Herald: Welcome to yet another debate that strikes the core of our hearts. This is about football, and when it comes to this sport, there is no politics, division and differences, at least among Goans. What is important is to think of a few images before we begin this debate. When the ISL was happening last year, what do you recall? Hordes of fans rushing towards Fatorda, cars painted in FC Goa colours, flags fluttering all around. It was a beautiful explosion of unity that Goa has seldom seen. If there was one brand that united Goa like never before and ignited the spirits of Goans who were veering away from football, it was FC Goa. This club, built not just by footballers, but by the people of Goa, has been castigated. It seems that there has been a premeditated attempt to punish FC Goa for wrongs that we don’t know they have committed. We are here to figure out if the very unfortunate clampdown on FC Goa’s next season, with 15 points being docked and a fine of Rs 11 crore being imposed and the team’s owners not being allowed to enter the stadium, is justified or not. More importantly, we need to figure out how Goans can unite to take this fight forward to see to it that our beloved club can continue to inspire us.
Herald: Brahmanand, could you talk about what really happened on the day the ISL finals were played?
Sankhwalkar: Whatever happened between Dattaraj Salgaocar and Elano was one part. We haven’t seen it and even the media hasn’t shown it properly. In football, there is always victory and defeat. We lost 3-2. I admit, we should have gone to receive the trophies. That’s the only part I’m saddened about. The second part is the fining and other things. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the body that controls football in India. Naturally, the ISL is under its jurisdiction. When the AIFF had already given its decision, suddenly these fines and other things came in after few days. I was confused as to who controls football here.
Herald: Savio, if you look at the incidents that happened on that day, was FC Goa wrong in what they did and is the punishment commensurate with the crime? How do you assess everything, from the alleged assault on Dattaraj to the FIR to Elano being arrested?
Messias: First of all, I would blame the organisers. Every Tom, Dick and Harry was on the field, which is never allowed. You’ve seen ceremonies at the Champions League or La Liga. Nobody’s allowed on the field, except for very important officials. Here a lot of people were allowed, which should not have happened. That created a tense situation. If Elano assaulted Dattaraj, it is very wrong and he should be punished. But, I felt that a player being arrested is something that can’t be condoned. That are bodies that could take action and there are ways of getting justice, but not by arresting a player. Such incidents have happened all over the world. At the World Cup, when Luis Suarez bit someone, had he been arrested, what would have been the situation?
Herald: How could this have been handled better? Since it’s such a beautiful game, it could have been handled more beautifully.
Messias: The handling at the venue was bad. They could have sorted it out. Very often in I-League matches or professional league matches, we could guess that there would be some problem. We would anticipate problems and take precautionary measures. Here, it was quite a tensed moment, and some precaution should have been taken. At the last moment, when those two goals were scored, FC Goa supporters were quite upset. It was a moment where one could expect problems. Probably the people handling the situation were not experienced enough.
Herald: Akio, this entire FC Goa dream has been all about fans. From a fan’s point of view, why do you feel cheated and hurt?
Fernandes: A lot of sanctions were imposed on FC Goa, but keeping all those aside, I would like to focus on the points that were docked. Fifteen points is basically five games. If we win those five games, we’ll still be on zero points. If we keep those five games aside, we’ll be left with nine games in the 14-game season. Even if we win those nine games, we’ll end up on 27 points. Last year, when FC Goa topped the table, they finished in first place with 25 points. Basically what we have to do this season to match our performance last season is to win 14 out of 14 games. When you reflect on it, it’s absolutely ridiculous. Three points or six points is fine to some extent, but 15 points is ridiculous. You also have to think about the season. This is just a 14-game season. Abroad it’s 38, 40 or 50 games. It doesn’t make sense.
Herald: What will this do to fan morale and how do we go from here? Before the ISL came in, probably the entire support of Goan fans used to be towards foreign clubs. This was the first time that a Man-U supporter and an Arsenal supporter could sit next to each other, wear the FC Goa shirt and hug each other. If the FC Goa dream sours in this manner, what will it do to the love for Goan football?
Fernandes: The point about everyone being united is a good one because that is what has happened. Even when it came to the I-League, there are lots of different teams and everyone would support whoever they wanted. Finally we have one club; all Goans come together and support the club. Everyone has a common passion. Some of the sanctions could be justified. Some are absolutely ridiculous. These sanctions are definitely going to destroy the morale of the fans. It’s virtually impossible to qualify for the semi-finals in the position that they have put us in. And also it’s going to bring shame on our club. Keep what the owners did aside; making the fans suffer for it is a bit too much. When the fans know what the result is going to be, it’s going to affect the players and club. Also, why would foreign players want to come to FC Goa when it has minus 15 points and so many sanctions? They can go to a nice clean club, like Kerala Blasters.
