~by Gasper Crasto ...30.06.2016
Football is said to be running in every Goan’s blood; Goans are just too proud to be associated with the game.
The contribution of Goan football cannot be overstated. Goan clubs, past and present, perhaps have won more trophies and titles amongst them at the national level than all other states combined.
However, greatness of the clubs and the beautiful game itself which brought glory to Goans seem to be at the lowest level of its existence till date.
WHY?
Two giant clubs from Goa – the celebrated Salgaocar Football Club, and Sporting de Goa, have pulled out of the I-League.
The news was ‘shocking and disheartening!’
Sporting Goa had finished 4th in the 2015-16 edition of the league while Salgaocar were 7th in the 9 team I-League.
Salgaocar is one of the most iconic clubs of India. The name alone used to draw thousands of fans to the stadium. The club which brought laurels galore for Goan football won the I-League 2 times and were runners-up once, while they won the prestigious Federation Cup 4 times and were runners up thrice, plus they were winners of the historical Durand Cup 3 times.
This news mean there will be just 1 team in the I-League next season i.e Dempo Sports Club who qualified from the 2nd Div I-League.
The promotion of Dempo SC back to the I-League is great news for Goan football or else there would be no Goan team at the National level apart from FC Goa in the 2 and half month ‘spectacle’ - Indian Super League (ISL).
Dempo stormed back after just one season in the second tier, their return could not have come at a better time.
Churchill Bros, a powerhouse in football for several years, had earlier disbanded their team from the I-League in 2014, while the famous Vasco Club have lost survival even in the 2nd Division I-League.
FOOTBALL PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
The National I-League was all set to expand in the coming seasons. A lot of efforts were put into grassroots development by I-League clubs for the last two decades. However, it was revealed recently by AIFF that from 2017-18 season India's new football structure will be as follows:
1. The top tier of Indian football will be the ISL.
2. I-League will be known as League One and will become the 2nd tier league
3. 2nd Div I-League will be called as League Two and will be the 3rd tier
WHY DID SALGAOCAR & SPORTING PULL OUT?
In a joint statement called the Greens and the Flaming Oranje, the 2 clubs claim that:
1. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is heavily biased against the I-League and its clubs.
2. The AIFF has ‘relegated’ the I-League to a 2nd tier league and did away with promotion - replacing merit with a franchisee fee as the primary criteria for participating in the league.
3. The ISL (Indian Super League) would leapfrog the I-League to become the nation’s top league, with no relegation and guarantees the winner representation at the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) level, with the other available spot going to the winner of a tournament that again is heavily tilted in favor of ISL franchisees.
4. The AIFF has still not settled dues to I-League clubs dating as far back as 2008.
It was evident that, rather than wait another year to face the inevitable, Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa decided to take the painful decision to withdraw.
There are rumors that Dempo are considering pulling out too. If that is true, it will be a sad tragedy for Goan football.
WHAT ABOUT FC GOA
FC Goa has emerged as the ‘heart of Goans’ ever since the ISL started. However, there was another setback for Goan football in May 2016.
Indian Super League (ISL) commission handed FC Goa an unprecedented three-fold punishment for ‘unsporting behavior’ following defeat to Chennaiyin FC in last season’s ISL final. The consequences:
1. a huge fine of Rs. 11 crores,
2. a 15-point deduction at the start of next season
3. long-term suspensions to its co-owners, Dattaraj Salgaocar and Shrinivas Dempo
The news of the fine made headlines across India and the world.
Apparently, FC Goa have filed an appeal against the verdict, but so far there is no update on the case. If the verdict withstands, it will deal a fatal blow to FC Goa’s 2016 ISL campaign.
- The fine itself is more than half the entire season’s player salary cap of Rs. 20 crores.
- Goa’s purchasing power will be considerably reduced for at least a season. Goa will not be able to buy quality players with ‘small’ money.
- A 15-point deduction in an 8-team league which has only 42 points to play for in a season, is one of the most severe bans to a club anywhere in the world.
In a 14 game league, it will mean Goa have already lost 5 matches before the season has even kicked off.
FC Goa may have reached the finals last season but that did not bring them huge profits. It should be noted that FC Goa lost Rs. 32 crores in the first year through operating expenses.
The cost of Goa Franchise itself is costing the owners approx. Rs. 12 crore a year; FC Goa holds the franchise for a total of 10 years.
As far as gate-collection goes, Goa’s average capacity is only 18,000 per match which is far low considering Kerala Blasters and Athletic de Kolkata which has an average of nearly 50,000 spectators per match respectively.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN I-LEAGUE & ISL
I-League was formed to bring in more professionalism to Indian Football.
Apart from legacy teams like Salgaocar, Dempo, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, etc, corporate entry doors were opened in the sense the club did not have to go through ladder of promotions from lower divisions but could enter directly after paying certain amount of value.
However, the I-League failed in financial stability and numerous clubs went defunct due to the revenue model. Teams had to depend heavily on sponsors’ fee as merchandising & ticket sales were almost negligible and the broadcasting revenue went straight to AIFF instead of the clubs.
To bring in more brand value (commercially) Indian Super League (ISL) was formed in 2013.
INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE (ISL)
In business sense, ISL clubs are not football clubs but franchises. The owners bid for their franchises and made a team after winning their bids.
Only the 8 highest bids were selected.
