Basket Case ANDREA FERNANDES/ THE GOAN November 22, 2014
Since the beginning there were two bodies governing basketball in Goa, the Goa Basketball Association (GBA) and Association of Goan Basketball. GBA managed to get recognition by the Basketball Federation of India but now the situation within the GBA deteriorated and two rival groups are seeking to split the body in two There are dark days ahead for basketball in this state, especially where there is a major divide within the governing body. A side headed by Fr Ralin claims that Goans are deprived from participating in the game and they are attempting to give the game its fair due. Basketball enthusiasts are said to have been always greeted with emptiness whenever they tried to drive out the men who have taken over the association. However this scenario does not look like it’s going to witness a change any ways soon; perhaps it is only the office bearers who may be able to put basketball back on court in the state. This is a colossal shame for a sports loving state like Goa that the people in authority were not doing anything for the sport or the sportsmen but rather were fulfilling their selfish motives and indulging in bribery. Goa Basketball Association is the only body recognized by Basketball Federation of India (BFI). Politics is affecting all the sports in India and basketball is no exception. Players in all sports discipline will suffer as long as there’s no real reform and structural changes in the sports administration in the country. There are few people who are making a genuine effort to improve the game whereas others are adding to the misery. A split in the Goa Basketball Association The Goa Basketball Association (GBA) has split into two groups. A group comprising of mainly old members along with few others held a separate unauthorized meeting on the same day when the Goa Basketball Association led by Dr Ralin De Souza had held its General Body meeting. The GBA led by Fr. Ralin held its meeting on November 16, 2014 from10.30 am onwards at Hotel Park Plaza, Panaji. At around the same time, this faction comprising of the Menino D’Souza (Secretary), Luis Fernandes (Vice President) and four permanent members namely Govind Chodankar, Shankar Naik and Namy Jain along with few other new members held a separate meeting at People’s High School, Panaji where they unconstitutionally dissolved the duly elected Managing Committee. It was also made known that no such meeting was called for by the Goa Basketball Association Managing committee or General Body and the Constitution gives no right for such forums to nominate posts in the Association. On perusal of the alleged minutes of this unauthorized meeting of permanent members it is clearly seen that the secretary has acted in a manner in which he is totally oblivious of the constitutions which provides clearly for the procedure to be followed in the functioning of the GBA. “The GBA managing committee had been elected on September 01, 2013 for a period of 4 years at an AGM held in the presence of an observer from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI). This act by the small faction within the GBA clearly violates the provisions of the GBA Constitution as well as defies the General Body and Societies Registration Act 1860,” informed Sandeep Heble, a sports enthusiastic and promoter. He further went on to say that the divisions in the GBA have surfaced since the past few months. Various attempts were made from time to time by this same one group which had mismanaged basketball for over the past two decades, to jeopardize every single attempt being made by Fr Ralin De Souza and his duly elected committee to streamline the functioning of the Association and to put basketball back on track. Goans are being kept out of the sport by the two or three people from the association who themselves are not from the state. This is very bad as they are depriving Goans of joining and contributing in the sport basketball in Goa. Funding and registration issue For several years now, the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) has not been providing grants to the Association due to its irregularities due to which the parents of the students who participate in tournaments have been made to fund the travel and stay of the players instead. One of the prerequisites for obtaining grants from the Sports Authority of Goa is the renewal of the Association. Fr. Ralin’s attempts to renew the registration of the Association which had lapsed since 2005 were also tried to be stalled though such efforts failed. The Association is now a legal entity, since Fr. Ralin and his committee has successfully renewed the Registration for the next five years. The principle of secularism/ misquoting the law: Fr. Ralin, the president of Goa Basketball Association is being blamed and pulled up unwontedly several times in the recent past. The one that got into the association for the love of sports and to bring everything on track is being falsely accused. Leena Surlekar was purportedly propped up to stall the whole process and create more confusion by raising personal issues such as Priesthood of Fr Ralin De Souza, etc though secular laws do not disallow priests from holding elective offices in such societies. Claiming that the church laws (Cannon Law No. 285) does not permit any catholic to hold any public office or sign any promissory note on behalf of a body other than the church. In reply to this allegation Fr. Ralin De Souza stated “Besides being a priest I am also a Salesian and as per the Salesian constitution act 69 and the regulations act 35 allows the salesian to work in a non- salesian setting with due permission from the superior. The primary focus of our society is to work towards the youth. Moreover a sports association is not a political party. In GBA it is an honorary service to the basketball fraternity in Goa and does not have any remuneration. I have taken all the necessary due consent that my religious society demands”. Ineligible members in the GBA managing committee Menino De Souza has been charge sheeted by the CBI in a case of disappropriate assets and as per the International Olympic Committees new guideline a charge sheeted individual should not be in the managing committee of sports bodies. The Secretary Menino D’ Souza, charge sheeted by the CBI in a serious matter under the Prevention of Corruption Act acted as a willful accomplice to an illegitimate act by the four permanent members who fraudulently nominated Namy Jain as the Senior President. Later, Namy Jain as Senior President through appeals signed by him took money from Public and especially parents which is an alleged criminal act. “The current GBA Secretary, Menino De Souza has been charge sheeted by the CBI for corruption but till date no action has been taken against him. For the BFI Meeting held in October 2014, the Secretary, along with the illegally elected Senior President Namy Jain air dashed to Chandigarh to attend the same, but only Fr Ralin was allowed to attend, deliberate and vote. Menin was evicted due to his charge sheet. The BFI also refused to recognize Namy Jain as the Senior President” stated Sandeep Heble, a sports enthusiast and promoter. The need of the hour is to sustain basketball is to ensure that the sport is free from manipulation and self-serving individuals. The Goa Basketball Association which is the sole body for the sport in the state has now split into two within the association itself. Firstly what has to be uprooted are the politics, corruption and nepotism that is presently there in the sport and is not allowing it to rise in the state. Basketball is dying a slow death due to politics by the people within the association who are in search of power and their own selfish motives. The question which arises now is will basketball be able to rebound? Will someone come and manage to rescue this lingering sport? GBA office bearers and members of the executive committe President- Fr Ralin De Souza Vice Presidents- Pratima Dhond, Bruno Gomindes and Luis Fernandes Secretary- Menino D’ Souza Joint Secretary- Ashley Do Rosario Treasurer- Milind Shankwalkar Members of the executive committee- Claris Pinto, Prakash Kurne and Agnelo Fernandes The dilemma that basketball is facing: · No registration and affiliation were issued for any of basketball clubs function in Goa. This has failed to happen for the last 20 years. · Not a single team has participated at the recently announced championships for the Mini Nationals. · Selections were later arbitrarily done, and sons/daughters of friends, managing committee members, coaches were included like always. · The Sports Authority of Goa is not providing them grants due to such disputes. · Parents being made to pay for the travelling and fares of their children who are participating. Those who are not sponsoring funds to the association are not being selected. Source: http://www.thegoan.net/Sports/News/Basket-Case/08893.html
