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Railways Team Dedicate Win to Coach Fernandez

  • Orange City has always been a happy hunting ground for the railmen from Mumbai. The title triumph in the 12th All-India Guruprasad Memorial Football tournament only extended their dream run.Winning the championships was nothing new for this formidable team but this one was special. They have dedicated this trophy to their experienced coach Francis Fernandez, who is opting for a voluntary retirement after July.With only three months left for their mentor's retirement and unaware about their tournament schedule after the Nagpur tourney, Mumbai skipper Kasif Jamal dedicated this trophy to Francis. "We have been with him (Francis) since last four years. He has helped us a lot and as he is going to retire soon, all the members were determined to win it for him," Kasif told TOI.

  • As a player, Francis was a member of the junior Indian team and after joining Railways in 1979 he played for Indian Railways in Nigeria. He was also the member of the Indian team that played some international friendlies with Russia before the Asian Championship in 1982.After representing Railways for many years, Francis shifted his focus to coaching and also guided the Maharashtra U-21 team.

  • Since last four years, Francis was with this bunch of exciting players and before retiring he would like to strengthen the team by adding some new faces."I'm opting for the VRS, may be after July. This victory means a lot to me as we all wanted to lift the cup for the third time in Nagpur. I'm very happy with the way boys played today. I think, it's an ideal gift for me," said Francis, by adding, "But before I go, I will try and add some youngsters to consolidate the team. As the department is going to recruit six players, I will make sure we get some quality players."

  • In a mark of respect for their Guru, the entire Mumbai contingent gave their coach a much-deserved standing ovation, which made the 56-year-old quite emotional when Francis was invited for the felicitation on the dais. "It was very heartening to get a standing ovation from the players during the concluding ceremony. I will never forget this gesture," concluded Francis.

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