Bruno at crossroads By Anthony Marcus anthonymarcus at rediffmail dot com
At Tilak Maidan (Vasco), on Saturday, November 9, Fransa Football Club chairman Francisco Pacheco better known as Mickky surprised Arjuna awardee Bruno Coutinho when he sought his services as coach. Mickky is known to have a good sense of humour but on that Saturday morning, he was not joking. Now that realisation has finally dawned, Bruno finds himself in a piquant situation where he does not want to hurt Vasco Sports Club officials, who have been more than just kind to him, nor does he want to rub Mickky, who is also the sports minister, on the wrong side. Anthony Marcus Mergulhao reports. In the true sense of the word, the year 2002 has been a mixed bag for Goa’s favourite footballer, Bruno Coutinho. There was lots to cheer as he realised his childhood dream of winning India’s highest award for sporting excellence — Arjuna — a little while after he tied the knot to his long-time Anjuna-based sweetheart Neena Dias. But 2002, also saw Bruno inviting trouble for himself. A minor injury he sustained while indulging in his passion other than football — rock fishing — aggravated, forcing him to undergo an operation. The operation and subsequent carelessness on part of the former International forced him out of action for the longest time in his 13-year old football career. After failing to find favour with Salgaocar Sports Club, Bruno switched allegiance to Vasco Sports Club, a decision that warmed the cockles of his die-hard fans but disappointed the purists. Five months into the season, Bruno has not whole-heartedly practiced with the team, forget about playing a competitive match. His name does not figure among the 20 players registered by Vasco Sports Club for the first phase of the NFL. And now he finds himself in a tight-spot unable to decided whether or not to take-up the coaching job at Fransa Football Club. After the rather unfortunate and abrupt departure of Shabbir Ali, Fransa Football Club were on the look out for someone who could steer its wobbly ship. At first, controversial coa ’s name did the rounds but Fransa chairman Francis Pacheco alias Mickky was a lot more wiser from the Shabbir experience. “I do not want to burn my fingers again,” he told this paper referring to Chathunny’s controversial-yet-successful coaching assignments at Salgaocar Sports Club (1997), Dempo Sports Club (1999) and Churchill Bros (2001). At Tilak Maidan (Vasco), on Saturday, November 9, Mickky had a chance meeting with Bruno Coutinho when Vasco Sports Club locked horns with Fransa Football Club in a friendly match. Mickky lost no time in seeking Bruno’s services as coach, something that took the former International by total surprise. “ At first, I could not believe the offer (of coaching),” says Bruno. How things have changed since then. And with each passing day, the script takes a dramatic shift. Mickky forces purists to raise their eyebrows in surprise when he says Bruno has already given his consent to train Fransa. “ Bruno is happy to take up this assignment. I have spoken to Vasco officials, all of whom have said they would release Bruno. I am just waiting for the official permission,” reveals Mickky. So confident is Mickky that Bruno will be Fransa’s next coach that he has stopped his search for a coach. “I am not looking beyond Bruno. He is ready to join even tomorrow,” informs Mickky adding that he has plans to send Bruno abroad to learn more about coaching. “Bruno can stay at Fransa as long as he is comfortable,” gushes Mickky hinting at a long-term association. Even the fears of failure does not prove to be a dampner. “Bruno gave everything he had to be a successful player. There is no reason why he should not succeed as a coach,” he says matter-of-factly. Bruno on the otherhand still remains undecided. “Its a catch-22 situation,” he admits without going into the nitty-gritty. If Bruno agrees to fill the Fransa Football Club coaching vacancy, it could certainly mean a full stop to his 13-year long glittering football career that started with Dempo Engineering, peaked at Salgaocar’s and (possibly) ter that at Fransa Football Club, Bruno will have to concentrate on the coaching job alone. “Bruno will not be the player-cum-coach. I want a full time coach,” he insists. Bruno is the first one to admit that his Fransa decision could possibly signal the end of his playing career. “I want to play this season. That is basically why I opted out of Salgaocar’s. But the situation is different now. If I do not play this season, it will be extremely difficult to make a comeback (next year),” says Bruno perhaps not realising that inadvertently he admits he will have to call it quits before joining Fransa. Judging by Bruno’s poor fitness now and Vasco Sports Club’s relative strength upfront, it will take more than just herculean efforts for Bruno to break into the side. He has put on too much of weight and there are no signs that he will resume serious training at the earliest. “I’ve put on weight simply because I’ve not been able to train. I cannot even do some sand-running to trim down. No sooner I jog, the swelling re-appears. Its a bit frustrating,” he says. Does that mean goodbye? “ Its too early to say anything. Give me some time,” he insists. The scene is murkier but Bruno’s eyes tell a tale. That hunger to succeed against all odds has diminished. There is not an iota of doubt that Bruno Coutinho has been one of the best footballer Goa has ever produced and there will not be another player of his calibre for atleast a while. But how far he will be successful as a coach, remains to be seen. As a matter of fact, Bruno’s contemporaries — Savio Madeira (Salgaocar) and Derrick Pereira (Vasco) — both spent time learning the tricks of the coaching trade before jumping on the coaching bandwagon. Whatever the case may be, one thing is sure. Bruno’s decision will have far-reaching consequences, beyond even where Bruno can possibly think of. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ To unsubscribe from Goanews Send a mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: 'unsubscribe goanews'
