MAPUSA: Savio Messias has upped the ante by trying to get Elvis Gomes disqualified but in turn raising doubts about his own candidature as the race for Goa Football Association (GFA) elections is heating up.
It will be a direct contest as Messias and Gomes go head-to-head for the prestigious president’s post. Gomes, who is the director of Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and the current GFA vice-president from South faces uncertainties as the GFA guidelines clearly state that “no Government servant should be allowed to hold elective office in any sports association/ federation for a term of more than four years or for one term, whichever is less”.
In the case of Messias, Benfica Sports Club and Vasco Sports Club have both back tracked their support.
Messias, who was in Brazil for the FIFA World Cup, was back in Goa, on Wednesday. The former GFA general secretary filed in his nomination for the post on June 27, which was the final day of filling nominations for the post of president, vice-president (North and South) and executive members.
Although in Brazil, Messias was represented by his son Bismarck, who handed the nomination form to the GFA office just before the deadline, 12 noon.
Vasco Sports Club had authorized Messias to pick up a nomination form on their behalf, but later in an official letter to the GFA secretary, the club back tracked and stated that they had neither proposed nor seconded the candidature of any person.
Vasco requested GFA to treat the nomination as null and void.
Moreover, Benfica Sports Club, who had seconded the candidature alongwith Chicalim Sports Club handed over another letter to the GFA stating that the form signed in favour of Savio Messias through his son Bismarck must be also treated as void as the same was not backed nor was sanctioned by the Benfica Sports Club committee.
Meantime, the wind has blown against Messias in his absence but the latter has termed all allegations made against him as bogus.
“All false allegations have been made against me, which I believe should be checked properly by the Returning Officer. It looks like the objectives are filed by my opponent and it makes no sense. Let the Returning Officer be the first judge and I have full confidence in him,” said Messias to Herald, on Thursday evening.
“The government employees cannot hold a second term and the GFA must go by the Sports Code. Sanction has to be rooted through the Sports Ministry. Has it been done that way,” questioned Messias.
The GFA had declared July 3 as the last date for filing any objections and the contestants are called for a meeting by the Returning Officer, Justice (Retd) G D Kamat, on Friday.
Focus now shifts on the Returning Officer and his decision.
Schubert Furtado, from South Goa is the only person to have filled for the post of vice-presidents from South. Current vice president (North), Lavinio Rebello has filed his nomination for the North Goa vice-president post alongwith Babli Mandrekar, Jose Welvin Menezes and Nilkhant Naik.
Babli Mandrekar has also filed his nomination for the post of Bardez Zone executive member. Patrick D’Souza, Tony Remedios, Gajanan Kerkar, Raju Banavlikar, Uday Lingudkar, Luciano Perreira, Santosh Bandodkar, Adv Domnic Perreira, Alirio Lobo and Francis Viegas will vie for the Bardez Zone executive posts.
Angelo Albuquerque and Sanjiv Nagvekar, Victor Gonsalves are the three among the six candidates who filed their names from the Ilhas Zone. From the South, Ben Bishut Themudo, Jaju Fernandes, Cosme Oliveira, Anthony Leo Fernandes, Anthony Pango, Joe Mario Fernandes, Joaquim Inacio Fernandes, Dionizo Dias and John Silva have filed their nominations.
Lawrence Gomes, Prakash Naik, Andre Rodrigues, Custodio Almeida, Francisco Nunes and Francisco Souza are also in the fray from Mormugao Zone.
