I was deeply shocked
and disturbed to read the sad news in Goa's daily dated 04.04.15 of “closure of
Sesa Football Academy”. After closure of
its soccer team a few years back, the great name of the great sport called
Soccer was still glorified by Sesa by establishing its Foot-ball Academy
thereby continuing Sesa’s service in the development of soccer in Goa. Once
upon a time Sesa soccer team was a name and fame, not only in Goa but all over
India as well. It was officially
initiated and formed in 1965 when Sesa Goa registered itself in the second
division League tournament conducted by Goa Football Association in the Bardez
segment. Having failed to qualify for
first division in the inception year under the skippership of Andrew Machado,
it recruited some of the best players for its second attempt in 1966 to enter
into the first division under the captaincy of Jose Marie Fernandes. Mr. Conzen the great promoter and lover of
Soccer, a German national working for Sesa at Sircaim, was the brain behind the
formation of Sesa soccer team.
I was then as a young
Arpora school boy was one of the recruits of Sesa, Herculano Dourado as a young
Bastora College boy was another who along with me was recruited on contract basis only
to play football while the rest of the players were all employees of Sesa
company. In that year we came out first putting Mazagon Dock, Vasco to the
second spot and thus we as a mighty team qualified into senior division. That
year we had good coaching under the Patiala qualified coach Mr. Iqbal who was a
very strict disciplinarian and tactician too. It was because of his coaching
that I became in that year fastest runner of Goa and also an individual champion
of Goa at All Goa Interschool Athletics Meet. During that time to play for the mighty Sesa soccer team means like now playing for Real Madrid. It was honour and prestige to play for Sesa Goa then.
When we entered the
senior division, Sesa was the mighty team and in its first year itself in the
senior division Sesa won the League championship. Immediately we were invited
to participate in the outstation tournaments mainly in the South where Sesa won
many tournaments. Within a short time
Sesa became a household name in the South and some of its footballers were not
only loved by the local fans there but were also mobbed even in the market
places.
During those days Sesa
Goa was the mighty team in Goa having in its rank some of the finest players of
Goa, overwhelming majority of them being Goans as Sesa’s European top
management preferred Goans only. Some of
the best players who played for Sesa during that period along with me were the
striking duo of Albino Fernandes of Merces and the late Visitacao Lobo from
Parra who later on became the second Goan after Menino Figueredo of Salgaocar
to represent India, in Soviet Russia. There is no brainy striker came into Goan
soccer scene after Visitacao Lobo and there was none like Albino in Goa who could rattle
the opponents’ bar with his power packed right footer. Both of them were the precious jewels of Goan
soccer of that era and also the darlings of soccer fans.
The team Sesa Goa was
the solace not only for the players of Bardez but also from other parts of Goa
providing them opportunities not only to play soccer and create name and fame
for them in Goa and elsewhere but also providing them opportunities in getting
permanent employment as Sesa were the biggest employers of Goan manpower.
I feel the good work
Sesa did for Goan boys in developing them as fine footballers should not come
to an end. The government of Goa and the
interested organizations and individuals must try to convince the Sesa Goa
management to review its decision for
the good of Goan soccer. The drought of finance for Sesa will not remain
permanently as we are already assured of the restarting of Mining in Goa
shortly. Finance will surely come again but once Sesa Academy is closed, it
will remain closed forever. This should not happen.
The impact Sesa Goa
created on Goan soccer during the last so many years was so great that its legacy
should not be allowed to die an instant death. Since Sesa Goa from the time of Portuguese rule in Goa minted money by excavating minerals from Goan soil and land, the same mighty Sesa Goa must continue to help the sons of this soil and land to develop as fine footballers. As a gratitude to Goa from where it gained so much of wealth, Sesa Goa must continue on developing Goan soccer. Sesa Goa at this juncture must not abandon its responsibilities towards Goans.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.
