The FC Goa versus ATK Indian Super League match was the cynosure of all eyes in Goa with the home team in a must-win situation to qualify for the semi-finals. The crowd was piling on and serpentine queues of traffic were seen headed towards the stadium. The excitement around was simply electrifying. In nearby Davorlim, the scene was contrastingly different. Sports Minister Babu Ajgaokar bemoaned the huge decline of footballers in the State despite the huge boost to sports infrastructure provided by the government. Football, which is our State sport, continues to have a robust fan following, but ironically Goa has failed to produce big footballing heroes. That state’s representation in the national team has been insignificant in recent times. This is a gloomy picture and sadly it’s real.
Goa undoubtedly boasts of great infrastructure, probably the best in the country, yet it has failed to get big names in the sport that it once produced. Currently, there are around 200 developed football grounds across the State. These grounds have been provided with facilities like lush green lawns, besides others facilities. Government has formed the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) to nurture talent at the grassroots where budding footballers are groomed under the watchful eyes of coaches and even diet has been monitored and free sports kits distributed. The questions that are being raised are: With so much on offer, why is the sport that runs in every Goan’s DNA losing ground? Why is Goa failing to produce football stars on the lines of the legends of yesteryears?
Goa has witnessed great footballing talent over the years. From the early 70s we had names like Nicholas Pereira, Bernard Pereira, Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, Armando Colaco, Francis D’Souza to name a few. In the 80s, Goa saw Camilo Gonsalves, Bento Andrew, Mahesh Lotlikar, Chandrakant Naik, Savio Madeira, Norbert Gonsalves and many others. The list goes on. The big names at the national level were from Goa and that too at a time when Goa lacked any sports infrastructure. Players groomed themselves on the few village grounds available while some considered the open fields as their stadiums.
Goa’s footballing talent has traditionally surfaced from inter-village tournaments. In recent times, inter-village football has been on the wane due to funding issues. The Government of Goa has recently notified a new scheme called “Financial Assistance to Football Clubs from Goa”. Under this scheme, the top three clubs which are registered with GFA and AIFF will be eligible for Rs 3 crore grant each. This is an excellent booster for Goan football, but it will not provide any impetus to the village clubs, neither will we see any turnaround.
It’s time government sits with all stakeholders in football and addresses this grave issue which stares Goa in its face. Football needs a revival from the grassroots. The 200 football grounds available in villages haven’t given us great players. It’s time to turn to our inter-village clubs.
