Retired referee raises money/pays tribute to injured footballer
Football is arguably Belize’s most popular sport, with thousands of fans gathering in stadiums across the country each weekend to see their favourite stars and the plays of the day. But in this country, organised sporting activities don’t come with insurance packages and when a player gets injured on or off the field, reality changes everything. Twenty-four year old Wilhelm “Papi” White was at the top of his semi-pro football career when a traffic accident in February severely damaged his right leg. Doctors in Guatemala had no choice but to amputate. White’s family, friends and colleagues have rallied to his side and this weekend, they need your help.
Joel Robinson, Event Organiser
?This is an event that is new, nobody di pay tribute to footballers. I wah start with it and I choose Papi White because this is a young boy weh carry himself with a lot of respect, he never disrespect us as referees or players and never involved in anything negative, so I chose he fi start it with and I ask everyone come support this and mek we start pay our respect to fi we footballers.?
Retired football coach Joel Robinson has come up with the idea of combining football and reggae music in a show at the M.C.C. Grounds this Saturday night. Robinson says the event is an attempt to help fallen players have a better life.
Earlier this year Wilhelm ?Papi? White lost his leg in a traffic accident…an injury that will keep him on the sidelines for the rest of his life. But today, White admits he will never be far from the game.
Wilhelm ?Papi? White
?It caught me by surprise; I didn?t expect this any at all. It?s something nice that Joel and the community and all are supporting me with this. It?s a nice thing and I really appreciate it. I ask that the public and everyone could come out tomorrow; it?s going to be a nice day.?
A few weeks ago, the athlete got the chance to walk again with a prosthetic leg from the Hope Foundation in Orange Walk.
Karla Heusner
?You?ve had to make a lot of adjustments in your life and one of those right now is getting used to a prosthetic, do you want to tell us a little bit about how that is going??
Papi White
?It?s a bit difficult, but you know, nothing that we can?t get around. You just have to be strong and I guess I will get over it.?
Joel Robinson
?In the night, the main event will be from seven o?clock where we will have a tribute for ?Papi? White, where we will have the reggae artists that most people know about, on the big screen. We will feature the last championship game ?Papi? White played with Kulture Yabra in Belmopan that featured him.?
?I don?t want people just look at it like a fundraising event, we di have a tribute to Papi White, but same way we di ask for any lee donation towards the man. But basically dah wah big party we di have for this guy; we di show nuff love. We noh want wait until nobody dead. Papi White noh dead, he living; he deh right yah.?
Karla Heusner for News Five.
According to Robinson, activities on Saturday will include a football tournament beginning at five p.m. and lots of giveaways including tickets from Tropic Air to San Pedro and Placencia. Commemorative T-shirts will also be on sale for ten dollars. Admission into the M.C.C. Grounds is only three dollars.
