India looks to Portugal to discover its goal-route to global status

From Frederick Noronha

Panaji (Goa), Feb 24: Five centuries after Portugal 'discovered' the sea route to India, the sub-continent is hoping to harness the south-western European republic to march towards greater footballing heights globally.

This time too, Goa is expected to play a key role in this trans-continental encounter. On Wednesday, a seven-member strong Portuguese team landed in Goa to train trainers in soccer. They will concentrate on the coaches of under-12 players.

They're from the University of Porto's faculty of sports sciences and physical education, from the northern city of the country of 10.5 million.

This follows an Indo-Portuguese memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in September 2004. Prof Julio Garganta and Prof Jorge Pinto, both from Porto University, will conduct the six-day residential football course for coaches of Under-12 players in Goa.

Thirty coaches, including 20 from Goa itself, will benefit from this venture. Among others on the delegation sent by last year's World Cup finalists are Portuguese Olympic Committee president Commandante Vincente Moura and director of the Portuguese sports newspaper 'A Bola'.

Over six days, coaches will get coached on educational and scientific strategies in coaching youth. Course content focuses on training young players, basic concepts of coaching, game phases and specific tasks, offensive and defensive principles in football, planning training sessions, basic movements and positions, game analysis and more.

Obviously thrilled to be in this soccer crazy state, which also shares colonial links with Portugal the past-bitterness over which has somewhat dimmed, the visitors promised to bright about something meaningful through the exchange.

"Football is key to the Goan character," said mining tycoon Shivanand Salgaocar, the president of the Goa Football Association, and treasurer of the All India Football Federation, speaking at a function to launch the program.

"It's a most significant tie-up," said Goa sports director Dr Susana DeSouza. "This huge delegation to our small state shows that despite all these years of separation, Portugal's heart is in Goa," she added, alluding to the particularly unpleasant end to Portuguese colonial rule in 1961.

Portugal's consul general in Goa Pedro Cabral Adao said sports played the role that diplomats needed to play -- of building bridges between cultures and people -- but only in a much more pleasant manner.

Referring to Goa's support of Portugal in the last World Cup finals, he said: "One day, I wish India can reach a World Cup final, with a lot of Goan players in the team. We will all be so proud."

Goa was a colony of Portugual from 1510 to 1961. In the mid-seventies, India and Portugal resumed friendly relations, and have since worked towards normalcy and better ties.

With a population of just 1.4 million in a nation of a billion-plus, Goa currently has six of its teams competing in the 12-team strong National Football League. Some here have suggested Portugal could play the role of rebuilding Indian football's global profile, as was its position in the early 1950s. (ENDS)

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