Ajit John
ajit@herald-goa.com
A number of greats of Indian football have expressed their hope that Churchill Brothers FC triumph in their final match in Kashmir. Three of Goa’s finest have wished the team all the very best.
Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, one of India’s finest goalkeepers and Padma Shri award winner, said that it was important to fight to finish and bounce back when required in the match.
He said, “Anything is possible. All the 11 players on the field would have to fight during the 90 minutes. They would have to fight till the last second to achieve success.”
Speaking about a match from his career, Brahmanand said that he remembered Salgaocar Club face off against Mohun Bagan in 1985-86 and Derrick Pereira scoring a goal in extra time to push the match into a tie-breaker.
Mohun Bagan won, he said but his team put up a fantastic performance and that was very important.
He said, “It is important to fight, I will watch the match on the television, it will be an acid test for them and if they win it will be a great day for Goan football.”
Famed striker of the 90s, Bruno Countinho said, “It would all depend on the situation in the match.”
He said, “Now Churchill Brothers need a draw which will put them in the Indian Super League. I want them in the ISL. Churchill Brothers is doing a good job, the only one who have stuck it out. Others withdrew from the I-League. This is the only way to establish the Goan name in the ISL.”
Speaking about his days as a player, he said, he won the Philips League with Salgaocar FC. It was a great feeling winning it.
He however bemoaned the fact that the game had become too commercial. However, he said that that was the way it was and one had to live with it. He hoped that it would be a very good Sunday and he was praying that Churchill Brothers win the match.
“They should go for a win because if they go for a draw the story will be different,” he added.
Famed mid-fielder of the past, Climax Lawrence was confident that Churchill Brothers will go for a win on Sunday.
He said, “The second goal they scored in the last match showed it was a gift from God and they will take that form into the final match.”
Speaking of his playing days, he mentioned that I-League was very good and a lot of people would watch the matches.
“I can say that the I-League was the best in our time. So when we went out of Goa there was a lot of pressure on us to win. Huge crowds would come to watch us. It was tough but it was fun. The pressure is incidental,” Climax added.
One hopes the wishes of these three stalwarts will come true on Sunday.