Brazil are the iconic team of international football and the World Cup 2010 edition is some seven months away. There is no better way to watch fine vintage football stuff then those gold coloured shirt moving in symphony in a lethal counter-attacking unit. That’s precisely what some 50,000 thousand spectators will be watching from the stands of Khalifa Stadium on Saturday, 8.00PM local time. Football crazy Goans have been addictive to the Brazilian style of football. The signature style of the South Americans draws people from their siestas, making them travel miles to see their favourite team in action. Call it infatuation or love, but the fact is some die-hard fans and football administrators from Goa are in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, to watch Brazil play a depleted England side in action, hits by injuries. Apart from football, Goa and Brazil have one common factor- both were former Portuguese colonies, and football was introduced in both the places by the colonial rulers. Heading the list is All India Football Federation Secretary Alberto Colaco, who flew this morning into Doha, while Goa football Association Secretary Savio Messais and two others flew from Goa on Friday evening. A few prominent Goans businessman from the Candolim-Calngute coastal belt, have also landed in Doha to watch the football action taking advantage of the direct flights introduced by Qatar Airways between Doha and Goa and also the roundabout Goa-Sharjah-Doha flight of Air Arabia. If football fans are in Doha, can the Goan politicians be far away. Certainly not, Calangute MLA and EDC Chairman Angelo Fernandes who was recently in Oman for the Global Goan convention and then flew to London for the Tourism Mart is also in Doha, flying straight from London. Another Goan MLA Reginaldo Lourenco is also in Doha for the last three days, he was invited and attended a Konkani Musical show organized by Goan Cultural group in Goa held on Friday evening. According to his earlier travel plans the young MLA from Curtorim, who defeated his one-time mentor Francisco Sardinha in the assembly elections was set to take the Saturday flight back to Goa. But, hectic efforts are on now to change the travel plans as the Brazilian bug has also hit Lourenco. The 15-odd Konkani tiatrist group who were in Doha to perform at Konkani Cultural show had to reluctantly live Doha on a sad note having missed out on a once in a life time opportunity of watching Brazil-England live.
