I was deeply shocked and disturbed to read the sad news in Goa's daily dated 04.04.15 of “closure of Sesa Football Academy”. After closure of its soccer team a few years back, the great name of the great sport called Soccer was still glorified by Sesa by establishing its Foot-ball Academy thereby continuing Sesa’s service in the development of soccer in Goa. Once upon a time Sesa soccer team was a name and fame, not only in Goa but all over India as well. It was officially initiated and formed in 1965 when Sesa Goa registered itself in the second division League tournament conducted by Goa Football Association in the Bardez segment. Having failed to qualify for first division in the inception year under the skippership of Andrew Machado, it recruited some of the best players for its second attempt in 1966 to enter into the first division under the captaincy of Jose Marie Fernandes. Mr. Conzen the great promoter and lover of Soccer, a German national working for Sesa at Sircaim, was the brain behind the formation of Sesa soccer team.
I was then as a young Arpora school boy was one of the recruits of Sesa, Herculano Dourado as a young Bastora College boy was another who along with me was recruited on contract basis only to play football while the rest of the players were all employees of Sesa company. In that year we came out first putting Mazagon Dock, Vasco to the second spot and thus we as a mighty team qualified into senior division. That year we had good coaching under the Patiala qualified coach Mr. Iqbal who was a very strict disciplinarian and tactician too. It was because of his coaching that I became in that year fastest runner of Goa and also an individual champion of Goa at All Goa Interschool Athletics Meet. During that time to play for the mighty Sesa soccer team means like now playing for Real Madrid. It was honour and prestige to play for Sesa Goa then.
When we entered the senior division, Sesa was the mighty team and in its first year itself in the senior division Sesa won the League championship. Immediately we were invited to participate in the outstation tournaments mainly in the South where Sesa won many tournaments. Within a short time Sesa became a household name in the South and some of its footballers were not only loved by the local fans there but were also mobbed even in the market places.
During those days Sesa Goa was the mighty team in Goa having in its rank some of the finest players of Goa, overwhelming majority of them being Goans as Sesa’s European top management preferred Goans only. Some of the best players who played for Sesa during that period along with me were the striking duo of Albino Fernandes of Merces and the late Visitacao Lobo from Parra who later on became the second Goan after Menino Figueredo of Salgaocar to represent India, in Soviet Russia. There is no brainy striker came into Goan soccer scene after Visitacao Lobo and there was none like Albino in Goa who could rattle the opponents’ bar with his power packed right footer. Both of them were the precious jewels of Goan soccer of that era and also the darlings of soccer fans.
The team Sesa Goa was the solace not only for the players of Bardez but also from other parts of Goa providing them opportunities not only to play soccer and create name and fame for them in Goa and elsewhere but also providing them opportunities in getting permanent employment as Sesa were the biggest employers of Goan manpower.
I feel the good work Sesa did for Goan boys in developing them as fine footballers should not come to an end. The government of Goa and the interested organizations and individuals must try to convince the Sesa Goa management to review its decision for the good of Goan soccer. The drought of finance for Sesa will not remain permanently as we are already assured of the restarting of Mining in Goa shortly. Finance will surely come again but once Sesa Academy is closed, it will remain closed forever. This should not happen.
The impact Sesa Goa created on Goan soccer during the last so many years was so great that its legacy should not be allowed to die an instant death. Since Sesa Goa from the time of Portuguese rule in Goa minted money by excavating minerals from Goan soil and land, the same mighty Sesa Goa must continue to help the sons of this soil and land to develop as fine footballers. As a gratitude to Goa from where it gained so much of wealth, Sesa Goa must continue on developing Goan soccer. Sesa Goa at this juncture must not abandon its responsibilities towards Goans.
A.Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.