Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Goa Football Association (GFA) Executive Committee Member Prakash Dessai has alleged that GFA has become a ‘one man private company of Lavinio Rebello’ where decisions are taken unilaterally by bypassing other Executive Committee members.
Dessai alleged that decisions taken at the Executive Committee meetings are not implemented and instead a trend has emerged wherein the Executive Committee members’ decisions have been overridden.
“Decisions taken in the executive committee are not considered at the time of sending State teams for national championships. The coaching chairman Lavinio Rebello sends coaches as per his wish and for election benefits.”
Dessai recalled that the President has clearly taken a decision to select 3 members coaching team for sub juniors and five members team for Santosh Trophy and declared at the Executive Committee for a fair selection.
Last year a coach/manager was sent for the sub junior national championship, who was not even a coach/manager for first division team of Goa Police.
This year women sub junior and Santosh trophy group of coaches had been approved by GFA, a few months back but the coaches picked to accompany the team were not of those which were given a go ahead by the Executive committee.
“The coaches sent were different from those approved by the Executive Committee and the change of names were not intimated to Deputy Chairman of Coaching Anthony Leo Fernandes of GFA and to the Executive Committee,” said Dessai.
“At present the sub-junior team was shortlisted by one Susheel Kumar who is the coach at Sports Authority of India and thereafter trained by Prinson Fernandes. But now Topan Naresh Vidodkar has been appointed as head coach rather than Prinson Fernandes,” added Dessai. It is learnt that Prinson reportedly went along with the team without making CRS registration.
“The surnames of the players sent via a GFA press release shows how the coaching team influences the selection rather than promoting the Goan players. The surnames show that four of the players are from SAI or outsiders,” added Dessai.
“A recent decision to increase the teams to 16 in the first division league for promoting Candolim club is the clear example of the voting politics without consulting the first division teams,” Dessai said
“The selection process for Santosh Trophy is not fair and players who have not attended the trials are part of the team which I strongly objected,” said Dessai.
“I denounce the selection of players who did not attend the trials, this is killing football,” he added.
“These decisions of changing coaches are not informed to the Executive Committee and to the Manager. This happens because of voting politics. These persons are there only to take decisions by majority in Executive Committee meetings but not in the interest of football. I had requested that Goa Football Association conduct elections not on Zonal basis so that elected members are not biased towards their zonal members but have the overall Goa Football development in mind,” said Dessai who has been earlier president of Cuncolim Union.
When contacted GFA Vice President Lavinio Rebello said, “Around 44 players reported for the senior team trials and we had maintained attendance register every day. However, the coach had requested the clubs to send the best players from each team and since he didn’t get the best he personally selected the ones which didn’t turn up for trials,”
When asked about Prinson Fernandes, Lavinio said, “Prinson went on his own for the Nationals. No coaches were available due to the Ganesh festival in the State. One coach from Velim was willing to go but unfortunately he didn’t have coaching licence. No parents have raised any objection on the selections,”
“I went personally to Duler grounds where the trials were held and told the players that if the selection was biased to approach me and I would sought out the matter,” said Lavinio, who stressed that selections were done purely on merit basis.
