Churchill should let the ball roll again and be part of Goan footballing folklore!

Goan  football lovers  are  a baffled lot.  On one side of the field stands Churchill Brothers Football Club  patron and strong football lover Churchill Alemao and on the other, the All India football Federation (AIFF).

It has been a while now that the Churchill Brothers team has been dismissed from the AIFF I League for failing to fulfil certain mandatory criterias imposed on AIFF by the Asian Football Council (AFC) and other bodies associated with soccer. At the end of the day , if the whip is not lashed , it is not just Churchill Brothers but many from up the line who have to face a whiplash. To avoid that , Churchill Brothers and three other teams in the I League have had to go home.

The teams dismissed appealed.They failed. The AFC applauded the AIFF for the stand taken. Churchill Brothers and officials of the other teams fumed. There were rumours that the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) would be approached. Infact, that was the only option left for Churchill Brothers and the other teams.

However, the teams decided to take a different route-t hey approached the High Court In New Delhi . Is this the best resort?

“As far as we are concerned , all the options are exhausted. They were given a chance. They did not take it. Indian football has to move forward. We did all we could the FIFA rules are very clear. There is nothing the AIFF can do,” stated AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das.

“We have got certain documents. As far as we are concerned, there is nothing else we can do. There is no footballing scope by going to the High Court,” stated I League CEO Sunando Dhar.

Churchill Brothers , however , is after a long while, keeping his cards tightly on his chest. “No comments,’ he said while not ruling out a fight with the AIFF till the end.”Every Goan knows how much I have done for football. Something clerical should not come in the way of a club that has done so much for football. This does not make footballing sense,” averred the patron of the club.

“It depends on what the matter is. But, the High Court has vast jurisdiction. Nothing can be ruled out. I do not know the case of Churchill Brothers but I know that the High Court cannot be ignored,” stated noted lawyer Aires Rodrigues.

Churchill silence at this point of time seems to be turning the I League cake to bread . Fortunately , most of his players have moved to more assuring pastures. After all , their futures are at stake. Goan football is too. Though not much, football in Goa will be better if the ball rolls. Churchill has a chance to do just that –once again! Will he?

Santosh Trophy Weary Of AIFF Rule?Straightening required.....

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) stipulation not allowing under-23 football players to play in the Santosh Trophy- India’s premier and most coveted Cup – has left many in the game in a flux.  It has led to a cat and mouse syndrome. At one point , the decision seems good for the development while at the other end, it does not.

“The decision was taken to broadbase the game. The under-23 playing in the I League have enough of competition. This rule was put in place to help those who do not get a chance to play many games,” says AIFF general secretary Kushal Das.

“ The current rule makes it mandatory for all I League teams to field two under-23 players for all their games. So, there is no way the boys in the I League are not going to get a chance. It is not that the I League have all under-23 players. So , the playing hours a under-23 footballer gets is high,” says Kushal Das while trying to justify the decision.

“ There are under-23 players in the I League who play for  very little time. The AIFF should put a time limit. Say , if a under-23 player plays for more than 500 hours then he should not be allowed,” states Arjuna awardee Brahmanand  Shankwalkar. “ With this new rule , not only do the under-23 players suffer but winning the Santosh Trophy becomes difficult for States like Goa , Bengal etc..etc. It is the states with very few teams in the I League that benefit. Look at the North Eastern states,” avers Brahmanand.

“Take the case of Goa. There are some good under-23 players registered with I League teams. They hardly play more than 150 odd minutes for them. Yet , thy cannot represent Goa. Good talent is sitting out. Some amendment is required,” thinks Brahmanand.

“ There is enough competition in the I League. It is a misconception that the players do not get enough opportunities to play. The reverse is true.It is purely to broadbase the game that thi decision was taken,” states Kushal Das.

“The rule can definitely be fine tuned. This can be done if the interest of the players is genuinely in mind of the authorities concerned. This is not the end of the road,” states another renowned footballer from Goa.

Another aspect of the matter is : how is the Santosh Trophy perceived now a days? Still the best tournament that the best players want to play and win , the Santosh Trophy seems marginalised after the onset of the I-League. “ Take Goa. The chief Minister has declared football as the State sport. For sure the best players would like to play and win the Santosh Trophy. Many will be unable to do so with this rule. It is a pity,” says another international player from Goa.

There has been much consternation in the minds of those involved with football over this AIFF directive. According to sources in the AIFF, the matter is not closed. If a positive suggestion for the development of football sprouts up, it can be looked into. The AIFF is listening , and most importantly, waiting to see what drives up the road. Hopefully , football lovers and players will not have to wait for long!

