A.Veronica & Lawry Pinto
We Goans in Kuwait as per our tradition involved in creating lot of activities in foot-ball. When the early Goans came to Kuwait first time in fifties there were many foot-ballers among those Goans and also tournament organizer Goans and by playing in Ahmadi for those days soccer teams comprising mainly the Britishers, they earned name and fame for themselves and for Goans as well. During those days when those Goans playing soccer in Ahmadi at KOC center, they were treated by the spectators and others with high respect befitting their status on the soccer ground. They were creating a very good image of Goans because of the very good display of soccer game they were playing. Some of them were even given offers to come to London to play for the reputed clubs in England but our poor and simple Goans then refused those worthy offers otherwise these Goans would be creating a history in the soccer history books being the pioneers among Indians to play in the British Big League. In fact they were all employed at KOC Oil sector and the Press Cuttings from the local newspapers reviewing their performances were taken to England and some of these cuttings were displayed in the Cafes and Pubs in UK and the same were physically seen by some of our Tarvotti Goans when their ships anchored at the popular ports such as Liverool.
However when Goans started pouring in Kuwait in the seventies, under the banner of United Goans Foot-ball Center which was formed under the presidentship of Antonio Lawrence Fernandes originally from Siolim Goa, initiated their first ever soccer tournament for Indians only in 1979, on League cum knock out basis, at Kuwait City SOUR Grounds – Ground 1 & Ground 2. All the games were played in the evenings only.
Then the following year Flying Arrows Club started their one more tournament on Knock-out basis where Lawry Pinto from Mangalore played a pivotal role to promote this soccer along with his other colleagues. In this way more and more teams and clubs started their knock-out tourneys.
Then there came the need to bring into existence one apex body to centralize all the activities conducted separately by each organiser and thus Kuwait Indian Foot-ball Federation was formed in the early eighties, this idea to form this apex body was initiated by J.P. D’Mello the renowned Goan soccer umpire and administrator and I have successfully marketed it while Lawry Pinto thru his very hard work and perseverance even receiving insults from those teams opposing the formation of KIFF which was in the beginning christened as Indian Football Association, was instrumental in paving the way for the formation of KIFF. I can rightly say that if it was not for Lawry Pinto then, the KIFF would never come into existence. Though the major credit for the formation of KIFF surely go to Lawry Pinto yet others too played a pivotal role in the formation of KIFF namely A.Veronica, Rato, of course J.P. and others.
While talking of Lawry Pinto, he was the very dynamic young man then hailing from Mangalore but having been involved with Goans was more Goan than Mangalorean, a soccer crazy and a great lover of Konkani language and Konkani culture in which subject he has done so much of good work from Kuwait. And above all, he was the great philanthropist whose generosity spread in many segments of Konkani. He was instrumental in the formation of the Club “Flying Arows”comprising mainly the Mangaloreans but within a short time he dissociated from it and formed his own team named as RISING STARS” having powerful players which fetched them many championships and trophies, the entire expenses to run this team was borne by him only and not for one or two years but over a quarter of century.
During my time we had a dozen of football teams participating in the tournaments conducted at Sour Ground but the number of Goans is thinning now because more and more young Goans are migrating to UK from Kuwait and less number of young Goans are coming to Kuwait from Goa. More and more Goans are migrating elsewhere for more greener pastures and for better conditions by leaving Kuwait thus facilitating the Malyalis to fill the vacuum created by Goans in the soccer activities both in the management and also in actively participating in playing this beautiful game. Some of the teams named after Goa and Goans are dominated by the Malyalis. The foundation for this soccer for Indians laid by the Goans and dominated by the Goans only for about half a century is almost gone into the hands of Malyalis now. This is a fact but it must also be understood that the Goans were pioneers in starting these activities and in this connection it must be borne in mind the Club UNITED GOANS FOOT-BALL CENTER popularly knoiwn as UG, deserves the highest credit to initiate these activities. They have faced lot of difficulties, hardship, insults, humiliation and other forms of rejections from their opponents to establish this soccer. Their founding members under the Presidency of Antonio Lawrence Fernandes from Siolim an ace foot-baller during his younger days in Goa playing for the famed outfit “Lube”, F.X. D’Souza from Assagao who was the brain behind their organising abilities, Tony Gonsalves from Divar, Diogo Gomes from Bastora, Custodio from Navelim and others who all of them gave their life not only to form this soccer but also to promote it.
The soccer that we Goans initiated and organized at Sour Grounds created ripples not only in Kuwait but also in India and in the other parts of the World as it was known to FIFA as well. Because of this soccer the name of Goans as soccer crazy infiltrated even in the Brazilian society when for one of the finals the Brazilian Coach of Kuwait National Team himself was the chief guest thanks to the excellent efforts put in by Shaikh Agnelo from Agacaim to get the Brazilian as the Chief Guest. Additionally, many of the top personalities either from the Kuwait Government segment or renowned Kuwaiti personalities from the other segments including the Indian Ambassadors and other diplomats attended the finals as Chief Guests. Some of the top Goan political figures were also attended these finals by especially coming to Kuwait but among them Churchill Alemao was the greatest beneficiary when he was the chief guest for one important soccer match when he was still ripe in forming his political career needing a booster which he rightly got from Kuwait Goans.
Coming back to our Kuwait Soccer, according to some involved in this soccer which is now shifted to some other location, KIFF under Derek Gomendes’ Presidency is not running well, there is arrogance and pride and also Hitlerism in KIFF piloted by the President whose contribution in the formation and development of this soccer is nothing, according to one source. While according to another source, there are financial irregularities going on in KIFF where there is no transparency. However, according to Derek he is upright otherwise let any accusation be substantiated with concrete evidence, said Derek, further adding that those who are spoiling his name are guilty and who are all out to destroy KIFF and rob the kitty of KIFF as once it happened when one Chinchinnkar robbed the KIFF money while taking advantage of the position he was holding in KIFF.
During my approximate one month stay in Kuwait last month, I have noticed lot of animosities among our community members which is nothing new, it is the same old story because this is our trade mark and it carried forward because no corrective measure were taken in the past by our elders to eradicate this defect deeply ingrained in our blood.
Kuwait according to me is not what it was, it is become too expensive. I suddenly fell sick and taken to hospital at Mubarakia Hospital where I was kept for 4 days. I was later on came to know that the charges for the visitor like me in the government hospitals which was F.O.C. earlier, were KD 70/- plus other charges and for the local resident KD 10/- per night per bed. Then some of the Kuwaiti doctors came to know my antecedents and my contributions towards Kuwait during their dark days when their country was under the siege by Saddam Hussein, they came to me to know more about what I did along with my other fellow Goans in Goa for their sake. Virtually, around my bed I was surrounded by the top Kuwaiti doctors discussing nothing but political affairs during those days as they were kids then. Then I gave them my Book “FROM COCONUT TREES TO OIL WELLS” released 2 years back on Kuwait where they were surprised to know so much we Goans have done for them, one of them even shouted saying “when you have done so much for our country, you must receive the treatment F.O.C.”. I asked him, Dr. can I ask and beg for it? It is you as a Kuwaiti should raise this topic with your top management. I am not a beggar, if you feel you have any gratitude then go ahead but knowing Kuwaiti mentality, I expect nothing from your Hospital management”. Though it was thru commercial transaction that I worked for so many years in Kuwait, yet I still feel I am grateful to Kuwait for affording me the facility to work for a long time in Kuwait, even though I expect nothing and no personal favour for me from Kuwait. Two of these Kuwaiti doctors have agreed to visit Goa as my guests shortly.
A.Veronica Fernandes.