Within the last 3 days, 2 ex-Kuwait Goans died in Goa, both were living their retired life in Goa, both were well known foot-ballers in Goa as well as in Kuwait, one of them the ace defender representing Salgaocar Sports Club in sixties and early seventies that is Alcantro Barreto and the other Cajetan Godinho who was much younger than the former.
Playing with them since the time of the inception of our competitive soccer tournament in 1979 at Sour grounds in Kuwait, I enjoyed their friendship and companionship on the soccer ground in Kuwait and with Alcantro Barreto as a player of Sesa Goa I played against his team Salgaocar in Goa as well, both the teams then were mighty teams and having extremely good players in their folds. Alcantro was extremely good defender who even played for Goa XI a number of times and a year before coming to Kuwait, if I am not mistaken in 1974 he even captained Goa’s team for the National Santosh Trophy.
After landing in Kuwait, next to the Kuwait City Church there was a foot-ball ground where he was always on every Friday morning playing soccer, this ground was accessible to him because he was staying there only.
Then in 1979 he joined United Goans popularly known as UG whom he represented as a top defender while Cajetan Godinho represented the then mighty team Goan Sporting having in its rank some of the best Goan players who were new comers to Kuwait then but earlier in Goa and Bombay they represented some of the top teams from Goa and Bombay. During the first two years, i.e.1979/80 both the teams UG and Goan Sporting reached to the finals and Goan Sporting carrying home the winners trophies under the skippership Cajetan Godinho.
Cajetan Goodinho was like an aristocrat captain on the field having very good distribution power and also powerful long range shots. He was very decent and clean on the field never inflicting injuries on his opponents neither creating confusion on the ground. Alcantro Barreto also the same and both were the pillars of their respective teams. Spectators were coming to see them playing even from Ahmadi and Fahaheel early in the mornings on Fridays. They were partly responsible to popularize our Kuwait City Sour Ground soccer tournaments. They not only played foot-ball but they also enjoyed football and they served the game of soccer. They brought dignity to the foot-ball game also. In their deaths, foot-ball game lost two great apostles.
May their souls rest in peace.
A.Veronica Fernandes.