ALLAN D’CRUZ
allan@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: In December 2020 there were questions raised throughout the State and India whether Sporting Clube de Goa would continue to function or would be discontinued/ disbanded following the demise of their patron late Peter Vaz.
Fast forward to six months, the Flaming Oranje celebrated their sixth Goa Professional League title as the team kept their promise to win it for their founder
But a lot transpired during those six months. It wasn’t an easy journey for Natalina Vaz, who apparently became the first woman president of a football Club in India when she took over the reign of Sporting Clube de Goa in January 2021.
But that was not what she would have ever desired and not in the circumstances which arose. Natalina took charge of the club following the demise of her husband and club Patron late Peter Vaz in December.
“This is something I never dreamt of and never expected and never wanted to happen. Making the decision was never easy for me. But we all know that Sporting Clube de Goa was Peter Vaz’s passion and that is something which was always close to his heart. Knowing this I wouldn’t want the flame to extinguish and had to continue with his legacy. In Sporting Clube de Goa, Peter lives forever and we will work to keep the flame alive,” stated an emotional Natalina Vaz who had her first formal meet with the entire Sporting Clube de Goa team during their annual award winning ceremony, who was accompanied by her children Danira Vaz and Diogo Nathan Vaz.
“It’s important to know the club’s functioning. But with the support of Anju (Angelo Albuquerque) and Welvin Menezes, it was easier for us to operate. I also have Danira and Nathan with me now who understand football equally well and we will ensure Peter’s legacy continues,” added Natalina.
In their 20 years since establishment, SCG has tasted various successes, including being the first and only Goan Club to win the U19 I League title, however, a national title at the Senior level eluded them.
For a family who always watched the game from the stands now they have a different role altogether. Earlier, most of the signings were personally recommended by Peter and now, Natalina is getting used to the new life at SCG with her children already showing keen interest in the club.
“Our club was formed to be at the top and due to certain circumstances we had to opt out. But once things settle down, we will definitely go back to the place where we belong. We want to play at the national level, though it will take some time,” expressed Natalina.
Being in her first year as the head of the club, SCG has given her the first silverware within six months.
Nathan has now already set the sight for a hat-trick of titles as they prepare for the next season. “Our immediate goal is to retain the core team and work towards winning the title for the third time,” expressed Nathan.
“Grassroots football is a key area for our club. Though we have an academy structure at the club, we had to put on hold due to the Pandemic. However, we will resume once the situation normalizes and would like to formalise things in a better way in future,” expressed Danira. She further added, “In a special way, we would like to thank Goa Football Association (GFA) under the leadership of Mr. Churchill Alemao who organized the Goa Professional League as per the mandated protocols and SOP laid out by the Government and also cooperated with us during our testing times.”
Earlier, Natalina Vaz also announced the transfer of Kunal Kundikar who will be joining FC Goa for the upcoming season.
