His dream of becoming a professional football player was shattered because of an injury he picked up during the final match of inter-district Dr T Ao Football Championship – an injury that changed the course of his life

 

 

Lavoriyi Lavos Theluo

 

Lavoriyi Lavos Theluo, the first and only AFC-C license coach from Phek district, has signed a two-year contract with Minerva Punjab FC where he has been assigned to look after the World Cup Batch (A) for the time being.

 

Theluo, who was born and raised in Phusachodu village under Phek district, is the district’s first and only AFC-C license coach.

 

As a footballer, he has represented Nagaland twice: Santosh Trophy and the North East Dr T Ao Football Championship. Theluo had also formerly played for FC Kerala, Maharana AC Guwahati, Hornbill United FC Delhi and many other clubs.

 

However, his journey from football player to coach is bittersweet.

 

Theluo tells Mokokchung Times that he never had any support from anyone, “not even from my own parents; instead they were all against my passion and encouraged me to concentrate just on my studies.”

 

Theluo, on the other hand, was someone who never gave up on his passion and was sincere, determined, and hardworking. He went on to become a semi-professional footballer who competed in various state leagues and tournaments across the country.

 

But it was in 2019, during his inter-district Dr T Ao Football Championship final match, that his ambition of becoming a professional footballer was destroyed – he suffered an injury that prevented him from walking for a year.

 

“That’s how my ambition of becoming a professional footballer was dashed. I’ve always wanted to play in the I-league and beyond,” he stated.

 

However, Theluo recovered well only after a year of his injury, and that is how he became involved in coaching football, where he says he is now living his dream.

 

Speaking about his coaching experience and why he chose Minerva FC, Theluo stated that he worked as a football coach in a football academy in Manipur for four years before receiving offers from several clubs.

 

“I’ve always wanted to work in I-league and ISL clubs. And much to my luck, in December last year, I had offers from many clubs and academic institutions, but after seeing the infrastructure and professional set up of Minerva FC, I turned down the other offers and signed a two-year contract with Minerva,” he told Mokokchung Times.

 

Speaking on the scope of football in North-East India and Nagaland in particular, Theluo said, “With the new AIFF president taking charge, we can now see lots of football activities happening even in a short span of time. So, I’m hoping and believing that football is going to be the number 1 sport in the country very soon.”

 

“We Nagas too need to start investing and build good infrastructure for the upcoming generation and it is high time we encourage them to take up sports as their full time profession,” he suggested.

 

“With this achievement, I’m looking forward to flying further and inspiring the younger generations in the field of sports,” he said of his accomplishments.

 

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