-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | | Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mahindra, Sporting main challenge for Dempo: Colaco 04 Jan 2006 - UNI
Panaji, Jan 3: The main challenge for defending champions Dempo Sports Club will be from Mahindra United, Mumbai and Sporting Club de Goa in the tenth edition of the National Football League Championship which gets underway from Janaury 10. Dempo captain Stanely Colaco, interacting with media persons along with Sporting, Salgaocar and Fransa coaches at a meet-the-press organised jointly by Sports Journalists Association of Goa and Goa Football Association here today, said his team is keen to retain the title this year with performance of Kolkata teams-East Bengal and Mohan Bagan-showing a decline. The Goan teams, on the other hand, have done well. His team will play with three foreigners-Brazilian Beto, Nigerian Majek Bolaji and Renty Martin in the NFL championship. He said Sporting and Mahindra are both good teams and have good forward line and defense. "As Riston Rodrigues and Climax Lawrence are in the injury list, we will find it a little difficult initially. But, gradually, we will perform well," Colaco said. Sporting coach Clifford Chukuwuma said, "We hope to perform well in the NFL, though we lost in the Durand Cup finals in Delhi and Federation Cup finals in Goa. Our team is still in the learning process." Retaining most of last year's top players was an advantage with his team, Chukuwama said and agreed that Dempo and Mahindra are very good teams in the NFL this year. Salgaocar coach Shabbir Ali admitted that their performance had been very poor in the Goa Professional league due to a lack of strike force, "but our team will perform better in the NFL". There are always ups and downs and we will try to put up a good show, he said. I firmly believe all the ten teams in the league are equals and the team playing better will win, he said. Fransa coach Norbert Gonsalves said compared to last year, they had a new squad this year and had a tough time rebuilding the team. "Though we are the underdogs, we will try to survive and finish in the top teams," he said. On paper, all the teams in the NFL are well balanced sides, he added. All the four Goan NFL teams expressed preference for holding the matches at 1700 hours when asked about it by GFA secretary Savio Messeis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
