Will Victorino Start His Victory March With FC Goa ?

Victorino Fernandes....will he start his victory march with FC Goa?

Sporting Clube de Goa’s Victorino Fernandes should feel he is not a cheapskate on FC Goa’s field as the players get ready to board the plane for Dubai for their pre-season training, tomorrow. One of the number of other Goans in the team, Victorino has a realistic chance of allowing the FC fans  lap up on a good performance by a Goan for his team.

Every fan gets delirious when his or her team wins. This delirium can cascade into riots of emotions if the local flavour stands out. Romeo Fernandes did it on occasions last year. They were momentary jerks. Victorino could bring in stability and fluidity if he manages to gel with his new teammates and impress coach Zico in the weeks the team has in Dubai and Goa before they embark on their second onslaught of the Indian Super league (ISL).

Then, we can expect the Goans to do the samba at the Fatorda stadium.

Romeo Fernandes from Dempo Sports club was the cynosure of all fans last season. In his eleven appearances , he had eleven shots on targets and three goals to his tally. According to ISL statistics, his shots on target percentage was 57.89. Nearly, first class.  Romeo’s performance earned him accolades from Zico and a trip to Brazil for further training. Somehow, Romeo appeared to get confused, alone in foreign land and came home before his sojourn could actually begin.

Romeo has not been playing competitive football after his trip to Brazil. He played in the Federation Cup and for a bit in the I league. He appeared hazy, the thrust lost.  Actually, Dempo Sports Club was a confused team. The internal shenanigans spelt out in the end.

Victorino Fernandes , on the other hand , scored twenty one goals during last season. Six of those came in the I league (three) and three goals in the Federation Cup. But, he showed he was streets ahead of his other Goan counterparts in the match he tricked against East Bengal.

Victorino has learnt to run and create vacant spaces for himself; he has understood the nuances of carrying players along with him – to free others; setting himself free from his opponents and shooting on target on a high percentage.

Victorino will be getting quality international exposure for the first time. As a player, he has grown with foreign players trading their ware with Sporting. But, the story is different with FC Goa. Here, wisdom is imparted by players who have seen the highs of the game and who have taken the game to highs on their own merit. The scale is huge.

“I am happy I got this opportunity. I am not allowing anything to frighten me. For me it is going to be a great experience not only to learn but put my talent on display against the best in the game. Football for me is a passion and it will remain that way with whichever club I play. To have the ball on my legs is the greatest thing, to hear the fans is even better” said Victorino  on  starting his journey with FC Goa .

Sporting Clube Leave Grass root Spine With Portuguese
Gabriel Pinto

Sporting Clube de Goa's Portuguese Coach Gabriel Pinto  nurturing Goan youngsters

Sporting Clube de Goa has hired the services of Portuguese football coach Gabriel Pinto to draw and implement a methodology for their grass root development programme.  Gabriel Pinto who has had stints as coach with teams in the Portuguese League, feels the rewards are more when laying emphasis on youngsters enamoured with the ball.

Gabriel is going to have forty under 10 boys – a majority of them from Don Bosco High School, Panaji – in his first batch as he prepares to understand the social and educational structure in Goa as he embarks on Sporting’s mission of harnessing talent within the local settings.

“ I am not here to ape the systems of the west or Portugal. Every country has its own set ups. Football is a common game but the structures of play are different. I am here to first study the systems in Goa and draw a methodology that will suit the Goan boy and girl. This does not happen overnight but, a start is a must and I am happy Sporting Clube de Goa has given me this opportunity,” Gabriel told The Goan .

“ Sporting has a number of good coaches  all over Goa looking after the various teams it has under its umbrella. I am going around seeing what is happening and am really impressed at the way young talent is being scouted and trained. The non-residential academy that is being started will surely produce a lot of good players. I am impressed by the talent in Goa,” added Gabriel.

Sporting Clube has under-14,under-16,under-18 and under-20 teams in Goa Football Association’s (GFA) leagues. It also has an under-15 and under-19 team in the I league . Four schools – sacred Heart , Anjuna; Pope John XXIII in Quepem; St Alex High School , Curtorim and Government High School , Cuncolim are the other schools adopted by the clube  under its youth development programme.

