The Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy tournament, that ended a few days ago, brought back memories of what was once called the Bandodkar Gold Trophy and the teams and players that one saw in action.
The 1970s and 1980s, the time when I was a school-going student, the Bandodkar Gold Cup was the football tournament that we awaited.
The stadium at Campal was small, the one at Margao a bit larger, and it wasn’t always possible to get tickets and travel to the stadium.
It didn’t matter whether we were able to watch the matches live or not.
We followed the matches on the next day’s newspapers, and got a blow-by-blow account of the on-field proceedings of the finals on the main channel of All India Radio, beside which we sat glued for the entire 90 minutes of the match or even longer if it went into extra time.
And so, in the absence of television, the radio commentary it was, alternating between Konkani and English, that brought to our living rooms the live action taking place on the field.
We followed the matches on the next day’s newspapers, and got a blow-by-blow account of the on-field proceedings of the finals on the main channel of All India Radio, beside which we sat glued for the entire 90 minutes of the match or even longer if it went into extra time.
We would hold our breaths when Camilo Gonsalves or Dionisio Trinidade got the ball in the opponents half, breathe a sigh of relief when Mahesh Lotlikar or Nicholas Pereira cleared the ball from their half, or when Brahmanand Shankwalker dived and deflected the ball over the side line.
We would almost shout out to Armando Colaco and Mauricio Afonso as they created opportunities to their forwards.
Those are memories of the Bandodkar Gold Trophy that will remain with a large section of Goans for a lifetime.
Much later came the striking duo of Bruno Coutinho and Roy Barreto and we cheered them also, hoping always that the Goan Club would win.
Well, Dempo Sports Club and Salgaocar Sports Club did not disappoint and between themselves picked up many of the titles, with Dempo holding the record for eight final wins.
Such was the domination of the Goan teams that Calcutta (it was Calcutta then and not Kolkata) clubs Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting never got their hands on the Gold Trophy, though they did enter and play.
Yes, these two power houses of West Bengal football did send their first 11 to the Bandodkar Gold Trophy, that’s how important the tournament was. And then, in 1992, the last Bandodkar Gold Trophy tournament was held.
Such was the domination of the Goan teams that Calcutta (it was Calcutta then and not Kolkata) clubs Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting never got their hands on the Gold Trophy, though they did enter and play.
For the next 24 years, there was not a whiff of the trophy or the tournament. Then suddenly, in 2016, it was revived, but just for a year as a U-21 tournament and not held again until now in 2024
The Bandodkar Gold Trophy, as it was called at that time, was the finest tournament organised by the Goa Football Association (GFA) that drew the cream of clubs and talent from across the country.
It showcased Goa’s football to the rest of the country at a time when the West Bengal teams dominated the football scene. And then somehow, the association lost interest and the tournament was kept in abeyance.
Now, in 2024, after a single edition in 2016, the Bandodkar Memorial Trophy is not even a pale shadow of what it was in its heyday. And yet, the GFA has touted it as the ‘marquee event of the season’ promising that the best teams from Goa and India would participate in it.
Well, it did have the big clubs – FC Goa, Mumbai FC, Kerala Blasters, Dempo Sports Club and others – but the teams did not play their first 11.
The teams on the ground, of most clubs, were their second or third sides and the tournament was held at Duler ground, Mapusa, not at the Fatorda stadium in South Goa.
The Bandodkar Gold Trophy, as it was called at that time, was the finest tournament organised by the Goa Football Association (GFA) that drew the cream of clubs and talent from across the country.
Shouldn’t a ‘marquee event’ with the ‘best teams’ be held at the largest football stadium in Goa?
There appears to be a slip between the planning and the execution as what was witnessed was definitely neither a tournament that can be described as a marquee tournament, nor any high quality of football expected from a tournament billed in such manner.
Is this the best that GFA can give Goan football in terms of tournaments?
We admit that GFA has promised to bring two foreign teams, in addition to the two outstation teams, for the next Bandodkar Trophy.
The stress, however, should be on bringing the first side of the teams to Goa and not the second or third string. Having the best teams will redeem the legacy of the Bandodkar Gold Trophy, and also give Goan football aficionados some entertaining football.
The Bandodkar Gold Trophy was definitely the marquee football event of the 1970s and 1980s, but if the current Bandodkar Memorial Trophy is being pegged as the marquee event of the season, then it is a major step down for the Goa Football Association.