Goa, Bengal join hands to develop Indian football

Panaji: Goa and Bengal, the two traditional power centres of Indian football, have come together to take the game forward, particularly with grassroots development.

Goa Football Association president Caitano Fernandes, accompanied by vice president Anthony Pango and executive committee member Custodio Fernandes met top officials of the Indian Football Association (IFA), the governing body for football in Bengal, in Kolkata on Monday.

“Both associations expressed enthusiasm about the potential of this partnership to usher in a new era of growth and progress for Indian football,” the associations said in a joint statement on Monday. “Overall, the collaboration between Bengal and Goa signifies a significant step forward in uniting regional football forces to collectively elevate the sport's stature and impact in the country.”

IFA president Ajit Bandopadhyay, vice president Sourav Pal, treasurer Debashish Sarkar and secretary Anirban Dutta were present for the meeting.

According to the statement, the meeting outlined strategies for player exchanges across different age groups, enhancing refereeing standards, promoting coaches’ development, boosting women’s football and strengthening grassroots initiatives.

Goa and Bengal are among the two traditional power centres of Indian football. Bengal have won the National Football Championship for a record 32 times, while Goa have emerged champions on five occasions, the last in 2009.

Bengal, coincidentally, won their last Santosh Trophy in Goa when they defeated the hosts 1-0 at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim in 2017 with Manvir Singh scoring the winner.

Between 1996 and 1999, Bengal and Goa were involved in four successive Santosh Trophy finals with Bengal winning all four. The two states, however, are not producing footballers like in the past while their leagues too are not among the best in the country.





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