Pro-League tempers explode.
By: Lasana Liburd (Express).[/size]
The CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh and Vibe CT 105 W Connection football clubs must have spent the better part of yesterday morning inspecting their wounds.
One of the most repeated criticisms of the local Pro League competition is a lack of passion and intensity from players and spectators alike. No wonder Holland-born Trinidad and Tobago coach Wim Rijsbergen made sure he was present for the latest installment of the Jabloteh-Connection rivalry at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on Tuesday night.
The final score read 0-0 and the match lacked the fluency and goalmouth action to justify its billing as a top of the table clash. But in no way should that be mistaken for a shortage of action.
Connection ended the match with nine players, Jabloteh teenager Devon Jamerson needed nine stitches to his forehead and referee Neil Brizan was forced into a speedy, undignified retreat to his own dressing room.
"The match was a poor game," said Jabloteh coach Terry Fenwick, "and I was particularly disappointed with my own team's performance."
For once, Fenwick, a former England World Cup player, might have missed the point.
Patrons do not turn up at a concert just to hear singing, they want a performance. Both teams might have been off-tune but the energy and choreography was striking-in Jamerson's case, quite literally.
Clashes between two of the most successful clubs in the history of the country's professional set up might always be remembered for Fenwick's forearm assault on Connection's Brazilian playmaker Gefferson Goulart, two years ago, that sparked a brawl in the Pro Bowl final, which led to three red and nine yellow cards.
Brizan did that match too. He might face higher insurance premiums if the Pro League executive keep assigning him to its most volatile face up but, despite Connection's protestations, he seemed to get the big decisions right on Tuesday.
Surely, Connection could not debate Goulart's expulsion-which forced Jabloteh to withdraw the dazed Jamerson-while his Brazilian compatriot, Jose Seabra, received a second yellow card for allegedly using his arm to thwart a dribble from Lester Peltier. Seabra's arms were at his side when they twitched, instinctively but deliberately, towards the ball. If he did make contact, Brizan had no choice. It thrust Fenwick into the unusual role of victim.
"They are always pointing the finger at my club (in disciplinary matters)," Fenwick told the Express, "but that must be Goulart's seventh or eight red card for violent conduct in the past two seasons. I am disgusted that a 32-year-old man would attack a young lad like that and I am asking the Pro League to look into it."
Connection coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier could not be reached for comment although club owner David J Williams offered a guarded defence of his star player.
"(Tuesday) was the fourth time that (Goulart) was sent off against Jabloteh in his career," said Williams, "and every time he has been the target of opposing players as far as I am concerned.
"I have not reviewed the tape of the match as yet and rather not comment on the incident (involving Jamerson) until I do."
Perhaps the die was cast when Jabloteh turned out, for the first time, in a bright red kit unlike their customary yellow or green strips. Fenwick said that the uniform was selected by the team's sponsors rather than the technical staff.
Regardless, Jabloteh started the match at a furious pace as their five-man midfield swarmed around Connection's diamond-shaped set up and, in particular, Goulart and Seabra.
Seabra was stripped twice in his own half in the opening five minutes while one firm challenge from Jamerson, in his second start of the season, left the Brazilian on the running track.
Goulart found space to slip a pass towards the offside Connection striker Kevin Nelson in the ninth minute and the Englishman was on his feet.
"Do that one more time and you are coming off!" said Fenwick, as he glared in the direction of talented teenaged midfielder Khaleem Hyland. "Get tight on him!"
Connection's passing game was clearly disturbed and Jabloteh defender Cyd Gray fired inches wide on the break after the hosts again conceded possession cheaply when pressed.
Fevrier was off the bench now to direct his troops now. Seabra was on his backside twice in quick succession at the quarter hour mark after Jamerson went over him in the air and Hyland barged into him from behind-the latter challenge prompted a brief lecture from Brizan.
In the 23rd minute, it was the turn of Connection's Colombian Christian Viveros who lay in the fetal position following a clash with Jabloteh's Jason Marcano after both players dived in with studs showing.
Goulart was clutching his throat, four minutes later, and Connection players and substitutes insisted to the match officials that Jabloteh defender Ian Gray had committed assault.
Five minutes later, Goulart appeared to enact a cynical revenge as he contested an aerial ball with swinging arms and Brizan flourished the red card.
There were two more bookings in the next six minutes as another Jabloteh midfield starlet Atullah Guerra appeared to use a forearm on Viveros-"why no red card, ref?", asked the Connection players-while Seabra kicked out at Hyland.
By now, the contest seemed to only intermittently involve a football and, ironically, Jabloteh suffered most despite being the early aggressors.
