In tribute to Akeem
A number of players of Trinidad and Tobago’s national football team and former teammates of deceased former national footballer Akeem Adams will play a charity match in his honour on Sunday at the Mahaica Oval, in his Point Fortin home town.
Sunday’s match is set for a 3.30 p.m. kickoff, and will feature an Akeem Adams XI against a team from Point Fortin Civic, the local Pro League club to which Adams was once contracted. Adams’ older brother, Akini, still plays for Civic.
The purpose of the game is to pay tribute Akeem Adams for his contribution to Trinidad and Tobago football. Admission is $20 and all proceeds from the event will go towards an Akeem Adams scholarship, and donated to a top academic student in Point Fortin.
Former Point Fortin footballer Adams, 22, was an international player for Trinidad & Tobago both at junior and senior level. He died a year ago (December 30, 2013) in Budapest, Hungary, due to complications following a massive heart attack suffered on September 25. He had been contracted to Hungarian top division club Ferencvárosi.
Among former teammates lining up on the Akeem Adams XI are former T&T junior World Cup captain Leston Paul, and Central FC midfielders Jean-Luc Rochford and Sean de Silva, who played alongside Adams on Trinidad and Tobago national teams, at the both the 2007 FIFA Under-17 and 2009 FIFA Under-19 World Cups.
Other former World Cup teammates of Adams playing Sunday are USA-based professional Kevin Molino, who recently finished joint top scorer at the 2014 Caribbean Cup, and left-back Aubrey David, another T&T senior national who spent the last year on loan to Jaro FC in Finland. Secondary School Football League (SSFL) players Brent Sam, Kwesi Allen and former SSFL standouts Xavier Rajpaul and Keane Mc Ivor will also represent the Akeen Adams XI.
Meanwhile, the popular Point Fortin Civic professional team contains Marcus Joseph, another of Adams’ World Cup teammates and last season’s top scorer in the local Digicel Pro League. Among the current stars of Point Fortin Civic are Andrei Pacheco, Andre Toussaint, Weslie John and Andre Alexis, some of whom would have played with Adams on Trinidad and Tobago national teams.