BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - HUNDREDS of eager football fans turned out yesterday (Oct. 19) at the Silver Jubilee Stadium in Bird Rock to get a glimpse of the 18-carat gold FIFA World Cup Trophy and to have their photo taken alongside it.
And, as expected, the Silver Jubilee Stadium was once again transformed into a football field as the trophy arrived there shortly before midday, where football activities were planned for the historic occasion in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The activities started with over 250 young footballers, who are part of the St. Kitts-Nevis Football Association (SKNFA) Grassroots Programme, showcasing some of their skills in front a large audience.
The Grassroots footballers, along with their coaches, were also given the first shot at getting their photos taken with the prestigious trophy.
Though St. Kitts and Nevis has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup Finals, hundreds of football enthusiasts braved the heat of the day and also the intermittent showers of rain in order to pose for 30 seconds with the trophy.
One Arsenal supporter stated, “I had to take full advantage of this opportunity because I don’t know if I will see this trophy ever again.”
Another football fan, who stated that he would be supporting Brazil during the Championship, claimed that “the trophy looks larger on TV but I am grateful for the chance to get my photo taken with it”.
Spectators were also thrilled by some exciting five-a-side football which featured some 12 teams, but unfortunately ended in a bit of controversy after a mix up of the rules which saw the Garden Hotspurs team walking off the field before the final whistle in their game against Newtown.
However, none of the teams was declared winners as the results are pending the referee’s report.
The football activities however concluded with a match between this year’s Premier Division Champions Conaree and S.L. Hosford’s St. Paul’s for the President’s Cup, which saw the latter team being crowned champions with 2-1 victory in a very exciting encounter.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy will travel around the world for nine months covering 149,576.78 km (92,942.702 miles) spanning more than three times the earth’s circumference.
The Trophy Tour began its journey in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 12, 2013 and is expected to visit 89 different countries with St. Kitts and Nevis being the 20th stop of the tour.
Tours of this nature were also done in 2006 and 2010.
The trophy will depart St. Kitts tomorrow (Oct. 21) for St. Lucia.
