The emotion was palpable when the club management unceremoniously sacked FC Goa’s head coach Sergio Lobera. Fans gathered on the eve of his departure to bid a tearful farewell to their beloved coach. Slogans of ‘we love you Lobera’ filled the air as he, along with his family, made a quiet exit from Goa. The football-crazy State and the thousands of FC Goa fans remain stunned and baffled. The million-dollar question that haunts: why was Lobera given the sack at such a crucial juncture of the Indian Super League where the team was at a striking distance of glory?
Lobera has been the key factor in the revival of FC Goa’s fortunes in the league imbibing a Spanish flavour of football. The team managed to move atop after a disastrous bottom finish during the tenure of soccer legend Zico. The moment of glory was on the horizon with the league moving into the last few matches. There were greater victories at stake this time besides the prized trophy. League toppers are guaranteed a position in the prestigious AFC Champions League 2021. For any management, it would take frantic back-room discussions and debates on issues ranging from Lobera’s roadmap, finances, management’s viewpoint and the interests of the club before arriving at such a major decision. And this is where it all ended with Lobera being shown the door.
The sacking of head coaches and key support staff happen all the time and is part and parcel of the sports environment. Head coaches falling out of favour with management is common in club football. It’s more common in the English and Spanish leagues. The sport moves on and so do coaches and players. For private franchises, behind the outward show of glitz and glamour, it’s about striking a smart balance between goals and balance sheet. ISL has seen franchisees cutting corners and trimming spending because the model is still not sustainable. The dwindling turnout is testimony to the fact that the league is losing its sheen. The Nehru stadium which was packed to the brim in the first two editions barely manages a crowd of 12,000, and that tells the story.
The Lobera ouster came as a bolt from the blue, not only to fans but also to the players. This is the sad irony of club football. Emotions and public sentiments may not have any space in the scheme of things, neither the patriotism. Sometimes the successes achieved by support staff could mean little to managements in the broader perspective. The argument of Goemkar-or-non-Goemkar owner and all the talk of doomsday for FC Goa are meaningless because of the very nature of club football.
The downside is that Goans who found a new spark in football with FC Goa will be left disheartened and disillusioned. The body-painted fans and the din of drums and trumpets will now have to find a new rhythm. And the players will have to keep the tempo going under the new leadership. It’s time to play on.
