NEGLECT OF GOAN FOOT-BALLERS.

NEGLECT OF GOAN FOOT-BALLERS.

Two weeks before, on that Friday, our soccer activities under Kuwait Indian Foot-ball Federation where Goans playing a dominant role being the initiators of same, suddenly came to an abrupt halt. That was the Friday in this season that there was no foot-ball played at Salmiya where currently our games are played. Earlier since 1979 in Kuwait City, at Sour Ground our soccer activities were flourishing and only this season it was shifted to Salmiya when some construction work started taking roots at Sour Ground. We do not have a permanent venue exclusively for us only to play our soccer. Because of this we have to face many difficulties. Sour Ground was to a certain extent appropriate place, yet in the past we had to surrender our rights to others who were more powerful than us. It was somewhere in 1983 we fixed the final of one of our tournaments at Sour Ground at 3.30 p.m. That time we used to have our matches in the afternoons only. The ground was nicely decorated with technicolour buntings. Dr. Jerry the then Principal of New Indian School, Jabriya, Kuwait, as a chief guest was seated on his chair along with other artificially made Goan dignitaries. Players too entered the ground and while referee was preparing to start the game, suddenly some non-local Arabs came and said “you cannot have your game here today because at 4.00 p.m. we have fixed our match which we cannot postpone”. There were some heated arguments between Goans and Arabs but finally they overpowered us and like cowards having no choice we surrendered to them and left the field. Chief Guest totally embarrassed, quietly took his car and left.

Earlier due to busy schedule of soccer matches at Sour Grounds where besides us some non-local Arabs were also playing, we shifted our base in 1981 to somewhere near Gulf Road, close to Hilton Hotel and next to Amiri Palace. There was a nice soccer ground which was idle in the mornings. Our boys did the markings on the ground and everything was set and in fact as schedule the match was started, one of the playing teams was G.O.A. White, the second fiddle of G.O.A. Maroons. Ten minutes were passed; suddenly military personnel in his open jeep came straight on to the ground and halted the match asking “who gave you the permission to play here?” Nobody had any answer and in view of this we had to stop our match from playing further and later on returned back to Sour Grounds by doing some adjustment and begging with others to give us an adjustable slot.

Now, two weeks earlier on Friday again we were made to surrender the ground to the people who occupied it for their own needs. Our problem here in Kuwait is this that we don’t have a powerful lobby to fight for the ground either thru payment or thru goodwill. The late Avertano Furtado once tried to push his powerful Sponsor Al Othman to provide us a permanent ground and he was very serious when he told me about this but it was too far distance wise from Kuwait City. Since nobody took any interest in this proposal, the initiative died in its infancy only. I don’t know how long the recently acquired ground at Salmiya will last for us and as the way things are moving I don’t think it will last for long. To acquire a permanent solution for this ground we need strong persons to run our soccer organization. In the current KIFF I don’t see any powerful personality. It is the weakest body amongst all the past KIFF bodies.

Our soccer activities are not recognized by any local authorities and what we do it is purely concentrated around our own eyes and ears even though local English press is giving lot of coverage because very many of our people are involved in it. Though local English press gives coverage yet it is done thru the pens of the organizers of the respective tournaments. The major benefits of our tournaments goes to the organizers of the tournaments and teams by way of publicity for them which they otherwise never dream to get back at home and in fact they love it very much. Many of the organizers thru these activities are converted into heroes from zeroes though back at home they are not even fit to organize a soccer match in “Xetan” next to their “Ghoram”, between “Ankvar” and “Kazari”.

Why in Kuwait only? Even in Goa some of the top clubs run their soccer teams not to promote Goan footballers but to promote their business and political activities. Sylvio Berlusconi the owner of Italian AC Milan is running his team to promote and popularize himself in Italy for the ultimate aim of getting elected as the head of the Italian Government. In Goa like Italy soccer is very popular. Some of the top soccer teams of Goa are instead of promoting Goan talent is killing Goan talent by acquiring footballers from outside Goa and outside India. By doing this the local talent is suppressed. Nigerian, Brazilian, Kenyans and others will never give chances for our Goan boys to shine and to develop. By acquiring foreign talents for our teams we may elevate the standard of Goan soccer but never will we elevate the standard of Goan footballers. Innumerable footballers are even recruited from Manipur and other places India by our top teams as if there is no indigenous talent in Goa which is if not better than at least equal to non-Goan Indians. Goan spectators must boycott the teams which do injustice to Goan footballers. During my time when I was playing for Sesa Goa, only the local talent was preferred by the Sesa management even though the management of Sesa was into the hands of Germans and Italians. Inspite of being foreigners Seas’s management did justice to Goans but those who are shouting at the top of their voices in support of Goa for getting Goan votes are doing grave injustice to Goans. Goa conscious Goans must think over this again and again and work for solution.

After 1982 world cup victory, Italy acquired services in their top clubs in Serie A all the topmost players from all around the world. Thru this they managed to produce the richest and the biggest soccer in the world in Italy but they failed to produce the biggest and the richest footballers from Italy. For this reason Italian soccer standard amongst the locals suffered. Because of this Italian pundits changed their thinking in favour of the promotion of local talents with top priority and only then and that too almost after a quarter of a century Italy won the world cup again 2 years back.

Our top Goan clubs are not interested in promoting Goan talent; they want everything readymade from outside Goa. Our top Goan Clubs are killing Goan talent in its infancy only by not providing the necessary infrastructure and support for the youngsters and youth. There are no youth teams at third and fourth rungs with any of our top teams. Top Clubs in the world in Europe and South America are having “B”, “C” and even “D” teams and from these segments they promote the players for their “A” team. How we will produce top players when not a single top Goan Club is having its own stadium? How we will produce top class footballers when in Goa not a single top club is having its own Swimming Pool for its players to practice because swimming is the best form of exercise? How we will produce top class footballers when in Goa not a single top club is having its own Gymnasium which is very essential for the fitness of the footballers?

Before he was inducted into its team, the great Brazilian Zico was sent for the kindergarten lesson in the club’s Gymnasium and then only he was allowed to kick the ball for the club. Our footballers’ eating and drinking habits nobody monitors because no team is having its own dieticians. Besides our top Goan clubs lack so many facilities for the players to develop. Unless the whole thing is restructured, our Goan soccer will remain where it is. A war infested country like Lebanon lacking in so many facilities is defeating our Goan Champion team, and that too on our own soil at Fatorda by 3 goals means misery of Goan soccer. After the great soccer genius, Neville D’Souza, Goa has not produced another genius of his type. And if we go on bringing foreign players more and more, mainly from Africa and Manipur in India by suppressing our Goan talent, we will never produce another Neville D’Souza. A few of our top Goan clubs are having their teams only to promote their names only and not to promote Goan footballers. Such teams should be boycotted by the real sons and real daughter of Goa.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.