A grand ‘foreign’ affair in Goa’s football DNA

Al-Nassr’s Visit Latest In State’s Long Past Of Rubbing Shoulders With Famed Overseas TeamsMargao: FC Goa hyped it as the “biggest night in Indian football under the lights at Fatorda.”The arrival of Al-Nassr FC, even without Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, not surprisingly generated plenty of hype with fans travelling even from abroad to have a look at their favourite stars. The five-time Ballon d’Or award winner and among the greatest footballers of all time may have given the India trip a miss, but others like Joao Felix, Sadio Mane, Inigo Martinez and Kingsley Coman have their own band of supporters.“Al-Nassr are probably the biggest club to play in India,” FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur said ahead of the AFC Champions League Two clash against the hosts at Fatorda on Wednesday. “Their foreign players are some of the big names of world football.”Puskur has a point. Al-Nassr are the richest club in Asia and have the world’s first billionaire footballer as their biggest attraction. Players like Felix (Portugal), Martinez (Spain) and Coman (France) are still playing influential roles for their national teams.

But, in all fairness, Goa has witnessed impressive foreign football clubs for almost 70 years.It all started in the late 1950s. At a time when India had already achieved Independence from British rule, football became a useful tool for Portugal to bind Goans together. Teams from their colonies were sent here on tours, generating a great deal of excitement. If it was Clube Ferroviario de Lourenço-Marques from Mozambique in 1956, Port Trust of Karachi followed in 1959.For old timers, the most memorable though was the visit of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, or simply Benfica as they are popularly known. The European football giants played three friendlies, winning against Military Selection (2-1), Goa (4-0) and Goa Selection (1-0).“There was lot of excitement all around when Benfica came here,” said Alberto Colaco, veteran administrator and former general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

“I remember they even built a small stand (for the fans) and created a dressing room at Margao. Even a wall was built.”Two years after Benfica sent largely a reserve side to Goa with a smattering of internationals, the Portuguese giants ended Real Madrid’s record run of five-in-a-row European Cups and then successfully defended their European crown a year later.This was, in the words of Colaco, as big as it could get.“Benfica then and now is a top European side, no doubt about that,” said Colaco. “For the games in Goa, the grounds were completely packed. Fans sat on the sidelines. Later, some of the players like Mendes and Espirito Santo became European champions.”Even after Goa’s Liberation in December 1961, the foreign club visits did not stop.The first to arrive was Vasas Izzo in 1979. Given Hungary’s exploits in world football, everyone expected a treat to the eyes from, as one newspaper reported, “the Brazilians of Europe.”Vasas Izzo won four matches comfortably during the India tour and only suffered a reverse against a brave Goan side in the opening game.“When the match kicked off at the Panjim Gymkhana ground, the crowd had covered every inch available,” said Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, former India captain and Padma Shri awardee. “There was no place even to stand. The organisers surely had a tough time keeping things under control.The visit of South Korea’s Posco Steel Club and the friendly against Federation Cup winners Salgaocar SC in 1988 also created plenty of buzz. According to newspaper reports, the queue for entry to the Campal Stadium extended till the Goa Medical College (now ESG complex) in the city.Other notable teams who played in Goa include Academica de Coimbra (Portugal) and a selection of under-23 players from Serie C in Italy, where Salvatore Schillaci – Golden Boot winner at the World Cup 1990 – was one of the players.