Football is the winner

All my life I have been a Brazilian fan. I like everything about them, their looks, hair- style, beautiful yellow and green Jerseys and most importantly the beautiful samba style of Football. But over the past few years, Spain with their ‘Tiki Taka’ style of football, have not only won back to back Euro and world Cup titles but the hearts and minds, as well of Goans and many others all over the world. The Europeans were normally considered to be more physical during play but Spain having most players from FC Barcelona have shown the world football that football is not only about height and strength, but ‘SKILLS’ which can overcome all other shortcomings. It’s exciting to see the midfield possession of football by Xavi, Iniesta and  Fabrigas. Brazilian Neymar is a treat to watch upfront and is full of surprises. You don’t know what’s up next when you face him.

The finals of the Confederation Cup is a great precursor for the 2014 World Cup. Let any team win,  Brazil or Spain, there won’t be any loser. Football is the winner. I will go with Brazil. Old habits die hard.

Messi-The wonder kid

The world knows Messi as a genius. But a genius himself will tell you that it is ninety nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration.  Talent means nothing without opportunities. And this is exactly what has happened in the case of Messi. How many of us know that Messi, we see today, was once a very talented but a sickly young boy in Rosario, Argentina?

Messi was born in Rosario,Santa Fe Province to  parents Jorge Horácio Messi, a factory steel worker, and Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona from which his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. He has two older brothers, Rodrigo and Matías, and a sister, María Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. At the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Local clubs were interested in him but were not willing to pay for his treatment, a condition which would cost them $900 a month. It was at this stage Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona, came to know about this child prodigy and requested Messi’s father to bring him for trials at FC Barcelona. FC Barcelona saw the huge potential in him and decided to bear his entire medical bill for his treatment. This was how Messi and his father moved to Barcelona where Messi enrolled in the club’s youth academy.

Moving over to Goa and India, the question before us is what sort of opportunities are available to the grassroots footballers? Today, fortunately there are several training centres at the grassroots, 8 to 12 years old, thanks to the initiative first taken by Goa Football Association and now widely propagated by Goa Football Development Counsil. But then from here we need to identify the real talent and watch them grow. This is where dossiers on individual footballers must be done to see their progress in terms of passion, attitude, discipline, skills, physical growth etc  But these centres cannot be a substitute for the football academies. In Goa, we have just one football academy in Sesa Goa Football Academy. One is too little and to promote football in a big way, all the I league Clubs must have their own residential academies. It is only then we shall see a real change in Goan and Indian football.

If you want to see a change in attitude among the parents or guardians of the young footballers, the coaches and club representatives must talk and convince them about the potential of their ward. Parents or Guardians of young talented footballers cannot be faulted for urging their wards to give up football and concentrate on studies as they approach higher classes of education. All parents will definitely look out for security for their wards and only professional clubs can provide it, if they have their own residential academies from where one is expected to reach the senior team in due course.

There is no dearth of talent in Goa or India. It is only lack of opportunities that hinders the growth of football in India.

Lector Mascarenhas

 

Goans, they say, take to football as fish takes to water. I am no exception, having played the game right from school level in Goa, to the highest level in the country. I had the opportunity to represent India when the team from Sao Paulo,Brazil played an exhibition match at Nehru Stadium, Delhi in 1989. I was also selected to play for India XI versus the Sao Paulo Club, Brazil in 1984 at Mumbai and a year before I was selected as a reserve player of the India team in 1983 that played the President Gold Cup at Bangladesh.

During this long journey in the game of football, I was fortunate to play around 35 times for the State of Goa which includes six nationals and exhibition matches. Incidentally I happen to be one of the very few players in Goa who have won the ‘GOLD Medal’ in both the Junior Nationals ( Ernakulam,Kerala, 1981) and the Senior Nationals(Santosh Trophy at Madras, 1984). I am proud to have played for three champion clubs of India such as Salgaocar SC( 1980=84), Tata SC(1984-85) and Dempo SC(1985-89) after which I went on to play for my departmental team ( Goa Customs-1989-94). I started with my village club-Guardian Angel SC in 1978 and finally hung my boots in 1994 after a long inning of around fifteen years of top football in India. It was also a great honour for me to be inducted as an executive member of ‘Goa Football Association’ for the term 2007-2010. The Goa State recognised my contribution to ‘Goan Football’ by bestowing on me the ‘Jivadababa Kerkar Award’ in 2003, the highest sports award in Goa.

Presently I am working as a Superintendent of Customs & Central Excise,Goa and being very passionate about the game of football, do express my views on the current state of affairs pertaining to the game, both in the State of Goa and India.