1. Atlético de Kolkata,
2. Chennaiyin FC
3. Delhi Dynamos,
4. FC Goa,
5. Kerala Blasters,
6. Mumbai FC,
7. NorthEast United
8. Pune City
ISL teams can field 6 foreign outfield players. If the keeper is Indian, a team can have 6 foreigners playing upfront leaving only 4 Indians on the field.
EXISTING GOAN TEAMS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL – AS OF JUNE 2016
1. INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE:
Total Teams: 8
Goan Teams: 1 (FC Goa)
2. I-LEAGUE:
Total Teams: 9
Goan Teams: 1 (Salgaocar FC & Sporting de Goa pulled out); Dempo Promoted
3. 2ND DIV I-LEAGUE:
Total Teams: 10
Goan Teams: 0 (Dempo Sports Club – Promoted to I-League 2016~17
GOAN LEAGUES
GOA PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
The following 10 clubs competed in the Goan Professional League (GPL) during the 2015~16 season.
1. Calangute Association
2. Churchill Brothers
3. Curtorim Gymkhana
4. Dempo S.C.
5. Guardian Angel SC
6. Laxmi Prasad
7. Salgaocar FC
8. Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim
9. Sporting Clube de Goa
10. Vasco SC
- The Goa Professional League is played as a ten-team league with home-and-away fixtures.
- Last in the league is relegated to Goa 1st Division
- Sporting Clube de Goa are the reigning Champions
- Curtorim Gymkhana were relegated to 2nd Div
GFA FIRST DIVISION LEAGUE
The Goa Football Association First Division League is the 2nd tier football in the Indian state of Goa. It is the oldest league in Goa which began in 1951.
The following 8 clubs competed in the GFA First Division during the 2015—16 season.
1. CSM Minguel de Taleigao
2. Corps of Signals
3. Goa Velha SC
4. Goa Police SC
5. Panchwadi United SC
6. Penha de Franca SC
7. Sesa FA
8. UC Telaulim
- The league is played in the home-and-away format bringing the total number of matches to 14 for each team.
- League is played from January to March.
- The champions of the First Division get promoted to the Goa Professional League (GPL)
- The last place gets relegated to the 2nd Division.
- Champions for the season: Corps of Signal – Promoted
- Relegated to 2nd Div: Saligao Sporting
GOA 2ND DIVISION LEAGUE
The 2nd Division League for the last season consisted of 79 clubs from the following zones:
1. Ilhas Zone
2. Salcete Zone
3. Bardez Zone
4. Mormugao Zone
The top team qualifies for First Division League
GOA 3rd DIVISION LEAGUE
The 3rd Division League for the last season consisted of 128 clubs from the following zones:
1. Ilhas Zone
2. Salcete Zone
3. Bardez Zone
4. Mormugao Zone
The top team qualifies for 2nd Division League
ROAD AHEAD FOR GOAN CLUBS
There was a time when names like Camilo Gonsalves, Bruno Coutinho, Roy Barreto, Savio Medeira, etc, were household names in Goa.
In recent times though, Goan fans know more about the Portuguese Team or the English Premier League and La Liga than the Indian or the Goan teams.
Infact, whenever Portugal plays, most Goans seem to think it is Goa playing!
Perhaps it is the ‘DNA’ legacy of former colonial masters who brought football to Goa that draws Goan hearts towards them. Or it could be that passionate fans find no team in Goa to support, hence as a solace, the ‘traffic’ to Portugal.
GOAN ‘FOXIT’ - THE FOOTBALL EXIT?
The three-region axis of Kerala, Calcutta and Goa is where football really thrives in India.
The 90s were heady days for football in Kerala. The decade started with Kerala Police winning the Federation Cup twice, saw the emergence of stalwarts like IM Vijayan, Jo Paul Anchery and VP Sathyan and ended with FC Kochi on top of the Indian football pyramid.
Then came the turn of the millennium and Kerala slipped, banished from Eden to footballing oblivion.
Sixteen years later, Kerala is yet to recover even though they have 3-times more football fans attending games at stadiums than Goa.
The axis in recent years revolved around Calcutta and Goa. Will Goa be the ‘next’ Kerala?
With recent turn of events, the future of Goan football looks devastatingly ‘uncertain’. There is no disputing that Goan clubs are down and on the decline.
There was a time when any Dempo-Salgaocar game used to be a jam-packed contest. Nowadays, even a free entry for games fails to fill the stands.
If the situation does not improve, Goan teams and players will be the ones to suffer.
- With docked points, FC Goa will have nothing to play for next season.
- Fans may not be interested to attend matches either if they see no competition.
- The owners of FC Goa may not continue if they keep suffering losses in crores.
- Traffic jams, unorganized parking/seating arrangements, etc, keep the crowds away from going at the stadium.
Moreover, the Fatorda stadium itself, where most of the top games are held, is not a proper football stadium like in Kerala or Culcutta, fans do not really enjoy games to the max. where stands are miles away from the real action.
- Salary scale of players could be badly hit; plenty of players will be available in the ‘market’ at a ‘premium’.
- Players may not be interested to play if their demands are not met.
The coming months will be crucial for thousands of Goan football fans. Everyone will be waiting with baited breath to see if Goan clubs will be at their peak as usual, or get themselves inducted in a football museum.
ABOUT THE WRITER: GASPER CRASTO
The writer is a former Goa & Salgaocar FC player. Played for Salgaocar between 1991~98; played in 2 Federation Cup Finals).
NOTE:
Some stats and details are 're-searched' from various sources for better understanding of the reader. Discrepancy if any may please be raised up for correction. ~gc