As has become the norm, the Kashif and Shanghai tournament was yet another success story.
There is much for them to be smiling about, quite apart from the sweet monetary gains which of course are trump. In the words of co-director Kashif Mohammed, everything went so well that they are more than pleased, but surely there is every reason to be.
This tournament will go down as being the single most significant event in history of football – nay, sport for that matter – that has ever been held in Guyana, since King Pele, the man who held the world at his feet, was there to walk among us. Who or whatever else helped to play a part in his coming, can in no way lessen the role of the Kashif and Shanghai organization, which must be given full credit.
As always, grand organizers, forever with a searching eye for new and spectacular things, whatever shortcomings they might have been flayed with over the years, on this particular occasion provided a kind of balm in the form of King Pele that was both soothing and redeeming. No doubt it was understandable that there were those who snatched the opportunity to piggyback on the organization for this grand event. Indeed for many it was like a dream come true; some thought it was unlikely to happen as it did.
Pele’s visit meant much more to older folks than our younger footballers/enthusiasts. The older folks, though they never saw him in person, lived his experience and glory. His name rolled off the lips of every aspiring footballer/athlete and sports enthusiast; he was their hero, like a Muhammad Ali and Garfield Sobers. The red carpet welcome was in order, but the simplicity of the king caught my attention, as it did too many others; such a great man yet so simple a person.
Maybe the countless times he has been so honoured, shown open admiration, paid homage with pomp and glitz incomparable to ours were partly responsible for his smooth and cool deportment. So close are we to Brazil our neighbour, but the king had never heard of clubs in our land adopting the name of his club and his name also: Santos/Pele. Indeed he was surely moved when he saw that, as any great man would have been; after all he is only human and even though the opening game in honour of this footballer par excellence was scrappy, the tournament ended on a high note with flying colours.
I still maintain that the present quality of football is below the standard of what I saw in my time as a youth, nevertheless they must be commended once again. They have made their mark in the football arena, towering above all others who have ever held office in the name of football, they have certainly planted their feet sturdily in this sport that history will long remember.
But I need to end with an observation. Kashif and Shanghai is now a household name having been indelibly implanted over 20 years and should not be changed. However, judging from the flood of sponsorship and donations from individuals and businesses across the country which take care of almost every aspect of the tournament along with the enthusiastic involvement of the government – when all this is taken into consideration, then it becomes easy to reason that this national event is no more solely in the hands of Kashif and Shanghai, but is rather now incorporated into a wider entity.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