“Gabriel is going to give us the methodology for grass root training. He will set the programme for us and oversee it’s implementation. He is not here to cut , copy and paste,” stated Sporting CEO Victor Fernandes.

I League Clubs Not Ready To Stomach Merger With ISL

The rumours and purported statements attributed to senior All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials that the ISL and the I League will be amalgamated some years from now are being rubbished by some owners of I League clubs in the country. “The ISL has been given recognition as a tournament by FIFA and it has been sold to Reliance by AIFF. How can AIFF merge the countries league with a tournament temporarily recognised by FIFA?” asked the owner of an I league club.

Despite AIFF  president Praful  Patel having assured owners  of the I league clubs, in a meeting  in early August in New Delhi ,that, “I League team will not be at an disadvantage with licensing rules if the I League is merged with ISL” , club owners are sure an amalgamation will only take football away from the mainstream- the general public.

"For us (FIFA), I-League and not ISL is India's biggest football competition. ISL is a championship of eight franchises for two months. You cannot have two leagues in a country. Football doesn't work like that. I-League is most important for development of football in India," FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke had said in a press conference in New Delhi on October 15, 2015. He said there was no clash between the I League and the  Indian Super League (ISL) as their identities and objectives are entirely different from one another. How can one then think of an amalgamation?

How many teams will Goa have in the ISl if the two are merged? Three? The ISL will end up splitting Goans in three ways. Will there be crowds? And what will our boys do if each team is supposed to have nine foreigners? The ISL is a financial spin off to a few in the AIFF. The FIFA is embroiled in a financial racket. So, is the AIFF now,’ stated the owner of an I league team  on condition of anonymity.

“Do you think the people in Bengal will allow something like this? Our clubs (Mohun Bagan and East Bengal) have over hundred years of history. ATK may have the money, we have the people. AIFF has a mandate too. It has to stick to it,” stated the president of a club from Bengal mocking statements emanating from New Delhi.

“The I League was discussed and nothing else. The meeting between the owners was on how to strengthen the I League and make it more economically viable and the meeting held the other day too deliberated only on the I League. The fate of the I league in case of the withdrawal of two teams –Pune FC and Bharat FC- will be discussed after the teams formally withdraw,” stated a representative of a club present.

“Corruption is rampant in AIFF as it is in FIFA. Earthworms are squirming out of the can in Zurich. Not yet in Delhi. Corruption is bound to be present where there is money. ISL has proved that it is all about money. So, why be blind?” asked another owner of an I League club.

AIFF President Praful Patel  was quoted on saying that there  was no question of downplaying the importance of I-league. "Let us not confuse the issue. ISL is a tournament that brings attention to football. It is like a booster dose," he said.

I League CEO Sunando Dhar had told The Goan that ,”the I league was there to stay .”

Money changes people and priorities with times. Money has transfigured FIFA. Is it going to take AIFF on a forlorn drive?

Mumbai City FC Hope To Play Friendly With FC Goa in Dubai

Four Goan players- Pratesh  Shirodkar, Gabriel Fernandes, Rowilson Rodrigues and Albino Gomes- land in  Dubai  today  with team  Mumbai City FC  for pre-season training. Brandon Fernandes who has joined the India camp may join the team later, depending whether he is picked up by coach Stephen Constantine for India XI.

Mumbai City FC have made a request to team FC Goa for a friendly match during their practise session as the Goan ISL outfit is to start their pre-season training nearby on September 3. “Zico will take a final call on the practise match with Mumbai city FC.”  stated a senior FC Goa  official associated with the teams tour to Dubai to The Goan.

The full Mumbai City FC contingent arrives in Dubai today along with marquee player cum coach Nicolas Anelka. “ We definitely want Brandon to be selected and play for India . If he can home here too , it will be fine. But, I don’t think he will get much time to gel with the team here,” stated a Mumbai City FC official to The Goan.

