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Brazil’s 7-1 defeat to Germany in the first semifinal of the 2014 Fifa World Cup has left many football fans in Qatar shocked and stunned. |
Among those mourning the loss is a community of expatriates with a shared Portuguese heritage from the western Indian state of Goa.
For these Goans, who support Brazil not only for their artistic brand of football but also due to a “shared culture, food, music and more”, the World Cup is well and truly over.
Gulf Times had reported last month how the Goans are passionate about football and the teams they support – Portugal and Brazil. The Goans share a common heritage with the Portuguese, who left Goa in 1961 after ruling it for more than 450 years.
While Brazilian and Portuguese nationals together number around 1,200 in the country, there are more than 10,000 people of Portuguese origin from Goa.
About 10-12% of these expatriates hold Portuguese citizenship while more are applying for the Iberian nation’s passport these days, it is learnt. Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, some of the crestfallen Goans said the embarrassing defeat of the five-time champions was unbearable and they would not be able to forget it anytime soon.
“For a while, we had no clue as to what was happening, it was as if we were dreaming,” recalled Simon D’Silva, an ardent Brazil fan and Goan Welfare Association president.
“Wednesday was a day of mourning for most Goans as none of us had even remote expectations of what we saw in the match,” said Eduardo, another soccer-crazy Goan.
At the start of the tournament, a large number of Goans in Doha supported Brazil, while many others in the community backed Portugal, who they felt had a decent chance of reaching the semifinals.
“However, this time both the teams disappointed the people of Portuguese descent,” said Moreno.
Some football fans in the Goan community did not have the courage to watch the entire match after Brazil conceded the sixth goal. “I learnt about the final tally only in the morning on Wednesday,” said Adrian Luis, who switched off his television as he was unable to see the Brazilians concede goals one after another.
Among the Brazilians contacted by Gulf Times, one person — identified as Marcelo — said in reply: “It was a terrible blow to our Cup aspirations. Now, we have to wait for four more years.”
A large number of football fans who thronged Souq Waqif to watch the match on the large screen left the place after the first half itself, in which Brazil conceded five goals.