Vasco Sports Club, formerly called Clube de Desportos de Vasco da Gama, is the oldest registered Club still participating in the State’s top League competition, never once having been demoted in the Club’s 48 year history. 

The club was founded in 1951 and the great Sheikh Aboo started to play for it from the beginning. The Vasco team had outstanding players when it won the Lotlikar Trophy tournament that year. Among them were Correia, Mario, Joaquim Goes, Rodrigues, Caetano, Ireneu, Neves, Pinha, Minu and Aboo.

The Club’s maiden First Division League title was won as far back as in 1953-54, after Sporting Clube de Goa had won the title in 1952-53. Vasco again won the championship in 1955-56 and in 1958-59. B M Parkkot, who had managed the affairs of Salgaocar Sports Club from 1955 to 1964, became the chief patron of Vasco Sports Club in 1964-65.

Immediately that year, they won the League Championship ahead of Salgaocar. Mr. Parkkot built a strong team around goalkeeper Vivian Furtado, defenders Aboo, Joaquim, Shivraj and Lazarus, midfielders Keshav Vernekar, Satyan and Ramkrishna and forwards Andrew D’Souza, Caetaninho D’Souza, George Rosemond and Raphael.

The first attempt at lifting the Rovers Cup by any Goan Team was made by Vasco Sports Club in 1966. But its efforts were not rewarded as it lost the final to Mohun Bagan by a solitary goal scored by substitute Kannan. For Vasco, it was the second final of the 1966-67 season at the Cooperage Ground in Bombay. Earlier it had beaten Tata Sports Club, 2-0, in the replayed final of the Western India Football Association Trophy. Catao Fernandes, who scored both the goals, was the hero behind its triumph. Vasco encountered tough opposition from EME, Secunderabad, in 1967. Though they won the Kerala Trophy final against EME by a solitary goal, they, however, lost the replayed final of the Nehru Memorial Trophy tournament to them by a goal. EME had some fine performers in Bir Bahadur, Chatunni and Williams.

Later, in 1970,Chatunni joined Vasco and Williams moved to Dempo. The Nehru Trophy final ended in a goalless draw. Vasco and EME shared two goals in the replay, Andrew and Williams being the scorers for the respective sides. The second replay ended in EME’s favour, Williams getting the match-winner. Vasco had reached the final beating Mafatlal (Bombay), 2-1, on the aggregate in the double-leg semi-final. It took a 1-0 lead in the first leg through Andrew D’Souza and drew the second leg, 1-1, to enter the final. Bernard Pereira netted for Vasco and Derrick D’Souza scored for Mafatlal.

Vasco had reached the final of the Kerala Trophy at Trivandrum with a 1-0 win over holders, Alind Recreation Club, Kundra. The first leg ended in a goalless draw and Vasco scored the match-winner through Shankar in the second leg. Shankar was a good striker and had scored a brace to give Vasco a 2-0 lead over Mahindra and Mahindra in the Rovers Cup quarterfinal. Diwakar Shetty, however, scored two penalty goals, to neutralise Vasco’s lead and Mahindras went on to win the match, 3-2.

1969 was yet another successful season for the Club. It won the First Division League championship on superior goal difference, collecting 28 points from 16 matches. That same year, Vasco won the inaugural edition of the Police Cup, defeating MCC by the only goal in the final. Mohun Bagan again prevailed over Vasco, 1-0, in the 1972 Rovers Cup final. By a strange coincidence, Kannan scored the match-winner for it. Its goalkeeper Tarun Bose frustrated the Vasco forwards, effecting some fine saves in the match. Vasco was assisted by E N Sudhir, George Ambrose, T K Chatunni, Suhas Walke, Shivraj, George Rosemond, (Vallabh Mahambrey) Sebastian Menezes, Joseph Raphael, Andrew D’Souza, Bernard Pereira and Domnic Soares.

Vasco dominated the scene in the second edition of the Bandodkar Gold Trophy tournament and lifted the Bandodkar Gold Trophy at the expense of Dempo. The solitary goal in the final was scored by Catao off a pass from Chatunni. Andrew D’Souza was adjudged the best player of the tournament and Catao received a special prize for scoring the only goal of the match. The Vasco revolved around Arvinder, Shivraj, George Ambrose, Raha (Catao), Chatunni, George Rosemond (captain), Satyan, Vallabh Mahambrey, Andrew (Suhas Walke), Bernard and Domnic. From then on, the crack forward line came to be known as the A-B-C-D of Goan Football, a fitting tribute to the super strikers Andrew, Bernard, Catao and Domnic.

‘The Clube’, as Vasco was affectionately called, won the Stafford Challenge Cup tournament in Bangalore in 1973 defeating a local side, 515 Army Base Centre 2-1, in the final. Midfield genius Vallabh Mahambrey was in fine fettle, as he released a series of good passes to the forwards and scored the first goal for Vasco off a return pass from Bernard. Mahambrey combined well with Rosemond and the duo gave Vasco a command over the midfield proceedings. Andrew netted the second goal to strengthen Vasco’s position again off a pass from Bernard.

