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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Weekend pay, full-time hope: Keralas new gulf boom

KOCHI: For decades, northern Kerala has lived in step with the Gulf. The regions dreams, remittances, and ambitions have long flowed back from desert skylines. Now, that old migration story has a new plotline football. Over the past decade, Malabars obsession with the beautiful game has fused with Gulf migration, spawning a booming parallel football universe powered by the Malayali diaspora. Clubs, tournaments, and weekend leagues have mushroomed across Riyadh, Dubai, Sharjah and Doha. And young talents once chasing professional careers at home are now chasing paychecks and opportunities abroad. When Gokulam Kerala FC lifted the I-League trophy in 2022, 24-year-old Abhijith E M from Vadapuram, Malappuram, was among the champions. Fast-forward three years: the I-League winner is now turning out for Blasters FC Vazhakaad and other Malayali clubs in Riyadhs vibrant tournaments. At the same time, in Dubai, Safvan P from Nilambur who once played in a village sevens side was handed an offer that changed his life: play for Abreco FC and get a job with a company that backs the club. Its been building for ten years, but now its exploding, says Malappuram-based coach M Kamaludheen, father of India international Mohammad Uwais. Talented boys leave proper football to play sevens. They lose the stamina and the structure required for the eleven-a-side game. Then they move to the Gulf, where the local leagues pull them in with money and security. So many who played with my son in state tournaments are now playing there. For these young men often from modest backgrounds the deals are irresistible. A player who earns Rs 30,000 a month in Kerala can earn the same per match in Gulf amateur leagues. And the match fees come with something Kerala rarely offers: a job.Theres money, plenty of it, and so many opportunities, says Abhijith. I first went as an extra player for weekend games. Now Im a regular for a club. Life is better, yes. But I went only because after years in professional football, I still couldnt make it here. Powerful Malayali football associations thriving abroad fund this footballing migration machine. The biggest among them, the Kerala Expat Football Association (KEFA), runs dozens of tournaments and leagues across the UAE and beyond. The scale is staggering: over 1,500 players and 150 registered amateur clubs, almost all Malayali-run. Most players work day jobs for the sponsoring companies and turn into crowd-drawing footballers on weekends. Even ISL-level players come sometimes, says Safvan, who has been with Abreco Freight for three years. We work for the company, win titles for the club. Its a proper system. Back home, the reality remains dim. In recent times, only a handful of Malayalis have broken into the Indian national team which languishes at 142 in the FIFA rankings. With low wages, uncertain futures, and limited opportunities, many promising players simply walk away from the sport or walk into the Gulf, which now promises a different kind of football career. Lafin Shalu from Mannarkad, who recently landed a Railways job through sports quota, knows the story too well. Many of my teammates were national university champions. Today, theyre all in Gulf football, he says. They had no choice to stay here. No security, no future. This has to change. What once began as migration for survival has now evolved into migration for sport and sometimes, for a second chance at a dream. The Gulf, for Keralas footballing youth, has become both a stadium and a lifeline.

29 Nov 2025 7:30 am