PORTUGAL - FOOT-BALL - GOA.

PORTUGAL – FOOTBALL – GOA.

After Ronaldo inspired Portugal drew their encounter with Spain on 15^th of this montH in the World Cup match, I wrote an article ‘VIVA PORTUGAL” in this column highlighting the greatness of Ronaldo and Portugal. After reading it, I received calls using foul language against me and even giving sort of threats to me so that I should not praise Portugal and anything that is Portuguese.

One of them said that “you being a Christian, you enjoyed better facilities during the colonial rule”.  I replied to him saying the best of benefits during Portuguese time were enjoyed by you and your community members.  The entire Trade and Commerce of Goa was handled  by your community members, so also the entire mining industry and not by the Desouzas, Fernandes, Braganzas etc.  Good that the job facilities for Tarvar, Gulf and Africa were opened otherwise my community members would suffer a lot. Portuguez has not done any special favour on them just because they belong to Christian community, along with others the Goan Christians coming from lower strata of the society also suffered the persecution of Bhattkars and Bamonn.  Inspite of doing so much for your community you are against Portugal, you are BEIMAN. And on top of it you are commanding me to stop supporting Portugal?  To hell with you. I will support whomever I feel like supporting. 

The other said ‘we fought against Portuguese in Goa as Freedom Fighters and threw them out of Goa. You Christians did nothing to overthrow the Portuguese from Goa, on the contrary you fully co-operated with them from the time they first came to Goa”.  For this, I answered to him thus, that what Goan Chrisans have done and fought for the overthrow of Portuuese from Goa your AZO and AZI have not done. The failed Pintos revolution was done by the priests from Candolim and they were ably supported by Abade Faria.  Another Christian from Navelim Salcette Dr. Francis Luis Gomes who was the Member of Portuguese Parliament raised the issue not only of Goa’s liberation so forcefully but also of India’s too when Nehrus and Ghandis were not born.

Innumerable Goan Christian Freedom Fighters have suffered so much of persecution from the Portuguese for the sake of Goa.  They took active part in Goa’s freedom movement to drive away Portuguese from Goa and hold Goa into the hands of Goans only without any outside interference but you people involved in freedom movement of Goa to convert Goa into a Hindu Raj because I said, you are fanatic communal.  You have revenge against Goan Christians for this reason en masse you supported and joined MGP, only to liquidate Chritians from Goa.

 Among the criminal and robber Freedm Fighters, you are the worst who robbed and killed so many innocent Goans.  You, I further told him, had no marbles in your Zontir to fight with Portuguese Pakles  because you are cowards.  You harassed only your own fellow Christian Goans.  And finally I told him that never say again that you have liberated Goa.  You did nothing, you had no potential and power to liberate Goa.  You got ready made liberation of Goa thru its conquest or invasion by the crook Nehru government.

Then I told him that we as Christians never co-operated with the Portuguez from the time they first came to Goa with their Comander Afonso de Albuquerqe who conquered Goa. Goan Christians were not responsible to bring Portuguese to Goa but it was your community member TIMOJA, a high ranking Officer under Adilshah, who begged with Afonso de Albuquerqe to come to Goan soil along with his Troop.  It was he a non-Christian who gave Goa on silver platter to Portuguese.

The other one said ‘you have no love for India and Goa but only for Portugal”. I said you are wrong. I love my Goa as much as any other patriotic Goan. Because I love Goa, along with my entire community I supported anti-merger Opinion Poll issue in Goa while you in greater number supported merger. You are traitors and major portion of your community supported doling of Goa to Maharastra but we prevented it and its benefits you are enjoying now withou any shame.

Just because I supported  Portugal in World Cup that does not mean I am anti-Indian.  Portuguese have not done anything bad to me, it is our own Goan Bamonn and Bhattkars who harassed us.  It is they who wanted Portuguese Raj in Goa and not Goans like me. But because of Portuguez we got lot of benefits and good characteristics though they colonized us for long. One  thing they did worst for us  was that they failed to hand over power in our hands instead they allowed them to be driven out and made Bharat to colonize Goa once again.

I wish Portugal all the best in World Cup.

Once again “VIVA PORTUGAL”.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

THE LOW STANDARD OF ASIAN SOCCER.

