Inniss hails ‘Year-end’ legacy as football returns today

By Jemima Holmes

The year 2021 has not seen much local sport, and football is no exception. Aside from an international tournament here and there, and ‘unsanctioned’ events, there has been a drought in the sport since the ‘Bounceback’ Football final on January 1.
Now unofficially commencing today, teams from across Guyana will fight to stay alive in the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF’s) Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Men’s Super-16 football tournament, while the female version of that event will get underway on Saturday, as the entities hope to regale fans with enough football entertainment to make up for the year.

While fans and players alike are looking forward to the year-end football action, the executives within the GFF are equally hyped up. One such person is Executive Committee member Dion Inniss, who spoke about the tournament’s legacy, especially in the Christmas season.
“The GFF-Kashif and Shanghai tournament and its forerunners have always been an eagerly anticipated tournament on the football calendar. My recollection as a player, match official, and now an administrator is that this tournament has always been coupled with the festive activities, one that you’re always looking forward to,” Inniss shared with other executives, stakeholders, players and media during a GFF reception on Friday last.
“My hope is that this tournament can once again become a permanent fixture on the tourism calendar of Guyana. I have very fond memories of January 1 at MSC: packed to capacity, people on the fence and the rafters looking over and overflowing.”
Inniss touched on the effect of the pandemic on the sport, highlighting that the expectation of those involved is visible as time winds down.
“This pandemic has had a very debilitating effect on football, and I see this tournament returning really at a very timely moment, and we will ensure that the members of the public have a good product,” he said.
“We see this tournament and its return acting as a catalyst to getting back football to where it once was. You know, that eagerness to want to participate, not only the players but the referees. Only today, I was at the National Training Center, getting ready, honing our skills for this eagerly anticipated tournament,” he added.
The GFF executive member also had words of praise for Guyana’s female players, positing that their Super-16 tournament would do well to prepare the females for a packed international calendar in 2022.
“I must say that the Women’s tournament this year, which is a stand-alone tournament, is quite timely. Next year our women will be very busy. We have a number of tournaments: the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, the Under-17,” Inniss stated.
He further stated, “At this time, I think it would be an opportune time to congratulate the National Women’s Under-17 team who performed quite creditably recently.”
The Men’s Super-16 action will commence at the Leonora Track and Field Facility this evening with a showdown between West Demerara All Stars and the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) from 7pm. Meanwhile, St Cuthbert’s Mission will take on Swan FC in the first female fixture on Saturday, beginning at 3pm.