The 22nd annual 2011/12 Kashif and Shanghai football tournament, the premier football competition in Guyana over the past two decades, which commenced this year on December 10h with 22 teams, vying for the prestigious prize of one pound of gold (4 million dollars) concludes tonight at the Providence National Stadium with just the final two teams – Pele and Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA of Trinidad and Tobago facing off.
After setting records by having the biggest crowd at the national stadium for sporting contest, even more so than cricket World Cup matches at the venue in 2007 and 2010, the organizers may face stiff competition to pull a similar crowd for tonight’s final due to Georgetown Football Association (GFA)/Banks Beer Knockout Cup also having its final today.
Crowd issue could also be affected by sentiments coming out of sections in society after the November 28th election, to boycott the tournament due to accusations of the K&S organization having close ties to the ruling PPP/C government.
However, in solidarity to the tournament, the entire cabinet is expected to be present at the final tonight.
Also due to ongoing feud between the GFA and Guyana Football Federation (GFF) the organizers Kashif Muhammad and Aubrey “Shanghai” Major chose not to include last year’s champions Alpha United along with host of other prominent Georgetown teams due to them being banned by the GFF.
This in the view of many football pundits has curtailed the usual quality of the tournament.
Over the course of the two-week tournament 69 goals have been scored with Pele’s Devon Millington being the leading goal-scorer with seven (7) strikes. Pele’s 10-0 win over Timehri Panthers on the opening night and Caledonia’s 10-1 drubbing over New Amsterdam United on Christmas Day in Blairmont were the most dominant team performances of the competition, which clearly indicates that at the end of day the best two teams have made it to tonight’s final.
Speaking to respective team coaches Gordon Braithwaite and Travis Mulraine, they articulated the mood within their camps going into the final and how they intend to approach it amongst other things.
“When we saw the fixtures list a month ago, we always felt that we might face this Trinidad team in the final if we played to our abilities. “We have always played well, but as the tournament has gone on I feel the efficiency of our play is getting more assertive,” Braithwaite explained.
Braithwaite is himself a former stalwart of the game who went by the nickname the “Ultimate Warrior” during his playing days for Guyana.
His Pele side was defeated in last year’s final by Alpha United.
“I expect it to be very good game, they have Jamaal Shabbaz assisting them and we all know they good work he has done with the Golden Jaguars this decade, so we have to be at our best to defeat what is a very organized and positionally discipline side. So I hope the fans come out and give us the kind of support, the national side had on November 11th, when the team defeated the Soca Warriors,” he reasoned.
Along with Millington, Pele’s key players in the final will be Gregory “Jackie Chan” Richardson, their solid mid-field base of captain Konata Mannings and Travis “Zorro” Grant and their recruited Canadian born/Golden Jaguars defender Julien Edwards who came into the competition to show the Guyanese public what he is made of and to experience Caribbean football first hand. In a invited comment to Stabroek Sport about his experience so far Edwards said “It’s been a great pleasure to be part of this tournament, to witness Caribbean style football, the fight and the desire Guyanese bring on and off a football pitch”.
Caledonia AIA will be hoping to become the third Trinidad side in the competition’s history after Docs Khelawalaas in 1998/99 and Joe Public in 2006/07 won the title. They are captained by established Guyanese left-back Walter Moore who mentioned after the semi-final it would be great personal privilege for him to win the K&S tournament that he grew up playing with his adopted Trinidad club.
Coach Mulraine while suggesting a high morale in the team camp and a large level of respect for Pele, highlighted that the team was very much aware that not winning the final would send a bad signal towards the state of Trinidad football, after their recent 2014 World Cup qualifiers elimination at the hands of Guyana.
“High spirits are in the camp, coming of our mid season break in the TT Pro League, we played two hard games here so far and we are ready. We know the main players in the Pele side well from their days playing in Trinidad and they deserve respect, since they have the ability to finish us off, if we don’t bring our A-Game in the final. But on a larger perspective we are here representing Trinidad football and the profession set-up, Guyana league is not a professional one regardless of the individual talent in this country, so with the World Cup qualifiers still fresh in the mind, not winning this final will be a blow to Trinidad football”, Mulraine highlighted in a humble tone.
“We have six (6) national under-23 players in this team (Jamal Gay, Trevin Ceasar, Aquil Selby, Atullah Guerra, Zane Coker and Nuru Mohammed) and they represent the future of Trinidad football, so they are aware of the burden on their shoulders and they have a great chance to test their mettle, coincidentally in the yard where Trinidad football died just a few months ago.
Pele squad: Konata Manning (captain), Sean Johnson, Solomon Austin, Quincy Adams, Mervyn Liverpool, Keoma Gravesande, Sheldon Gourrick, Dirk Archer, Sheldon Holder, Marvin Joseph, Daniel Wilson, Okenie Fraser, Shawn Arthur, Stellon Davids, Travis Grant, Omalo Williams, Devon Coldrige, Shemroy Arthur, Gregory Richardson, Devon Millington, Julien Edwards, Andre Kerr. Coach: Gordon Braithwaite
Caledonia AIA squad: Walter Moore (captain), Zane Coker, Kevin Graham, Kareem Joseph, Nuru Mohammed, Atiba Charles, Aquil Selby, Kemron Purcel, Colin Nelson, Trayon Bobb, Abdallah Phillips, Shaquille Smith, Kedar Rodricks, Keyon Edwards, Abdulla Guerra, Jamal Gay, Trevin Cesar, Makesi Lewis, Devon Jorsling, Stephan David, Akim Armstrong. Coach: Travis Mulraine, Technical Director; Jamaal Shabbaz.
