Mariano, Lawrence retained for Santosh
* Heated discussion on signing of Duler agreement
HERALD SPORTS REPORTER
PANJIM, MAY 14
Coach Mariano Dias, whose contract with Sesa FA ended last month, has been retained as coach of the Goa football team for National Santosh Trophy football championship to be held in Bengal in July. Lawrence Gomes also has been retained as manager.
Both, Mariano and Lawrence were the officials with the Goa team, which regained the Santosh Trophy last year.
The GFA Executive Committee meeting held today felt that holding of Santosh Trophy in July was not proper since the Goa football players would start their conditioning only in that month which would leave not much time for the actual preparation.
“The All India Football Federation will be informed accordingly,” GFA spokesman Tonito Botelho told Herald tonight and added that Mariano and Lawrence were assigned the task of selecting the players given the abnormal situation as Goa begin their league preparations only by August-end.
“The AIFF will be informed that the Duler Stadium is the right venue for laying the artificial turf. With the additional land being given to GFA, the committee felt that it would be appropriate that the FIFA turf ought to be given to GFA and not the SAG at Tilak Stadium,” Tonito disclosed and stated that the final decision rested with the AIFF.
The last date for submitting entries by clubs for various leagues ends tomorrow, Tonito disclosed and pointed out that renewals will be accepted upto May 31, on a late payment fee of Rs 500.
On Goa hosting the Federation Cup, the members opined that December was not the right time to host the event, given the fact that it is the peak festive season wherein the rates of hotels and travel are almost doubled.
“This will be brought to the notice of AIFF,” Tonito said.
The signing of the MoU on Thursday also came for lengthy, heated discussion, but Tonito refused to throw light on the matter.
It is learnt that some members were hurt that the invitation for the signing was conveyed very late and that originally the agreement was to be signed by the Director of Sports and Youth Affairs, Dr Susana de Sousa and GFA Secretary, Savio Messias, both of whom were absent at the time of signing the same.
A member, who did not want to be named, said that Sports Minister Babu Azgaonkar, Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco, Speaker Pratapsing Rane, Dr Wilfred de Sousa ought to have been associated with the function and that GFA members – Peter Vaz, Elvis Gomes – who were instrumental in getting the conversion done, needed also to be there. “The manner in which the signing function was carried out, it was not sporting at all, to say the least,” a member remarked and added that it looked as if the grassroot workers had remained absent or were ignored.
The agreement was to be signed five or six months ago, it is reliably learnt, but who was responsible to keep it pending for so long is not known, although it was the responsibility of DSYA to get it executed. The draft was ready then.
“Mickky is the one who permitted the final transfer of the land from the Department to DSYA when he was the Agriculture Minister and as such he ought to be have been given due credit,” a GFA member remarked.
