the goan I network
FATORDA
In an almost a three-season tenure with FC Goa, Sergio Lobera using his technical nous and man -- invigorated life into the beautiful game in the State with his tiki-taka style, and much of the same was view after his inexplicable and abrupt sacking from the side a week ago.
As always prior to every home game, since the last three seasons, Gaur Army – a supporter group of FC Goa were in attendance with their chants outside the Gate No. 1 humming their support to the team they endeared with banners. But this time, there was a little change. Replacing their dark blue Gaur Army jerseys, the 30 odd support group members were clad in black as an expression of their solidarity to an illogical and unexplained sacking of their team boss who brought them to the top of the table and a virtual spot to the play-offs with three league games in hand.
All was well with the supporter group, the media and the security doing their routine till around two hours to the start of the home game against Hyderabad FC on Wednesday.
And our roving reporter was at first hand to speak to the Gaur Army to express their thoughts on their decision to wear black with the unceremonious ouster of their Spanish tactician.
“Sergio Lobera is a big part of our family. He was the best coach of the ISL. Under his coaching, we won the Super Cup and we were going to win the ISL too. But the management sacked him without any reason. We are protesting against the management. We want Sergio Lobera back,” voiced Aldrich Dias.
A disconsolate Gaur Army member, Sayonara Fernandes had this to state. “We are upset on the injustice done to Sergio Lobera – a team that he has brought to the semi-final and now we are left without a coach. It is something very wrong to each and every fan of Goa supporting this team. Today we are come in support of Lobera and we are hoping that the management wake up, change and bring Lobera back.”
Explaining their move behind wearing black on Wednesday, Orlando Dias declared that it is a mark of protest against the unjust decision taken by the FC Goa management.
“We want to show not to the FC Goa management but entire India and sports lovers in the country that we are protesting against the unjust sacking of Lobera and his (support) team. He had instilled a level of soccer in Goa previously only seen in the State when Santosh Trophy was alive.”
The peaceful protests of the Gaur Army with banners expressing solidarity to their Spanish gaffer, Sergio Lobera and to bring in a change of guard in the management of the Club with Goans in and outsiders out were the order of the evening. And possibly the news of the same filtered into the FC Goa management with TV Presenter Khuri Irani on call of the Star Sports crew to take in bytes of the supporter group ahead of the Fatorda game on Wednesday.
The consensus was that the repercussions that it may cause to their already sullied image prompted the FC Goa team management to disallow Gaur Army – the FC Goa supporter group from bringing their banners into the ground as it would have a wider reach on broadcast media in the course of the game.
Sidharth Mehta, a core member of the Gaur Army had this to say on the dramatic turn of events. “We have always been welcoming the team, expressing our support to the coach and the same was happening today. We were supporting Sergio Lobera because it was very untimely and unfortunate what had happened to him. We were expressing our gratitude and emotions to Sergio Lobera . And then there is this guy (policeman) who comes instructing us that we cannot take anything inside pertaining to Lobera as these instructions came from the club. Until the last game we were taking Lobera’s posters inside and there was no problem. If these instructions have come from the club is doing, it is disheartening to say with what audacity telling us to come and support us when we cannot express our emotions? You cannot choke the emotions of the fans,” he lashed out. Incidentally, FC Goa President, Akshay Tandon had called the three supporter clubs of FC Goa (Gaur Army, FC Goa Fan Club and East Lower Army) on Sunday to tide the brewing storm.
“I was part of it (the meeting) representing the Gaur Army. Despite the incidents that had happened in the last 72 hours, we were trying to understand what made them to take this step, particularly at this stage when 21 days are there for the League to get over and we are at the top of the table. We had happiness, a reason to celebrate and were actually planning to go for the finals. And they snatch away the happiness of Goa in one shot. There was no satisfactory answer that I got from Tandon (Club President),” Mehta lamented.
“The Gaur Army will always stand with the right. Sergio Lobera is a person who built the character of the team and brought them to the top of the table. He does not deserve this treatment at all. How foolish can anybody be to sack the coach who has brought them to this position? We are not kids. It is not acceptable to the 12th man of FC Goa,” he summed their grievances up.
Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, former India football captain and Arjuna awardee when was in the vicinity was asked his thoughts but refrained to speak out. “While I fully agree with you, I cannot comment on the decision. It is up to the concerned authorities to decide,” he said.
With a half an hour for the start of the game, the Gaur Army tried to seek into the stadium from Gate No. 6 with their banners in hand, but was disallowed to carry them inside resulting in heightened tensions among the aforementioned FC Goa supporter group outside.
