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The players and the officials of Gokulam Kerala FC have left Kozhikode for Kolkata to take part in the IFA Shield which is scheduled to commence on December 6. The club recently held a pre-season camp at Kozhikode to gear up for the upcoming events.
Coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese selected 25 players who would be a part of the upcoming IFA Shield and I-League 2020-21 season. During the training camp, the senior side and reverse side trained together under the guidance of the coach. He selected three players who would be a part of the upcoming two tournaments.
The three players are defender Mohammed Jasim, winger Thahir Zaman and forward Emil Benny.
"Thahir Zaman is from Koduvally in Kozhikode while Emil Benny hails from the Wayanad district. Mohammed Jasim is from Valancherry in Malappuram. In the pre-season camp, both the reserve team and the main team had trained together, and the three players were able to impress the Italian coach," a club statement read.
The coach is focused on winning the IFA Shield and is leaving no stone unturned in the team's preparations. He said:
“IFA Shield is a prestigious, historic tournament. My focus is to win this tournament and prepare the team for I-League. We do our maximum game by game. We hope we can win the tournament."
Gokulam Kerala FC in Group D of IFA Shield
The Malabarians will play in Group D along with United SC and BSS Sporting. Gokulam Kerala FC will play their opening game against United SC on December 6 while their second game of the group stage is scheduled to be held on December 12.
Among the three teams in Group D, Gokulam Kerala FC start as the favorites and are likely to make it to the knockout stages.
