UG THE HISTORY MAKER IN KUWAIT.
The annual UG organized soccer tournament for its current edition was kicked-off on Friday morning, 7th of this month.
It was in mid 1979 under the banner of United Goans Football Center popularly known as UG, started the first ever competitive soccer tournament not only for Goans as originally planned but also for all Indian expatriates residing and working in Kuwait, the venue was Sour Ground where both the playfields were utilized. Originally and till for many years it was League Cum Knock Out basis till penultimate stage. The first two finals during the inaugural year and the following one were played at Ahmadi where enormous number of spectators witnessed these finals and on both the occasions Goan Sporting defeated UG Strikers. During the inaugural time it was the festival of around ten participating teams while currently it is almost doubled. Qualitatively originally it was very high while currently the quality is low.
It was a group of few soccer crazy Goans joined together and under the umbrella of UG they started this soccer extravaganza for Goans mainly. From the inception year till next few years matches were played in the afternoons where huge number of spectators used to attend mostly the Goans dotted with number of females including my soccer crazy wife.
Among the persons in UG who devoted their precious time and energy to start this soccer feast of Goans were Tony Gonsalves ( Divar) who is still going strong, their president and ex Lube Goa player Anton Lawrence Fernandes (Siolim), F.X. Joe D’ouza (Assagao) who played an excellent role by applying his skill and vast knowledge in organising the tournaments, Moses Menezes (Candolim), the late Custodio (Navelim), the late Diogo Gomes (Bastora), the late Joe Fernandes (Cova), the late George the Dotor (Navelim) and may others.
They were all pioneers in initiating our soccer activities in Kuwait and because of their excellent initiative we are still organsing our soccer games. We owe our gratitude to UG and UG in turn to everyone who in the beginning associated with it to start this great venture.
In the beginning it was like a fun but gradually it became a force to reckon with. In the beginning some of our elders of that time thought it was going to be a big joke but later on they realized its importance in uniting the community members is such a huge number at Sour grounds.
Because of these soccer activities many of our young men got job facilities and other benefits and this trend of acquiring benefits is still going on and for that matter going on smoothly and strongly.
It is said that history cannot be changed and in this matter of our soccer what history Goans has made thru UG neither can be changed nor altered. As a representative of Goans, UG in 1979 created a history by initiating our competitive soccer and this unique incident cannot be erased from the history books. UG deserved highest accolades for this.
While creating this history UG had a strong team of Goan stalwarts, some of them are dead while others retired from Kuwait and still some are residing in Kuwait. Among those still residing in Kuwait are Tony Gonsalves who is doing an excellent job to keep the UG flag flying high still and F.X. Joe D’Souza who gave his best for the promotion of this soccer by being under the umbrella of UG.
Among all the teams participated in the inaugural year only UG is surviving till now while some of the top teams of the inaugural year namely Salmiya Youth, Friends Club Salmiya, Starlites, Goan Sporting, Blue Razors and others gone into etinction.
Some of the best players who played in the inaugural tournament to make our soccer more attractive were goalkeeper Julio Cardoso under the bar of Friends Club of Salmiya; Cajetan Godinho the midfielder of Goan Sporting, Charlie of Stsrlite, Tony Correia and the late Cosme and Agnu of Blue Razors and Casmiro and Alcantra of UG Strikers.
On behalf of all my like minded soccer loving and soccer promoter Goans in Kuwait, I salute UG and every member of it who in the beginning came forward to start this soccer in 1979. On the strength of the base UG created then we are still having our soccer activities till now.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
