From eight, there are two.
After four match days of one-sided games, keen contests, and entertaining football, Clarendon College, the Jamaican school football powerhouse, and St. Benedict’s College, the Trinidad and Tobago representatives, will clash in the KFC Goodwill International Football Championship final tonight at 20:00hrs at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.
Yesterday, the captains, coaches, and managers of the respective finalists met at the KFC main outlet on Vlissengen Road, where they interacted in a ‘face-off’ exercise and spoke to the media.
Gregory Quan Kep, the principal and manager of St. Benedict’s, told the gathering that his side is “indeed grateful for the opportunity. We have journeyed and competed, and we are in the final. We look forward to a clean, competitive final match.” In addition, he thanked the sponsors for the opportunity, noting that the team has been learning on and off the field. “It has enriched us tremendously.”
Meanwhile, St. Benedict’s coach, Randall Boyce, said that a lot of learning has been taking place in terms of the Guyanese culture and style of football. “We can take back our experience and help develop football in Trinidad from the information we have gathered here. We can see that this tournament has been helping develop Guyana’s football as well.”
Skipper of the Trinidadian side, Jeremiah Joseph, also spoke of how great the experience of the competition proved to be and promised an entertaining game tonight.
Meanwhile, Richard Palmer, the outspoken manager of Clarendon College, echoed his Trinidadian counterpart, stating, “We are thankful for the opportunity to come and express our talent. I think that the Trinidadians are a very-very good team, and we are looking forward to entertaining the crowd in the final.”
Similarly, Kemar Foster, coach of the Jamaicans, expressed similar sentiments of his counterparts and team manager, saying, “I expect a good showdown between the two teams; this is what we expected: good quality games, and I like the experience for my side. The final will be very interesting. It will be all about who is able to execute, show discipline, and come out on top.”
KFC Guyana’s Marketing Manager, Pamela Manasseh, congratulated the captains and managers of the respective finalists and expressed pleasure at sponsoring the tournament. “We are pleased with the organisation of the tournament, and we will be looking at how stakeholders can improve for next year.”
Players to keep an eye on will be Jamaica’s captain, Deandre Gallimore, his midfielder, Nicholy Forbes, and St. Benedict’s tenacious winger, Jeremiah Niles. When the dust settles, either a Trinidadian team will win the tournament for the second time in its four-edition history or the Jamaicans will create history by taking the trophy back home in their first outing.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed by the organisers that the first and second place prizes of US$2500 and $1500, respectively, were donated by President Irfaan Ali. Prior to the final, Chase’s Academic Foundation, who were needled in the dying moments of their semi-final against St Benedict’s College on Tuesday night, will come against Surinamese side VW 04 in the third-place play-off at 18:00 hrs.
