FOOTBALLERS FEES IN KUWAIT.

FOOTBALLERS FEES IN KUWAIT.

The late Mr. Diogo A. D’Souza from Tivim was the man who got me a job at Behbehanis. Before meeting him I tried with many known people at many places holding top positions but failed. For this important favour, I always remained grateful to Mr. Diogo till his death because I know the person who provides you with a job in Kuwait is the great person in your life, without a proper job in Kuwait you are like a fish out of water. In 1979 when we Goans established competitive soccer, many jobless players were given employment opportunities by their club stalwarts thru their personal influence. Mr. Peter D’Souza working as General Manager for Bosch and who was running his team “Salmiya Youth” which was captained by me used his personal influence to get employment for many of the players playing for his team. In the history of our soccer in Kuwait, Peter D’Souza my ex colleague at Arpora School was the only Goan who provided more jobs for our footballers and other boys, mainly the jobless, for this reason I associated with him because he was not selfish. If you support a selfish person then you are helping to create a selfish leadership which is a threat to the development of the society.

From my personal experience I knew how difficult it is to get a suitable job without any influential God Father. For this reason I encouraged and promoted our soccer relentlessly to create opportunities for many of our footballers most of whom were lacking in influence to get the jobs though they were good footballers. Here in Kuwait, jobs especially in certain lucrative sectors are monopolised by few families and few persons from particular villages in Goa. Opportunity permitting, I will disclose who they are and their modus operandi so that their children and grandchildren know how cunning their parents and grand parents were once upon a time in Kuwait inspite of undergoing terrible pangs in life before coming to Kuwait. Externally they look saintly, regularly Church goers, recipients of Holy Communion but against Christian doctrine they lacked the principle of sharing. They are a disgrace on Christianity.

Besides requests by the foot-ballers for jobs in the initial stages, later on another requirement of players developed in the form of demands and requests for money, loans and visas for their wives or for their other dependents or for their other family members. Wherever possible many times these demands and requests were met with. In the initial stages when we started our soccer, greed and craze for money and other material benefits were not much. Love for soccer and “umed” for playing was the craze during those days. But gradually this craze for “umed” degenerated into demand for fees in hundreds of Kuwaiti Dinars per season, demand for arranging four wheeler license, demand for better jobs, demand for expenses for organising one’s wedding, demand for money to go for Honey Moon abroad for the newly wedded players, demand for return Air Tickets yearly once, demand for Whiskey bottle occasionally and if possible even a demand for a concubine.

The above demands and requests were many times fulfilled in many cases by the Clubs because the presidents and heads of some of the clubs were crazy to hold on to their positions in their clubs because they were and still are crazy for cheap publicity. Engaging in football clubs and soccer teams as office bearers from the point of presidents to down the line is an access to cheap popularity for many because there is no other way for such cheap publicity seekers to get prominence in life. For this reason even after having disbanded their teams some cheap publicity seekers have shamelessly re-engaged in the soccer teams. When I first came to Kuwait I approached one Mr. X for a job knowing he is in a position to help me but instead he started harping on his high post where he was working; he was holding that high post not because he was qualified and talented but because he was then a “one eyed man among the blinds”. Though he was doing extremely well on the job front yet in the community and in public life he was a non entity. In fact he was the “Monarch of what he surveyed within the four walls of his office”. Beyond that he was nobody. Hence, to become somebody in the eyes of cheap public he infiltrated into a soccer club which gave him the required cheap prominence. There are two places amongst us where thru your involvement there you can gain cheap popularity very easily and these two places are our soccer arena and Church circle. Intellectual giants and people with big hearts and big minds are not craving for cheap prominence. This prominence was denied to these cheap people back at their home places because there they are nothing.

Recently in the election for the presidency of one tin-pot village club, the elected president had to play so many dirty tricks and chicanery to overthrow his rival and the existing president. It looked he was fighting the election for American presidency. Idiot does not know how to wish people and he wants to become the leader not only of his village club in Kuwait but of Goan community in Kuwait by claiming to be a “well-known Goan personality in Kuwait” when he is only a one eyed man among the blinds in his village club. We don’t want such idiots as the leaders of Goan community. When he goes back to his native place for good, he will be an addition to corrupt more the already corrupted political system in Goa. Hence, it is better to caution him now only so that he changes his behaviour. Incidentally it is surprising how good people in his club are supporting him and his corrupt practices. It is a sin to support corrupt people. As it is we are suffering from one cancerous sickness from one self appointed leader in Goan Society who has robbed the society of KD 30 thousand and known to be a rapist demanding sexual favours from young girls in return for jobs. What a shame it is for the community to have such leaders and what a shame for all members of the community who support such shameless persons. The supporters must be equally shameless, “chors” and rapists.

