On the first night of the first day of 2011 Alpha United trumped Pele in the 21st edition of Guyana’s premier football festival, the Kashif and Shanghai football tournament. The finals’ new home at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence was packed.
The game was tied 2-2 at half time and while Pele dominated the second half they missed several good chances. Alpha didn’t miss its chance and scored in the second half to make it 3-2.
Getting to the finals, the two teams contended with Kings, Conquerers, Netrockers, Tigers, and Soldiers. Each team, relatively new comers to the finals, had only once before won what is arguably Guyana’s best football tournament. Pele won in 2007/8 and Alpha in 2008/9. Pele was led by Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson while Alpha was led by Howard Lowe.
Before the whistle was blown to begin the match, fans were divided as to who was the favourite to take the crown. Pele boasted a star-studded line-up with at least eight national players but failed to ‘gel’ through the tournament while Alpha exhibited strong team chemistry.
Alpha’s win ended a tournament that aroused interest with drama from the start. Before a ball had even been kicked, Alpha United’s President Odinga Lumumba cried foul, grousing about the prize money and kit sponsorship saying it should be higher. He threatened to pull his club out of the tourney and garnered the support of other clubs. But with scarcely a murmur, the K&S directors’ red-carded Alpha saying that the team had ruled itself out by not accepting the prize money and kit sponsorship on offer. Ann’s Grove was elevated to Alpha’s place in the tournament.
A few days later, however, ‘the Hammer’ meekly catapulted and accepted the prize money and kit sponsorship that were originally on offer. But the preparation fee for the teams was raised and Ann’s Grove was out again.
En route to the finals Pele trounced Sunburst Camptown and Fruta Conquers while Alpha United toppled Bakewell Top XX and Netrockers. Defending champion Western Tigers was trounced by Sunburst Camptown in the quarter-finals.
