‘Cash for votes’ creeps into Goan football

‘Cash for votes’ creeps into Goan football

Some will call it moral bankruptcy, others will point out it as a lack for strategic plan but for a silent majority it is plain bribery.

The cancer of ‘cash for votes’ is slowly but surely creeping into the Goa Football Association (GFA) elections. After all football is part of Goan life and it is but natural for all the good things (read bad things) to find way into the football system of Goa.

Goa polity has been used to political parties and candidates doling out liquor, cash and other goodies in the run up to the state and assembly elections for the last few decades.

The last elections of the GFA Executive Committee held four years back was the first time money was paid and promised to the clubs by one of the contestant who lost the president’s election to Srinivas Dempo of Dempo SC.

Dempo for the records did not indulge in any unfair practices but won on merit the confidence of the clubs.

Some of the clubs complained, during the last elections that they were promised money by GFA but they did not get any money from them.

Here is what Keizar Martins President of Orlim Sports Club had to say in an interview with The Goan: “Running a club is tough business. We need approximately a lakh every year to run this club. It is a constant battle. We have to conduct tiatrs and fairs to generate funds. We have had politicians contributing money. Churchill Alemao had provided us with two lakhs last year and we conducted an inter-village tournament named after his parents. Players today demand money for every match. We have to pay them Rs 500 per match. Where will all this money come from? The GFA promised to give us one lakh every year. Nothing has been forthcoming. The cost of running a club increases every year.”

So who was the GFA official who promised them money and for what is a million dollar guess.

And now the ball is in Elvis Gomes court, the newly elected president of GFA.

The clubs say they want money and “that is the reason we have elected Elvis”, says Kaiser in a facebook comment on the Goa for Goans forum after the election of the new Executive Committee of GFA.

Elvis, heads the Goa Football Development Council (GDFC) a government funded body which has been on a centre-starting spree in the state, setting up some 25 odd of them in the last two years.

The GDFC has come with a draft football policy in 2013, which is yet to be implemented, and which was unveiled in match last year. One of the suggestion in the draft policy is setting up a one crore fund.

“It is therefore proposed to set up Football for Freedom Fund with an initial contribution of Rs. 1 crore from the Government. A high power Committee under the GFDC will administer this fund. Contributions will be accepted from various bodies private, public and individual,” according to the Goa Football Policy draft

When that fund will be operational remains to be seen. But till that time Elvis will have to keep many a ‘hungry and angry’ birds like the president of Orlim Sports Club happy.

How he will do it for the next four years will be an ultimate test of his organizational skills.

And it is not just the case of Orlim SC but more than 150-odd clubs all who are vying for a slice of the GFA and GDFC pie.

GFA has over 185 clubs registered with them and for every four years they meet on the last Sunday of July to elect an executive committee. Thereafter they meet once every year on the same Sunday to deliberate and discuss issues involving Goan football.

The ‘July Sunday’ is the only time the low rung Goan clubs can rub shoulders with the top executive of the state association. For most part of the years the clubs are non-entity has no say in the way football is developed and marketed in the state.

For most village clubs in Goa football development is an alien thing. Question them about youth development programmes and they shot back saying “which of the clubs in Goa have youth development programmes.”

If one goes by Kaiser’s assertions then the all the Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-20 tournaments conducted in Goa by GFA are a farce.

But for the records most of the clubs do not have any youth development programmes. The clubs still function the old traditional way, aiming for footballers to develop on their own.

But a few inter village clubs are an expectation. So it is time GFA identify the clubs and set a specific yearly fund for their youth development programmes and also monitor their progress of such clubs.

It will not be right thing to dole cash left and right for non-performing clubs that will be sending a wrong signal.