WELL DONE BRUNO COUTINHO.
On behalf of myself and all the like minded Goans in particular and soccer lovers in general, I congratulate foot-baller Bruno Coutinho for getting Arjuna Award. A few years back Arjuna Award for a Goa based Goan foot-baller was unthinkable because Indian “dadas” ruling Indian soccer from Calcutta were biased towards Goan soccer. Even the late Dr. Gustavo Monteiro president of Goa Football Association and who ruled Goan soccer organisation for number of years since the time of Portuguese rule in Goa admitted this fact. A few years back when that bias opinion was demolished by awarding first time Arjuna Award to a Goan foot-baller - Brahmanda Sankvallkar - history was created and now Bruno Coutinho being the second Goan Arjuna awardee history is repeated. Both Brahmananda and Bruno are deserving awardees. They both made Goa proud though this does not mean that earlier Goan foot-ballers were of inferior quality. On the contrary in the past Goa produced innumerable great foot-ballers much - much better than Brahmananda and Bruno but during those days they had no one to push their candidacy as it is now and had no exposure as it is currently. Compared to Benzinho of Railways, Brahmananda is very low in quality as a goalkeeper. Goa is yet to produce a goalkeeper of the type of Benzinho. If Goa was exposed to outside world during those days Benzinho would fit in any of the top teams in the World. His anticipation was so perfect, his diving was so accurate and his positioning was so appropriate I just love to see such a great Goan goalkeeper. When he donned the colours for Goa against one of the visiting Portuguese teams he challenged himself only and inspite of suffering injury to one of his hands he stood firm under Goa’s bar like what the great Kaiser Backenbeur of West Germany did in 1966 World Cup semi-final in England against Italy. If I go still earlier, according to great Fr. Mendonca of Arpora School which had the distinction of producing best of sportsmen of Goa, Santano Carvalho the then student of that School was one of the top goalkeepers Goa had ever produced but since his goalkeeping career concentrated only at School level or Mocidade de Goa level he could not get more exposure. Secondly Santano Carvalho soon after his education left for Kuwait and still in Kuwait. During his last trip to Kuwait, tiatrist M. Boyer after shaking hand with him told me that Santano Carvalho’s hands are still like rock. Regarding Bruno Coutinho I admire his game and I can easily rate him one of the best in India. He had talent to fit in any of the top world class teams if proper guidance and coaching was given to him. But India is India where God given talent is simply wasted fully undeveloped. It is a pity that talents are simply fizzled out in India in such sports. Earlier Goa produced great giants in soccer but they were not given due recognition. Neville Desouza from Assagao Bardez was the greatest forward India has ever produced. This Goan had unique distinction to score a hat-trick for India in the Olympics. One of my coaches at Sesa Goa Raman by name who played along with Neville Desouza in Melbourne Olympics half a century ago, once told me that to play along with Neville was sheer joy because Neville was such a sprinter that he could easily outpace any defender in the penalty area and score a goal. According to Rahman, Neville’s other speciality was his accuracy in shooting and positioning himself at right place at right time - a la Pele. The last I saw Neville in action was in 1959 when he donned the colours for a visiting Bombay Goan Team against Salgaocars at Mapusa Duler. Though on receding form yet he made mockery of defender Candu Abreu on the rightside and totally fooled Pompei under the bar of Salgaocar though Pompei was one of the best keepers Goa has ever produced. Andrew, Catao and Domnick of Vasco had great class in them deserving double Arjuna Awards. Visitacao Lobo, Albino Fernandes and Ernesto Braganza of Sesa would have been the deserving candidates for Arjuna Awards. Menino Figueredo, Vassu, Eustaquio of Salgaocar were titanic giants of their era deserving greatest awards. All of them and many more would easily carry Arjuna Awards if opportunities were available to them but it was their bad luck and luck is one of the most important factors in one’s life either to go up or down. Bruno Coutinho and Brahmandanda had luck in them to get duly awarded and of course deservingly. They made Goa proud and I as a Goan feel proud too of them. While congratulating Bruno Coutinho I must also congratulate his father Alex Coutinho popularly known in Calangute as Funki. He must be most joyous person in Goa now as he himself was a great foot-baller during his younger days. I as a small boy can still recollect his prowess in soccer. Many times I had opportunities to watch him playing great soccer, he was a bustling forward and very sharp and powerful shooter, he would use both his legs well. During those days foot-ball was mainly concentrated at Village level, many times he was playing at Candolim ground even against the teams from Aguada Pakles and from other parts of Goa. Best of Pakle defenders during those days were afraid of his shots and bustling prowess. His name was terror for many of the rival defenders and goalkeepers. If he at an early age had not to migrate to Gulf he would be easily absorbed by any of those days great Goan teams. I can still say that between the father and son, father was much superior, the only thing son got opportunities to develop himself while father missed those opportunities. We Goans in Kuwait are known to promote and spread the message of soccer in this part of the World. We are also responsible to internationalise the Goan love for soccer by being the residents of Kuwait where international people are inhabited. We are doing so much for the cause of soccer amongst us, spending so much of our money, time and energy towards the promotion of soccer. In these circumstances it would be very appropriate for all our people involved in the soccer activities to invite Bruno Coutinho to Kuwait and felicitate him at Sour Ground. We could also offer him a financial reward for making Goa proud. Will this be difficult for the so many Goan soccer clubs and innumerable Goan soccer players in Kuwait? It is time for all the leaders and presidents of Goan soccer Teams and Clubs in Kuwait to start a move if they have wish and if they feel proud of the achievement of their brother. When P.T. Usha came fourth in Olympics held in USA some years back, the Malyalis based in Kuwait were so excited for making them so proud by her prowess, they joined together and invited P.T. Usha to Kuwait and felicitated her at one of the major Kuwaiti soccer stadia where not only Malyalis thronged in thousands but also others to have a glimpse of Usa. They also handsomely rewarded her financially. But as a matter of fact, Malyalis are Malyalis, they are very proud of the achievement of their people. Can we Goans from Kuwait and elsewhere emulate the feat of Malyalis? If yes, then well and good and if possible let Brahmanda Sankvallkar be also accompanied with Bruno Coutinho not only to Kuwait but also to other parts of Gulf where Goans are known to spread the gospel of soccer. It is a time for Worldwide soccer lover Goans to get awakened now and now only. A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