After watching the inaugural match yesterday between the host country Russia and one of the Asian Giants Saudi Arabia, of the current World Cup going on in Russia, once again it was proved how low the standard of Asian soccer is.  Though Russia is not a super power in soccer as compared to others in Europe and South America yet the Russians made a mockery of the Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

      

In 1982 World Cup held in Spain, Kuwait qualified for the final phase.  During its encounter with Platini’s France, when the Frenchman scored one of their goals, the Kuwaiti defense remained motionless thinking referee has whistled for some infringement but when they found that the match referee blew his long whistle for the goal, the Kuwaiti players rushed to the referee questioning him how he allowed this goal when he already blew his whistle earlier, but the referee said he did not blow the whistle twice, that is, earlier he did not.  That means somebody behind the goal among the spectators must have played the mischief. 

There was heavy argument on the field, the big man of Kuwaiti soccer administration Sheikh Fahad watching that match from the VIP Gallery wearing his brownish National dress – Distasha – came sprinting from the Stands on top all furious and by making a sign in his right hand indicating to the Kuwaiti players standing on the ground not to play any further.   In his capacity as the top official of the Kuwaiti team he cannot act that way.  After some consultation, the referee withdrew that cntroversal goal and the match restarted again.  Later on the FIFA reprimanded Kuwaiti soccer team and heavily fined Sheikh Fahad.  Somebody said that this Kuwaiti Prince thought that he was dealing with Indian domestics at his house coming to work in Kuwait from Goa and not with FIFA which is the most upright body in the World.

According to my assessment, till what  saw till today 15.06.18 at 6.30 PM, World Cup this time will be a drab affair without much entusism.  I don’t think in this W.Cup we will get a chance to see another Pele-Maradona, Zico, Falcao, Rummeniege, Eusebio and many others.

A.ronica Ferandes.

THE GREATEST FOOT-BALLERS OF THIS PLANET.

In the recorded history of soccer, there were many top class foot-ballers came into this planet and with their sheer artistry of marvelous footwork with the ball, they have dazzled the spectators.  However, the two more talked about foot-ballers are the Brazilian Pele known as Black Pearl and the second is Diogo Armando Maradona an Argentinian.  Between the two I rate Pele, after watching him on Video Films and other TV documentaries and even by reading, as the most perfect player  and as such the best this planet has so far produced.  He was the perfect player because he used his both the legs with perfect equal ease and above all he used his head so perfectly well that some of his best goals came thru his header including the most memorable one he scored in 1970 World Cup final against Italy.  With his right foot he could tell the ball to do anything he wanted except talk.

Besides, he was very tricky and could easily fool the defender by pooling  towards him when he would run in the different direction and  leaving the ball empty for his colleague to shoot in the goal.  However, the greatest gift of his was his good luck that helped him to be closer to the ball near the goalmouth facilitating him to easily score the goal. In football luck is the most important factor otherwise the 1982 Brazilian squad captained by Dr. Socrates would win the World Cup  instead of losing to Paulo Rossi’s Italy in the midway; Brazilians then had everything in their team to become champions except luck and that bad luck denied them the much needed draw only and not the victory, against that crucial match with Italy.

The 1982 Brazilian team consisted of gigantic players of which type never seen before not even in 1970.  Can we get again players like Eder, Dr. Socrates, Zico, Serginho and others?  And what about their teamwork created by their genius coach Tele Santana?  We will never see again such a brilliant teamwork nor another Tele Santana.

Maradona no doubt a great but not perfect as Pele because Maradona was one legged player using his left leg only and totally weak in the header. During his playing days Maradona became very popular because during his time TV transmission was easily available all over the globe for the people to see him around the World playing  his excellent game.  This TV coverage gave him lot of extra mileage and tremendous publicity that made the people to say that he was like a God of foot-ball as it was accepted him in Banglaesh. Such a TV and Video coverage was not existent during Pele’s time and because of this much of Pele’s greatness remained hidden from the eyes of the people worldwide.    

If you go a step further, you will still find 2 more foot-ballers who according to some world renown soccer pundits remain much taller than both Pele and Maradona.  These pundits did their evaluation and assessment based on their first hand information after watching all of them playing on the field. And finally they passed their verdict that the great Alfredo Di Stefano an Argentinean who later on got the citizenship of Spain and the other one was Ferenc Puskas a Hungarian.  Their highly skillful soccer remained far from the major portion of the World. At least Puskas played in one World Cup for Hungary and soon he joined Real Madrid where he found equally great player Di Stefano in mid fifties.  Their best of soccer they both played for Real Madrid where they were scoring so many goals.  Their duo was unstoppable, it was said at times that they were communicating with each other thru Telepathy to take the next step to score the goals.  And it was also said that without turning their heads back,  they used to pass the ball to each other as if they were having extra eyes at their back side too.  

Such foot-ballers come to this planet only once in centuries.           

A.Veronica Fernandes.