Man behind Solid base

Of the five foreign clubs taking part in the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup, Sri Lanka champions Solid SC are considered weaker than the sides from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, but they produced a stunning 2-1 result against Kolkata Mohammedan. Shock results are nothing new to Solid. In their second appearance in top-flight football in Sri Lanka, they became Premier League champions and took the title outside of Colombo for the first time after 50 years.

Their 32-year-old team manager WPS De Souza informed that Solid were initially a soft-ball cricket club in the Anuradhapura province, some 210 kilometres away from Colombo, and later turned into a football club. They entered the Sri Lanka Premier League in 2013, after gradually qualifying from the third, second and first divisions.

Coach WPS Jusmin was the main architect of Solid's success in the Premier League. Jusmin faced a lot of hardship throughout his life during the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) battle against the Sri Lankan government, but even that did not deter him from football.

"Our family was on the run for 15 years as the LTTE forced every Muslim to leave our home in Manna, near Jaffna. Though there were no clashes between Hindus, Muslims or Christians in Manna, we had to travel to a lot of parts of Sri Lanka before settling down in 2002. We returned to our home in Manna in 2005," said Jusmin during the training session at Dampara Police Line ground yesterday.

"I was then appointed the coach of the state team and led them to win different championships. I had been with the team for 13 years before joining the Sri Lanka Football Federation," said the 45-year-old AFC licensed coach, who also got diplomas in football from Germany and Hungary.

Jusmin believes dedication is all that is needed to succeed in football.

"A coach can't do anything if the players don't respond. Dedication from players, coaches and officials is required for success," said Jusmin.