Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United are mere steps away from competing with some of the top clubs in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) but first they have to finish in the top three of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) when the final rounds are held here on May 25 and 27.
The country’s number one club will come up against Puerto Rico’s Highlanders on Wednesday in the feature game while Trinidad & Tobago Defence Force will challenge Tempete of Haiti in the curtain raiser of the doubleheader at the Guyana National Stadium.
On the second day of competition the two winners of their respective games will clash while the losing teams will meet.
The overseas teams will arrive in Guyana on Monday and according to president of the club Odinga Lumumba, his team is “ready for the task ahead.”
The team will be encamped from Tuesday until match day, Lumumba told a press conference yesterday.
And while Lumumba is confident of his team making the top three, his main aspiration has always been making it to the CCL. This objective follows the investments made by the club to raise standards on and off the field and moreso, the club will be taking care of accommodation, transportation and meals for the visiting teams.
This will be a costly venture but Lumumba said that the club will meet these obligations with the promised help of $3M from the government and grants from the CFU.
“This is what we have been fighting for, for a number of years and with that in mind, we will be playing against the Golden Jaguars tonight (last night) and a Linden All Star on Friday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground and I think my team is up to the task.
With regards to hosting of the teams, the Government of Guyana has extended a friendly arm by donating $3M towards this venture, while CFU will be assisting us with some financial help, of which we are in no position to say how much at this moment,” Lumumba said.
Further, should Alpha advance to the CCL their home games will be televised on Entertainment Sports Programming Network (ESPN).
Lumumba added: “Once Alpha qualify to play for the Champions League we will see ESPN coming to Guyana and carrying a live video feed of the matches across the globe, which means that we at Alpha have the onus of taking football to a level that can be compared with cricket, in terms of live broadcasting out of Guyana.”
Additionally, he revealed that vice-president of the club Steve Ninvalle and the team’s assistant coach Gavin Browne will be attending a CONCACAF Summit in Miami, Florida, on Monday and Tuesday to discuss various aspects of the CCL.
when Lumumba was asked about the technical side of the team’s preparation he said they are leaving no stone unturned, adding that the personnel are familiar with the tactics of all the teams for next weekend’s fixtures. He highlighted that the coaches and team were in Suriname and they saw the Puerto Ricans play while Tempete are no strangers to Alpha, playing them in a previous CFU Club Championship in 2009.
“Yes I can say we are familiar with all the teams and have a fair idea of what they will be bringing to the table. At the moment, the team is encamped from yesterday (Tuesday) and will be there until the 28th May.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in our bid to not only capture the CFU Club Championships, but also become the first team to compete in the CONCACAF Champions League and with this upcoming engagements being an enormous one for football in Guyana, I am asking the football public to come out and give us their support,” Lumumba posited.
On the other hand, the first leg of the home and away championship of the CONCACAF Champions League will kick off from the 26th to 28th July, with the second leg taking place from 2nd to 4th August. The first and second group stage matches will take place from 16th to 18th and 23rd to 25th August respectively, with the third, fourth, fifth and sixth group stages occurring from 13th to 15th, 20th to 22nd and 27th to 29th September and 18th to 20th October, 2011 respectively.
The first leg of the quarterfinals will kick off next March from 6th to 8th, with the second leg from the 13th-15th; the first semifinal also starts next March, from the 27th to 29th.
April 3-5, 2012 will see the second leg of the semi- finals, with the winners clashing in the finals that will also be played on a home and away basis, between April 17 and 19 and 24 and 26.
