Football standard not up to mark in Goa anymore: Minister

The Goa government on Wednesday expressed concern over the "falling standard" of football in the coastal state which was once known for producing national-level players.

Sports Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar told the Legislative Assembly that the government was taking all possible efforts to enhance the standard of football, but things are not looking up.

"The standard of football is not up to the mark in Goa compared to the past. Despite our efforts, the quality of the sport is not rising. We do not see Goan players shining at the national level anymore as used to be the case in the past," the minister said.

Ajgaonkar said Goa has been losing to states like Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya and Haryana.

"In the past, we had players like Brahmanand Shakhwalkar (Indian team goalkeeper) and Bruno Coutinho (Indian team captain) who rose to the international level after playing in the paddy fields without even proper grounds in Goa," he lamented.

The issue was raised by BJP MLA Francis Silveira who said the state government was not doing enough to promote football.