Club Rivalry- The essence of professional football

It’s a fact that you cannot clap with one hand. So also in sports, you cannot compete unless there is a competitor. And you need a fierce competitor to take any game to another level. In cricket, there is nothing like a match between India and Pakistan. In the game of football, the most famous rivalry in the world is between Argentina and Brazil. At the club level, in Spain FC Barcelona is kept on its toes by Real Madrid, Germany-Bayern Munich cannot rest with Borussia Dortmund breathing down its neck and in England- Manchester United cannot take things for granted with Chelsea around.

In India, the rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan is well documented. In Goa, Dempo SC cannot rest on its laurels as long as its fierce rival Salgaocar FC is around. Even though of late both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have not lived up to their reputation, their fans have supported them through thick and thin by coming in great numbers whenever the two clash in Kolkata. The same thing cannot be said about the Dempo- Salgaocar clash in Goa. In the eighties, the very mention of the Dempo-Salgaocar encounter would create huge hype and hoopla and was the talk of the state. Passionate fans would come in good numbers to watch them play and after the match discussions would go on for days together, everywhere, more particularly in the local bars over a glass of beer. It had much to do with the quality of Goan players with both the clubs. Salgaocar had fantastic players like Brahmand,Oscar Rebello,Anton Rebello,Arnold Rodrigues,Jose D’Souza, Bento Andrew,Derrick Pereira,Lawrence Gomes and on the other side Dempo SC was packed with stars like Nicholas Pereira,Mahesh Lotlikar, Mauricio Afonso,Herbert San,Lector Mascarenhas, Francis D’Souza, Dionisio Trinidade,Camilo Gonsalves,Jose Fernandes who captivated the hearts and minds of the fans. With age catching up with these stalwarts, barring a few, it was curtains down for most of them by the start of the nineties.

The decade of nineties brought in fresh pair of legs in Savio Madeira,Mario Soares, Bruno Coutinho, Roy Barreto, Franky Barreto, Robert Fernandes, Jules Alberto and others who ensured that the Salgaocar flag was kept flying. By the turn of the new millennium, it was Dempo, with some initial hiccups, who took centre stage with the likes of Climax Lawrence, Mahesh Gawli,Samir Naik, Anthony Pereira,Clifford Miranda, all representing the Indian team too. But somewhere down the line the last two decades saw a decline of the intense rivalry between the two great clubs in Goa. It was the case of one club dominating and the other failing to give it a run for its money. And with such a scenario, the spectators too lost interest and failed to turn up in numbers whenever the two clubs played. Poor attendance has been a matter of great concern for both the clubs and to Goa Football Association too. Without intense rivalry football cannot progress.

The new season 2013-14 promises to be good for both the clubs. For the first time, the Goa Pro League is being played at GFA owned Duler Ground,Mapusa having a perfect surface of artificial turf, come rain or sunshine. The attendance for the matches is on the ascendency. Two other I League clubs, Churchill Bros and Sporting Clube de Goa are also favourites to win the Goa Pro League title but pale in comparison to the rivalry of Dempo-Salgaocar, the two oldest clubs in Goa. In the eighties, two renowned coaches, late Bob Bootland(Dempo) and Late T Shanmugam  were at the helm of affairs. They took the club rivalry to greater heights. Now we have two excellent young coaches in Arthur Papas(Dempo) and Derrick Pereira(Salgaocar) who are also  capable of doing better, with  passion and professionalism being their forte. Both the clubs have also signed quality foreign players.

All professional clubs must undertake community service to increase their fan base. Salgaocar FC is traditionally known to have better fan base in South Goa where they even have a tie up with two schools for promotion of football at the grassroots. Dempo SC with its headquarters in Panaji definitely garners more support from the North Goa and has also adopted two schools. These ventures will definitely improve the standard of schools football and also benefit the clubs in a long run.

Indian football was hurt very badly In the past when teams like Mafatlal SC, Tata SC, Mahindra SC and JCT were disbanded. But with the likes of Shri Shivanand Salgaocar( Salgaocar FC) and Shri Shrinivas Dempo(Dempo SC), both club owners supporting football to the hilt, it is a win- win situation to Goan and Indian Football.

