… two teams will walk the plank, who will they be?
FOLLOWING the opening ceremony for this year’s 22nd Annual Kashif and Shanghai Football tournament, two teams will make their exit tonight, as the tournament kicks off with a double-header at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground. The opening encounter will pit tournament debutants Kuru Kururu Lions up against Mill Ballers from Bartica at 18:30hrs, while in the second encounter former champions Pele and Timehri Panthers, another debutant, will do battle from 20:30hrs.
At stake in this year’s tournament is a magnificent first prize of one pound of gold worth G$4M, compliments of Aruwai Enterprise Incorporated, along with the championship trophy and 22 replicas, while the second-, third- and fourth-placed teams will pocket $1M, $500 000 and $300 000 respectively and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player one motorcycle.
There is no doubt within the minds of local football pundits, that Pele will advance to the second round of this tournament which is a prestigious one on the local football calendar and probably go on to take the top prize on January 1, at the Guyana National Stadium, especially with the absence of defending champions and Guyana’s top club Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United.
With players the calibre of Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, Devon Millington, Dirk Archer, Konata Manning, Solomon Austin and the dependable Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant in their lineup, coupled with Sean Johnson between the uprights, Pele who won this tournament three years ago, will start as firm favourites.
While the status of their opposition lineup is unknown, what needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that they have been given an invitation to participate in the tournament based on their performance in matches organised by the East Bank Demerara Football Association (EBDFA), where they have won that area’s title three times already.
They recently played in the EBDFA-organised Banks DIH Coca Cola competition, where they were scheduled to battle Kuru Kururu Warriors for the third place spot, but declined to do so, saying it would be an injury risk ahead of this important fixture.
Coach Kwasi Angus believes he has the weaponry in his armoury to stop a rampaging Pele, saying his side will be giving a good account of themselves, especially with the thought that many would view the encounter as a one-sided affair, in favour of the Georgetown-based team.
“Yes we are newcomers to the tournament and there is no doubt about that. But what persons need to ask themselves is what we have to lose going up against Pele?
My answer to that is nothing, since they would be the ones feeling pressure as they have played this tournament before and even won their first title three years ago. With that in mind, I think that once we overcome the nervous periods, we can progress and stake a claim for the top prize,” said Angus.
Players of the calibre of Troy Johnson and Seon David will be marshalling the defence and will be expected to withstand the attacks of Richardson, Millington, Manning, Austin and even Stellon David, who is expected to feature prominently coming off the bench.
Dorville Stewart will take care of the uprights for the Panthers, while Romel Myles, Stefan Hope, Collis Massiah and company will be taking the attack to their opponents, as the Panthers seek to create the first upset in this year’s tournament.
The battle of the debutants should be an exciting one, since the coaches of both teams have expressed confidence of winning this year’s tournament first encounter.
Shannon Vickerie, the coach of the Kuru Kururu Warriors, had earlier highlighted areas of concern during their preparatory period, and said same has been worked on to a satisfactory period.
“We have a very good chance like all the other 19 teams, to win the tournament and I am very confident we will advance to the next round, since we have been training hard on our vulnerable areas, while most importantly the defence will hold their positions and cover well.”
Ryan Scott will marshal the defence with Selwyn Lopes and Cordell Johnson taking charge of the midfield areas, while Dominic Walsh is the man charged with executing the duties of custodian for the Warriors’ uprights.
Mill Ballers, formerly known as Liquid Gold out of Bartica, are no pushovers when it comes to tournaments of this magnitude, with their upset victories over Sunburst Camptown and the Guyana Defence Force in the inaugural Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Super League tournament two years ago being a strong testimony to such.
Tushie Fredericks, Lindsay Jones, Andrew Stoby, Andrew Chandler, Shawn Garraway and Marlon Ambrose are expected to lead their attack in the match, which their coach describes as great exposure for the team which is a very young one.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony, Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Yog Mahadeo, Marketing Manager of Ansa McAl Troy Cadogan, Acting President of the GFF Franklyn Wilson and codirector of the Kashif and Shanghai Organisation Greg ‘Kashif’ Muhammad are all expected to deliver remarks at this afternoon’s opening ceremony.
Same will be preceded by a march past of the 20 participating teams which includes Caledonia AIA from Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean United from Barbados.