... hashtag references to "CONCACAF" and "Euro2012" kept the tweet pertinent to the topic at hand, football, the beautiful game, mere soccer to a non-believer but nothing less than bloodless warfare to legions who take the sport seriously ...
... here, during the height of competition between European topdogs, was this unrelated match-up oceans away, a first-leg World Cup qualifier between two island-nations with aspirations to make the really big show, still two full years away ...
... World Cup 2014 in Brazil, the Garden of Eden of footballing mythology, is the intended destination, and reaching the finals is an achievement Jamaica can boast of from their 1998 apogee ...
... hosts Antigua and Barbuda, playing at this level for the first time, adapted the cricket stadium in the centre of the island for home games ... the modest, yet modern, facility named in honor of most famous son Sir Vivian Richards, a titan of cricketing culture, contrasts to the stadia of Europe, but just add water, goalposts, FIFA banners - presto, bonafide ballground ...
... the topographical factoid of the multi-strip cricket square in the middle of the park is something all West Indian ballers will have encountered at some point ... no problem, right? ...
... bookies playing odds would have Jamaica's seasoned Reggae Boyz schooling their less storied counterparts from Antigua, the Benna Boys, on the way to taking a maximum three points from this important encounter ... at least, that was the script ...
... most of the festoonery decorated the Western stands, the crowd concentrated there too, with local support dominating over the Jamaican presence, but the colors were blended and familiar, this being a clash of Caribbean cousins ...
... build-up to gametime had been intense and steady ... balletic referee rituals entertained the sparse eastern stands pre-game, while Antigua ran through calm, collected calisthenics at one end, in eye-catching red warm-up kits ...
... I had tuned in to Jamaican FM Radio, a few days prior to this initial round of matches, and astonishly heard questions alluding to "small-island" designs on football power in the region being put to Gordon Derrick, the new head-honcho in Caribbean Football Union politics ... did I mention he's Antiguan? ...
... and so our stage was set ...
... on the afternoon, someone had the forethought to position a winsome videographer and her equipment adjacent to the ad hoc, flicky-tricky scrimmages Jamaica prefers as final preparation ...
... I watched as she got some delightful footage, but felt I could also discern conflict of focus in that moment, and no real respect for the contest at hand, from the preening, cocksure black, green and gold, who had to defer their traditional yellow strip ...
... the spotlight shone even brighter with the attendance of Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller in sporty topstitching, and Horace Burrell of the JFF, who presided over the National Anthems and wished the Boyz 'n' Boys well ...
... then came time to kick the pigskin ...
... there was no Shevchenko on the field (though he owns a home in Antigua and is frequently here), no Ronaldo, Balotelli or Schweinsteiger either, unless they were wearing Jamaica shirts which had no names to identify or represent players who it seems, also switch squad-numbers ...
... #5 in the warm-up came on as a substitute, wearing #4 ...
... my guess is that this subtly undermines key psychologies in young men who are part of notoriously star-driven cultures, football in general and Jamaican Football specifically ... Antigua got this part right - Byers, Griffith and James enhancing their reputations, with Nottingham Forest's Dexter Blackstock reserved for tactical insertion into the game ...
... the pacey Jamaicans, many of whom look to be of genuine technical ability, had no evident plan to reel in these sprats (or minnows, the term you'll hear most often to describe a population of 80,000 audacious enough to field a football team) ... the result was an even nil-nil scoreline which reflected positively on a sensible, spirited performance by the home-team ...
... the visitors left behind a considerably different aftertaste ahead of sterner tests, including the return leg against the newly emboldened Benna Boys, on the Road to Rio ...
... amid the flag waving and good natured support of a team defying predictions, were many Jamaicans who expect more from their national side ... despite being fitter than previous aggregations, the Reggae Boyz would do well to develop a disciplined mental approach which will allow them to adapt more successfully to diverse opposition ...
... the Benna party went deep into the night and next morning's press headline read "We got one!," referring to the first-ever point earned at this level of competition ...
... it's Spain and Germany holding fans in their thrall, for now, as this scoreless match is already old news ... Antigua takes on Guatemala next and Jamaica will seek to rock 'n' roll the U.S.A. in Kingston, but two points dropped at the cricket ground are likely to have more consequence than the one gained ...
Your words r amazing Peter. I felt like I was there & so much more. The photos generated mixed feelings inside me of respect & love 4 those that participate in the magical sport of football. Hopefully, there won't b any injury fakies (more than usual) in the future at the world cup level but then again I mus b dreaming haha!!! :)
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