MARGAO
Services and Punjab coaches had mentally prepared their players on and off the field situations they will encounter at the ongoing National Games when they face hosts Goa in the group league matches at Fatorda Stadium.
A full house or a significant turnout which will back Goa to the hilt was on their minds and these they conveyed to their players some of whom were playing in Goa for the first time.
Both the coaches, Mileswamy Govindaraj Ramachandran of Services and Punjab’s Hardeep Singh had warned that Goa is a force when it comes to Indian football and with crowd support on home turf they will be dangerous customers.
Moreover the players were warned of having to face Goa with a huge number of fans supporting the home team.
But nothing of that sort happened. The crowd one saw at the 17,000plus capacity stadium were a handful of fans, who could be counted on finger tips.
“I was surprised that only a few fans came for the match, I was expecting a full house, " said Ramachandran after a narrow 1-0 win over hosts Goa.
“I had warned my players to be ready to face an enthusiastic crowd. But what we saw and witnessed was disappointing. I had warned that they will face hundreds of fans in the state, instead we saw a few fans and virtually empty stands.”
“It is disappointing to see and to play in such a situation, the organisers must set their act together and bring fans to the stadium,” he added.
The same feeling was echoed by the Punjab coach.
"Most of my players are coming from the University and this is the biggest tournament for them. Playing in the National Games will help them in the long run,” said the Punjab tactician.
“Yes, we were expecting huge crowds when Goa were playing against us but it was not,” said Hardeep.
Crowd motivate the players to give their best, not a good sight for Indian and Goan football.
Goa lost to Services and Karnataka while sharing points with Punjab and thus did not make it to the next stage.
Services and Punjab made it to the next stage as the two best teams in the group.
While the fans have been coming for matches in villages like the recently concluded Santosh trophy qualifiers and the Beach Soccer in Colva, fans have been giving football at Nehru Stadium a miss.
It is one area, Goa Football Association committee which completed one year will go deep and find out the lack of fans at the stadium, while they are flocking to other local village grounds on a consistent basis.
Goa were forced to a depleted side, from the one that took the field in the Santosh trophy qualifiers held in Benaulim where they emerged on top of the group.
Coach Derrick Pereira was forced to field ten new players from the Santosh Trophy.
In the end, considering the lack of time and practice, just one match before heading into the tournament, coach Derrick Pereira did a good job.
