Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 20, 2009 Sports
By Franklin Wilson
Come tomorrow evening at the World Famous GCC ground Bourda, Guyana’s Alpha United and Haiti’s Tempete F.C will be locked in fierce battle when they open their respective bids for top honours in the Caribbean Football Union Champions Cup tournament.
Tempete arrived early Thursday (yesterday) morning and their management team, which met the media later in the day at the Water Chris International Hotel, said they came to win and have been training very hard in this regard.
Club President Jean Alix Nezivar speaking through an interpreter, his son Chris Nezivar, expressed his delight in being here to play against Alpha noting that this was the second time they are playing at this level. He said the trip to Guyana was long and painful but they are here to win.
“This is the first time in a very long time that Tempete is travelling outside of Haiti to play. We are very grateful to Mr. Lumumba for his help in ensuring that we arrived since we had encountered visa issues but he intervened and assisted us. We are here to do our best on Saturday and hopefully win.”
Club coach Plaisir Wilcuins who was born in France to Haitian Parents also expressed his delight in being here to play.
Wilcuins, has a degree in Physical education and has played at the professional level for ten years with clubs the likes of Parris Saint Germain and AS Monaco FC, both French clubs and in Belgium also. He also worked with the Haitian National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Digicel Caribbean Championship (Cup).
Wilcuins, who recently joined forces with Tempete, noted that the game will be of a high level since both teams have been preparing hard for tomorrow. He disclosed that five players on his roster have played with their National team.
Tempete is the current National Club Champions of Haiti having won this accolade twice under the short tenure of President Jean Alix Nezivar. Tempete also won the champion of champions title sponsored by Digicel, last December.
They were scheduled to practice at GFC last evening and will be at the GCC this evening for a session before tomorrow’s big showdown. The return clash is set for next Sunday in Haiti.
Tomorrow’s supporting fixture at which kicks off at 17:30hrs brings together arch rivals Pele and BK International Western Tigers in what is expected to an enthralling battle.
Pele, on a roll after claiming their first Kashif and Shanghai title on January 1st, showed that the victory then was no fluke with victory over Alpha in the Mayor’s Cup final last Friday.
The Tigers, who devoured all and sundry in division one to earn their place back in the Premier League ranks, will be aiming to prove that they really belong at the higher level.
President of Alpha United Odinga Lumumba said his club was very pleased to host Tempete and is aiming for strengthened relations with the club beyond the spheres of football.
“We’re all friends and brothers and we think that this is a great opportunity not only to develop football but to strengthen relationships between the two countries.”
Caribbean Club Champion Cup results
W Connection of Trinidad beat Bath Estate of Dominica 5-0 on Wednesday, opening its bid for a third Caribbean Club Champions Cup title with an impressive victory away from home.
Hughton Hector scored three times and Jonathan Frias and Kerron Smith added one each for W Connection, which will host the second leg of the first-round series on March 25 in Marabella. In another game Wednesday, Ives Vlijter scored a pair of second-half goals to lift Suriname’s Inter Mangoe Tapoe to a 3-1 victory over CSD Barber in the Netherlands Antilles.
Edgard Cassiani gave CSD Barber a brief lead in the 34th, but Sirano Amoeferie equalized for Inter three minutes later.
Meanwhile, other games on this weekend will see Sevilla FC of Puerto Rico at home against the Green Bay Hoppers of Antigua and on Sunday the first legs of the first round will finish with SA Cavaly of Haiti hosting SV Britannia of Aruba.
The winners will advance along with San Juan Jabloteh of Trinidad for a second two-leg round in mid-April.
The winners of the second round will qualify for single-game semi-finals in Trinidad May 15 with the Puerto Rico Islanders.
The final and third-place match will be played May 17 in Trinidad with three teams qualifying for next season’s CONCACAF Champions League.
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