By Monojit Mandal
Shillong:
FC Goa winger Makan Chote stressed on the importance of giving more chances to young footballers for them to become a valuable asset for Indian football.
The 22-year-old winger, in an exclusive interview, told The Meghalayan that building confidence is imperative for the young footballers to improve further.
“I think there are many decent Indian forwards around, but to gauge their quality, they should get the chance to play frequently. I know it’s very difficult to bench a foreign forward, but once the Indian strikers start getting those chances, they will gain in confidence and will improve even more.”
Chote made his senior squad debut in early 2018 as a last-minute replacement in an I-League game after rising through the ranks at the Minerva Academy in Punjab. Minerva Punjab won the league that season.
Chote also gained vital experience with them in continental competitions, appearing five times in their AFC Cup campaign and once in the AFC Champions League qualifications. He made his ISL debut with FC Goa during the 2020-21 season and then played in the AFC Champions League group round.
Praising the support system and milieu in the current club, FC Goa, Chote said its training sessions have helped him a lot to become a better footballer.
“FC Goa’s training sessions have helped me a lot to hone my skills because the training style and intensity is very different from when I was in Minerva Punjab FC,” said Chote
“In FC Goa, every player or staff member is very frank and friendly with each other. The relationship among players is like that of siblings and it’s very nice to be here,” he said.
The advent of the Indian Super League (ISL) saw a renewed interest in football among the masses, and Manipur still holds on to its glory as an assembly line producing footballers for clubs and the country regularly.
“I think everyone knows how people of Manipur love football. The love for the game in the state is frenzied. Most begin playing since childhood, so it helps to produce good players,” said Chote, who hails from Chandel, Manipur. Talking about the impact of Covid-19, Chote said that playing in empty stadiums without the cheer and supports of fans tell on the player’s performance.“Staying away from my family and close ones have been very difficult. Due to the pandemic, I could not meet them for a very long time; this impacts all the players mentally. Besides, the absence of fans inside the stadium also affects the player’s performance,” he said.
He also mentioned that while bio-bubble may provide a secure environment for players and staff, it also takes a toll on mental health.
“Mentally, it is quite tiring to stay inside the bio-bubble for so long. But as players, that is expected of us and we need to respect that. But after a certain point in time, it gets frustrating because you are seeing the same set of people every day for 5-6 months.” he added.