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.

                                                           

WORLD CUP 2018 IN RUSSIA.

THE most exciting sporting event World Cup 2018 is going to start on 14^th of this month and I am eagerly waiting to watch it on TV.  With my full admiration to the Frenchman Jules Rimet for initiating the World Cup Soccer Tournament which was first time held in Uruguay in 1930 and won by the host country, the number of contestants was only 13 and that too invitees. In the absence of almost 2 years of grueling qualifying matches to reach to the ultimate final phase as it is done now, the first participants were very lucky to get a spot in the final in Uruguay.  However India was unfortunate to decline to participate in the 1950 World Cup held in Brasil when 3 other Asian teams withdrew, because Indian players were known to play barefooted which was not accepted by the organizers.  

From 13 teams in the inaugural  tournament to 16 to 24 and now 32 teams and still thinking to go up to 40 in the near future, FIFA is doing a wonderful job in organising this tournament every four year.  No other sporting event unites the people in this world as this tournament does because soccer is the only language the entire world population understands because of this it is said that “where Esperanto failed, the game of soccer succeeded” in bringing the world together under one medium.

When the Frenchman Just Fontaine in 1958 scored the highest number of goals in a single tournament of 16 teams this record still remained intact till today inspite of increasing the number of teams to 32.  Came Pele, Eusebio, Maradona, Zico, Paulo Rossi, Lato, Gerd Muller and so many others but none could break that record created by the great Fontaine, inspite of having so many advantages.  This indicates that the soccer is become now defensive where too much stress is put on defense to prevent getting goals and more goals. Will anyone break the record in this World Cup, created by Just Fontaine in 1958?

When Pele first time played in this tournament, he was aged only 17 ½ in 1958 but in 1982 World Cup held in Spain his record was broken by the Northern Islander Whiteside when he played for his national team as the youngest kid.  Who will break this record  in Russia?

In 1966 World Cup held in England, the captain of Argentina, Rattin  acted like a wild animal when he went to hit his own player while playing against England and in 2006 Frenchman Zidane  head butted Italian Matzerrati like a wild Rhino. Will such nasty incidents occur again in Russia? I hope not.

No other sporting event bringS the world to stand still as this sporting event does.  Even world summits and conferences are delayed or postponed to allow the participants to watch this tournament. Popes and Cardinals, Kings and Monarchs, Sheiks and commoners are all show interest in this sports.

Let this sports create love and peace in this world.

A.Veronica Fernandes.

    

IS GOA GOVERNMENT ALIVE OR DEAD?

In thirties when Gandhiji was  alive, the high caste Bihari Hindus burned alive so many Harijans. Ghandiji felt very bad seeing this gross injustice done to the poor Harijans.  Within a short period of time, Bihar was flooded with heavy rain that killed a great number of the Biharis. Commenting on this, Ghandiji said that this was the devine punishment for hurting the innocent poor.

I do believe in devine punishment because I believe in God and where there is God there is bound to be justice. Based on this logic, I am now commenting on the local political scenario and the injustice some politicians are doing against others thereby inviting devine punishment.

During his last debate in his last Assembly session Wishnu Vagh acting like a wounded “Ranantlo Vagh”, scolded the Church and the Diocesan Schools Society and concluded saying that “we also will go ahead and build our own schools and then we will teach them a good lesson”.  Within a few days, Wishnu Wagh was shifted to Mumbai hospital for treatment. It is a pity since then he never recovered to challenge the Church and Diocesan Schools Society. What wrong the Church has done to non-Catholics?  Did the Diocesan Schools closed their door to the non-Catholic Children?  Why such a hatred for Diocesan Schools? Why hurting the minority Catholic community and why such a animosity towards Christian?

In the last election, Congress Party got a clear majority needing it to form the government but with his brute power in an unethical manner Parricar changed the whole victory of Congress and by manipulating the result even by forcing the Governor to toe his line, Parricar formed the BJP Government thereby hurting the sentiments not only of the elected Congressmen but more than that of the electorate who voted for Congress Party. What an Himalayan injustice Parricar has done and for this reason I feel as devine punishment Parricar had to spend the last three months in American hospital in the Christian USA from where will he come back all right?  It looks doubtful because he will have to pay for the injustice that he committed on to the Congress Party and those voters who got elected the Congress candidates.  Devine punishment surely comes.

Pandurang Madkaicar is yet another victim of the devine punishment  for the pride of the display of his wealth even to the extent of erecting his Bungalow at Old Goa thereby shadowing the religious monuments of Chrstianity.  For this pride and arrogance there is only one punishment that is the devine punishment which Madkaicar is facing. 

Francis D’Souza is helping the BJP to do wrong against minority in Goa by keeping silence for the every injustice done on Christian community when he should raise his voice against it. In this way he is supporting BJP to do injustice to Christians. He too is afflicted with bad sickness for this reason it is said that he is gone to Europe for treatment.  He got no peace because he spoiled the peace of peaceful community. Hence what men cannot do God is doing by giving him devine punishment for indulging in dirty politics for his selfish benefit.  It is a pity that by being a member of the minority community he is supporting the tirade against his own community. What a tragedy that this man has reached to such a low!

    

Vasco MLA and a supporter of BJP is also indulging in doing dirty politics in support of BJP to gain him personal benefits.  While doing this dirty game he does not care for anything but for his selfish interest. He too is afflicted with sickness that keeps him constantly under tension and worried.

This means almost the entire BJP government is sick and since this being the case how can we move forward in giving good governance? There is nothing going ok in Goa and everybody is waiting for Parricar to return.  Will he or not? It is a Hamletic question. Till such time Goa has to suffer because they treat Goa as their fathers’ property. They are not interested in the good of Goa and Goans.  This BJP and its elected members it looks will not only devour the Goans physically but even soully. 

It is not my wish to see them punished by God like this but what can I do to stop this devine punishment? God is omnipotent and He alone know that what He is doing is right.  But I can still pray to God to forgive them because they are power hungry and burning with anger and revenge against Christians when Christians are not a belligerent community.

A.Veronica Fernandes.