PANJIM: It was a sad day for Goan football with the death of two outstanding former goalkeepers, who were pillars in their respective teams.
The demise of Arvinder Singh from Vasco Sports Club and Eugenio Cardozo from Dempo Sports Club on Wednesday has shocked the entire Goan football fraternity. Arvinder passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab.
Arvinder, goalkeeper of the legendary Vasco SC team of the early 70’s that swept everything in its path, had a big presence both on and off the field.
Condoling his death, Vasco Sports Club owner Vinod Parkot, said, “Arvinder had a safe pair of hands, and he would give instructions to the defence which were followed. Since he was an ex-basketball player, he would collect high balls with ease. He was a big man physically and he had a lot of passion for the game, on and off the field. He came from Services in 1968 and played with us for six years. Before joining us he played for Signals and a few games for Shantilal Sports Club. He joined us when we approached him.”
Reminiscing about the old days, Vinod said “Arvinder was a very jovial and humorous man”. “He was able to build a strong team spirit and motivated the players on the ground. He was an entertainer and wherever he played he entertained the crowd and was very popular,” recalled Vinod. “I was a young man then and we all liked to see him (Arvinder) play. He was a craze,” he added.
A one-time compatriot of Arvinder at Vasco SC, Peter Vales, a left back, said, “I was very sad when I heard of his death. He was a senior in that team. Even now I can say, I have never seen players like Arvinder or Brahmanand. I was a junior player in 1971 and Arvinder gave me a lot of encouragement. He was supreme when it came to dealing with penalties and corner kicks. His kicks from the goal would invariably go to the intended player in midfield. The same could be said about his hand throws. He was an inspiration and one of the best goalkeepers in my life. No one had the guts to charge him for the ball in the penalty area.”
Arvinder, popularly known as the ‘Wall of Vasco’, also represented Goa in the Santosh Trophy Nationals at Cuttack (1968), Nowgong (1969) and Madras (1970).
