Friday , March 29 2024

Chennaiyin FC’s Jockson Dhas: From the shores to the fields!

Jockson Dhas’ life has seen quite a few highs of late. But his journey to where he is now wasn’t an easy one. He’s struggled through poverty, injuries, rejections and challenging situations in the deep sea. However, his motto to overcome hardships is simple.

“If you want something so bad, you should be ready to make sacrifices. Quitting is not an option,” he claimed with a bright smile on his face.

Jockson comes from the coastal village of Vallavilai in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. Most people in his region are fishermen, including his father. However, their only pastime is playing football.

“There were no academies in my village. I learned the game only by watching my seniors. I used to play for fun with my friends on the beach in the seventh grade. I struggled to buy a pair of boots because we were poor. I convinced my father to get me one by crying a lot. That boot didn’t even fit me properly. I used to get boils on my leg playing with it,” the 27-year-old said.

Jockson’s parents were initially not supportive of his dream because he used to get hurt a lot, playing with boys much older than him.

“I played football behind my parents’ backs for a while. Everyone in my village saw my game and was impressed. Hence, my parents eventually let me play after a year. Several people from my village got the opportunity to study in sports colleges. But there was no one to help me.”

The TN attacker decided to shift base to Chennai to get into a college via sports quota in 2012. But he was forced to mortgage his mother’s jewellery to pay a fee of ₹50,000.

“A well-wisher from my region informed me about trials at a Chennai college. I attended it, but they weren’t confident about my abilities since I had no certificates. It was my mother’s chain which helped me get in. I stayed there for three months, studying engineering. But the college didn’t give sports any importance and was strict,” added Jockson.

His life took an ugly turn when he decided to leave Chennai once and for all. The Chennaiyin FC star even plied his trade as a fisherman after a serious argument with his mother.

“Without informing anyone, I returned home. My mother was really unhappy. She told me that despite their struggles, they helped me study, and I had wasted their money. She forced me to go back. But I told her I’ll go to the sea instead. I spent six months there. It was difficult out in the deep sea. Fishermen can’t sleep, bathe or do anything else while on duty. If we have a health problem, we can only come back to land after 5-6 days. By that time, the person may or may not even be alive! Only after experiencing all this first-hand, I realised why my parents insisted on me getting a good education.”

When Jockson finally returned to shore, his friends didn’t let him join their team because his game had deteriorated, and he lacked fitness. That moment lit a fire inside him, and he was determined to prove his doubters wrong.

“In 2013, a brother from my region helped me join St Joseph’s College in Trichy. Established TN players like (Dharmaraj) Ravanan anna studied there. Even SJC wasn’t convinced about my talent. I paid around ₹5000 as tuition fees, and they took care of my hostel fees. I made it a point to not ask my parents for money anymore. Every weekend, I played seven-a-side tournaments and used whatever money I got for my expenses,” said the Marina Machan.

Jockson worked hard without rest because he wanted the management to take care of his expenses fully. He made the University team in his very first year. The next semester, his college fee was waived. His family was happy and he received lots of respect and adulation in his village too. In the third year, he captained his College and University teams. After winning the district league, he came to Chennai to participate in the 2015-16 Champions Trophy. His team became the first side from outside Chennai to win the competition, and he was named player of the tournament.

Post his college life in 2016, Jockson was called up for trials by both the Tamil Nadu football team and Chennai City FC, who were going to make their I-League debut that year. He chose the state team because one of his seniors back home had advised him to get a steady job to help his family first.

“By God’s grace, I played in the 2016-17 Santosh Trophy. After that, I came back to Chennai City FC. However, one of my seniors warned me that before starting a professional career, I should get a good job because one injury may end my career. So I thought of my family’s situation and decided to get a job. In October 2017, I joined the AG’s office in Chennai. When I received my first month’s salary it was an unforgettable moment,” he rejoiced.

CCFC’s title-winning coach Akbar Nawas had invited Jockson for a camp ahead of the 2017-18 season. He could only spend 10 days with the team as he didn’t get permission to leave work. The following year, he decided to take a loss of pay to play in the I-League.

“I wanted to play in the I-League. After CCFC became champions in 2017/18, I somehow got permission from my office, got a loss-of-pay and went to play in the I-League. In the first season, I couldn’t score any goal but managed three assists. In the second, I scored two and won a Hero of the Match award. However, CCFC was banned from I-League last year. My future was uncertain, and I didn’t know what to do.”

A subsequent injury and surgery derailed Jockson’s career even further. However, he refused to give up. His ceaseless perseverance and struggles didn’t leave him empty handed as his dream of playing in the ISL is now close to fruition.

“In 2021, a person I knew told me about an opportunity to play in the I-League 2nd division qualifiers in Madhya Pradesh. It was for Madan Maharaj FC. I played four games for them but injured my nose. I underwent surgery last October. At that point, I was scared my career would end. I started doubting myself.

“I never thought I’d play for Chennaiyin FC. One fine day, I got a call from the management. I was speechless. Playing in the ISL for Chennaiyin FC is my primary goal. The first time I wore the Chennaiyin FC kit was a different feeling. It’s like a big dream because I’m already 27 years and at this age, to sign with a big team for the first time is life-changing,” he shouted in joy.

Jockson has already scored for Chennaiyin FC, a crunch last-minute equaliser against Mumbai City FC in the Durand Cup quarterfinals. He aspires to score more goals, but his primary objective is to help his team finish in the top four this season.

“I blacked out a bit after scoring that equaliser. I scored my Durand Cup goal wearing Edwin (Sydney Vanspaul) anna’s boot. I couldn’t score a single goal wearing mine. So I borrowed his. Now, he told me to keep it. It’s a lucky boot,” he quipped while lauding his head coach Thomas Brdaric.

“I want to score more goals in the ISL, but primarily want my team to win. Our coach’s system is very good. Playing the main team in the Durand Cup was a plus point. We learned a lot. The coach is changing his tactics to suit the squad. Our team hasn’t performed well in the last two years. So I want us to push for the top-four this season. Everyone likes the coach very much, and we’re confident.”

Fellow Kanyakumari native Michael Soosairaj, who’s from the Eraviputhenthurai village, inspired Jockson and many others from the region to take up football professionally. Jockson feels it’s now their time to spot talent and take them to the next stage.

“When my friend Soosairaj started playing in the ISL, several kids from my region were inspired, and they wanted to take up football professionally too. He was the first renowned player from our coastal area. I was inspired too. Now, we have conversations about making the route easier for youngsters from our region. We’ve helped several players find teams.”

He signed off by saying the growth of TN players has been phenomenal in the last few years, and he looks forward to seeing players from the state in the Indian national team.

“Previously, there were only one or two national league players like Ravanan anna and (Nallapan) Mohanraj anna. There are more than 10 Tamil players in the league now, which is a great thing. TN players need to play for the national team. There are lots of talented players here.”

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