When we organized public rallies, public meetings and other activities in Goa during the invasion of Kuwait, this bloody so called well-known Goan personality was hiding under the petticoat of his wife while his innumerable villagers thronged at Azad Maidan Panjim in solidarity with Kuwait from where he and we all earn our sustenance. Inspite of his pompous show of educational gold medal attached to his pocket he was begging for a decent job in Goa but succeeded in life only after coming to Kuwait. At least on this count he should have been grateful to Kuwait. I hope somebody should pass this message to his Kuwaiti bosses to make them aware of the ungrateful people working around them. Such ungratefuls and idiots are many amongst us and they want to be the recipients of next NRI awards which are become a big joke after the last conferment on Kuwait NRI’s by equally joker and insane Eduardo Faleiro. Good that it is only an NRI award and not a Nobel Prize. On 12th November this year, I, under the banner of Goa-Kuwait Solidarity Center, in the midst of invitees will release the DVD of our Public Rallies and Public Meetings we Goans organized in Panjim, Goa, 18 years back, in support of the liberation of Kuwait. This is to mark the 18th anniversary of our first public Meeting and Rally in support of the country – Kuwait – from where we earn our livelihood. This is also to remind and to show what we, the few, then did in difficult situation for the cause of Kuwait that gave us so much in life.

Coming back to the demands of our players, earlier I was under the impression that these demands were unwarranted. But after doing thorough examination of this subject, I feel these demands are justified because the physical contribution of the players keep the image of the club/team management stalwarts floating high thereby giving a sense of identity and importance to them in the community. Many presidents and other office bearers of our clubs gain limelight only by organizing soccer teams which are promoted by the players who deserve better dividends. If the organizers, presidents and other office bearers are gaining so much by having clubs and teams then why not players? These players should not remain at this level only but must go one step ahead and also demand insurance cover for any injury while playing, as they are having in Dubai. Insurance cover is become imperative now especially after the incident of a KGA player brutally injured by DHL in the last season. Players must have security for their limbs. Those who are going to provide this insurance will be doing justice to their players and those who don’t will be robbing the players of their rights and making the life of the players risky. Those clubs and teams cannot fulfill this duty towards their players then they will have no right to run their clubs and teams. They should better disband their teams and soccer clubs. In this connection my advice to all the players: Never rely for any help from your team managements though there are good team managements but side by side there are also worst who are on record to neglect their own injured players in the past. And yet shamelessly they are running their show.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

In Praise of Gandhi Jayanti Irrelevant.

TO,

A.Veronica Fernandes.

Thanks for the Article on the subject of GANDHI JAYANTI IRRELEVANT.

The article does make sense looking to the escalating violence on our christian brothers and sisters in many states of India and not much action yet taken by the government to restore the situations.

I would suggest instead, Mother Teresa should be honoured for her good deeds and message of peace on her death anniversary 5th 0f September and declare as holiday too.

Regards,
B.Lopes,
UK.

GANDHI JAYANTI IRRELEVANT. RESPONE.

GANDHI JAYANTI IRRELEVANT.

Veronica need praises for the above article. We are in dire need of the leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, an apostle of non-voilence and preacher of truth to bring the country out of the shamble. The present lot lack pragmatism and do not practise what they preach. People in India have been facing frequent bomb blasts, fierce fighting in the name of religion and atrocities of power-hungry politicians. Minorities and common man constantly lives on the edge.

IGNATIUS DIAS
Agassaim/UAE

Gandhi Jayanti Irrelevant - Response.

Re: Gandhi Jayanti Irrelevant.


Hey Anthony,

Well written and infact the truth....

Wish you would publish it in the Mumbai newspapers too and make the people aware.....

I wonder even if you want to write in the Mumbai newspapers, will they publish?


Love

vero

In Response to "Gandhi Jayanti Irrelevant".

IN RESPONSE TO GANDHI JAYANTI IRRELEVANT.

Dear Veronica,

I appreciate your thoughts and concern and writing the message so firmly.
It only takes 1 good leader to understand. I hope that we will find one.

Best Regards,

Mario,
Dubai.