‘They didn’t lie down’
Lynk commends Cavalier on playing on after changing-room robbery
BRAND AND sponsorship manager of Lynk Jamaica Kemar Burke said even though Cavalier lost the Lynk Cup National Knockout final 2-0 to Portmore on Friday, they were winners in his book.
The Cavalier team returned to their changing room during the half-time interval to find the area ransacked and valuables missing.
Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid said the team was devastated at the discovery, and many argued that they should not have taken the field for the second half, but Burke had nothing but adulation for the competition’s runners-up.
“We are in the process of gathering the information to see exactly what went down. I am going to speak to the Cavalier team, who I must commend for what they would have done.
“It’s a tragic issue, but they held up their end of the bargain. They came out second half and put on a show. They didn’t lie down and abandon the process, so I must say kudos to them. They have guts. They lost the game, but I definitely think they won the night,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.
In an eventful night, which also saw a small scuffle between some Cavalier players and a spectator after the trophy presentation, Burke said the incident put a damper on their grand finale.
“Bad news is bad news. You never want to hear bad news. But we are in the process of gathering all the information. We are speaking to Cavalier players, and we are going to extend our thanks to them for their commitment to the Lynk Cup. Once we gather all the information, we will take it from there,” he said.
After the game, Speid apparently still had not come to grips with what happened.
“I don’t know what really happened. We are still trying to find out,” he commented.
However, he admitted that the psychological impact on the team for the second half was unimaginable.
“It affected us badly. There was no team talk at half time. Everybody was just inconsolable. A player lost his car keys and didn’t even know if his car was stolen. So we are still trying to find out,” he commented.
NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT
This is not the first incident of this kind to take place at Sabina Park. Last September, during a Manning Cup match, St George’s College, whose Adrian Reid Jr also plays for Cavalier, had their dressing room broken into and valuables stolen.
However, despite the spoiler at the end, Burke declared that Lynk Jamaica was committed to improving the tournament for next year and onwards.
“We are going to be improving for next season. Football is entertainment, and, typically, on Friday, people look to do other things. But we are hoping that through the Lynk Cup on a Friday night, they will come watch some football,” he said.
“The changes for next season I can’t say what those are right now. But we are taking feedback from the coaches, players, staff, and the fans to see how we can improve the product. We want all the feedback because we want to give them the best experience they can get.”