the player which panicked him into shinning the ball in no particular direction. The ball bounced off from the collector and fell straight into the path of MLA A Pradeepkumar, who found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat. Onlookers and players alike held their breath as the MLA charged at the goalkeeper. Soon the climax turned out to be an anti-climax as the CPM man lost his footing and fell to the ground as the ball rolled tamely to the goalkeeper.One might be forgiven for mistaking it for a scene from a political spoof, but this was what happened at the Corporation Stadium on Monday when politicians erased party lines to come together and take on a team of cultural icons led by actor Mamukoya and screenwriter T A Razak as part of the football tournament which marked the beginning of the district’s Onam celebrations. Apart from the two teams, the tournament also had a Kozhikode Corporation XI team consisting of corporation councillors and District Panchayat XI team consisting of panchayat members. The tournament is a precursor to a slew of cultural events that will be staged in various parts of the district till September 10. Pradeepkumar’s miss soon turned out to be a costly one as the Collector’s XI was held to a scoreless draw by the Celebrities XI who then went out to defeat them five-four via penalties. But the MLA himself laughed off his miss. “It is one of the defining traits in Indian football to miss easy chances and my game was just reflecting that,” he said. Pradeepkumar, a former basketball player, remained proud of lasting the whole game without needing a substitute, particularly since the last time he took to the field was a couple of years ago. And when queried on whether he preferred playing football to his current occupation, he said that he would definitely opt for the former. “We might have lost but it was a relaxing game where we did not have any big responsibilities. That is never the case in politics,” he said.The Celebrities XI were joined in the final by the District Panchayat XI who scored two goals without reply against the Kozhikode Corporation XI, who were shorn of the Mayor who did not take to the field. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw in both the matches and the ensuing penalty shootout and decided to share the trophy. The tournament was organised jointly by the District Tourism Promotion Council and the District Sports Council.
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