TEAM HERALD
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Goa Schools football team which emerged champions at 24th National School Games (Autumn Meet) in Srinagar in October 1978 and in the process secured the football gold for the first time in the annals of Goan football will be felicitated by Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) on March 15, at Marriot, here.
Dr Rufino Monteiro, GFDC Chairman, told Herald that the news item appearing in today’s edition (March 8) wherein it was brought to the notice that the winners of the first-ever gold in Goan football had never been recognized and much less rewarded at that time had made him aware about the stupendous achievement which, unfortunately had gone unnoticed. “I am deeply sensitized with the Herald write-up and the GFDC will certainly felicitate the 1978 golden boys during the first Goa international football table (GIFT) on March 15 and 16. I wish it was pointed out much earlier, so that we could have done something in an extraordinary manner,” pointed out Dr Rufino.
Dr Rufino was shown the gold medal and certificate by Agnelo Fonseca, a member of GFDC, who was a member of the glorious football team.
The captain of the winning team, Edmund Mascarenhas from Porvorim, on scanning the news in Bangalore where he is working, was ecstatic that somebody had remembered them after a gap of 35 years. He got in touch with Dr Rufino, who immediately invited him for the function on Friday. “I thought we were forgotten after winning the first-ever gold in Goan football. The fact that Herald brought it out that the golden boys, the unsung heroes, needed to be applauded and given their due place in the history of Goan football not only brought back those glorious moments in Srinigar, but also gave us that special, unique feeling and joy. We are part of the Goan football history having scripted a new chapter and a golden one. And, that’s great,” echoed Edmund from Bangalore.
The team had John Viegas, formerly of St Andrew’s High School, Goa Velha as its coach-cum-manager with Venkatesh Shirodkar, formerly of Sacred Heart High School, Parra as the general manager of the Goa contingent which had also volleyball and table tennis teams and late Domnic Fernandes, formerly of Don Bosco High School, Panjim as the organizing secretary of Goa, Daman and Diu State Schools Sports Association.
The team: Agnelo Dias, Tadeu Barreto, Agnelo Fonseca, Caetano D’Sousa, Rajendra Naik, Damasceno Fernandes, John Fernandes, Caetano D’Sousa (Maina-Curtorim), William Machado, Rosario Cardoso, Marcelino Cardoso, Edmund Mascarenhas (captain), Baptist Fernandes (vice-captain), Ignatius Dias, Chandrakant Haldankar, Lawrence Baptista.
The players and the officials have been asked to contact Dr Rufino on 9822100328 so as to finalize the felicitation programme.
The theme of the conference is `Home Grown Heroes’. It will focus on six major components – policy, infrastructure, talent development, community engagement and social impact, sponsorship and professionals. It is aimed at supplementing the efforts of GFA, AIFF, and others since football has been declared the official state sport.
