Reggae Boyz waltz to 6th Caribbean Cup triumph

NOVEMBER 2014, VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11, CARIBBEAN FOOTBALL UNION NEWSLETTER
ARTICLES
3 Soca Queens Target
Historic World Cup Berth
4 Football in Guyana to
see brighter days
5 Highlights of the Men’s
Caribbean Cup
6 Sharlene Pond the star
of Women’s Football in BVI
Reggae Boyz waltz to 6th
Caribbean Cup triumph
T
he Jamaica Senior
National
Men’s
team (the Reggae
Boyz) captured the
2014
Caribbean
Football Union (CFU)
Caribbean Cup by
defeating old rivals
Trinidad & Tobago, 4-3
on penalties, in the
final at the Montego
Bay Sports Complex in
St James, Jamaica on
November 18th, before
a capacity filled stadium.
Champions Jamaica
This marked the sixth occasion that the Reggae Boyz lifted the coveted regional trophy.
The proud Jamaicans have thus booked their tickets to the CONCACAF Gold Cup to be
staged in 2015.
CFU President Gordon Derrick praised the Reggae Boyz for their success. “We had a high
level of competition from start to finish and the best team won so I am proud. I wish all of
the teams going on to the Gold Cup the best of luck and to those who fell short, better luck
next time,” said the President.
Further, the Winfried Schaefer-coached outfit ensured they will match skills with their
more accomplished CONCACAF counterparts in a special edition of the 2016 Copa
America Centenario which is scheduled to be staged in the United States.
In the third-place play-off, Haiti clipped Cuba 2-1 courtesy of strikes from Jerome Mechack
in the 56th and Wilde Donald Guerrier in the 86th minute. Jeniel Marquez Molina notched
a consolation for Cuba a minute before full-time.
Cont’d page 2
Champions Jamaica......cont’d
“We’re always going to have critics in football and as a
nation Jamaicans like to do well, and it is always pressure to
do well because the people want to have the best team and
sometimes we are not even the best players, but the people
have big expectations. Now we have shown here when we get
support, the first couple games we didn’t have a lot of people
in the stands and we reached the final and the stands were full,
so we just want the people behind us to support us and we will
try our best to give back to them. It’s good to be the MVP, but
I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” he asserted.
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti and Cuba also qualified for the Gold
Cup, while the fifth-place team in the tournament, French
Guiana, will tackle another fifth-place team from UNCAF in a
home-and-away series, with the winner to likewise earn a spot
at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
With the benefit of home advantage, the Jamaicans dominated
possession for the majority of the game, with the Soca Warriors
content to soak up the pressure and rally with the occasional
counter attack. However, neither was able to find the back of
the net, which forced extra-time.
Darren Mattocks, the joint winner of the Golden Boot Award,
chimed in: “It was a total team effort. I have to be grateful to
God, but I have to be grateful to my teammates as well. After
the first game there were some doubters, but as in football
and life in general, you are going to have ups and downs and
when your back is against the wall and no one believes in you
that is when you have to rise and show what you are capable
of doing, and even though it is the Caribbean Cup, we showed
what we are capable of doing.”
Still at a goalless stalemate after an additional half-hour, the
dreaded penalty shoot-out was enacted. Jermaine Taylor,
Joel McAnuff, Demar Phillips and Austin scored their free
kicks. However, despite similar successes for Ataulla Guerra,
Kevin Melino and Joevin Jones, the Soca Warriors agonisingly
succumbed 4-3.
The Reggae Boyz, who entered
the Caribbean Cup competition
languishing in an embarrassing
113th place on the FIFA Coca Cola
Rankings, are expected to make
a significant leap when the next
ratings are released. T&T are
currently at a respectable 49th.
Meanwhile, impressive Jamaican
goalkeeper Andre Blake, who
deservedly copped the Golden
Glove accolade, was hailed by
players and fans alike as his
heroics in the penalty shoot-out
helped secure the important
victory for the Reggae Boyz.
