armstrongvazblogsfromgoa

Socorro Vaz charts Goa's football progress through Futsal Margao: It’s rainy season in Goa, and it rains cats and mouse in the coastal state of India. Time to have some real hot hot pakoda’s and roasted cashew nuts along with your evening tea before you venture out to play football in the muddy water of your local playground. The local playground may be available or not available for Rui and his friends depending on which grounds they want to spend playing football. Local grounds constructed by government and maintained by Sports Authority of Goa in different villages and cities are a strict no go for Rui and his friends. Rui is not the only one in football-crazy Goa who wants to enjoy playing football in the rainy season. There are many others. Gavin is one of them and he has had no problem of rains and lack of grounds throughout the season for the last three years. Gavin is a new breed of young aspiring footballers who pay

Football is worth saving in Goa Football is worth saving. Goa Football Association needs to take its ball and make it talk.  It is past time to rid of lethargy at GFA. It is like a gangrenous limb that requires amputation before the infection spreads and the beautiful game becomes decayed beyond all possible recognition. Yes, football is still unquestionably the most popular sport on the planet. But a cloistered, corrupt like situation cannot function in a WikiLeaks world. It’s easy to be cynical about all of this, but cynicism is a luxury we can no longer afford.   Anyone paying attention to the myriad injustices emerging in the Goan football of the 21st century can see that the stakes are a great deal higher than whether a few palms are greased.

‘Cash for votes’ creeps in to 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 compl

Short-term player’s contracts rule the roost at Goa Professional League Disturbing trend emerges in Goan football                                    Daulat Dessai, 28, is a ‘professional’ football player, hails from Cuncolim and is due to play for one of the low-budgeted club in the Goa Professional League (GPL). He will earn around two lakhs if agrees to sign a four-month contract for the upcoming GPL event with one of the Goan club. Daulat has a difficult choice, like many of the so called ‘professional’ football players of Goa, he either can opt for a full one-year contract or a short four-month contract, the choice is his. But does he have a choice? Certainly not say football officials who know a thing or two about the murky behind the scenes which ail Goan football. First and foremost the low-budget Goan clubs of GPL opt for short contracts which help them to cut on the budget. The clubs sole aim to play in the Goa-related league and tournaments. Go

AJ+ Call for Short Documentary Pitches Al Jazeera is preparing to launch a new digital platform called Project AJ+.  AJ+ is geared toward a youthful international audience that is most comfortable engaging with media on their mobile phones.  We are looking to commission original, innovative and engaging short documentaries produced by journalists, filmmakers and production companies around the world.  We’re soliciting for pitches for stories driven by strong characters interacting with the world around them, compelling voices and narratives, and unique insights into events, issues or phenomena that may be local but resonate globally. (We’re particularly interested in commissioning pieces from producers and filmmakers who are indigenous to or at least based in the place or region they are covering.) Stories should be current but not necessarily tied to current events. In addition to current affairs docs, we’re looking for pieces that address technology, sports, science, cu