GFA asks govt to back 200 village clubs and not top guns

Panaji: The Goa Football Association (GFA) believes the state government has devised the new financial scheme for the benefit of two clubs – Churchill Brothers SC and FC Goa – both of whom have the “means to take care of themselves.”
Instead, the association wants chief minister Manohar Parrikar to take a second look at the GFA letter dated December 27, 2017 which sought grant-in-aid of Rs 2 lakh to each of the 200 registered football clubs in the state.

“While crores of rupees of tax-payers money is getting spent, the nearly 200-odd village level football clubs whose contribution has no parallel, have been totally ignored. The contribution of these clubs which are run on passion of a few well-wishers in the village needs recognition and support,” GFA president Elvis Gomes had written in his letter to Parrikar.

On Saturday, at a hurriedly convened press conference, Gomes put the letter into focus again, explaining why the government’s recent scheme of funding professional clubs who take part in leagues organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is flawed.

Each of these clubs – only two are eligible for now – can apply for an annual grant of Rs 3 crore.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to call this a political stunt,” Gomes told reporters at the GFA headquarters on Saturday.

“May be the chief minister is not aware of the details. He should have a look at this scheme again. This scheme doesn’t support Goan football; instead, it supports those who already have the means to take care of themselves and their clubs. This is a flawed scheme which is tailor-made to help these two clubs,” said Gomes, pointing at the likes of Churchill Brothers, Goa’s only representative in the I-League, and FC Goa, the Goan franchise in the Indian Super League.

Gomes said teams like Churchill Brothers and FC Goa may have been playing at the highest level in the country but the state government should not forget the contributions of clubs like Salgaocar FC, Dempo SC, Sporting Clube and Vasco SC, all of whom have a rich history.

“We must support clubs who are developing Goan football. You must lend a helping hand to clubs who are doing immense work at the grassroot level. You must spare a thought for our village clubs who toil to keep the sport alive,” said the GFA president.

Elvis was also critical of the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) for not yet clearing the money that the GFA spent on preparing the Goa-India squad for the Lusofonia Games in 2014. Goa won the gold medal against the odds, defeating Mozambique in the final. But instead of rewards, Gomes said, they have been told that they will get nothing of the Rs 10.15 lakh that they had spent.

“The SAG has written to us that we owe them money for ground usage, many of which were for National tournaments and some as far back as 2012. The government has spent crores on infrastructure but if these grounds are not accessible to the common man, what’s the point,” asked Gomes.