Fifa course opens in Goa

Panaji: Goa Football Association President Shrinivas Dempo has expressed confidence that the six-day Fifa Futuro III administration and management instructors refreshers course that commenced at Cavelossim will be extremely beneficial not just to the participants but the state as well.

"We come from similar backgrounds and face similar challenges. There is a lot to learn from each other," the GFA president said during the opening of the course.The FIFA Futuro III administration and management instructors refreshers course is continuation of the first course in Maldives early this year, and has attracted 14 participants from countries like Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran, Jordan and Yemen. This course is extremely important to run football affairs and this part of the world needs to learn a lot about football management. The big challenge at this hour is to find ways and means to make football sustainable, stated Dempo. The Dempo Chairman said cricket is the greatest competitor for football in the country and is now the number one sport there, but with several youngsters taking to football, he felt "football is the future sport of the country.""I-League CEO Sunando Dhar is the only participant from India attending the course after All India Football Federation (AIFF) General secretary Kushal Das- who attended the first course in Maldives- decided to give the Goa leg a miss. Anil Kamat, deputy general secretary, AIFF and Anoop Abraham, technical officer, GFA have been appointed as observers. Fifa`s assistant development officer Chrysantha Pereira, who is the course co-ordinator, said the course would be a learning experience. While AFC representative, Yogesh Desai promised to explain how best the Asian Football Confederation could assist in developmental progress across the continent. GFA General Secretary Alberto Colaco was also present during the opening ceremony. PTI