Inter-village football is unique in Goa and for those not
familiar about Goan football may be a bit surprised to know that it has been
its lifeline. It could also be called a nursery where budding footballers get
an opportunity to exhibit their talent and big clubs get an opportunity to
scout and recruit. Some of the big names of the game in Goa such as Brahmanand
Shankwalker, Nicolas Pereira , Francis D’Souza, Derrick Pereira, Camilo
Gonsalves, Mauricio Afonso and Bruno Coutinho have all played for their
respective villages in their teens.
Inter-village football has not only given great footballers
to Goa and India but has also resulted in giving them a club of great repute. In
the early eighties, a village club in Varca,Goa started making headlines in the sports section
of the newspapers. Varca SC with the backing of Churchill Bros had this path
breaking idea to invite top players in Goa to represent Varca SC in village
tournaments by paying the players handsomely. Money has always been a great
motivation for players and why not. Other village clubs had to pull up their
socks to compete with Varca SC. Churchill
Alemao has been a visionary in football and it was at his initiative a
corporate was drawn into the game of football. Varca SC was sold to Madras
Rubber Factory,Goa and the club was renamed
as MRF, Soccer Foundation in 1986-87.
Churchill Brothers SC started up
in 1988 as Varca Club. A year later,
Varca Club was taken over by Churchill Braz Alemao and along with his Bothers,
renamed the club as ‘Churchill Brothers SC’. Since then, it has been a historic rise from being just a
village club to being the champion club of India and has won the I League
twice, three Durand Cups, IFA shield and the Goa Professional League titles for
a number of times. They have not only played the AFC cup but have also played
the AFC Champions League, the highest level of club football in Asia qualifiers
in the year 2010.
With such a rich background, Churchill Bros SC can safely be
called one of the leading pioneer clubs in the game of football, both in Goa
and India. We are all excited with the signing of high profile managers,
marquee and other international players for the forthcoming Indian Super
League. Churchill Bros SC has done and seen it all. Some of the high profile
managers being Danny Maclean(Scottish),
Zoran Dordevic(Serbia),Carlos Roberto Pereia(Brazil) and Manuel Gomes
(Portugal). Some of the high profile players who have donned colours for
Churchill Bros SC are Edward Ansah, the
former Ghanaian international who later on became the goalkeeping coach of
Ghana for two world cups in 2006 and 2010, Yusuf Yakubu(Ghana), Odafe
Okalie(Nigeria) who have contributed immensely to the rise of Churchill Bros
SC.
Churchill Bros demotion from the I League is a major setback
not only for them but Goan football as well. That is why an appeal to AIFF by Goa
Football Association to retain Churchill Bros SC in the I League is in the
interest of the game. Churchill Alemao the patron of the club had in the past
expressed his desire and even publicly requested that the number of foreign
players eligible to play in the I League be increased, so that the standard of
the game is improved and more crowds would come in to watch, thus attracting
sponsors to the game. It was the opinion of most pundits and the AIFF think
tank that increase in the number of foreign players would result in depriving
the local players the right exposure and playing experience at the highest
level of the game in India. Now that AIFF, with the introduction of Indian
Super League, has allowed seven players to be registered in a franchisee and has
departed from the laid down dogma for I League, it should also be accommodating
and retain Churchill Bros SC in the I League for season 2014-15. It was argued
by GFA that originally the I League was scheduled from Oct 2014 and at the relevant
time Churchill Bros SC had failed to meet the criteria for club Licensing set
by AIFF. Now that the I League has been postponed to accommodate Indian Super League
and will be held only from Jan 2015, in all fairness Churchill Bros deserves
another chance at the top in the I League, if the criteria for club Licensing
has been fulfilled by yhe club.
Churchill Bros SC, a family club which has spent crores of
rupees, season after season and has done yeomen service for Goan and Indian
football, for the last twenty five years deserves better treatment by AIFF.
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