Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
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It is quite a well-known fact that Goa is a former Portuguese colony. So is Brazil. The state which has unabashedly supported Portugal in the World Cup as well as the Euro has now thrown its weight behind its colonial cousins. Apart from India, it’s mainly team Brazil for Goa.
From local cab drivers to hotel owners the craze for Brazil was evident. “I went for the Brazil-Niger game with my family. It was great fun. Brazil won but I wish they wore yellow”, said Augustus Castanho, a local hotel owner. Being an away match for them Brazil had to wear its away kit of blue instead of the famed canary yellow against Niger.
Explorer Vasco da Gama had reached the shores of the western state in early 16th. Soon it was colonised and remained so for the next 450 years until 1961. Brazil on the other hand remained under Portuguese rules for close to 325 years until it gained independence in 1822. Thus, both have a deep lying Portuguese heritage, thereby building a common bond.
Manju Natekar, a cab driver lamented his lost opportunity, “I wish Brazil had more matches in Goa. I had even bought a jersey but unfortunately I couldn’t go due to duty. I was a fan of Romario and Ronaldo, Ronaldinho too was special. From the current lot I love Neymar”.
“I hope Brazil win the tournament and the young boys go on to become global superstars”, the chirpy Seleção fan added.