Vasco had a successful tour of Kerala, the same year. It scalped Dempo by a solitary goal in the final of the Kerala Football Association Shield tournament at Changanacherri. That one came from a header by defender T K Chatunni off a flag kick. George Ambrose, the Vasco captain, was adjudged the best player of the tournament. Vasco then traveled to Trichur and won the Chakola Gold Trophy, beating Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAG) 3-1 in the second replay of the final. Raphael (2) and Bernard were its scorers.

In 1974, Vasco retained the Chakola Gold Trophy, defeating Premier Tyres by a solitary goal scored by Domnic Soares. A goal by Jose Fernandes had helped Vasco to beat Tata Sports Club in the semi-final.

Vasco’s remarkable performance enabled it to win almost every major tournament in Kerala. It has won the Sait Nagjee Trophy, the Mamen Mappilai Trophy, the Chakola Gold Trophy, the Kerala Trophy, the G V Raja Trophy and the KFA Shield tournaments in that soccer crazy State.

Vasco had finished runner-up in the Nehru Memorial tournament at Cochin and the Bardoloi Shield tournament at Gauhati. The former Olympian, Peter Thangaraj, had kept the goal for it in the 1975 Bardoloi Shield final against Mohun Bagan. Vasco, who was leading 2-0 conceded two goals in the last two minutes and lost the replay, 0-5. Mohun Bagan was the only leading Calcutta side that did not suffer a defeat against Vasco, who have scored victories over Mohammedan Sporting and East Bengal in the Rovers Cup tournament.

Vasco retained the Kerala Trophy in 1976 with a fluent 3-0 victory over FACT, Bernard (2) and Andrew being its scorers. Vasco also won the Ghode Cup, (Jt. winner with 2 STC), MCC Cup. Later that year, Vasco held BSF to a goalless draw in the final of the Mamen Mappilai Trophy and shared two goals with it in the replay to emerge the Joint winner. George Rosemond netted the all-important goal and Vasco won the lots to earn the right to keep the trophy for the first six months. BSF had lifted the Durand Cup the same season.

As if to prove a point, Vasco beat BSF, 1-0, in the final of the Sait Nagjee tournament at Calicut. The only goal in the final was scored by Andrew D’Souza. BSF just could not beat Arvinder Singh under the Vasco bar and the most reliable goalkeeper saved the situation for his side by stopping the penalty kick that was taken by the BSF captain Joginder Singh Sanga. Vasco had the following players in its ranks. Arvinder Singh, George Ambrose, Rosario Menezes (Aboo), Sriniwas, Shivraj, Keshav Vernekar (captain), O K Satyam, Domnic Soares, Andrew D’Souza, George Rosemond and Bernard Pereira. Mr. J Brown, the then manager of the Chartered Bank, was its coach.

Vasco and Tata Sports Club, emerged the joint winners of the G V Raja Trophy tournament at Trivandrum in 1979. The replayed final ended in a goalless draw, after the two sides had shared four goals in the first meeting. Andrew and Egypsio scored for Vasco, Andrew’s try from 60 yards taking the Tata goalkeeper completely by surprise. However, Vasco had to be content as the runner-up in the Mamen Mappilai tournament at Kottayam in 1979, as it lost the final to Titanium by a solitary goal.

The 80’s saw a decline in the efficacy of the Club in terms of All India and State Tournaments. However, it retained a prominent position among the top five Clubs in Goa. The decline started when the Bandekar group withdrew support and there were no new white knights to fund the increasing cost of top class players.

Come the 90’s Vasco turned its attention towards developing youngsters and letting them loose against the wealthier clubs in State and out-station tournaments. Some of the tournaments they won included the mini Rovers, Shahu Maharaj and Mayor’s Trophy at Kohlapur. This strategy paid off as far as producing players were concerned. However, the moment one player excelled in a season, he got snapped up by Salgaocar, Churchill, Dempo or Sesa during the next.

Undaunted, from the mid 90’s, and under the leadership of Noel da Lima Leitao, Savio Messias, Stanley Pereira and Vinod Parkkot, the Club took the help of Zeca Miglietti, former Benfica defender, as Coach for its training programme. His hard work saw the Club reach the Quarterfinal phase of the KBL Federation Cup and among the contenders for qualification to the First Division National League.

The most discerning feature, right through the history of the club, has been its style of play. No matter the opposition, Vasco has always played every game like it was a jihad. Few opponents, even those who have been victorious, will walk away from a Vasco match and not remember the mental and physical exertion they would have had to endure to keep pace with the Vasco Team. No team, irrespective of its relative strength, has ever found a Vasco game a cakewalk.

So in some ways, the Club has acquired a competitive spirit all of its own and its fans have appreciated this and stuck with their support for the club.

It is evident, even after the elapse of 54 years since its foundation, that the pioneering spirit within the club is not only alive and well ..... but is kicking ball !