Don't cancel the Manning Cup match for Friday - St George's coach

Andre Poyser, Staff Reporter

St George's College football coach Neville Bell has said he does not want the Manning Cup match scheduled for Friday to be cancelled.

A meeting to decide whether or not the match will be played is to take place today after captain for the St George's College Manning Cup team, Dominic James died yesterday after collapsing on the field of play.

Addressing a gathering of the school community which congregated at the Holy Trinity Cathedral to morn the death of the 18-year-old, Bell says he does not believe it would be fair to the other teams to have the match cancelled.

Bell said he has also spoken with the parents of the young footballer and in spite of their grief, they encouraged the team to go out and play.

“We want to play,” Bell said repeatedly to loud applause from students of St Georges College, students of several other schools in the Corporate Area, parents, old boys and ISSA officials.

James collapsed during his team's ISSA-Flow Manning Cup game against Excelsior at the Stadium East field in Kingston.

READ: A father's grief - Dad watches as STGC captain collapses during football match and later dies

The match was just four minutes old when James, a former Jamaica College player, fell to the ground.

He was rushed to the University Hospital of the West Indies by his father, where he died while undergoing treatment.