The lack of representation of Goan players in India’s age-group-level teams was a cause for concern raised during the Sportstar Sports Conclave Goa in Panjim on Friday. The panel discussion touched upon the dwindling stocks of football talent in the state, with experts pointing out the decline in the number of Goan clubs in the top tiers of Indian football.
Pradhyum Reddy, CEO of Dempo SC, expressed his worries about the situation, stating, The number of clubs in the top tiers has declined. The absolute numbers in terms of players playing on the national team are around the same. The number of minutes played by players from Goa on the national teams is relatively constant. Just in the last World Cup campaign, it has dropped now. We just have one player consistently playing minutes. Goa has very little to no representation at the Under-23, Under-20, Under-19, and Under-17 levels of the national team. The knock-on effect of that is seen 10 years down the line.
Caetano Fernandes, the president of the Goa Football Association, attributed the decline to a lack of vision in the leadership over the past decade. He highlighted the stark contrast in the number of players from Goa participating in the I-League from 2005 to 2015 compared to the present scenario. Fernandes emphasized that the association has made efforts to strengthen grassroots football in Goa and hopes to see a significant increase in the number of Goan players representing the country.
The scarcity of Goan clubs in the top tiers of Indian football was a major issue discussed by all panelists. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, former India goalkeeper and captain, pointed out that the absence of such clubs limits the opportunities for players after they graduate from age-group football. Apart from Churchill Brothers in the I-League and FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL), there are few options available for talented players from Goa.
Echoing the sentiment, Manolo Marquez, the head coach of FC Goa, stressed the importance of having the best coaches in the academies to lift Indian football to a higher level. Marquez highlighted the need for a strong grassroots development program, comparing it to the culture of football in his home country, where playing the sport begins at an early age. He emphasized that development should go beyond mere rhetoric and focus on effective execution to nurture future talent.
The panel discussion was moderated by Aashin Prasad, a senior reporter from Sportstar.
The Sportstar Sports Conclave Goa 2024 was organized in collaboration with various sponsors, including Hero We Care, Hero Motocorp CSR Initiative, Goa Tourism, Indian Oil, Geno Sports Club, KSG India, State Bank of India, KPMG, Great SportsTech, Casagrand, and NewsX.
Overall, the conclave shed light on the challenges faced by Goan football and the need for proactive measures to revive the state’s footballing prowess. The consensus among the experts was that investment in grassroots development, along with the appointment of top-quality coaches, is crucial for India to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with in international football.
