PANAJI
Goa suffered a 0-2 defeat against Maharashtra to end the Group I Santosh Trophy campaign at the bottom of the six-team table without any point after five losses in five matches.
Speaking on the team’s performance in the championship, GFA president Dr Caitano Fernandes said, “The Santosh Trophy results have been alarming this year. However, Goa's performance has been on the decline in the recent past. While we are not offering any excuses, if you analyze the data of the last 12 years, Goa have not been able to make it past the quarterfinal group stage on seven occasions and past the group stages on three occasions. They have been to the semifinals on three occasions and once to the final,” Fernandes said.
“Even on the club stage, a Goan team has not won the I-League in 10 years. On our part, this year, we did everything administratively possible to keep the team in best shape. Players were given increased food allowances, taken by flight and were even given a 3 lakh-rupee bonus to motivate them after they qualified for the final round,” Fernandes stated.
“There is no shortcut to success and Goa needs to start turning the youth development and grassroots wheel again. Young players need to start playing more games to develop. Goa needs to focus on organising more competitive games. The results will then show after 5-7 years. This is a long process and we need to be patient before the results show,” Fernandes stated.
“Football now has spread to virtually all States in India and many states are organising youth development programmes which is why they are becoming more competitive. Goa has been lagging behind and we need to have a laser-like focus on youth and grassroots development to be successful on the national stage again,” he concluded.
Pointless Goa bow out with Maha defeat
BHUBANESWAR: Goa suffered a 0-2 loss against Maharashtra in their final group game of the final round qualifiers for the Santosh Trophy on Sunday to embarrassingly end their campaign without any points after five defeats in five matches. Captain Himanshu Patil scored both goals for Maharashtra.
