The main man behind the day-to-day running of the club is Managing Director V.M. Liaquat Ali. With the first phase of the I-League almost over, we caught up with the club official to talk about the current state of the team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

vivakerala.net: Mr. Liaquat, the team has started to get the results recently. What is your comment on the team's recent performance?

Liaqaut Ali: I am happy that we won the last two matches. We played well throughout the season and our losses have mostly been marginal, as we failed to capitalise on our chances. 

 

vk.net: What do you think of coach Sreedharan's work and the young players?

LA: Even though there has been criticism at the beginning of the season regarding the coach, I always kept my faith in him. And it paid off as the young boys are doing fine. I am very happy with their performance and I think we can be a formidable force within 2 or 3 years.

 

vk.net: It has earlier been stated that you would like to make some alterations in the striking department. Any news on that?

LA: It is true that we have some problems as our forwards fail to make full use of the chances that we create. We have been thinking about replacements, but to be true, at this stage of the season, it is very difficult to sign forwards which can help us instantly. Apart from that, Sabeeth is getting better day-by-day as he already has started light practice. I am sure that he can make a difference. He was also called up to the U-23 India squad. It shows that the national coaches also have faith in him.

 

vk.net: The main target should still be to avoid relegation, right?

LA: We hope that we can pile-up as many points in the return-leg of the league as we did in the previous phase. This should help us steer clear of relegation.

 

vk.net: How tough is it to run the club without any sponsors?

LA: To be frank, it is very tough. Unfortunately, earlier talks were not fruitful. I am trying my best and am sure that we will get a sponsor once we avoid relegation. I am sure that we will not get relegated and am optimistic that a lot of firms will be interested to be associated with Viva Kerala then.

 

vk.net: Why haven't you started to merchandise club goodies like jerseys, shirts etc so far?

LA: We definitely want to start selling jerseys next year as I am aware of the demand. This should be easier if we have sponsors. I also would like to  have a full marketing setup by that time. At the same time, I hope that we can officially inaugurate our own official fan club as this club and fans should have an organised fan club.

 

vk.net: Do you have any message for the Viva fans?

LA: Yes, thank you for supporting our team! I hope that you all are happy with the performance and we will do our best to keep you happy! Cheers to all our fans!

 

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