After the exciting shoot-out
victory, a delighted Schaefer said:
“This team is fantastic, everybody
should be proud of this team. I am very proud of this team.
I have won the African Cup, the Caribbean Cup, the Dubai Cup,
I am very proud of my team, they are fantastic and we have to
do all that is necessary for this team, or else we go down.”
T&T head coach Stephen Hart
was gracious in defeat.
“Jamaica, as expected… played
very well through the counter-attacks. They pushed the ball
past the midfield and supported it quickly and got some good
looks early in the first half and, quite frankly, we never really
found our rhythm. We were playing too many long hopeful
balls and weren’t winning the second balls…
According to victorious skipper Austin, “I was honestly
surprised at the level of fitness of the Trinidad & Tobago team
because they had more rest than us, but we dug deep as a
team and did well and we found out they were tired, so we
started to attack them. But both teams defended well.”
“At half-time I tried to get the players to sharpen up and move
the ball quicker, but in the end we just couldn’t find a way out.
If you look at the Jamaica squad they have a number of players
who are playing consistently with their clubs and we were the
opposite.”
Added the tournament MVP: “We got a few better chances
than them but we didn’t take them. Having said that, we’re
happy we won the tournament. It’s a good thing for the
country. This team deserves to be praised. The back line has
been fantastic, the goalkeeper also, that’s what won us the
tournament and we just have to grow from this.
At the awards ceremony staged afterwards, Mattocks was
joined by Trinidad & Tobago’s Kevin Molino and Haiti’s Kervens
F Belfort as the leading goal scorers with three goals apiece;
while Haiti captured the Fair Play Award.
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Soca Queens target
Historic World Cup
berth
T
rinidad & Tobago women’s senior team are a win away
from reaching the FIFA World Cup Finals in Canada next
year. They tackle South American outfit Ecuador in their
return-leg two-way play-off at the Hasely Crawford Stadium
game in Port of Spain on Tuesday, December 2.
The teams drew level 0-0 in their first meeting earlier this
month in Ecuador. If T&T qualify, it would be one of the
highlight performances of teams from the Caribbean of
late, and would also make a bold statement about the rapid
development of female football in the region.
Trinidad Women Senior in USA
because of what is at stake. I know the players and the people
of the country are very excited, but from a team perspective,
we have got to ensure that we do things the right way and not
allow the occasion to get the better of us.
The CFU BEACON spoke to Trinidad and Tobago Football
Federation Association (TTFA) Raymond Tim Kee recently.
“It’s been a good week of preparation so far having everyone
together again since the first leg in Ecuador. I think it’s going
to be possibly our best squad yet with all the injury problems
we’ve had in the past and the absence of some of the US-based
players from the first leg.
“We are indeed immensely proud to be in this position again.
It’s the first time for us in the women’s game but we’ve been
here before in 2005 with the men’s senior team when we
booked our place for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and then
we were so close in 1989 for the World Cup in Italy,” he said.
“I’m happy about that and we’re going to continue putting
in the work to ensure we can give it our best shot on Tuesday
and come away with the result that will take us through to the
World Cup,” he said.
“We’ve made good strides in our development in the
women’s game in spite of our challenges for financing. What
these women have done has shown that with hard work,
perseverance and belief, you can achieve despite various
setbacks,” Kee asserted.
Meanwhile, team captain Maylee Attin-Johnson expressed
her passion for the upcoming match while pointing out a few
things.
“Our programmes for all our national teams have brought
some fruit,” he said with pride.
“It’s the biggest game for all of us in our careers so far. But I’ve
said to my teammates that while we are one win away from a
World Cup, we haven’t accomplished anything as yet. We have
to remain focused on the task at hand which is getting a victory
on Tuesday to qualify for the Women’s World Cup next year.”
“When you look at our men’s senior team finishing second
in the Caribbean Cup and our men’s Under-20 winning the
Caribbean title and going through to the CONCACAF Finals
with our Under-17s, plus our other age group teams on the
women’s side have also done well.
“But giving the country something to celebrate and the chance
to create history on Tuesday is definitely on top of the list for
us at the moment,” he revealed.