Herald: Suppose these sanctions remain and nothing changes between now and the first match of the next season, what will the fans do? Will you still support the team at the stadium?
Fernandes: Goans are very passionate about football. I don’t think it will be an empty stadium. There will always be passionate people who care about football. But it’s definitely going to affect us. The crowds won’t be as they were before.
Herald: Savio, when this whole FC Goa issue has been happening, don’t you think that corporate interest has superseded even the sanctity of the AIFF. Even if that is the case, why would certain corporate bodies do this to a club that has given so much joy not just to Goa, but to the whole country?
Messias: Maybe the corporate bodies that took over didn’t really have football in their heart. I think it was more of a business venture. Here they overlooked the FIFA rules, the AIFF rules and guidelines, and they came out with their set of rules and regulations. At the same time, corporate support is required for the development of the game. The I-League did not have much corporate support. In the ISL, there was a lot of sponsorship coming in. Every jersey was full of sponsor logos. The AIFF should have been more firm. I think FC Goa and all franchisees should have been careful in what agreements they signed. I think some of them signed contracts without considering the football rules and regulations.
Herald: Brahmanand, when the ISL was being formulated and the legal papers were being drawn up, don’t you think it should have been made mandatory for the AIFF to at least vet it or oversee it? How does it happen abroad?
Sankhwalkar: First of all, the AIFF should have had its rules and regulations in place for the ISL. The heart for the game is more important than money. Today everyone looks forward to getting something out of football. The point is, AIFF should have gone by its own rules and regulations for this tournament, like any other tournament in the country. You can have a better format or get the best players in the world, but control should be with the AIFF. If the passion for the game is not there with the organisers, what will happen to the game?
Herald: What do you feel is the best way out for FC Goa? Should they fight to the bitter end and then leave it to fate? Should they take it to FIFA? Or should they back out in protest and risk more sanctions?
Sankhwalkar: I think we should not have ego clashes at this moment. We have seen so many incidents in football, but the next day, everything has cooled down, except in certain cases. In this particular case, of FC Goa, things have gone out of hand. It should not be allowed to go any further. The ISL body has to think very seriously in the larger interest of the ISL and Indian football. The sanctions imposed for not attending the prize distribution may be alright. But the other issues should be buried right now in the interest of football. The AIFF should also come out with more rule so that such things do not happen again. Football should go on. Everyone is demoralised at this stage.
Herald: Savio, what should the AIFF do immediately? Is the AIFF even discussing it seriously?
Messias: The AIFF’s hands are tied now. This decision was taken by a judicial body. In the first place, I feel FC Goa should not have gone and appealed after their Rs 50 lakh fine. But anyway, at that point, Rs 50 lakh was still quite a lot of money. Now the situation is so harsh, there is nothing else to do but appeal. I don’t think anybody can pass a harsher penalty.
Herald: Taking off from that point, the ISDL, which runs the ISL in a way, is an arm of the corporate entity that funds the ISL. Do you feel that there is an attempt to draw a wedge between the ownership of FC Goa and the fans so that the fan base does not get affected because of the issue with the owners?
Fernandes: It speaks volumes about how things are run at the top. So many bodies are making different decisions. There needs to be just one body making decision, and it needs to make firm decisions that cannot be influenced by anyone else. They also need to think logically. It does look like an attack on Goan football or like there is a wedge being dug between the fans and the owners. The way decisions have been made the way they have been changed does make it seem like they see Goa as some sort of threat and they are trying to bring us down.
Herald: Which way will the fans lean? Do you still see yourselves united?
Fernandes: We still see ourselves united. As far as what the owners did and the whole controversy goes, most of the fans are divided on that. Most of us the fans know that what they did was wrong. I don’t think there’s ever been a case like this anywhere in the world where a runners-up team have not gone up and received a medal. It was the ISL final and the whole world was watching. During the ISL, everyone fell in Goa. It was a true underdog story. When the FC Goa players did not collect the medals, it certainly brought shame on the fans. There definitely has to be some punishment for what has happened, but the kind of punishment that they have received is quite harsh.