Let Football Find It's New Path With Elvis Gomes

When one resorts to mud slinging after defeat, it is not good. At best , it reflects one’s true character. And , that is what is happening in Goan football today. Savio Messias jumped off the GFA boat before it’s members made him realise that he does not have the brains or –for that matter the integrity- to take football forward. On the day he did that , he issued a press statement claiming he was withdrawing from the GFA contest in the interest of the game. Now, that is being proved by him to be a lie.

Ever since Mr. Elvis Gomes won the president ship  unopposed, Savio has been at petty games –not really hampering the functioning of GFA much – but putting himself to ridicule. And , as usual, he has been using one senior journalist as his arm pit.

The first attempted tirade he attempted against Elvis Gomes was the course for referees being organised by the British Council in New Delhi. The British Council is organising a course for people interested in the development of football in India. Shrinivas Dempo , as the then president of GFA- entrusted the job to Savio. Etiquette says, Savio should had informed Elvis Gomes about how matters with the course stood. In his own admission, Savio did not. Instead he spoke to the two new Vice presidents of the GFA. Maybe , he felt too small to approach Elvis. In the end , due to Savio’s ego , GFA would have missed the bus!

Electronic email evidence available suggests that Elvis Gomes acted on the British Council proposal the moment he got wind off it from AIFF general secretary Kushal Das. Not just Kushal but the official from the British Council was intimidated of GFAs' interest. Not one email , suggest otherwise.

Yet , in the edition of a local newspaper, Savio tries to discredit Mr. Gomes. As usual, his clarifications in the press reflect the mood of a bitter man . It reflects the pain of a man who cannot digest defeat; it reflects the anguish of a man unable to believe that in life , there are some people better than one’s own self. Doing football to further the game is one thing. Getting involved in football to further one’s personal interest is another. This is what Savio Messias has to understand.

To understand defeat is not hard. What is hard to swallow is the fact that one’s true colours cannot be hidden forever. It is time , Savio raises up his hands and admits football is no longer his cup of tea. Being a good administrator is one thing. Good administartors are important. But , they are not the people to take football forward. Savio knows this from his one time arch enemy Alberto Colaco. He used to say the same about Alberto. It is now time for someone to say this to Savio. In other words- wake up and smell the coffee. It is a good brew too!

Let football find its’ new path with Elvis Gomes.

Savio Should Sulk in Shame

It has been a while now that Elvis Gomes has been crowned King of Goan football. Honestly , there was nothing newsy about his win. If not winning unopposed , he was expected to drub his opponent. Luckily, Savio Messias did not allow stupidity pile on him. Had he not contested , he would have found himself unrestored.

Unfortunately , in life there are people who allow the mundane to carry them away. It is easy to forget . Not really , sometimes the dirty mechanisms of man are easier to remember. Especially when man uses mechanisms to further his selfish games instead of sports. It all leads to games people play. This was more than evident in this Goa Football Association (GFA) election.

Savio’s climb to the GFA was not pedagogic. He never got into football because he loved the game. Rather , he used the game to further his interests-business ones. That is why in one of his press notes released after he withdrew from the presidential race- he boasted that he had made a fixed deposit of over Rs one crore for GFA. Now, can one develop football with a FD? How naive.

Anyway, that is Savio. Someone , who has always used others to further his cause and not that of the game. Many years ago , it was Savio Messias who had ganged up against Alberto Colaco. He fought – not an open war but a hide and seek  war  with Colaco . Like now , Savio used the press to fight his war. At that time , nobody won. Alberto was booted from the All India football Federation (AIFF) and Savio had to do with the left overs of the GFA.

Time heals it is said. Not in the case of these two guys. It was not despondency that brought them together during this election. Rather it was the knowledge that they were losing the grip of the game to some one more able and honest that had them sweat. Not just that. Elvis knows the Chief Ministers mind on football.

So , this election , old foes came together to try and prevent a man who wants and will take football  forward , from doing so. At first they tried to use the big fish. If not the fish , their names were used and fed to sardines. Vulnerable people were coaxed and even a man like Tony Remedios was pestered to sand for the post of president.

Nothing worked. Realising that he would be routed, Savio Messias withdrew. But the barbs of defeat still linger on. Instead of trying to move forward with football, Savio has now started using the press. This time ,he has got some of them in the press to lick his festered wound. How? Wine and women , Savio has told some of his friends.

Fortunately , this time , football is not looking back. For passion is not Elvis’s only weapon. Blind belief in God is. With such a weapon , trespassing him will be foolish !