PANJIM: From pristine Queensaland in Australia to Gao’s coast. Brisbane Roar FC one of Australia’s better known clubs arrived in Goa to add to the international colour of the Bandodkar Memorial trophy.
The club plays in the top most A league in Australia, winning the competition 3 times. It also holds the record of remaining unbeaten for 36 games continuously, which is an Australian league record
For the first time, two foreign teams from Australia and Argentina, along with other ISL teams, will compete in the two-week-long tournament.
Brisbane Roar are also the first and only club to win back to back Hyundai A-League Championships, and are the only club not have lost the Grand Final in the Hyundai A-League.
On the opening day, FC Goa will face off against Sporting Clube de Goa at 4 pm while, Dempo SC will battle against Brisbane Roar FC at 7 pm.
C D Defensa y Justicia from Argentina will play its first game against Odisha FC on Sunday. In all, eight teams are participating in the tournament.
GFA President Caitano Fernandes said that the team from Brisbane had a training session at the stadium and expressed their happiness at the conditions.
He revealed that 12 members of the team from Argentina had already landed in Mumbai while the rest of the team members were expected in Mumbai at around 3 am on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Fernandes, along with GFA executive committee members, conducted an inspection of the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Friday, ahead of the tournament.
Fernandes affirmed that the GFA is fully prepared to host the second edition of the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Trophy and encouraged Goans to watch the matches.
