Selection in J&K Santosh Trophy Squad Sparks Debate On Representation

Anuj Singh, 20, from Jammu was upbeat ahead of the trials for the coveted national-level football tournament, the Santosh Trophy, but was disappointed by the lack of proper arrangement for the trials and screening process. He also felt that some players were given more time slots than others in the test game. 

Like Singh, several players from the region expressed their resentment at the way selection process was conducted. 

Following the allegations, the Jammu and Kashmir government constituted an inquiry committee to look into the process followed for the selection of the J&K football team for the competition. Two players from Jammu province were included in the final playing squad.

“On the first day when I went to take part in the trial, I felt that the selectors were more interested in the performance of certain players and the test looked fixed. There was no order in the test game, and we were not even provided a proper football and there was no ball boy,” he said.

“There were no cones or markers in the field. The players were randomly placed. There was no specific spot for defenders, for example. The forward player was treated as a defender. Few players played a proper 90-minute game, while others were given very little time. I didn’t go for the second day trial after I found it was shabbily organised on the first day,” he explained.

Last month, the government-run Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council had asked players from Jammu to compete in the trials on November 15 and 16, while separate trials were held on the same days in Srinagar. For three days beginning November 19, final selection trials were held at Parade Ground in Jammu. 

But when the players for the Santosh Trophy team were finally announced, the majority of them were from Kashmir, which triggered resentment among the players as well as political parties of the Jammu region. 

While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that the  selections were made on merit, the BJP has demanded the resignation of Sports Minister Satish Sharma over regional bias.

After the controversy surrounding the Santosh Trophy selections, uncertainty remains over the selections for the upcoming national games.

An official of the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, who was part of the Santosh Trophy selection process, says that they remain uncertain about the selections for the national football game. He, however, notes that players were picked for the Santosh Trophy by the selection committee, which also included members from Jammu.

“We can ask the national-level football federation to handle the trials for the national games. We had registered a very good performance earlier in the Santosh Trophy last year and had reached the quarter finals.  The top 6 or the top 8 teams have to compete at the national games.  Since our performance was very good, we were among the top teams, but with this new controversy about the selections, the whole selection process for national games, which is normally conducted in January, looks uncertain,” he says.

Unlike last year, however, this year the performance of the Jammu and Kashmir team in the Santosh Trophy remained poor. The team was knocked out of the tournament after losing a match against Punjab, while Jammu and Kashmir won two matches against Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

Former vice president of Jammu and Kashmir Football Association, Surinder Singh Bunty, however, says that since Jammu Kashmir Sports Council had resorted to favouritism in the selection of players, the UT team’s performance was poor in the game.

“In the past, it was a mixed team with players from Jammu also figuring in the Santosh Trophy team, but this time, even one youth who the Sports Council claims was from Jammu actually represented a government department in Srinagar,” he says.

Earlier, after the trials in the month of November, 21 players were selected for the Santosh trophy team, with the majority from Kashmir and those representing different government departments. 

 “In all other parts of the country and in all other sports, local associations carry out the selection of the players. But it is the government-run Sports Council which has done the selections here. The argument given to pick all favourite players is that there is a lack of talent in Jammu, which is not true. There are 12 international football players that Jammu has produced, and there are several football clubs which operate in the region to hone the local sporting talent,” says Surinder.

He adds that authorities should conduct a judicial probe into the “whole fiasco” instead of getting the matter inquired into by a panel of officials. Earlier, after the controversy, the Jammu and Kashmir government constituted a high-level enquiry committee headed by the Director General Youth Services and Sports (DGYSS) to probe any violations in the selection process.

However, officials of DGYSS and the Sports Council say that more players were selected from Kashmir as the region has better talent. A senior official of DGYSS says that besides football and cricket, the performance of the youth in volleyball has also remained generally good in Kashmir.

Santosh Trophy manager, Javed Sofi, also reiterated that the football talent in Kashmir was very good and players were chosen only on the basis of their talent. Former Santosh trophy player, Gagandeep Singh, however, says that Jammu should have got a “proper opportunity in the selection process.”

“Santosh trophy would have given a platform for the youth of Jammu to showcase their talent and later take part in league tournaments or play at the commercial level,” he says. Gagandeep adds that, unlike Kashmir, where the authorities are conducting regular tournaments, Jammu has been ignored. “Even as a former player of the Santosh Trophy, I did not take part in the trials as I have not been able to play the football game for a long time due to the lack of opportunities here in Jammu. It is the responsibility of the government to conduct the camps in Jammu.”

With departmental players also figuring in the list, Gagandeep notes that, “There are already some states which discourage selections of players representing departments to Santosh Trophy to provide youngsters a fair chance in the game. The  Jammu and Kashmir government should also introduce a similar policy.”

Allegations of favouritism towards Kashmir in the sport came close on the heels of protests by right-wing political groups from Jammu seeking the scrapping of the MBBS selection list that included 42 Muslim students at the  Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME), which is partly funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Political leaders from both the regions of Jammu and Kashmir have often cited instances of regional and religious discrimination. Before the elections in 2024, Kashmiri leaders had opposed increasing the assembly seats in Jammu through delimitation after the revocation of Article 370. They have also voiced concerns over Jammu getting a larger share in the reservation quota in jobs. Earlier the political leaders from Ladakh have also been raising issues of discrimination and political dominance of Kashmiri leadership, but with the cold desert region becoming a UT, the political fight in the recent past has remained more focused on their demand for statehood.