Thiruvananthapuram, March 14
With the Assembly elections round the corner, two legendary names from Kerala's footballing circles, I.M. Vijayan and U. Sharaf Ali had been doing the rounds in political corridors, triggering speculation about whether the sporting icons would step onto a new field of play.
However, on Saturday I.M. Vijayan put an end to the speculation, making it clear that he is not interested in contesting the polls.
The development has now turned the spotlight squarely on Sharaf Ali, who is widely expected to be fielded by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front from the football-crazy Nilambur constituency in Malappuram district.
His name is a certainty as just the other day he resigned as President of the Kerala State Sports Council which he took over in 2023.
Vijayan, one of India's most celebrated footballers and a former captain of the national team, had been widely speculated as a possible entrant into electoral politics.
The former striker, who formed a formidable attacking partnership with Bhaichung Bhutia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, remains one of the most recognisable faces in Indian football.
Having scored 29 international goals in 72 appearances for India and captained the national side between 2000 and 2004, Vijayan later ventured into coaching and grassroots development, establishing a football academy in his hometown to nurture young talent.
He was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2003 and more recently the Padma Shri in 2025 for his contribution to the sport.
Vijayan last year retired from the Kerala Police he worked in two different stints.
Sharaf Ali, meanwhile, brings a different profile to the political pitch.
A former Indian international defender from Malappuram, he was part of the celebrated Kerala Police football team that dominated domestic football in the 1990s.
Alongside players such as V.P. Sathyan and C.V. Pappachan, Sharaf played a key role in strengthening the Kerala side that won the Santosh Trophy in 1992 and 1993.
Sharaf also represented India in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and later rose through the ranks of the Kerala Police, eventually serving as a commandant.
In recent years, he moved into sports administration.
With Vijayan stepping aside from electoral politics, the political contest in Nilambur may now well hinge on Sharaf Ali, a footballer whose popularity in Malappuram's football heartland could translate into valuable political capital as the campaign gathers momentum.
He will be taking on sitting Congress legislator Aryadan Shoukath who won his first election in a bye-election last year.
- IANS
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