MARGAO
Goa's international woman footballer Michel Castanha has announced that the Goa government will reward her with a cash award for her excellent performance.
"It's like a dream come true for me. I take this award as a motivation to do better and inspire others to follow their sport. This incentive comes with a huge responsibility - not to let any one down," Castanha said.
"I believe I’m a good learner, and I learn from everyone. It’s hard to be specific, but I have learned a lot from various coaches. There are lots of small things I’ve picked up that have made me more professional. I have played as a defender at the highest level “ at international level, AFC and club championship, so it’s a learning process every day,” Castanha said.
"I learned a good lesson “ but you need to keep going, and never throw in the towel. I am a firm believer that everything happens for good, and if you stay positive, the good Lord will bless you with things," she said.
The decision came after the AIFF was forced to postpone the upcoming edition of the IWL due to the monsoons and the third wave of COVID-19. The 2020-21 season of the IWL was also called off due to the COVID-19 situation in the country last year.
Michel's team Gokulam Kerala, the latest champions of the IWL - India’s premier football league for women, were supposed to make the cut for the AFC tournament but since the 2019-20 edition was the last one held, Gokulam Kerala were nominated to take up the spot. The AFC Women’s Club Championship 2020-21 is set to be held in November this year in Amman, Jordan. Gokulam have been grouped with league winners from Uzbekistan (FC Bunyodkur), Jordan (Amman Club) and Iran (Shahrdari Sirjan).
“We have some good memories of the AFC Club championship in Amman. In Takshent, AFC Women Club championship, we will be positive about the draw and aim to perform better than we did the last time. There’s a lot of hunger, passion, determination, and enthusiasm in the squad and we want to and team was prepared with our heads held high. I hope that things go well and we can make our country proud,” she said.
However, FIFA dealt Indian football a big blow by banning All India Football Federation. Sharing her experience, Michel said, "Our team was caught in no man's land and we returned home empty handed after being told that we would not able to participate in the championship. The disappointment was not getting to play in the championship which somewhere demoralised the team," she added.
Castanha thanked Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Sports Minister Govind Gaude for appreciating her hard work and said she is hopeful of getting a government job. She also thanked Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, her coaches, parents and well-wishers for their support.
