“LUTTINI LOKH ANI LAKHANI FULAM”, that was the scene in the
Parra Church and Cemetry yesterday afternoon for the funeral of one of the
greatest footballers of Goa, the late Visitacao Lobo. It was a sea of humanity
mainly the seniors and elders with bald heads and gray hair, some with walking
sticks and some limping coming from all over Goa, all attending the funeral to pay their last
respect of course deservingly for their yesteryears hero who once entertained them
and to others with his magical power of soccer on the football field.
It is very much admiring to see the entire Goa paying its
respect to this soccer wizard in this manner.
In his death people of Goa and the media especially the Herald not
treated Visitacao Lobo as their forgotten hero but treated him with due respect
for his enormous contribution in the field of soccer. It was a rare occasion
for me to witness such a mammoth funeral which indicated the greatness of the
dead during his soccer playing career.
A section of the mourners in the Cemetry.
It was a very good scene of reunion for the retired
footballers especially for those ex colleagues of Visitacao Lobo and for me it
was a God given opportunity to meet some of my ex colleagues along with whom I
played my best of football once upon a time.
I needed especial introduction to know them as I met them after ages but
luckily for me all remembered me and I remembered them. Some of the former mighty
colleagues of Visitacao Lobo who played with him for the then mighty Sesa Goa
soccer team from the time of Sesa’s second division present for the funeral were
Timothy and his brother Maurice, Albino, Ernesto Braganza, Pandu and others.
In his death, his village Parra lost the greatest footballer,
Goa and India lost one of the greatest footballers of whose type we will not
easily see again.
May his soul rest in peace.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel:7507394349.
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