gaspersWorld

~𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘰/𝘒𝘶𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 

The news of Salgaocar FC pulling out its senior team from playing anymore has sent shockwaves across the Goan football world.

Many diehard football lovers have expressed sadness with some pleading the Salgaocar management to reconsider the decision.

However, the closure of the club was perhaps imminent after its withdrawal from the I-League way back in 2016. 

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗬𝗦 & 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗦

There are questions all over, which only the club management may be able to answer appropriately. 

However, the whys and wherefores go back a few years.

Salgaocar was one of the most iconic clubs of India. The name alone used to draw thousands of fans to the stadium – especially in Culcutta, Kerala – and even at Fatorda stadium, which even FC Goa is not able to draw now.

It all began at the beginning of the 2016~17 season. The AIFF ‘relegated’ the I-League to a 2nd tier league. The ISL (Indian Super League) leapfrogged the I-League to become the nation’s top league.

There could be many factors leading to the painful decision of Salgaocars, but all fingers now point out to AIFF’s introduction of the ISL that sidelined celebrated clubs like Mohun Bagan, Dempos and Salgaocars. 

The three-region axis of Kerala, Calcutta and Goa is where football really thrived in India. Now there are hardly any Goans in the Indian squad.

The 90s were heady days for football in Goa and Kerala with champion teams like Dempo, Salgaocars, Churchill Bros, Kerala Police, Titanium, etc.

Then came the turn of the millennium and Kerala slipped, banished from Eden to footballing oblivion, while Goan clubs trotted on.

Kerala is yet to recover. Will Goa be the ‘next’ Kerala?

𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗥𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔 𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕

Football clubs that aim to win big, probably calculate the players’ salaries which in most cases explain the clubs’ success. But is football just this? 

This is the truth, especially in this new football era. Whoever puts more money on the table can secure success as well as sponsors.

But then, how do other clubs generate enough revenues to be able to sustain a team all season?

Although the football industry under ISL has become one of the most lucrative in Indian football, costs of clubs outside ISL have soared over the years. 

There are rumors that other prominent senior Goan teams may consider pulling out their teams like Salgaocars. 

If that is true, it will be a sad tragedy for Goan football.

For me, the 8 seasons that I spent with Salgaocars between 1990 and 1998 were some of the best years of my life; memories of those days will remain inscribed in my heart for a long, long time. 

I will surely cherish the great moments for a lifetime.