Mumbai FC are expected to train in Dubai for three weeks and will come back to Mumbai to practise at the once famous Cooperage stadium later. “The remaining of the training will take place only at the Cooperage. We have booked a hotel nearby for the entire squad and all will be staying together, “stated the member of the Mumbai city FC team.

“This is a once of a life time opportunity to learn with the senior players from abroad. I am going to give my hundred per cent on and off the field. Learning to improve my skills and techniques are going to be my first priority, said Pratesh Shirodkar hours before boarding the flight to Dubai.

“Gabriel, Albino and Rowilson are with me. We met with some of the other boys from various parts of India. We are waiting to meet Sunil Chetri too. The chance to play and train along with him ,’ is another opportunity,” stated Pratesh.

Denzil, Augustin To Straighten Edges For Habbas's Eyes ?

Denzil Franco can defend without blemishes when at his best

 Doubts about their chances of making it to the starting eleven of Atletico de Kolkata will hover on the minds of Goan players Augustin Fernandes and Denzil Franco as they prepare for the flight to Spain on August 25 with the rest of the team for their pre-season preparations. “I am not sure yet whether it is right to call the trip a pre-season training or not . I have yet to receive the details but, all the Indian players are leaving for Spain on August 25,” stated team manager Avishek Bhattacharjee in a chat with The Goan.

Denzil Franco played four games for Atletico last Indian Super league (ISL). He has been out due to injury ever since. Despite clearing his medicals, Denzil has to put on his thinking hat to fathom  his chances as Atletico signed  Rino Anto for ninety odd lakhs. The money spent is not the problem. Rino has had an excellent season as a right back in the last I league and that is the reason to be worried.  It is going to be form versus enthusiasm.

Augustin Fernandes, who plays as a stopper for Salgaocar Football Club, is making his presence in the ISL for the first time. He was picked up through the Players Draft.  Arnab Mondal and Spain’s Jose Miguel Gonsalez  were the two stoppers employed last season. Arnab was one of the Indian players who impressed. His reading of the game and ability to maintain his fitness will make Augustin’s road to the first eleven a bit itchy at the start. However, Augustin has the talent to take the extra step and the experience he soaks in Spain, could be pivotal.

The left back position is relatively open, to be claimed by the ATK defensive stir ups. It is here that they will have to impress coach Antonio  Habas. Anto , Denzil and even to an extent, Augustin  can play in the left back position. Who outclass whom, will be known as the team returns to India. Denzil goes to Spain not having played competitive football for a year.

The choice of getting Portuguese striker Helger Postiga as their marquee player has only helped in augmenting the much hyped belief that Habas  orients his attacks through a safety net. “ Postiga is a very hardworking player. He can be seen around the field helping his team mates in the midfield and defense. But, as a striker he has never impressed.  As we say, he never showed strikers feet. We are happy he is in India,” wrote renowned Portuguese football commentator Raul Bras in an email to The Goan.

“The work he puts in can never be doubted. He has not scored enough to be able to call himself a striker of repute. He has not shone in Portugal or for that matter even in Spain. His shots at goal are not incisive and that is what differentiates a striker from the rest,” added Raul.

Atletico de Kolkata have to defend the ISL title. Are they going to do it by defending to the hilt ? And, then attacking ? The Italians did it for years.

Mumbai City FC To Consolidate With 6 Foreigners In Starting XI 

Oscar Bruzon...Has helped Goans get a level playing field in ISL

Mumbai City FC will use six foreign players in their starting eleven. Coach and marquee player who was down in India till yesterday is supposed to have taken this decision after a four day consultation with assistant coach Oscar Bruzon and the rest of the team staff in the city. The Indian players are expected to assemble prior to the international players who are to arrive in India along with Anelka on August 26.

Anelka is supposed to have discussed the role of the foreign players in this edition of the ISL with his team in India.  “Each Indian player is going to be evaluated during the training session with zero base marks. The best will find their place among the five Indian Anelka will field,” stated Mumbai City FC assistant coach Oscar Bruzon in an exclusive interview to The Goan.

