Q. The team seems to be picking up at the right time. What advice do you give to the team to ward off competition team?
A. Zico- I always tell them to keep the seriousness that they have been having till now. We should always respect the opposing team and play football.

Q. How much do you enjoy playing in your current position and also what do you have to say about your performance today?
A. Santos- I have played in this position before and all the credit goes to Zico since he put me in this position and he knew that I can do well in this position. I am very happy with my performance today, but I know without help from my team it would have not been possible. Like coach said, have to continue playing well and not take anything for granted. We have to keep working hard and look to achieve our target.

Q. Are you happy with the refereeing today?
A. Zico- I have no complaints about the main referee, but the line referee I am not very pleased. His role is not to tell when it is a foul, but to help the main referee with off-sides. But here he was refereeing himself. I am not just talking about the referees in India, but around the world. I don’t agree with the role of the line referee around the world. His role is to help the main referee.

Q. Do you think FC Goa should have won with more margins?
A. Zico- We are not complaining. The opposing team did very good goalkeeping. It shows why he was the main goalkeeper in the England team. I think the team deserved the victory that we got today and I would have been satisfied even if Goa had won 1-0. But we saw how we dominated the game today.

Q. With this win, Goa is in third position. Do you think it is a secured position?
A. Zico- No team is safe. Maybe Chennai, but other teams are not safe. With the third position we are not taking anything for granted.

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Said Andre Santos post his training session,”It is a pleasure that I got a chance to come to Goa. People received me very warmly. I am a bit tired because of the long journey but I am glad to be here. It is really amazing training with Zico and Robert Pires. The whole team accepted me warmly on the first day itself and i am sure we will put forward a very good tournament”

Talking about Andre Santos, coach Zico said,” It is really good that Andre Santos has come over in to the squad. He was the last piece that was missing, now we are a full team. His quality and experience will help the team a lot. Even though’ he has come in late, the team has accepted him and they are very excited too.

A youth product of Figueirense in Brazil, Santos participated and helped Brazil capture the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He joined EPL team Arsenal from Fenerbache in 2011 and eventually moved to Brazil to play with Gremio followed by Flamengo.

At the national level, André Santos was initially considered the heir to the throne occupied by Roberto Carlos. He represented the ‘Seleção’ in 24 matches, and was a part of the 2009 Confederations Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup, and 2011 Copa America squads.

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Ahead of ISL, which will begin on October 12, the franchise teams have been playing friendly matches with various football clubs. In its earlier friendly matches played some days ago FC Goa triumphed over Sesa Football Academy by a margin of 3 goals (Score 3-0) and scored a win against the India national U-19 team with a score of 4-0.

FC Goa players training at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Goa,

FC Goa’s marquee coach, Brazilian legend and three-time World Cupper Arthur Antunes Coimbra fondly known as Zico has been putting the FC Goa squad through a rigorous training schedule and is gearing up for the first season of the ISL.

FC Goa recently roped in two of Dempo SC’s foreign imports – Australian Tolgay Ozbey and Haroon Amiri of Afghanistan – for the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL). Former Dempo player Ranty Martins presently with East Bengal has also been selected by FC Goa to be part of the squad weeks before the start of the ISL. Forrmer Arsenal and Brazil international player Andre Santos is expected to join the squad shortly.

FC Goa, one of the eight teams to compete in the 2014 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) to be held between October and December has already established a significant fan base. Fans, both young and old, are rooting for the team from Goa

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FC Goa fans at Tilak Maidan for the first pre season game

FC Goa Manager and Chief Coach, Zico in a training session at Tilak Maidan

Rhys Mascarenhas, 28, found his love for football by accident. His uncle engaged in football and usually asked ten year old Rhys to accompany him to the games, often having to bribe him with an ice cream or Coca Cola. Today, Rhys is an ardent follower of the sport and is a partner in his own sports talent management agency.

This month, the footie fan from Vasco has been visiting Tilak Maidan, Vasco, everyday to watch FC Goa train. Speaking about the football franchise, FC Goa, he says, “This team looks very promising. There are a lot of youngsters playing in it and they are very dedicated to their game. Moreover they have Zico coaching them!”

“FC Goa has a fabulous line up,” opines Richard Dias, Business Partner, Radioactive Entertainment and an ardent football lover, “I’m an Arsenal fan so it’s exciting to see Robert Pires and Andre Santos been signed up for the team. I saw the friendly matches that FC Goa recently played against Sesa FA and the India U-19; it was a good game. With the team putting up a good game, it will only get stronger.”

Yolanda Souza, artist and a former international football player says, “FC Goa is a great initiative, we have really good backing in the name of Zico and this will help us move one step forward. Zico is magic, but for magic to work, all the players should put their best foot forward; it is only time that will tell what happens.”

Sharing his thoughts on the Indian Super League, Rhys Mascarenhas comments, “ISL has evoked an interest in a lot of people. Due to the influence of ISL, a lot of non-football lovers are also nurturing an interest in football. FC Goa, for instance has the star power of Zico and Robert Pires; the kind of buzz this has created among the public is evident in the reception they are getting. ISL will increase the followers of football, improve the infrastructure of the sport in India and sponsors will also come in as a result.”

Noel Rodrigues, 65, has been a frequent visitor to Tilak Maidan, Vasco and in more than half a century, the sexagenarian has watched hundreds of matches on the local, national and international level. “I have been watching matches on this ground since my childhood. Football has evolved a lot since then not just in terms of the infrastructure but also the professionalism. But, I had never imagined in my wildest dreams that someone like Zico or Robert Pires would come to Goa and train our local boys to play at this level of competition”, exclaimed Noel.

Shy and soft spoken, Danny Furtado, 21, makes sure that he finishes his work every day at The HQ Hotel, Vasco as soon as possible so that he and his companions can watch their football hero Robert Pires train at the ground. The boys had designed and printed a colourful banner displaying Pires and FC Goa and turned up at the Dabolim Airport to welcome their hero. “There was a lot of crowd so we couldn’t reach him,” says a starry-eyed Danny, “But we have been visiting the grounds everyday simply to watch him play and will get the banner signed by him soon.” he adds opening up the 5X6 banner that he was carrying along to get autographed.

Commenting on the contribution of ISL to Indian football, fans feel that there will be a lot of improvement in the quality of football in Goa which will assist in elevating the standard of the game. “We have a lot of big names in the team, so one can expect FC Goa to perform exceedingly well,” opines Noel Rodrigues. “The players have been implementing the skills taught to them by Zico; this was evident in the friendly’ game that FC Goa played opposite Sesa FA and the India U-19 squad.”

Rhys also points how the humility of the Brazilian football legend is helping boost the confidence of the players. “Coaches usually monitor the training sessions and make the assistant coach do all the running around. Unlike them, Zico himself is training the players, ably assisted by Arthur Papas. He is constantly guiding them and instructing them how to go about it. He’s very relaxed on the field and does not put any pressure on the players either. Also, training under the wing of Zico, players can probably aid in incorporate the Brazilian style of play.”

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Santos, who played for Arsenal has signed on for FC Goa and will join the squad shortly.

A youth product of Figueirense in Brazil, Santos participated and helped Brazil capture the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He joined EPL team Arsenal from Fenerbache in 2011 and eventually moved to Brazil to play with Gremio followed by Flamengo. Andre will be moving from Brazil to Goa soon.

FC Goa roped in two of Dempo SC’s foreign imports – Australian Tolgay Ozbey and Haroon Amiri of Afghanistan – for the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL)

FC Goa are all set to face Chennaiyin FC in their opening game on 15th October 2014.

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