It was a loud noise all over the stadium at Fatorda in support of FC Goa soccer team in the second leg semifinal of ISL tourney, the degrees of this noise was almost hundred percent and it looked Goa would easily carry the day but the moment the otherwise star of the team and of course of the tournament the Brazilian Andre Santos kicked the penalty over the bar, there was a total silence in the stadium in a mournful manner. With this penalty kick the chances of Goa reached to zero level.
When I was recruited by the then mighty Sesa Goa soccer team in mid sixties, I was still a school student studying at the then mighty Arpora school. One evening the big man of Sesa Goa, Mr. Conzen a German national came to my place and incidentally at that particular time there was also the presence of Dr. Gustavo Monteiro the then President of Goa Football Association at my place. While in the conversation with Dr. Monteiro on the topic of soccer, Mr. Conzen told Dr. Monteiro with a tinge of pride that “his soccer team that year will perform very well because Sesa Goa got the services of one Patiala qualified coach”. For this, Dr.Monteiro replied thus, of course, sarcastically, “Mr. Conzen, there is no soccer coach in India and Patiala is not competent to produce genuine soccer coaches. If you want to develop the standard of Sesa's soccer team, then you must hire a soccer coach for your team directly from Germany, however third rate he may be in Germany.
The standard of this edition of ISL tournament was really fantastic and extremely high compared to the existing Indian standard. The major reason for this high standard was not only the presence of 6 foreign experienced players in each team but due to the presence of foreign coaches for each team. It was these experienced soccer coaches who moulded the players according to their advanced methods. Among all the participating teams, FG Goa I can rightly select as the best organized team that dished out really a good brand of soccer with short accurate passing as if pushing the ball into the narrow tunnel. In late fifties such a high standard was dished out by the youthful Goan team, Academecia FC coached by the great priest Fr. Chico Monteiro. Two players of that dream team Dr. Mazarello a Goan and Czar a Mestiso were heroes of that great team. Mr. Cyril the Dempo soccer team coach in early seventies also produced the then Dempo squad of the current type of FC Goa.
The credit for the 360 degrees change in FC Goa must surely go to its legendary Brazilian Coach Zico though it looked in the beginning that Zico is unfit to coach FC Goa appropriately due to a few defeats FC Goa suffered in the beginning. The approach of Goan boys for the ball was forceful, the body feinting was as good as of any Eurpean team players, sudden changing of the direction of the movement of the ball from one side to the other was as similar as Brazilian and above all the teamwork with perfect combination was superb.
Zico’s coaching gave FC Goa a Brazilian flavour for this reason FC Goa’s standard remained higher than of other teams even though Santos’ missed penalty against Kolkotta in the second leg semi-final was the matter of concern. However, for that matter even Zico during his peak form in 1986 World Cup missed the crucial penalty kick. Today Gulf Arabs have made tremendous improvement in the field of soccer only by employing Brazilian coaching system.
Though the FC Goa had perfection in many areas yet it lacked firepower in Portuguese Eusebian or German Gerd Muellerian style. This was the weakness ingrained in Brazilian soccer even during Zico’s time when he played for Brazil in the World Cups in 1982 and 1986 coached by the great soccer coach Tele Santana who insisted Brazilian forwards to exchange passes even in the goalmouth area.
Secondly, Santos was a weak link especially in FC Goa attack because he was given a hero worship by the other players and with this in mind he tried to control the whole game on his shoulders and in the bargain he flopped at so many times. Next time FC Goa must induct at least 2 Santoses in its rank, if not three just as in 1970 World Cup Brazilian squad created not one but three Peles in Tostao, Rivelino and Jairzinho besides original Pele who was much relieved of his normal pressure.
The standard of Refereeing was very poor and inaccurate; some of them were suffering from inferiority complex especially the Asians who easily got intimidated by the non-Indian players when confronted verbally. It was due to the wrong judgement of the Referee that Pinheiro of FC Goa was red carded and again FC Goa was denied an otherwise sure penalty when Santos was clearly fouled in the Box at Fatorda.
To conclude, the organizers of this tournament first time showed their guts and wisdom in investing so much in this tournament resulting in enormous dividends not only for the benefit of soccer development in India but also for the benefit of players, sponsors and fans. If this trend is carried forward, in the near future, in popularity and money, ISL will conquer IPL in India. Thru this tournament it was proved beyond any doubt that there is plenty of following all over India for the attractive brand of soccer which could be easily enhanced by recruiting some of the current top players from Europe and South America instead of those who crossed their prime because there is plenty of money in stock with all who are involved in ISL.
In this inaugural edition of ISL we saw not only glamorous soccer but also glamorous Bollywood Stars associated with Cricket celebrities and top business houses patronizing this edition. This combination can easily make India a real powerhouse in the world. It looks now the Sleeping Giant is awakened.
In the end, I congratulate Athletico de Kolkata a traditional soccer giant for winning the inaugural ISL tourney.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.