The late Mr. J. P. D’Mello hailing from Porvorim, Bardez, Goa was a renowned Soccer Umpire in Bombay attached with Western Indian Football Association that was organising soccer activities at Cooperage soccer ground in Bombay. He was also linked with All India Football Federation by virtue of his being an expert in soccer laws. The general secretary of All India Football Federation Mr. Ziauddin once asked Mr. J.P., “please give me your brain which is full of excellent knowledge of soccer rules and in the bargain I will give you anything”. For this, Mr. JP replied laughingly saying “Ziauddin Saab, my brain is not exchangeable”. This was the power of this great Goan J.P. D’Mello. He even made a mark for himself at Asian Soccer level.
Once he confided in me saying “as a Goan when I brought honour for Goa in soccer field, what Goans have done for me?” Then in my writings I made lot of reference of his achievements and later on after his death I gave a strong push for the initiative to start a soccer tournament in Kuwait in his memory. Rightly Kuwait Indian Football Federation did this job wonderfully. Unfortunately in his birth place he remained a forgotten hero. It looks Prophets are not adored in their localities. It is many years now since his death that the JP Memorial tournament is organised annually by KIFF in Kuwait and it is become a very prestigious tournament for Indians in general and Goans in particular. This year’s edition has just been completed a fortnight back, G.O.A. Maroons winning the championship. JP in his grave must have been very happy to know Maroons has won this year’s edition because he once told me that after UG, his love and affection go to G.O.A. Maroons which was his favourite team.
JP at the end of his active career in Bombay came to Kuwait to work and got himself employed at KREMENCO, Ahmadi. While he was employed at Kremenco, he was associated with Asian Soccer Federation as well. Also, as a Goan he was associating with our soccer at Sour ground helping and guiding our soccer activities. UG introduced him to our soccer at Sour ground thru Antonio Lawrence Fernandes who was the first president of UG. Since then every Friday JP was seen early in the morning attending soccer activities at Sour ground. It was he who introduced his idea to me first to initiate KIFF to bring all teams and clubs under one apex body to have better control. I liked this idea and I marketed it. After Lawrence Rato, Lawry Pinto worked very hard along with others to get it materialised till Kuwait Indian Football Federation was formed.
Indian Football Referees Association, Kuwait was also JP’s brainchild. Being such a big personality he was always a humble man, a true Goan having all the best attributes of true pristine Goan. Even in our Goan activities beyond soccer he participated as a proud Goan. His natural humility added to his greatness. Thru JP Memorial soccer tournament, KIFF made his name immortal giving due recognition to his selfless and dedicated work for the promotion of soccer.
If it was not for our soccer at Sour ground, JP would remain unknown among us in Kuwait. In Kuwait JP became JP and became known among us only because he got a ready made opportunity to involve himself in our soccer activities and made known to us his talent. United Goans Football Center popularly known as UG initiated our competitive soccer activities at Sour ground in Kuwait and created a base for our soccer and a way to exhibit our talent in this field. For this reason UG deserved highest compliments. To initiate this competitive soccer at Sour ground first time in 1979, UG’s Tony Gonsalves from Divar Goa, Antonio Lawrence Fernandes from Siolim Goa, F.X. Joe D’Souza from Assagao Goa, Moses Menezes from Candolim Goa, Diogo Gomes from Bastora Goa and Custodio Fernades from Navelim Goa along with others have done a wonderful job and because they did this job successfully, we now till today are enjoying our soccer activities. If our soccer activities are running till now it is only because of the strong base originally put by the UG.
Among all the UG stalwarts who worked so hard to lay a solid foundation for the establishment of our competitive soccer tournaments in Kuwait for Indians, the late Custodio Fernandes and the late Diogo Gomes deserve more credit. While doing this job, they did not care for their own jobs, their families, their money and even their health. To achieve their goals so many times they received insults from their opponents unnecessarily but never surrendered. The memory of these two Goan giants who along with their collleagues were responsible to initiate our competitive soccer in Kuwait should be kept alive just as it was done for JP. In fact, more than J.P., Diogo Gomes and Custodio Fernandes deserve respect because they did what JP did not do for our soccer in Kuwait though I admit JP was a great soccer personality rightly deserving a memorial tournament in his memory. Now, somebody must come forward and initiate a memorial soccer tournament in memory of both these soccer crazy Goans, namely Diogo and Custodio. They made history and as such their memory should be kept alive for posterity. Their contribution in initiating our soccer activities in Kuwait cannot be ignored and cannot be forgotten.
I was expecting at least the Navelim Youth Center Kuwait would do something in memory of their villager Custodio Fernandes but no, Navelim Youth Center in Kuwait forgot the worth of their own brother. It is said in Konkani “Bhangarachem mol fokot Xettikuch gomta”.
If we can organise a memorial tournament in Kuwait in memory of the late mother of Churchill Alemao, I feel we also could have done the same for our own ex Kwaitkars namely Navelcar Custodio Fernandes and Bastorcar Diogo Gomes whose contribution in the establishment and promotion of our soccer in Kuwait is so immense and so memorable while that of Churchill’s mother is nothing in Kuwait though she was a great mother blessed with a womb to give birth to the well known football promoters Churchill Brothers. A memorial tournament is oganised in memmory of the contribution of that particular person who has played a prominent role in particular sporting field while he was alive.
Among Goans there are no greater ‘Chamcha’ and Cheap Goans as we have in Kuwait. For gaining cheap prominence from cheap and corrupt politicians many of our Kuwait Goans will do anything, of course shamelessly like Pimps. Some of them are even capable of doling their wives and daughters to our corrupt politicians who after corrupting Goa are trying to corrupt Kuwait. One of the reasons for this is because these Kuwait Goans in their life time never enjoyed prominence because they have no qualities to enjoy dignified prominence. What little prominence they enjoy by associating with corrupt Goan politicians is the cheap and undignified prominence and that too only because they are in Kuwait. Promoting corrupt Goan politicians in Kuwait thru soccer activities and ignoring the genuine Goans whose work in this field in Kuwait is immense is something beyond my imagination. Or do we believe in Konkani proverb which says “MODDLOLEA KHURSAK KHUIM RESPED NA” and for this reason the late Diogo Gomes and Custodio Fernandes are become forgotten heroes? It is a pity that among us in Kuwait who are actively involved in the promotion of our soccer there is not a single person who is intellectually high to think high, all are "Moddche Poixe" inspite of havng lakhs which are meant only for external display.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
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