 

Want to see football becomes an Industry in Goa-Chief Minister of Goa Shri Manohar Parrikar

Soon after taking charge as the chief minister of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar declared football as the official game of the state. He then went on and created ‘Goa Football Development Council’(GFDC), appointing  a well-known doctor and a football enthusiast , Shri Rufino Monteiro, , as the head of the newly created government sports wing to develop football. Goa’s two Arjuna awardees in football viz Brahmanand Shankwalkar and Bruno Coutinho are also the prominent committee members of GFDC. Within a year, the presence of GFDC is felt all over Goa, specially at far flung areas. Youngsters neglected and deprived of facilities for long have now been given full kit and coaches to train them. At the function to celebrate GFDC’s anniversary on 29.7.2013, Shri Manohar Parrikar expressed his desire to see football in Goa develop into an Industry.

Can football really become an Industry in Goa? One must admit that Shri Manohar Parrikar is blessed with great foresight and his statement should not be taken very lightly by those involved in the affairs of the game. Way back in the sixties and seventies, Goan football was given a big boost by the first chief minister of Goa, Shri Dayanand Bandodkar, in whose honour the  all India football tournament ‘Bandodkar Gold Trophy’ was held with great fanfare. Now we have another chief minister who is also a football lover. This is the right time all the stakeholders of the game to work in tandem with GFDC and make football an Industry.

At the moment Goa is considered to be the numero uno of Indian football. This is mainly because of the domination of Goa clubs in the I League having retained it in Goa for the last seven years since 2006. Out of the four Goan clubs in the I League, three viz Dempo SC, Salgacar FC, Churchill Bros have been champions and Sporting Clube de Goa was runners up in the 2004-05 edition of the Natioanl Football League. But the ground reality is not all that rosy. Our I League clubs have not been able to produce quality players and not many Goan footballers have made it from the Junior teams to the senior teams which is a matter of great concern.

All the four I League clubs do not have the right kind of infrastructure to produce quality footballers in Goa. For football to become an industry, the need of the hour is produce quality footballers for which the clubs must set up academies. At the moment, I league clubs have to rent grounds even for training. The Government of Goa has been giving land to set up other industries in Goa, the famous being the Verna Industrial Estate,Verna,Goa where vast tracks of land have been given to entrepreneurs to set up industries. Why can’t the Government give land to the four I League clubs on similar conditions applicable to those setting up industries at Verna Industrial Estate? Goan I League clubs have been spending major part of their annual budget on salaries of foreign players and other outstation players but not much has been spent at the grassroots and youth development.  Upto now the club owners have invested heavily only for honour and glory. But for how long, is the question haunting all the club owners today.

An Industry is feasible only when all the stakeholders benefit monetarily. For example, the village clubs in Goa are like nurseries in football where promising players ply their trade. Are they being compensated whenever their player is signed by a professional club? A system should be devised to compensate the village clubs, so that they are motivated to invest more and give better facilities to the players. AFC and AIFF have done well in giving time to I league clubs to become separate entities and follow club licensing criteria. Its time Goa Football Association too gives a similar diktat to all the clubs affiliated with it. All the clubs must be registered under the Society’s Act for better organization and proper utilization of the funds they generate. At the moment several clubs are run by individuals.

All the stakeholders of the game ie GFDC(Government), Goa Football Association, I league Clubs, other smaller clubs and village clubs must come together and set a common goal to make football, financially sustainable and commercially viable.  We are fortunate to have a road map, an excellent plan called ‘Lakshya: One vision, one goal’ prepared by Shri Rob Bann, the technical director of ‘All India Football Federation’.  It covers all aspects of the game such as organization, budget, youth development, talent identification, infrastructure, coach education, referee education, technical know-how, efficient club structure, nutrition, fitness, medical support and even career support to ex-players.

Goans have the talent and passion for the game. Being small in size, it is better suited than others to implement plan ‘Lakshya’. Goa has the advantage of being a famous tourist destination and blessed with beautiful beaches, even beach football could be promoted in a big way. Football, as the Goa chief minister has rightly pointed out, has the potential to become an Industry.

It’s all about having ‘One vision, one goal’. Where there is a will, there is a way.