Semi-pro football debuts this weekend

Calling all football fans…this weekend, you can pick, chose and refuse which games you want to watch in different parts of the country. According to the Belize Premier Football League, as part of the official opening of the Regent Insurance Anniversary Cup 2002-2003, there will be four hotly contested match-ups: Griga United against Corozal Victory in Independence, Builders Hardware versus Verdes in the capital city, Fabros Juventus challenges San Pedro Turquoise in the People’s Stadium in Orange Walk and at the M.C.C. Grounds last year’s champion, Kulture Yabra, welcomes back the Sagitun Football Club. Reynaldo Malik, Deputy Commissioner of the B.P.F.L., says despite their controversial decision to disassociate themselves from the Football Federation of Belize, the league has the support it needs.

Reynaldo Malik, Deputy Commissioner, B.P.F.L.

“What it signals basically this weekend is the start of our season, but it’s also signals that all the misgivings that some football fans might have had since the B.P.F.L. broke away from, the F.F.B., you can put all of those aside and you can rest assure that football, semi-pro level, is being played as we showed last week with our showcase marathon out at the M.C.C. All eight teams participated, we had referees, which we feel was the major concern from everybody around the sport. So we’ve shown that we can get the referees there, we’ve shown that we have the eight teams, we’ve shown that we have the league’s best players, the country’s best players on our teams playing football for us, so the B.P.F.L., it’s the only place you’re gonna see football action right now.”

Janelle Chanona

“Is the divorce permanent, are you guy gonna stay away from the F.F.B. or if they come back to you guys with some kind of offer or something are you guys willing to sit down and work things out with the F.F.B.?”

Reynaldo Malik

“Well we’re willing to put all our cards on the table and we’ve basically say this, as far as the current leadership of the F.F.B. is concerned, the B.P.F.L. will not rejoined the F.F.B. under that leadership. We strongly believe that that leadership is not right for football in Belize. Football will progress nowhere with that leadership. We will certainly think about rejoining the F.F.B. when that leadership has been changed.”

We’ll have highlights of the weekend football action, as usual, on Sports Monday.