Our footballers do us proud |16 August 2011

President James Michel and Vice-President Danny Faure were present to witness the history making match as well as other ministers and Seychelles Football Federation  chairman Suketu Patel who was filled with joy after the match as our footballers had achieved this feat against the odds. This moment was one of savour and no one could ever imagine this moment in their wildest dreams.

Our football team, under the guidance of coach Ralph Jean-Louis for the last three months, made satisfactory start with a goalless draw against the Comoros at the Amitié Stadium on Praslin in the opening match

In their next match which proved to be the turning point of this tournament, the local boys shocked Mauritius with a goal in the opening minute which set the tone of the match for a comfortable 2-1 win against our old rivals.

Seychelles put on their best show against an impressive Maldives team in their last pool match, displaying a free-flowing football which delighted the crowd and they scored some spectacular goals as they romped to a 5-1 victory.

In the semifinal against defending champions Reunion, they found the going tough but soldiered on for a 2-1 come-from-behind extra-time win.

The Reunionnais may argue about Alex Nibourette’s equaliser not crossing the goal-line but no one should doubt the validity of this goal and the Mayotte officials were quite right to award the goal as the ball had crossed the line.

Carl Hall’s last-gasp winning header was just incredible as the spectators went wild in celebration as they realised that Seychelles had knocked out our bogey team and were in the final as history beckoned for them.

Despite having beaten Mauritius in the group stage, the final was another challenge for the boys of coach Ralph Jean-Louis who kept the players’ feet firmly on the ground and warned against overconfidence. He asked them to remain focussed on accomplishing their mission.

Kevin Betsy, who had sacrificed a lot for the team, finally broke his duck in the 15th minute, giving Seychelles the lead and he should have added a second minutes later as Achille Henriette and Jonathan Bibi combined to set him up.

There were worrying moments though when goalkeeper Nelson Sopha limped off on the half hour mark with a knee injury to be replaced by Vincent Euphrasie who took time to adjust as he misjudged two crosses in the first half but thankfully it did not cost the team dearly.

However, Euphrasie’s hesitation in the second half proved costly as Gimmy Jerry Louis headed home the equaliser.

The boys of captain Don Anacoura though did not panic. Anacoura led his team and worked his socks off for the team and even took a yellow card in extra-time as he stopped a dangerous Mauritian attack.

Euphrasie the hero

In the penalty shootout, Euphrasie redeemed himself as he stopped Mauritius’ first spot kick after Betsy had given the team the lead.

Achille Henriette also scored but Jonathan Bibi shot wide despite sending the Mauritian goalkeeper and captain Abou Bakar Argustin the wrong way.

However, Alex Nibourette and captain Don Anacoura made amends and when Euphrasie blocked Colin Peter Donovan Bell’s low shot, the crowd jumped the stands and flooded the pitch and Euphrasie was the hero with two decisive saves which helped the team win the much-sought gold medal.

There were so many people celebrating on the pitch that the medals presentation could not take place on the podium as is tradition, but rather in the VIP area where our boys received the gold medals from President James Michel.

The party then began with the popping of champagne, a scene one could only have dreamt of had become a reality.

Coach Jean-Louis and his assistant Vivian Bothe were very emotional as they acknowledged the praise and words of congratulations from all quarters.

They deserve all the praise for this team’s achievement as they had managed to put together a winning team and more so instil discipline and a fighting spirit epitomised by team captain Don Anacoura who battled his heart out for the team along with his teammates.

Coaches Jean-Louis and Bothe also proved their doubters wrong and showed that at times our local coaches have the potential if they are trusted and given the support.

Foreign football coaches such as Raoul Shungu, Richard Holmlund, Michael Nees and recently the controversial Andrew Morrison had failed to inspire the team and left our football in the doldrums despite being given lucrative contracts.

The success of our footballers also reflects well on the federation because of the huge budget it receives from National Sports Council compared to other federations – a criticism continuously levelled at them.

Therefore our players deserve a handsome cash reward from the federation to top up the gold medal win bonus being offered by the sports ministry.

This will serve as an incentive for the players and also a deserved reward for this fantastic achievement to bury the ghost of the silver medal-winning team of 1979 which chairman Patel was a member.

Anacoura and company can no longer be taunted for being underachievers but rather they have restored some lost pride as we are the Kings of the Indian Ocean in our national sport – a feat much appreciated by a whole nation and displayed by the fanatical support in the stadium which were packed especially for the final.
Congratulations Seychelles!

R. J-L.