For a state that prides itself about its football culture and passion, the football stadiums have been relatively empty in the last few years.
Thus, it was refreshing to see the GMC Athletic stadium in Bambolim packed with fans cheering on the home side Goa who were trying to take on West Bengal in their bid to win the Santosh Trophy for the sixth time. The sound of the ghumot beats reverberated throughout the stadium and the crowd was pumped and excited. The Goan team was in good form having just beaten Kerala in the semi final. However, the 31 time winner West Bengal side that had not conceded a single goal in the entire tournament proved too much for the young Goan side. As fans at the stadium and those at home watching the game live on their television sets, hoped that the match would head to the penalties, Goa that had managed to hold of a tough Bengal side for 119 minutes, conceded a goal in the penultimate minute of extra time and lost the finals.
The stadium fell silent as the fans, many of them who were watching a game for the first time, were left disappointed no doubt but football enthusiasts were pleased to see the large turnout for the game. Especially as a tournament as old as the Santosh trophy managed to inject some interest among Goans at a time when empty seats were a common sight for such games. Arjuna Awardee and former India forward Bruno Coutinho, who captained the Goa side that won the Santosh trophy in 1990, speaking during the half time break, recalled how there were around twenty four thousand fans watching that final that was held in Margao. There’s hope that the the players of the current Goa team will emulate the likes of Bruno Coutinho and go on to represent the country.
