Gokulam Kerala have won the Hero I-League, being level on points with Churchill Brothers but winning the title due to a better head to head record against the Red Machines. They are now the first team from Kerala to win the league in its history.
This historic feat took place in the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, where Gokulam Kerala beat TRAU 4-1 with goals from Sharif Mohamed, Emil Benny, Dennis Antwi, and Mohammad Rashid aiding the victors to nullify Bidyashagar Singh’s first-half strike.
TRAU were also in contention for the title, and the match was a completely must win clash for Gokulam. Despite Churchill Brothers winning their match against RoundGlass Punjab 3-2 this very evening, they could not get the better of a dominant performance from the Kerala based team who have now outdone their previous best record of finishing second in the league.
Gokulam is indeed more of a homegrown club, unlike Kerala Blasters. The club is owned by entrepreneur Gokulam Gopalan.
The failures of FC Kochin and Viva Kerala have proved that a professional football club could be sustained only with deep pockets. Passion alone will not be enough.
Gokulam Kerala came into being largely because of the passion of the club’s president V.C. Praveen for football. He convinced his father-in-law Gokulam Gopalan to form the team.
