GERMAN FOOTBALL TEAM.
Football was the most popular sport at Arpora School and some of the renowned footballers of Goa during those days were the products of St. Joseph’s High School – Arpora, many of them are still surviving attaining old age. During those days education was not given that topmost priority as it is now especially after 1961 when enrolling a child into school started when the child is barely 3 years while earlier it was six to 8 and even 10. Hence students of Arpora and elsewhere were much older during their scholastic career there. Being older in age they were very smart in soccer capable of competing with any top Goan team. Hence their encounter with visiting German team immediately following the end of World War II.
Portugal was neutral in the Second World War and hence Hitler did not attack Goa but one of his Warships entered Western Coast of India bordering Maharastra because India was British colony and Britain was opposing Germany in the war. Hence one German Warship exactly at the end of this war reached the mentioned Indian coastal zone and the British Fighter Jets bombed this German Warship damaging it tremendously. While in a damaged state this Warship came limping to Goa Coast crossing Sinquerim and reaching Anjuna – Vagator where all the surviving German Navy men came to the shore by swimming and using life jackets. At Anjuna beach they were spotted by the locals who purely in a Goan tradition of hospitality helped them with clothes, food and shelter. They became very friendly to the locals by interacting with them very closely and a few of them permanently settled down in Goa only, one even got married with a Goan girls.
Some of the Navy men from this Warship were very good footballers, a few of them were the members of the then mighty German National Team while others were first divisioners in Germany. At Anjuna Tembi Ground when local boys were playing soccer these German Navy men also joined them and due to their extremely high class of soccer instantly they became famous all over surrounding areas. So much so when they played against the Anjuna local boys a friendly game even Portuguese soldiers stationed at Aguada flocked to see them along with locals from all the surrounding areas.
Immediately this news reached to Fr. Mendonca the sports lover Principal of Arpora School and he personally contacted them and arranged a friendly soccer match with his school team played at Arpora school ground in front of thousands of spectators coming from all around the surrounding areas. My soccer crazy father was one of the spectators who told me once how the spectators were vociferously cheering Arpora saying “LYONS – LYONS”.
The photograph of this German team was preserved and kept in the school Notice Board till I finished my SSC there but later on I have no idea what has happened to this Notice Board and the photos dsiplayed there
Somewhere in 1977 there was a movie made of this Warship and how it was bombed by the British Airforce. The name of the movie was “Sea Wolves” and actor Gregory Peck played the main role in this movie. When he came for the shooting of this film at Sinquerim, he stayed at Sinquerim Taj and when he saw around Taj area he exclaimed thus “what a beautiful place it is. It is like a Heaven”.
One of the surviving Navy men from this Warship stayed in Candolim and got married to a Goan girl from Sinquerim while another one settled in Vasco and the rest returned to Germany with gratitude to Goa, Goans and Anjunkars.
CONCLUDED.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
