Kerala govt announces 1.14 crore cash prize for its Santosh Trophy-winning football team

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala football team which recently lifted the prestigious Santosh Trophy will be receiving a cash award of over Rs one crore, the Kerala government on Friday announced.

A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, took the decision to give a total of Rs 1.14 crore as cash prize to the team- Rs five lakh each to 20 players and the main coach and three lakh each to the assistant coach, manager and goalkeeper trainer, an official statement said here.

On Monday, during the finals of the Santosh Trophy, Kerala bounced back from a goal down to beat heavyweights Bengal 5-4 in the penalty shootout and won their seventh Santosh Trophy title at the Manjeri Payyanad Football Stadium.

This is the seventh time that Kerala has lifted the Santosh Trophy title.

Vijayan later said in a Facebook post that the Kerala team's achievement on their own soil after 29 years has infused fresh energy into the entire sports sector of the state.

"It will be an inspiration for the young generation to enter the sports sector," he said adding that the cash award was the honour of the land to the members of the winning team for their effort.