The Trinidadians, after copping the 2014 Caribbean Football
Union (CFU) Championship, performed at their best during
the CONCACAF Women’s event held in the USA recently and
earned the chance to play-off for the FIFA Finals.
Meanwhile, Coach Randy Waldrum told the BEACON that: “It’s
a game like no other in that it’s 90 minutes or more of football
between two teams. But for us there is a huge significance
The girls travelled to Ecuador and despite being not familiar
with the high altitude, were able to share the points with their
more acclimatized challengers.
Cont’d page 4
3
Soca Queens......cont’d
physically to get the job done. This would indeed be a signal
moment for these women who played so fearlessly during the
Caribbean Cup and CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
With home advantage and the anticipated overwhelming
support from the revelling soca fans, the home team will just
have to play its part in taking the three points and separate
themselves from their opponents to advance to the prestigious
Finals.
Most of the players have already arrived in the country and
have started training for the crucial encounter as they aim
to become the first team from the Caribbean to qualify for a
Women’s World Cup.
Trinidad and Tobago has its eyes set on this glorious moment
and are in the process of preparing the women mentally and
Football in Guyana to see
brighter days
W
ith the appointment of a Normalization Committee (NC)
in October 2014 by the world governing Football Body,
FIFA, football in Guyana seems set for a bright future following
almost two years of administrative turmoil.
Clinton Urling Chairman of the GFA Normalization Committee
Two aborted congresses and a no confidence motion against
President of the disbanded executive Christopher Matthias
are just a few of the challenges that faced football in Guyana
over the past two years.
Among the Broad Focus Areas known as the Pillars are:
Constitutional Reform and Elections; Football Issues (Road to
2018 World cup plan, National Teams, Competition, Players,
Referees, Coaches, Grassroots); Member Associations and
Stakeholders Interaction (Associate members of GFF and
interest groups); Administration of GFF (organisational
structure, staffing, fiscal responsibility and accountability,
governance, New Revenue, Marketing, Events hosting);
Infrastructure Development (Goal & Special Project);
Sustainability (Strategic Plan).
These are issues that the football family would now want to
throw away into the dungeon of forgetfulness as they seek,
along with the NC to chart a new way forward for the positive
progress of the game and to the benefit of all involved,
especially the players.
NC Chairman, Clinto Urling a successful businessman and
former President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce
has promised that his team will work assiduously to ensure
that the game moves forward and take its rightful place
working in tandem with the respective associations of the
Guyana Football Federation and guided by FIFA.
What the membership and Guyana can look forward to in
the coming months and years are Reform of GFF Secretariat;
Professionally run and managed GFF; full accountability and
transparency at GFF; Financial and Technical support from
FIFA to develop Football in Guyana; Annual Budget and
Football Programme presented early in the year; New and
Modern facilities; and Every Regional Association developing
a special project.
According to Urling, who met with CONCACAF President Jeff
Webb in Miami this month, the guiding philosophy will be
hinged on cooperation, unity, rule of law, equality, honesty,
accountability and transparency.
The NC met with the associates of the GFF on November 24
and during the interactive session, members were told of the
way forward and the need to work in unison for the good of
the game.
The NC which is responsible for the day to day running of the
GFF will be in place until September 2015 at which time they
would also oversee the elections of new office administrators
for the Guyana Football Federation.
Urling told the members that moving forward there would be
a collective approach doing a diagnosis of what brought the
Federation to where it’s at, and working out a strategy to bring
it back on course for the better with implementation of that
strategy in the long term.
The other NC Members are Dr.Karen Pilgrim, Rabin
Chandarpal, Stuart May and Tariq Williams
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Highlights of the Men’s Caribbean Cup
5
Sharlene Pond the
star of Women’s
Football in BVI
M
arketing Assistant and Medical Insurance Administrator
Sharlene Pond is a star in Women’s Football in the British
Virgin Islands (BVI).
