PANJIM: In a replay of last year’s Champions Trophy Charity Match, holders of the Goa Professional League Sporting Clube de Goa will clash with runners-up of the Goa Police Cup (knock out tournament) Salgaocar Football Club in the season opener Champions Trophy Charity Match, on August 14, at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, at 6 p.m.
The chief guest for the match will be Sandeep Falari, Chairperson of MMC Mapusa, while the guest of hornour will be Merlin D’Souza, Vice Chairperson of MMC, Mapusa and Franky Carvalho, Councillor of MMC Mapusa, will be present.
General Secretary Welvin Menezes informed for the first time, the season will begin at Duler Stadium under floodlights.
The tickets will be priced at Rs 50 for all the stands while the tickets for the VIP stand will be priced at Rs 200. The proceeds of the match will be deposited in players benevolent fund.
Menezes further added that the GFA and the clubs are making every effort to ensure that the Premier Competition, Goa Professional League is a success and the third round of discussion with regards to the organization of the League will be held on August 18.
Sporting Clube de Goa after suffering an initial setback against Calangute Association in the Goa Police Cup will be in high spirits after a comfortable victory over Churchill Brothers Sports Club in their second match of the Goa Police Cup.
Sporting Clube de Goa is coached by Mateus D’Costa while their manager is Angelo Albuquerque. The team is comprised of experienced players like Joyner Lourenco, Cajetan Fernandes, Victorino Fernandes, Marcus Mascarenhas, Joseph Pereira and youngsters like Avharisto Fernandes, Quan Gomes, Glan Martins, Shawn Noronha, Darryl Costa, and Brandon Gomes.
Salgaocar Football Club, on the other hand, is in a rich vein of form having stormed into the semi-finals of the Goa Police Cup with comfortable wins over Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim and Indian Navy.
The team is coached by their former player Norbert Gonsalves who incidentally was on the coaching staff of Sporting Clube de Goa last season while Sanjiv Nagvenkar holds the managerial post.
The team is a mixture of youth and experience. Comprising of plyers like Gilbert Oliveria, who won the ISL with Chennaiyin FC, Rosario Mendes, Nicolau Colaco, Leny Pereira and Brian Mascarenhas while youngsters like Liston Colaco, Ronaldo Fernandes, Naro Hari have got promoted to the senior team from their youth set up.
Their new signings for this season, Balwinder Singh, Jovel Martins, Souvik Das and Mackroy Peixoto, are the players to look out for.
