Football: First division league Champions St Louis receive league title trophy |27 November 2017
2017 first division league champions St Louis were presented with their trophy on Friday evening in their last league match against Praslin side Revengers where they won 5-1 on the back of hat-trick by striker Elijah Tamboo.
Controversial presentation
However, the trophy presentation on Friday caused much confusion and controversy as the Seychelles Football Federation (SFF) had inexplicably decided to present the cups and medals before the kickoff of this match at 5.15pm instead of after the match. The St Louis camp was very unhappy with this arrangement by the federation under the guidance of its chief executive Georges Bibi and refused to come and collect their trophy before their match which was strangely to take place by the pitch side instead of in the grandstand and their supporters were also adamant that the trophy must be given after the match. This tense situation took another twist when Vice-President Vincent Meriton arrived along with the SFF chairman Elvis Chetty for the presentation and Mr Meriton even went to the St Louis changing room to clarify their wish and the St Louis management made it clear that they would collect the trophy after the match.
Finally it was accepted that the cup would be presented after the match and this match was allowed to kick off.
Côte d’Or refuse to turn up for presentation
Meanwhile, Côte d’Or were also invited to this cup presentation ceremony where they were going to be presented their runners-up trophy and medals and had been asked by the football office to send a representative which offended their club president Robert Payet who sent a strongly worded letter to the SFF chief executive and some media houses stating his team’s position on this matter.
Mr Payet felt that they should have been presented with their cup and medals during their last match against The Lions on Tuesday and made it clear that he felt CEO Bibi should resign.
“A cup is given ‘AT THE MOMENT’ with all its supporters, players and entourage not “afterwards to a representative. We have worked hard for a whole year for the league title which we unfortunately marginally missed to a deserved St Louis which we congratulate but managed to come in second which is still a big achievement for all the effort, hard work, money spent over a whole year and now you ask us to send a representative to collect a cup at someone else’s game? You should resign point blank,” Mr Payet stated in his letter and added that the cups were not presented earlier due to its late arrival in the country.
“St Louis should have been given the cup since last week because it was the ‘RIGHT MOMENT’ but due to what I understand your late order of the cups they were still stuck at the airport,” Mr Payet alluded.
“Côte d’Or will NOT accept our deserved runners-up cup like this and we are not sending any representative. No excuses will ease the pain of this… my players, supporters and management feel great pain to be treated like this and the only comfort we will have is for you to resign as CEO of this federation,” the Côte d’Or club president told Mr Bibi to conclude his letter.
Champions St Louis condemn Revengers to playoff
Champions St Louis thrashed Revengers 5-1 helped by a hat-trick by Elijah Tamboo to condemn the Praslin team to the playoff berth.
The match started in earnest after the upheaval of the cup presentation and Revengers, who needed all three points to avoid being involved in the playoff dogfight, held their own for much of the first half against a St Louis side whose supporters were in party mood in the stands.
St Louis broke the deadlock in the 40th minute from a poor back pass by Malagasy Mazinot Valentin and Gervais Waye-Hive pounced on the loose ball to slot it past goalkeeper Johan Pouponneau for a 1-0 lead at half-time.
St Louis added a second straight from the kick-off when Tamboo spotted the Revengers goalkeeper Pouponneau distracted by the fanfare in the stands and he thumped the ball at goal and it sailed into the net to make it 2-0.
Champions St Louis dominated proceedings but Malagasy Ludovigue nearly reduced the arrears in the 58th minute from a defensive mistake but goalkeeper Jalyl Servina denied the former La Passe striker.
On the hour mark, St Louis stretched their lead from Danny Madeleine’s pinpoint cross which was headed home by Tamboo for his brace and a 3-0 score.
Ten minutes later, Revengers reduced the score from Malagasy Evariste’s cross which was headed past goalkeeper Servina by Hedy Esther to make it 1-3.
The league champions were gifted a penalty in the 74th minute when referee Egbert Havelock pointed to the penalty spot for a foul by a Revengers defender on Tamboo who picked himself up to plant the ball in the net to complete his hat-trick and a 4-1 score-line.
St Louis made it 5-1 for their biggest league win this season with a strike by captain Mervin Mathiot on the stroke of fulltime after being set up by substitute Collin Bibi and he fired a rasping shot into the roof of the net for a 5-1 final score much to the joy of the fans who had packed the stands with their flags and drums to create a fantastic atmosphere.
Revengers gave the champions a guard of honour treatment as they climbed up the stairs to receive their medals and more significantly the much sought after league crown from Vice-President Meriton, SFF chairman Chetty and National Sports Council chief executive Giovanna Rousseau. It was long time skipper Mathiot and current captain Bertrand Esther, who is the favourite to be voted player of the season, who received the trophy as the fans went wild in celebrations inside and outside the stadium.
What they said after the match
SFF chairman Elvis Chetty: “I would like to congratulate St Louis on winning the title in a very competitive league with top class opponents and they are deserved winners for their consistency throughout the season and I would like to wish them the best of luck for next year”.
NSC chief executive Giovanna Rousseau: “It has been 23 years and so I must congratulate St Louis for this long wait where they have persevered and not given up and today have reached the top due to their determination and it is a well-deserved achievement”.
St Louis coach Nigel Freminot: “I am very happy to help St Louis at the tender age of 37 to lift the league crown and I would like to thank the coaching staff, management, players and more so the Almighty. Special thanks to former St Louis coach namely Bernard Dorasamy who came looking for me to ask me to come and help this team last year. It's been an incredible season where we have worked hard to tighten our defence and this has spurred the team on and all credit to the players and we will now prepare to bring the double to St Louis after a 28-year wait”.
LightStars see off St John Bosco
Praslin outfit LightStars beat relegated St John Bosco 6-2 at Stad Linite on Saturday afternoon in a deserted Stad Linite.
Malagasy Paul Bruyelle netted twice, firstly in the 40th minute and in the 43rd minute to give his team a 2-0 lead at half-time.
The Praslin side made it 3-0 in controversial manner in the 49th minute when Bruyelle, who was miles offside but was not flagged by assistant Hensley Petrousse, raced forward to set up his countryman Jacquelin Tovosoa who easily shot past goalkeeper Christopher Legaie for a 3-0 score.
St John Bosco then fought back and Deroy Brutus latched onto a long ball to cut the deficit in the 57th minute with a fierce shot past goalkeeper Romeo Barra for a 1-3 score.
Three minutes later, the players of coach James Barra were awarded a penalty by referee Emile Fred for a foul by Carlos Hoareau on substitute Daren Leon.
Bruyelle stepped up for the spot kick but goalkeeper Legaie redeemed himself for being at fault for the first two goals with a good block to deny the former Côte d’Or striker his treble.
St John Bosco also won a penalty in the 62nd minute when defender Marlon Ernesta charged into Deroy Brutus who went down in the box and Ghanaian Jonas Baffoe took charge of the penalty to shoot past goalkeper Barra for a 2-3 score-line.
LightStars restored their two-goal cushion in the 69th minute when Francis Louise did well on the left flank to beat the St John Bosco offside trap and centre to Leon who fired the ball low into the net to make it 4-2.
Bruyelle bagged his hat-trick in the 80th minute for a 5-2 score and substitute Ian Vel also got on the scoresheet to round off a good 6-2 win for LightStars against second division-bound St John Bosco.
R. J-L.