“The Indian players were not discussed in this trip of his. Other logistics related to the team training and the strategy of team composition were spelt out by Nicolas Anelka during his short  trip to Mumbai,” stated Oscar.

“A lot of thought has gone in the selection of all players in the draft. Except for goalkeeper Albino Gomes who was picket as a development player (read U-23) all the rest were grabbed for their abilities to develop their playing skills. All Goan players have an equal chance of making it to the first eleven. It all depends on how they fare during the practise sessions,” disclosed Oscar while emphasising no player starts with a favourite tag.

“We agreed that practising in Europe will not help players acclimatise to the conditions in India. Anelka has discussed a few places where the team could practise. Four places have been spoken about and a decision will be taken on where we go, depending on the availability of good grounds,” stated Oscar.

“Rowilson , Pratesh, Brandon and Gabriel  are there in the team because they have a lot to offer. Each of the players can develop a career graph for himself. They are all equally talented and none are here because they are my favourites. They possess good football skills. Skills that they can complement learning with the other senior members,” suggested Oscar.

Mumbai City FC has nine foreign players in its roster till date. Two are from Spain- midfielders  Juan Agulera  Nunez and Cristian Bustos, defender Andre Mortiz from Brazil,defender Darren O Dea from Ireland,midfielder Sony Norde and defender  Frantz Bertin from Haiti, Pavel CMos from Czech Republic in the defense, Selim Benachour from Tunisia in the midfield and Nicolas Anelka  upfront.

Mumbai FC City took the auction for Sunil Chetri to the banks literally and the ageing Indian striker will be expected to make up for Anelka’s fall in running rhythm too.

  

Inter Village  Tourneys Attract Crowds,Not  League Matches 

Crowds at a final in Raia.Not even  a few hundred attend the I League derby ...

All eyes were focused on the I League after the success of the Indian Super League. Many in the footballing world expected the water shed in the spectator response to end. With three Goan teams- Salgaocar FC,Dempo SC and Sporting Clube de Goa-at least a stir was expected. Nothing happened. In the end, it was clear the crowd response to football in Goa has turned into a scarce commodity.

The crowds came in thousands to support FC Goa. Amidst football lovers there were ladies and children. Families turned up with flags, team jerseys and all the marketing paraphernalia available. For sure, not all were football lovers. There were many who understood little of the game. Yet, they were all there for the love of Goa. Forca (Power) Goa. FC Goa meant that for every supporter.

Surely , there were three teams in the I League from Goa .That they did not represent a composite Goa was evident during all the games . From January to May –right through the tournament- not once did we see more than a thousand spectators? Sadly, the most vociferous spectators were from the outstation teams. There were loud fans from Bengaluru and Bengal. Goans could be heard whimpering on occasions.

From the two tournaments-the ISL and the I league- it is evident that the clubs have no fan base in Goa. Gone are the days of the past. And, the past cannot be recreated in today’s football. The players are different. The passion for the game is been replaced by passion for money. Money is important. How important? That’s a line our players never learnt to draw when money came pouring in. This is the cauldron one has to get in to understand why the stands in the stadiums are empty.

“When I was thirty three I was taught by a foreign coach how to stand to receive the ball. Just imagine what I would have been as a player had I been taught that when I was six.”  A former international player once said. Our players were not technically superior then. Yet, they drew crowds because they played with passion for football and not money. That time, we lamented our stadiums were small.

Emphasis on grass root football has been understood late and has hence been started pretty late by most. So has been the use by of social media. We say, Goa is the hub of football. Goa may have contributed with some great footballers. But the hub is where the crowd is. And the crowd is still in Bengal and now Bengaluru. Thousands throng the stadiums for ordinary matches. Derby day means over 50,000.

Grass root football has started late in Bengal and social media has yet to bite them hard. Yet, they come because they love their clubs. It is a love that has not withered. It is still passed down through generations. This is happening in Bengal. Not in Goa. The old in Goa still talk about football. They don’t see it anymore. The young, are going the other way.

