Football is the sporting soul of the sunshine laden state that is Goa. With the ISL’s initial announcement that a footballing revelation was on
its way, fans had renewed optimism about what lay in store; about how Goa would go on to conquer all. For it is, after all, the country’s ‘big name footballing destination’, isn’t it? However, yet to register a win, the fans have had precious little to celebrate about, given the
performance from the team after its first four encounters. Analysing into why he believes the squad isn’t keeping fans on the edge of their
seats, one fan, Leandro de Mello, says, “FC Goa lacks the squad depth compared to a few other ISL teams.
I think that if we focused more on local talent, our squad would have done a better job. But the league is not over yet. If Zico and company can pull a rabbit out of the hat, breaking into the top four would be a realistic option.” One fan, Rohit Pagi, holds the schedule of the league responsible to an extent. Three matches in six days, while possessing lack of squad depth, is perhaps the best possible explanation
for our miseries. This is especially true of mental fatigue, which results in patchy and uneven performances. FC Goa has continuously dominated the final third and topped the ‘attacking index’ but without successful attempts on the goal scoring charts, they have continued losing matches in the process,” he says.
While there might be dejection amongst the ranks,
in true Goan spirit, the fans are not prepared to throw in
the towel just yet. They will stand tall and be counted.
One such fan, Clifton D’Cruz from Pirna, says, “I extend
my full support to FC Goa. I believe that you either
support a team wholeheartedly or don’t support it at all.
Arsenal went nine years without a trophy and yet their
stadiums were full of fans.”
As long as the fans rally behind their troops and
as long as there is a renewed spirit in the squad, who
knows, there might just be hope in the offing for FC
Goa and its fans, who, above all, believe.
