WE SUPPORT DEMAND FOR CAMPAL SOCCER GROUND by A. Veronica Fenandes, Kuwait

I was extremely glad to know that a movement has been started in Panjim Goa under the skippership of well known Goan Doctor Rufino Monteiro, Panjim Corporator Surendra Furtado, Joaquim Teles, Sandeep Hoble, Hillary Fernandes, Manoj Patil, Anju Albuquerque & Angha Warlikar and supported by well known yester years gigantic footballers to force the Goa Government to rebuild this once famous Campal soccer Stadium.

I on behalf of all my like minded kuwait Goans, all lovers of football and Campal Stadium in particular support the rebuild of this stadium.

Campal stadium is not the pride of Panjimites and Goans living in the vicinity of Panjim only, in fact it is the pride of entire Goa. After the construction of this Stadium, Dayananda Bandodkar the Chief Minister of Goa sent a message to All India Football Federation Gen. Secretary Mr. Ziauddin who was the head of Western Indian Football Association, saying “Emulate our feat, we have in Goa now 3 major stadia while you under WIFA in Bombay is having only one at Cooperage”. Bandodkar was very proud of this Stadium and people in Goa too were very proud of this Stadium. It catered to the needs of the people in Ilhas as well as in Bardez.

Campal Stadium can easily boast of hosting some of the best encounters held in Goa either from Goan League or from outstation teams. One such encounter which still fresh in my mind was the encounter between Bengal and Kerala when Goa hosted first time the National Santosh Trophy somewhere in 1971. It was most memorable not only because of the most memorable soccer dished out by both the teams but more than that because of the disaster that took place there on that day when the match was in progress.

I was seated in the Stand on the side of the main road, this Stand was wooden and not very strong, as a fun some of the spectators seated there were shaking it purposely and laughing as if it was a big joke. As usual my sixth sense awakened me telling something disastrous will happen and immediately I left from that Stand and took a seat on the Concrete Stand towards the East. Immediately within a second the Wooden Stand came down collapsing like wild fire. Everyone was stunned to see the spectators occupying that Stand fallen one over the other, bruised and injured, all shouting and screaming while a few seconds before this disaster the same spectators were laughing and joking.

Dayananda Bandodkar was attending this match seated on the West side of the Stand where normally the VIP’s are seated. He was wearing a big Mexican type of Helmet. Within no time he jumped from his seat like a spring and ran on to the ground like a sprinter runnin 100 netre in the Olympics, out beating everyone around and with him and personally and physically started giving helping hand to the spectators trapped there under the collapsed Stand. Meantime Referee has stopped the proceedings of the game and players from both the teams were totally dazed to see the calamity happening in front of their eyes though by the grace of God no one died nor seriously injured.

I am very much nostaalgic of this Stadium because some of my best games representing Sesa Goa, I played on that ground. Some of the best games played by Goan teams were played at Campal Stadium and some of the best Goan players who played their dazzling soccer was at this Stadium.

I hold Parrikar responsible for the fiasco of Campal Stadium. First of all he should not have gone ahead of demolishing this Stadium without finalising all the required formalities to rebuild the new Stadium immediately following the demolition of the old Stadium. Now shedding Crocodiles tears saying he could not rebuild this Stadium because his Government suddenly collapsed is a childish argument. This is not a sound excuse, it is a lame excuse. His Government came into being thru chicanery and rightly it should go the same way. It is the Law of Nature, one must pay obeisance to this Law if one has to succeed in life. After all was it not said in Bible that “Sword Beget Sword?” Like Dayananda Bandodkar, Parrikar is also a communal and communal forces will never succeed in Goa because Goa is not a fertile land for such forces though at times communal skirmishes will certainly appear. Blaming Musarad for the collapse of his Government is not a right excuse. Musarad was the creation of Natural Law to teach Parrikar a very good lesson for creating Goa communal. By toppling his Ministry Goa was saved from further communalization by Parrikar’s BJP. Parrikar’s fall deservingly was the blessing in disguise though a setback for the construction of New Campal Stadium.

The one day soccer festival held at Campal Ground recently with the participation of 118 teams to awaken the conscience of the present government to rebuild the Campal Stadium was a right step in a democratic manner. Some of our Kuwaitkar football lovers currently vacationing in Goa if were informed in advance could have joined there in that one day soccer festival on behalf of Kuwait Goans because many of our Kuwait Goans like me played there at one time or the other and we have love for that Stadium and such we too want a Stadium there.