There have been people in Goa who have spent millions on football. Dempo, Salgaocar, Churchill,Sesa Goa, Parkot , Bandekar, Peter Vaz (there must be some more ) are people whose financial contribution to the game can never be forgotten. As said, money is what curry is to rice. It has been pouring in. It’s hard to come these days. Yet, it is coming. Hopefully, it will be spent in the way it will make the fans coming back again.

Jindal steel is spending money on football in Bengaluru. Football is not nascent to Bengaluru. However, it is how Jindal is putting the money in that is making a difference. And, it is a big difference. Big enough to keep us Goans quiet for a while. There, the coach talks because he has the budget and their marketing does the rest. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to understand this.

Goa still has three teams in the League- though two are in one division and the third is in another. That does not make any difference as Dempo SC will surely bounce back with style and a new rhetoric. After all, it was Shrinivas Dempo who sang the lullaby to FC Goa. It was heard by all Goans and it will not be forgotten for long.

The permutation if the I League is scrapped for the ISL:

1: It will be stupid to have two Goan teams in the ISL as that will only lead to dividing the Goan crowd. This is not good for the State or the sport.

2: With the present ISL structure, only a few Goans will get a chance to be in the team.

3: To be one of the few, one will have to work not just hard but very hard. In short, the best will survive. And, the best do not come with rhythm and rhyme only. Hard work and dedication.

It is like going back to the old days. It was in the old days that our stadiums were packed.

Teams in Goa are facing financial problems.  A league cannot be scrapped because the fans in some States have gone morose. At the moment, the grassroots eggs are being incubated by the teams in the I League and not the ISL. The essence is the grassroots.

Like most things, football in India has got into a ticking frame. Patience helps when waiting for the eggs to hatch. Football in Goa was taken on an administrative spin by a few who did not understand. But some men’s folly does not make us all fools. Let us hear the frame ticking louder!

Fifty Odd players In The Lurch !

With the closing date-August 30- to register Indian players for the forthcoming ISL approaching, over fifty odd players-quite a few of them Goans will find themselves in the lurch unless some I league teams come to their rescue in the future. The situation is not grim if their pay demands will be realistic.

Dempo Sports Club and JCT. Punjab are two teams in the second division of the I league on the prowl for talent. “We are taking stock of our situation with players. Some of our players are going to join FC Goa soon and I don’t know whether they will be available for the I League. Fitness of the players will have to be checked after the ISL “ stated  Dempo SC coach Mauricio Afonso. “Players are available. We are looking out for some good talent to make it to the I league next season. It is too early to start signing as the second division league starts after the ISL,” stated a former player linked with JCT.

“Players are finding themselves unattached to teams as quite a few joined the draft own their own without the permission of their clubs. Those who joined the draft as ‘ free agent’ after finding some difficulties now as the old clubs they were associated with are not taking a call in their favour,” stated a Football Sports Development Ltd  (FSD)–promoters of Indian Super league (ISL)- team member.

“Had players come in through their teams, as many players did, and not picked up in the draft they would still be in their teams? It looks like there was a misunderstanding. But, this is not the end of the road. After all, players need teams and teams need players. As long as the emphasis is on competition, no one should feel short changed,” stated the FSD source to The Goan.

Players can be in the draft through their teams or opt to be there through agents according to ISL guidelines. With the number of agents increasing, quite a few players have their own agents managing their careers.

Franchises have till September 2 to sign up to nine foreign players and till September 10 for additional two players. The same is optional.

There were around fifteen Goan boys who did not get drafted initially. A few did later on and most were picked up by FC Goa. Attempts to zero in on Goan players who joined the draft through their clubs and through agents proved futile as the same is no longer on the ISL website anymore.

However, as of now, it looks like over ten Goan boys have no teams to call theirs. “Most of the players will be taken back by their old clubs. Some teams may be hurting now but when the time comes, they will go back to their old players and the other way round,” stated a senior player.

Brian Mascarenhas, Gilbert Oliveira, Beevan D’Mello ,Cajetan Fernandes, Keenan Almeida, Collin Abranches, Mathew Gonsalves, Velito Cruz are some of the Goan players not picked up during the draft . Their wait may continue for another three weeks or a little more.