PANAJI
Goans Hockey Secretary Farrel Furtado has strongly refuted allegations surrounding the disruption of recent State Championship matches, stating that the reports circulating were “not factual” and that the association’s voluntary efforts and growing hockey activity in Goa were being overlooked.
The Goans Hockey Secretary expressed disappointment over what she described as “incorrect and one-sided” reports. She said the association has been working voluntarily and consistently to promote the sport in Goa, despite criticism from several quarters.
Furtado highlighted that Goan Hockey remains the only association in the State that deputes six teams for Hockey India national tournaments and State championships. “We have successfully conducted ten local tournaments and celebrated both Olympic Day and National Sports Day. Hockey in Goa continues to prosper,” she said.
Commenting on complaints regarding the ground conditions, Furtado explained that it was a Sunday, and ground staff had already watered the turf earlier in the day. They had informed organisers that they would return during halftime for further maintenance.
However, according to her, the Young Sports Club players and manager refused to play, allegedly insisting on halting the match. Furtado said that Crozen Society, which was also scheduled to play, had raised no objections and were willing to proceed despite knowing the staff would return.
“It appeared that Young Sports had come only to disrupt the match,” she alleged, linking the incident to disciplinary action taken against a Young Sports player the previous day.
Furtado recounted that during a senior men’s match between Young Sports and Star Sports Club, tensions rose when the score was level at 2–2. Young Sports’ player Gaurav Singh reportedly disagreed with a decision made by umpire Inacio Fernandes.
She alleged that Singh approached the umpire aggressively with his stick, prompting the official to issue a red card. Singh allegedly halted the match for about 13 minutes. By the time play could resume, the light had deteriorated, and Star Sports Club declined to continue.
“Can anyone question the umpire’s decision? Many teams have had to accept decisions that didn’t favour them, but they continued with the spirit of the game,” Furtado said, calling the disruption “indiscipline.”
After consulting Hockey India’s technical section, Goan Hockey informed Young Sports player Riyaz Kambali that the team was disqualified from the final against Crozen Society.
On the day of the final, Furtado said, both the Young Sports boys’ and girls’ teams prevented the match from starting. She alleged that Gaurav Singh entered the middle of the turf and used abusive language towards association President Abhay Bhaimaikar, who was attempting to resolve the situation.
“We could have called the police, but our President felt it would harm the sporting atmosphere and lead to unnecessary escalation, especially involving young players,” she said.
Furtado added that the Goan Hockey Executive Committee would meet to decide the final verdict regarding the championship.
