Death and Recognition
Alberto Mota Gomes, former international footballer and Cape Verde’s first national coach, died at 91, succumbing to a prolonged illness, announced Clube Desportivo Travadores. The club highlighted that Mota Gomes was an “unavoidable figure” in Travadores’ history, having played for the club and, during his university studies, for clubs in Coimbra, Portugal.
In 2020, the Cape Verdean government awarded Mota Gomes the first grade of the Medal of Professional Merit, recognizing his “valuable personal and professional contribution in the field of water resources in Cape Verde.” Then-Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva described him as a “pioneer of water resource management in the country” and a “reference public servant,” emphasizing his career as a coach, manager, academic, and researcher.
Football Career
Mota Gomes was also one of Cape Verde’s first geologists and had a distinguished football career. As a player, he led Travadores to win the Santiago championship and the Cape Verde championship in the 1972/73 season without a single defeat. He later became president of the Santiago South Regional Football Association.
As a coach, Mota Gomes was the first selector of the national team. In 1978, he guided the squad in the Amílcar Cabral Cup, and earlier, he coached a national team on a trip to Guinea-Bissau. His football tenure was marked by a strong bond with Travadores and pioneering work in national team development.
Academic and Water Resource Contributions
Beyond football, Mota Gomes earned a PhD in Geosciences-Hydrogeology from the University of Aveiro and served as a full professor at the University of Cape Verde. He devoted much of his career to studying groundwater and water resources in the country, significantly contributing to their management and conservation.
Alberto Mota Gomes’ passing leaves a legacy that spans both sport and science.
