The dedicated and diligent Chikkachennaiah from KSFA opens up about his role in the past and present of Bangalore football

Bengaluru

For a little over thirty years, Mr. Chikkachennaiah has been the person that has supplied the match results from Bengaluru’s football matches to the press. Recently, he was recognized by the Karnataka State Football Association for his outstanding contribution to Karnataka football with an award at the KSFA Awards.An association official beloved by all who have worked with him, Chikka sir, as he is affectionately called, said that he was overcome with emotion upon receiving the award. “About to weep. It was a great thing, no? In the presence of Indian football’s icon, Sunil Chhetri. Especially with our President N.A. Haris and AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey. Also Mr. Sathyanarayana who was a reporter in the 80’s. Especially when our President N.A. Haris said a few words, it touched my family, really very emotional. I couldn’t say any words. That’s enough in life no?” he said.

Chikkachennaiah, hailing from Paduvagere, in Kunigal district, came to Bengaluru at the age of 5. His father worked in Radha Mill in Malleshwaram and he grew up in the area playing football for his school for about three years as a wingback. After going to Mysore University, he went to work for the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) under DRDO. There, he, along with a few friends and interested workers, started the ADE football team in 1982. Before that, he also had a stint with the Karnataka Wrestling Association through the Jai Hanuman Vyayamshala, a traditional wrestling gym in Malleshwaram that still exists today. “After giving the notes, I was interested to know whether what I gave was published. It was a curiosity. That curiosity made me continue in the press passion,” he said.

He played a key role in establishing the ADE football team and credited DRDO director K.G. Narayanan, Krishnamurthy and R. Balakrishnan in supporting the football team and giving meritorious quota that helped the team reach the BDFA Super Division. “There, somebody in KSFA spotted me, Mr. K.H. Lakshmi Narayana. He said, ‘why can’t you come?’ and put me in a committee. There also I started giving results, going and giving by hand, then I took an interest in media and they said, ‘why don’t you handle media?’” he recounted.

He has been a committee member since then under various leaders including S.T. Bhoopal and A.R. Khaleel, and now with N.A. Haris. “I owe more to Karnataka State Football Association. Even under N.A. Haris. He always used to tell in Kannada ‘Football has to grow, man’, ‘Team beku’. He has created many new clubs. Earlier we only used to do C Division, B Division, A Division, that’s all. Now regularly all 365 days youth league, Karnataka leagues are very active,” he said.

Over the years, Chikka sir has seen local football change from enormous, crowded events where renowned teams like ITI, HAL, LRD, Police, Bangalore Muslims and Bangalore Blues wowed crowds to the state in more recent times where people hardly go to the stadium to watch the ISL. “Oh! Almost all top teams. And everybody had a good calibre, good skilled players were there. You cannot get now. In the stadiums when these teams would play it was packed. I was very active then in BDFA. I used to run here and there,” he said and listed the many players he saw like Muniyappa, Andrew, Dayananda and recalling HAL winning the Federation Cup.

“Now the playing pattern has changed. It’s become one touch. That time it was one to one, with skilled players, and they would shoot goals. One player used to be there, goalkeeper Ramanna, his throw used to go straight to goal,” he said.

Coming to the present, he said that while efforts are being made in state associations to develop the game, he recognized a lack of recognition and levelling up of the game in the country. He said that if spotters would come and see state players and take them for trials with the national team, it would give the players some exposure to the different levels. He also expressed great happiness over the announcement of the ISL starting and hoped that such large tournaments would give the football ecosystem a boost. Chikku sir now aims to continue in his role for a few more years before returning to his native place where he has coconut and areca nut trees in his ancestral land and retire having played a memorable role in Karnataka football.