Football-Brutus and Bibi back for international duty |16 February 2005

With the Seychelles national team going on overseas mission in the Cosafa Castle Cup during the weekend of February 26-28, the two players had to rush home to join the team to prepare for the international assignment.

Originally expected home Saturday February 13, they arrived Tuesday February 15 (morning) ready to embark on a new mission.

“We had two more weeks to spend in Italy but we received a phone call Thursday February 10 regarding our inclusion in the country’s national team for the Cosafa Castle Cup and we had to rush back home,” said Brutus.

Both players said they trained hard twice daily with the US Cremonese first team. “In Italy, third division football is still played at a very fast pace. Two or three players surround you the minute you receive the ball. With very little time on the ball, you get to think faster and look for an opponent to whom to pass the ball. It has been a very interesting experience,” added defender Bibi.

Even though they did not get to play any match in Italy, Bibi and Brutus said that the atmosphere on the team was good as all the players treated them well.

“It was just amazing how the other players made life easy for us. There was also a Senegalese player and his presence helped us integrate into the team. We would like to get another chance to train with the team and hopefully make a career out of football,” added Brutus, who praised his teammates for their convincing 4-0 win over Savanne Sporting Club of Mauritius in the preliminary round return leg match of the African Confederations Cup.

“I’m happy my teammates did it. They proved that they can play football,” said 23-year-old Brutus, who was met at the Seychelles International Airport by Malagasy coach Mosa, his girlfriend and daughter.

As for Bibi, he was confident in his team’s ability despite being eliminated by Malagasy outfit USJF Ravinala on an aggregate score of 3-6 in the preliminary round of the African Champions League.

“I’m sure the team played well. I would have liked to play but unfortunately I was away. We will be back stronger and I am confident we will do much better the next time,” explained Bibi, 20, who made his international debut for Seychelles during the African U17 Championship which the country hosted in 2001.

When asked if they are to return to US Cremonese, both Red Star’s dreadlocked striker Brutus and La Passe's intelligent central defender Bibi, who have represented Seychelles at youth and senior level, said they did not have a clue.

Sports Nation contacted Seychelles Football Federation’s vice-chairman Hugh Adam and he explained that Bibi and Brutus had gone to US Cremonese on a training camp.

“This is an entente between the SFF and the US Cremonese team. We expect to send two of our best young players to train with the Italian team every year. Nevertheless, this opportunity can also open up new avenues for some young players. We have to wait and see what happens,” said Adam.

It is to note that Bibi and Brutus played in the Seychelles youth team who participated in the qualifiers for the Olympics Games which took place in Athens, Greece, in 2004. At senior level, they played at the Sixth Indian Ocean Islands Games in Mauritius in 2003, winning a bronze medal and formed part of the Seychelles selection who competed in the qualifiers of the African Nations Cup 2004.

G. G.