I am a former football player who played at the erstwhile Dayanand Bandodkar Football ground at Campal. I was a goalkeeper and played many first division matches there. The stadium was demolished in 2002 for creating a temporary Convention Centre for 'IFFI', which was a wrong decision by the then Government. The people rightly protested and the Convention Centre did not come up. The Panjim MLA Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Minister then. Today, the ground is in ruins. No Football matches have been held since then, which is disappointing for the footballers and fans. When I pass by and watch the ruins of the stadium and the dissipated state of the ground, it depresses me a lot.
The ground was demolished by the city MLA with a promise that it would be rebuilt within a short time. It is a decade now and we are still waiting for that moment to arrive, longing to see the stadium standing up once again so that our kids can play there. So that we can watch our beloved game there and see all our local stars in action. Today, everybody talks of Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea. Ronaldo and Messi are the idols of the new generation. Gone are those days when Vasco, Dempo and Salgaoncar were household names. When players of high caliber like Brahmanand, Bruno and Bernard Pereira used to capture our imaginations with their skills and talents. We want the Government to give our Stadium back so that interest and passion in our local teams gets a boost. We request the city MLA to play a more pro-active role and impress upon the Government to give us sports persons what has been snatched from us. Give us back what is rightfully ours! Hilary Fernandes Porvorim-Goa