When you drop a pebble into a pond, ripples spread out,
changing all the water in the pool. This can be said of female
footballer, Sharlene Pond who leaves you with the same
feeling that her determination to succeed, both on and off
the field brought about a positive change as well as clarity to
perceptions of what can be achieved through hard work.
Her soft-spoken demeanor belies her fierce competitive
nature. If you don’t know who she is personally you would
never realize that this slender, quiet, sincere, almost shy
woman is one of the most dedicated, passionate players in the
BVI local Women’s Football competition.
Sharlene Pond
Her quickness, speed and will to succeed have earned her
the right to be called one of the best female athletes in the
territory.
Pond, is not just a formidable
footballer, but also found time to
continue her Education and combine
her love for sports with a single
minded determination to succeed
in her career, which currently sees
her working at Nagico Insurances as
a Marketing Assistant and Medical
Insurance Administrator.
good team working skills but character as well and teaches
one to not only be self-responsible but
also to have team reliability. Those I
believe are great life skills that a lot of us
now a highly
are lacking,” Pond told the BEACON.
“Pond is
respected member of the
Ballstarz team, the BVI
National Under-20 and the
Senior team.
She started off her education at the
Enis Adams Primary School in 2003, then to the Elmore Stoutt
High School where she starred on the track with her amazing
turn of speed.
Pond graduated from the Elmore Stoutt
High School in 2008 and spent two
years at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community
College where she was introduced to
Football and recruited by the British
Virgin Islands Football Association
(BVIFA) in 2010.
Pond is now a highly respected member of the Ballstarz team,
the BVI National Under-20 and the Senior team. She is a
graduate of the Summa Cum Laude and Monroe College where
she did her Bachelor in Business Administration/Management/
Marketing Minor.
“I was a Track & Field Athlete for about eight years. I participated
in both Inter-primary and Inter-House Track and Field and
trained with the Top Notch Track Club while in high school. I
am passionate about football. I absolutely love it. I not only
play the sport but I watch it as well and would undoubtedly
inspire future generations to play the game. Football doesn’t
take talent only. It takes passion and dedication. Both aspects
are needed to be successful in life. Football builds not only
She is currently combining an arduous work schedule with
tough preparation for an upcoming Representation in the
Woman’s Tournament in St Croix, but in typical demure style
doesn’t even see the time consuming demands as her toughest
challenge.
Cont’d page 7
6
given was, I quote “Seize the opportunities that are given to
you and make every moment count. Giving up should never
an option.”
Sharlene Pond ......cont’d
“I am doing a lot of physical fitness training. Strengthening
muscles and increasing endurance, but my biggest challenge
is influencing other women in the BVI to play football. There
are far more men than women in the world playing football.
It’s the same in the BVI. Women players are outnumber 3-1.
Football is not a major sport in our culture like Track & Field,
so the real challenge for me is doing my part to change that.”
She also firmly believes the competitive edge to the game
creates great friendships and enjoyable rivalries “ Rivalries
are there because of the competition, but it makes the game
more interesting as well as growing you as an individual and
producing friendships that lasts for life”
Pond is focused and a leader in the resurgence of the Women’s
Game in the BVI. While she was off island there was a noticeable
drop in football activities for women, but her return has seen a
significant increase in participation as well as a renewed belief
that the Women will be taken seriously by administrators, fans
and sponsors alike.
Pond went on to acknowledging her biggest break through so
far as being given the opportunity to represent the BVI as a
player for the BVI Women’s National teams. She also said that
she intends to give back to the game by becoming a Coach.
“In the sense of the game of Football, my ultimate goal would
have to be coaching. I would love to be able to take my love
and knowledge for the game to another level that is coaching.
I have the ability to learn and understand the game and pass
on my experience”
Pond is from a family of six which includes four brothers and
one sister. Her parents did well at Track and Field. So far none
of her siblings have opted to follow in the footsteps of either of
the family sporting disciplines, but it is not too late as they are
all at a young stage in their lives.
She is a stanch follower of the Barcelona and Brazilian team.
She pointed out that one of the best advice that she has been
Barbados Football Association
unveils new Logo
Previous Logo
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