Soccer Made Simple FC from Arouca/Trincity area will battle Palo Seco’s Cox Football Academy for the championship trophy when the curtain falls on the Next Level Consulting Limited Under-19 Community Cup at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva on Monday from 4 pm.
Two hours earlier in the third-place match, Eagles FC of Scarborough, Tobago will take on the pride of Santa Cruz, Cantaro United FC at the same venue in the tournament which kicked off on April 24, with three groups totalling 16 teams is now down to its final matchday with the top four teams battling for pecking order and $15,000 in cash prizes, along with trophies and medals.
Last weekend at the same venue, the hotly contested second semi-final between Cox Football Academy and Cantaro United FC was marred by the issuance of five red cards.
Following the game, the issue was referred to the T&T Football Association (TTFA) Special Disciplinary Committee, which ruled out any further participation of the five red-carded players.
Additionally, the Special Disciplinary Committee also fined both teams a substantial amount for not maintaining disciplinary control of their respective teams.
Tournament chairman, Brian K Jordan stated, “Our organising committee appreciates the work of the TTFA Special Disciplinary Committee. Our teams have sincerely apologised, and we all share in the deep regret of what occurred last weekend. It’s not what we stand for, and we believe that this was an outlier, as no other games in our history have had such a display. We take full responsibility for the fan experience and will do our best to ensure there will not be a similar occurrence on Monday, or ever in the future of this tournament.”
He added, “The teams are focused on giving their all on the field, and fans can come out assured that additional security measures have been put in place for the exciting Championship Day on Monday.”
All previous games were shown live to local and international audiences via Youtube, as well as, on the Flow Sports app. The NLCL U19 Community Cup Championship Day games will be shown on the Flow Sports channel, bringing the season to a wonderful ending.
Both games are expected to be well attended, and fans coming out are asked to arrive as early as possible. No coolers or glass bottles will be allowed into the stadium.
Tomorrow, there will be tassa music, live DJ entertainment, as well as, food and beverages on sale. The tournament will continue to offer affordable entry with adults 18 and over at $30; children 13 to 17 years old at $15; and children 12 years and under, free of charge.
The NLCL U-19 Community Cup's organising committee expressed appreciation to their supporters, fans, teams, stakeholders, and particularly sponsors Next Level Consulting Limited, the Ministry of Sports and Community Development, Complete Distributors Limited, National Energy Corporation of T&T, Soco Restaurant (NYC), National Lotteries Control Board, Southern Supplies Limited (SSL), Sport Company of T&T and Ramsingh’s Sports World for their generous contributions to youth football development, and to the safety and well-being of all their stakeholders.