Former national team coaches and players Russell Latapy and Everald “Gally” Cummings are set to coach two of the teams in the 2017 Islands Cup Open which will feature five franchise teams from five different Caribbean nations.
Latapy is set to lead the FC Barbados Challengers while Cummings is expected to head the Trinbago Oilers FC with FC Combine Islands, Suriname Gladiators FC and Jamaica Ruffnecks FC all competing for the title.
Among the marquee former players who are likely to serve as head coaches include John Barnes Falcao, Robert Warzycha, Ricky Hill, Sebastian Lazaroni and Clarence Seedorf.
And the marquee players negotiations are currently taking place with include Rivaldo, Florent Malouda. Mohamed Sissoko, Ronaldinho and Djibril Cisse. The Islands Cup shall play three (3) different rounds and a play offs for the Championship in the three (3) month period, in a Winner-take-all concept in keeping with an action-packed championship format.
An annual Islands Cup Open cash prize totalling Three Million dollars ($3,000,000) USD for the first four (4) seasons, according to the organisers Caribbean Football Thrust Limited of which Trinidadian Chris Anderson is the chairman.
Latapy commented, saying, “I am delighted to be part of an extraordinary initiative such as this. I have played professional football for over 20 years and have worked, and played alongside and against some especially talented players such as Dwight Yorke, Sir Bobby Robson, Jose Mourinho and many other successful International players.
“Football is a sport that brings people together, and especially in the Caribbean more now than ever there is a dire need for more role models and support for young people,” Latapy said.
The Islands Open Cup is a charitable event to launch our Caribbean “KICK POVERTY OUT” campaign and introduce the region to an exciting sports entertainment concept developed by Caribbean Football Trust Ltd (CFTL). The first year of the Islands Open Cup will kick off as a promotional season to be played between July 6th through 16th.