Organisers of the upcoming lucrative inaugural Guinness Street Football Challenge tournament yesterday said that only teams from five Caribbean countries will participate in the tournament following the withdrawal of a representative team from Haiti.
The tournament takes place from June 21-23 at the National Park and will see teams from hosts Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada competing for cash prizes in excess of US$9000.
The draw for the tournament will take place when all the teams arrive.
The winner walks away with US$4,000, runner-up- US$2,000, 3rd place- US$1,500 and 4th place- US$1,000.
T&T and Stoke City international Kenwyne Jones will be present in the country during the period of the tournament where he is expected to interact with the teams and fans as the Brand Ambassador.
National Futsal Head Coach Joseph ‘Bill’ Wilson has been drafted in to assist in the preparations of Team Guyana (Back Circle) as they attempt to win the inaugural title on home soil.
Wilson is a qualified Futsal Coach, who was the Head Coach of the national team when they competed overseas sometime ago.
Meanwhile, the organizers have also indicated that they will beef up security for the tournament in the aftermath of the shooting which injured three individuals at the finals of the Guinness Greatest of the Streets Exhibition tournament recently at the National Cultural Centre tarmac.
According to one of the co-ordinators, “The shooting was unfortunate. It had to do with individuals with a private matter and nothing to do with football.”
He added:”We can control the crowd but in open spaces the actions or decisions that individuals take is outside of our control.
“Last week Friday night’s action is what is replete in our society. Individuals would shoot and walk, run, ride or drive away with out a trace.”
The organizers said that for the international tournament at the National Park, security would be tight as it will be in an enclosed environment so individuals would not be allowed in with any form of controlled item.
“We are very much concerned for those who have been injured with this incident as for the past four years of the tournament this has never happened, we are praying for a speedy recovery of the injured,” the organizers stated.
