| James Kon |
OFFICIALS from the visiting FC Goa football team have expressed interest in having a training cooperation with local football clubs, where teams in Brunei can send their players to undergo training sessions in Goa and vice versa.
FC Goa Head Coach Clifford Miranda in an interview yesterday during a reception hosted by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, said, “At the club level, we can always make provisions to send our team here (in Brunei) for training or (football clubs in Brunei) can also send (their teams) to our club to train with us.”
FC Goa is a professional football club from India which competes in the Indian Super League, India League and Goa Professional League.
Touching on the team’s visit to Brunei, Miranda said, “This trip was very well organised and we have received excellent hospitality from Brunei’s Government and the High Commission of India in Brunei Darussalam. The facilities provided to us and reception have been great and we are very much honoured and privileged to be here.”
On the friendly match against DPMM FC in which his team fell to a 5–1 defeat, he noted, “We knew that DPMM FC are dangerous in set pieces and that was the difference between both teams, (with) DPMM FC scoring four goals from corner kicks.”
He added, “We did play well in the second half when we changed the tactics and kept possession. We had our moments to score but didn’t capitalise (on our chances).”
The friendly match between DPMM FC and FC Goa was organised in conjunction with the Festival of India in Brunei Darussalam and the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne.
During the reception at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports yesterday, Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi mingled with visiting FC Goa members.
High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam Nagma M Mallick; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Juanda bin Haji A Rashid and other officials were also in attendance.
The FC Goa team will return to India tomorrow.
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