… K&S to offset expenses
BACK in 1996, four Guyanese soccer players, Collie ‘Hitman’ Hercules, Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, Randolph ‘Blackhead’ Jerome and Jermaine Scott left these shores through the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation, to play professional soccer with Doc’s Khelawalaas in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). One week from today, six more young soccer players will be given the opportunity to try out for a place on Sporting Kansas City Football Club (SKC) in the USA, through the K&S Organisation and First FC Santa Rosa Football Club (FFCSR) in T&T, whose president Keith Lookloy was tasked with organising same for SKC.
The seven players who were chosen by national coaches Wayne Dover and Collie Hercules along with the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Technical Development Officer (TDO) Lyndon France, with their clubs in brackets, are: Clive Andries and Devon Dennis (Buxton United), Kris Camacho and Richie Richards (Alpha United) and Clive De Nobrega and Ryan Crandon (Milerock).
Beacons central defender Colin Nelson was a member of the squad to go to T&T, but due to his belated inclusion to the Golden Jaguars team who have commenced preparations for the Digicel Cup finals in Martinique, he was withdrawn.
At a simple media briefing held at Georgetown Club yesterday, Lookloy, who is in Guyana conducting a FIFA course for football administrators, expressed his delight at being here, while outlining Guyana’s football cupboard that is filled with potential.
“Over the years, I have always mentioned that Guyana and its footballers have potential and I am not saying this because of their qualifications for the 2010 Digicel Cup finals in Martinique.
“The reason we are here today is to announce the selection of seven young exciting soccer players who will be journeying across to T&T next week, where they will be engaged in three trial matches with a view to representing SKC who contracted FFCSR to gather players for this venture, next year.”
According to Lookloy, over 50 players between 17 to 25 years of age, will be engaged in the trial matches which will be played on December 2, 4 and 5, with players coming from three continents, including a large contingent from Africa.
“These seven young and exciting players will have the distinct opportunity of rubbing shoulders with some of the best young soccer players in the world at these trials, with one player coming from as far as Iceland.
Added to that, players will be selected from T&T’s U-20 and 23 teams, along with players from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) member countries such as St Vincent and the Grenadines, Netherlands Antilles and Belize,” added Lookloy.
He continued, “Due to my relationship with Guyana’s football officials which is a good one, this country had to be a part of these trials. I met and spoke to president of the GFF Colin Klass who gave his and the Federation’s wholehearted support to the footballers, as he knows it will be in the best interest of this country’s football, while official letters were issued to the club of the players chosen.”
According to Lookloy, who was a former Technical Director of Joe Public, once a player catches the eyes of the scouts from SKC, negotiations will commence between that player’s club and SKC. He made it clear that no money would be paid as commission to the K&S Organisation.
“Even though the K&S Organisation would be taking care of the players’ airfare, accommodation and meals while in T&T for the three trial matches, no sum of money would be paid to them for these players’ participation in the trial matches.
What they (K&S) are doing is similar to what they did back in 1996 when the four players left these shores to represent Doc’s Khelawalaas and even before then, when Hercules, Scott and Keith Goppy went to T&T to represent Joe Public during my tenure as Technical Director of that club, which demonstrates their will to see Guyana’s football develop,” stated Lookloy.
Asked to comment on the selection process used by the three coaches, co-director of K&S Greg ‘Kashif’ Muhammad said a consultation process was done with the selectors who identified the selected players, based on their assessment, having worked along with them.
“I must say that I have only seen two of the players selected, namely Nelson and Andries in action for Guyana at the Under-20 level and what I saw was the display of an ability that belies their age, so I know they will go out there and do their best, making Guyana proud” said Muhammad.
The players leave next Thursday and will return on the December 6, in time to represent their respective clubs in the upcoming 21st K&S tournament which is set to kick off on December 12 at Guyana National Stadium, Providence.