With winds of change blowing over the Goa Football Association (GFA) Herald will highlight issues that need to be tackled immediately by the new executive committee that is to be elected on July 27 with President-elect Elvis Gomes all set to be at the helm of affairs.
It is true that as a player, you are only one tackle away from flipping burgers and in Goa maybe a tackle away to pack your bags to head to the Gulf, Europe or ship for greener pastures. A promising footballer (who did not want to be named fearing a setback to his football career) suffered an injury while playing for Goa Pro League club in Under-20 tournament last season and is still trying to recuperate from his injury.
“If there were proper medical facilities and team physio, things could have been different. I remember being lifted off by players as there were no stretchers on the ground,” he lamented.
Ironically, he has captained the Goa age group teams and was also one of the boys selected to train in the Manchester United soccer school along with Goa’s poster boy Brendan Fernandes.
“I’ve not given up on my dream of playing professional football again no matter how many times I fall down, I’ll be up and train again,” said the player, who is currently undergoing treatment.
There are many such instances that happen on the field all. Thanks to the medical facilities on the grounds that are very poor with no ambulance, stretchers, physios and proper medical kits to treat injuries.
Dr Russell Pinto, physiotherapist and consultant for many football clubs says, “When it comes to youth development, I think we are way behind, everybody looks at training but medical facilities are completely neglected.”
“GFA medical facilities are not equipped to deal with injuries and some of them can well be a career altering for some very promising players,” he further added.
“Not all clubs can afford physios especially in the youth development tournament. So GFA can employ some quality physiotherapists and make sure that there is a physiotherapist available at every venue to take care of injury related issues,” Dr Pinto opined
When asked Dr Ghanshyam Mardolkar, chairman GFA Medical Committee, whether the medical facilities provided by GFA during matches in the last season were enough, he ducked the question by saying that his tenure as chairman of the medical committee was over.
However, GFA officials maintain that he still continues to head the medical committee even if he doesn’t. The question was about the last season wherein he was very much the chairman of the medical committee, which further raises questions over the medical facilities provided by GFA.
Goa Football Development Council had conducted around nine batches of Basic Life Support and On-Field Resuscitation Training with over 250 participants and also six sports medicine courses (Advance). But all that hasn’t been able to give a fillip to medical ground reality in Goa.
Now, with Elvis Gomes official all set to take charge of GFA and also happens to be GFDC member secretary, it remains to be seen if GFDC and GFA both work in tandem to rectify the present medical facilities.