Connection responded to the setback by stationing their three remaining midfielders in front of their central defenders-thereby negating Jabloteh's success in that part of the field, particularly through long balls headed down by powerful Antiguan striker, Peter Byers-while the introduction of Andre Toussaint tested the concentration of Jabloteh's three-man defence.
Jabloteh never looked like scoring again, even after Seabra's expulsion reduced Connection to nine players.
"We could play with three men and allyuh still can't beat we!" shouted one Connection supporter.
Fenwick conceded as much on the night.
Tuesday's match might not have been a classic in the orthodox sense but it had its own dark charm nonetheless-the sort that prompts motorists to slow down to examine a car wreckage. Expect an increased attendance when Jabloteh and Connection square off again at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on August 25. Brizan might be well advised to call in sick.
Nine-man Connection defy Jabloteh.
By: James Saunders (ttproleague).
San Juan Jabloteh failed to stretch their slender lead atop the TT Pro League standings when a nine-member W Connection team held them to a goalless draw at the Ato Boldon Stadium.
It was another physical encounter between the two local football giants, and in the end the San Juan Giants failed to capitalize on the dismissal of Brazilians Gefferson Goulart and Jose Luis Seabra on either side of the half.
Despite controlling the majority of possession the San Juan Kings hardly looked capable of getting on the score sheet and it was in fact W Connection who were the ones to get the ball into the net twice however both attempts were ruled offside.
In a game played under lights in a chilly Couva night wind Jabloteh were first to create some excitement in front of goal after a frantic start by both teams when Cyd Gray unleashed a powerful volley from just outside the area that had to be palmed down by the Connection keeper in the 10th minute.
In the same minute Atullah Guerra suffered the same luck as his teammate when his low shot from the edge of the area also found Joao Mansano’s glove.
Three-minutes later defender Cyd Gray played into an advanced position on goal shot agonisingly wide of the uprights.
Connection choosing to start without teenage striker Jonathan Frias in the starting eleven and Earl Jean and Andre Toussaint on the bench looked were outplayed and out muscled in midfield and failed to create any real opportunities early on.
However they did get a break in the 20th minute and looked like they would open the scoring when striker Kevin Nelson neatly sprinted between two defenders before having a dig at goal.
Terry Fenwick’s team was however spared their blushes by the fingertips of goalkeeper Cleon John who made a brilliant save to keep his side’s clean sheet.
Insult was added to injury for the struggling W Connection when influential midfielder Gefferson Goulart was shown a straight red card by referee Neil Brizan for an elbow to the face of Devon Jameson in the 35th minute.
Stuart Charles Fervier’s team marshalled by skipper Elijah Joseph however held out well to maintain a 0-0 score line at the half.
After the break Connection took an offensive turn and Kevin Nelson was grieved to see his blast from outside the area fly just over the crossbar in the 51st.
Jabloteh were unfazed by the southerner’s resurgence and Guerra forced Mansano to get low to hold on to his low scorcher from the top of the box in the 55th.
Fervier looking for firepower against a tiring Jabloteh outfit went for experience and brought on striker Andre Toussaint and Earl Jean the latter who is still recovering from injury.
Four minutes later Connection were fortunate not to be 1-0 down when national striker Cornell Glen’s powerful volley from just inside the area was deflected overbar after the striker chest trapped a looping left sided Jason Marcano cross.
W Connection were controversially denied a goal in the 62nd minute when Toussaint wrong footed a defender on the left before slamming a shot at goal which was parried unto the feet of Nelson who banged it into the exposed net.
The goal was disallowed however as the striker was judged to be in an offside position.
Two minutes later Mansano had to race bravely off his line to deny a charging Peter Byers to keep scores level.
The 2006 Caribbean Club champions were controversially reduced to nine men when Jose Luis Seabra received a second yellow card and was given his marching orders.
Jabloteh however failed to make their numerical advantage count and there would be no more drama as the game panned out into a messy dogfight between the teams to the end.
Teams
W Connection:[/b] - Joao Mansano, Atiba Charles, Kern Cupid, Elijah Joseph, Jose Luis Seabra, Gefferson Goulart, Kevin Nelson (Earl Jean), Nickcolson Thomas, Shane Calderon (Andre Toussaint), Hughton Hector, Christian Viveros (Clyde Leon).
San Juan Jabloteh: - Cleon John, Dwayne Jack, Carlon Murray, Khaleem Hyland, Atullah Guerra, Jason Marcano, Ian Gray (Wendell Joseph), Devon Jameson (Elton John), Peter Byers, Cornell Glen (Lester Peltier), Cyd Gray.
