THE inaugural Elite League Cup opened in bizarre circumstances at the National Training Centre as Den Amstel refused to return for the second half after conceding nine goals against Police FC.
Police were awarded a commanding victory under competition regulations after their opponents, who started the match with only 10 men and saw their goalkeeper sent off, opted against resuming play following a first half “thumping.”
Police FC wasted no time in exploiting Den Amstel’s numerical disadvantage. Carl Griffith was the architect of the destruction, bagging a clinical 15-minute hat-trick (6’, 12’, 21’) to set the tone for a one-sided afternoon.
Ryan Hackett added a brace (36’, 42’), while Devon Padmore, Nicholas McArthur, Simeon Moore, and Beveney McGarrell all found the net in a 45-minute blitz that saw a goal fly in every five minutes on average.
The match was effectively over as a contest long before the referee blew for half-time, but the decision by Den Amstel to forfeit the second period left fans and officials at the Providence facility stunned.
In the day’s opening fixture, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) proved far too strong for Fruta Conquerors, eventually prevailing with a 5-0 win.
While the “Army Men” took an early lead through Abumchi Opara in the sixth minute, the Conquerors managed to keep the deficit to just one at the break. However, the floodgates opened in the second half as Stephen McDonald and Ian Dooker both netted doubles to quash any hopes of a Fruta fightback.
The new senior men’s competition has been introduced to increase meaningful, high-level competitive opportunities for elite players and clubs, while also strengthening pathways for player development and national team selection.
The inaugural Elite League Cup features nine Elite League clubs, drawn into three groups of three for the round-robin phase. Following group play, teams will advance to the knockout stage, which will culminate in the semi-finals, third-place playoff, and championship final.
The tournament boasts a competitive prize structure, including cash awards, trophies, medals, and incentives for outstanding individual performances: G$1 million (champions), $700,000 (runners-up), $500,000 (third place) and $300,000 (fourth place).
Matches occurred on Wednesday evening and will continue Saturday.
