Luton’s legacy will live on

Plans are currently in the pipelines to ensure that the legacy of former Harbour View and national senior team striker, Luton Shelton, stays alive, said wife Bobbette Shelton.

The widowed Shelton, speaking to The Gleaner at yesterday’s final viewing of the former national striker’s body at the Tranquility Funeral home in downtown Kingston, said they are definitely thinking of ways to keep his legacy alive, and that an announcement will me made at a later date, as they are still in the preliminary discussions at this stage.

WATCH: Luton Shelton's legacy will live on

“His legacy will definitely live on,” she stated. “I don’t want to say much right now, but it is something we have discussed, so hopefully it can be fruitful, and that one day, his legacy will continue on.”

President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Michael Ricketts, added that the JFF has given its full support to the family to commemorate Shelton’s legacy. He said he has been kept abreast of this development, while adding that the federation will initiate its own discussions and plans to preserve the memory of Shelton, the all-time leading goalscorer for the national senior football team.

“I am always in contact with his (Luton Shelton’s) wife and there are a number things we will discuss with her to preserve the memory of Shelton. We also have a (JFF) board meeting some time in March and that (preserve legacy) is something that will be on the agenda. We will discuss in detail and see how best we can preserve the memory of Shelton,” Ricketts said.

“He represented Jamaica. He established records on records, and now that he has passed, I want to personally, on the behalf of the JFF, express to his wife and close family members the highest level of condolences. We mourn the passing of an icon,” Ricketts added.

Meanwhile, Clyde Jureidini, general manager of Harbour View Football Club, the team Shelton represented locally, described the footballer’s passing as a sad moment for Jamaica’s football.

“It is a sad day for everybody, especially the family, friends and the football fraternity. We all knew he was ill, but no one knew the day or the hour, and when the times comes, it is an additional hurt.

LOST A GREAT SON

“We have lost a great son. We hope he rests in peace and that the family can deal with the hurt and the pain,” Jureidini commented.

An intimate funeral service is scheduled to take place this morning at 9.30 and will be available for viewing online.

Shelton, who played for clubs such as Sheffield United in England, Helsingborgs IF in Sweden and Valarenga of Norway, was 35 years old at the time of his passing.

The player, who has the record for scoring the most goals on an international debut (four), has netted 35 goals in 75 international appearances for Jamaica’s senior team. He is survived by his mother, wife and four children.

He had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for the past few years.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com