South Asian Football Federation Championship: 4 players from Chandigarh bring laurels, part of winning Indian squad

Deepankar Sharda

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Chandigarh, July 5

Four city players were part of the Indian football team that won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship for the ninth time.

While one of the most successful defenders of Indian football Sandesh Jhingan represented Chandigarh for years before getting recognised by the Indian selectors, team goalkeeper Gurpeet Sandhu started his career from St Stephen’s Football Academy, Sector 45. Besides these two, Anirudh Thapa, who is known as a master technician in the mid-field, also played for St Stephen’s School, and striker Jeakson Singh started his career from the state-run Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA).

Jhingan’s love for football emerged after he joined the Sector 17 football stadium while studying at Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22. However, his life’s major breakthrough came in 2010, when the former Indian team captain and former coach of state-run CFA, Tejinder Kumar, spotted his potential and selected him as part of the Chandigarh U-19 team for the Dr BC Roy Trophy (national championship). It was the first and only time in 2010, when the Chandigarh team won the title, and Jhingan got the much deserved breakthrough. Later, he played for St Stephen’s academy and moved to play at club level before becoming the most valued defender of the country.

The story of Sandhu is no different as he started playing for St Stephen’s school when the team was headed by coaches Surinder Singh and Bhupinder Singh Pinka. Sandhu, who was the tallest in the team, turned out to be the best choice as a goalkeeper. Thereafter, he won many accolades, including playing for the Norwegian Tippeligaen side, Stabaek. Thapa came from the same school and played under Surinder. He represented India in the U-16 SAAF championship and also AFC U-16 football championship.

Jeakson, who was the first and only goal scorer for India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, joined the ranks of the CFA under the former Indian skipper and the former CFA coach, Harjinder Singh. He remained under Harjinder’s supervision before starting a stint with the Minerva Football Academy, Mohali.

“It’s a proud moment for the city and especially for me. I have spent over two decades with the CFA and it’s very close to my heart. Jeakson spent around six years in the academy and played for Chandigarh in many championships. He also played for the academy in the Chandigarh Sports Department’s All-India Administrator’s Cup. I also must congratulate the Indian team for this unforgettable achievement,” Harjinder Singh, who is now the chief of scouts for men’s football in the All-India Football Federation (AIFF), said.

“India won the SAFF Championship by beating Kuwait (4-2) in a tiebreaker in the final. While Sandhu saved important goals for India, including a penalty kick each in the semifinal and the final, Jhingan scored a penalty goal to help India win this championship,” said Surinder.